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Kansas City/County Manager Conference

Register today for the Kansas City/County Manager Conference set to take place on April 30-May 1, 2026 at the Oread Hotel.

Register today!

KCCM brings together public service professionals from around the state and the Kansas City region for a day and a half to discuss the issues facing local government today. 

This conference convenes in the spring and provides an opportunity for students to learn about issues facing Kansas cities and counties, networking opportunities, and partner events such as the KCCM social mixer, Kansas Association of City/County Management (KACM) Membership Meeting and Lunch, KACM Foundation fundraiser, and a Kansas Women Leading Government (WLG) event. 

We have a room block at the Oread Hotel - you can access the special rate via this link. These rooms go fast, so we recommend booking early and once the room block is full, here are the hotels we recommend looking at:

KCCM 2026 resources

2026 tentative conference schedule - explore this year's speakers here!

Wednesday April 29, 2026Activity  
6:00-8:00 PM

KCCM welcome mixer

  • Come meet up with fellow attendees the night before the conference. Free to RSVP; food and beverages are on your own.
Rock & Hawk (formerly the Bird Dog inside the Oread) 
Thursday April 30, 2026Activity  
7:30-8:30 AMBreakfast  
8:30-8:45 AM

Opening remarks

  • Dr. Maja Holmes (Director and Professor, KU School of Public Affairs and Administration)
  
8:45-10:15 AM

Opening keynote

  • Susan Mong (Superintendent of Culture for Johnson County Park and Recreation District)
  • Matt Garrett (Natural Resource Manager, Johnson County Park & Recreation District)
  
10:15-10:30 AMBreak  
10:30-11:45 AMGeneral session: TBD  
11:45-1:00 PMKACM Annual Award Luncheon & Business Meeting  
1:00-1:15 PMTransition to breakouts  
1:15-2:15 PM

Breakouts round one:

  • The value of communities as economic, social, and environmental place and space making (Brian Nakamura, Professor of the Practice KU School of Public Affairs and Administration)
  • Facilitated think tank (Noel Rasor, Assistant Director for Curriculum and Program Quality KU Public Management Center)
  
2:15-2:30 PMTransition to breakouts  
2:30-3:30 PM

Breakouts round two:

  • Small Moves, Big Change: Community Design in Action (Thom Allen, Professor of the Practice KU School of Public Affairs and Administration)
  • A guided exercise on Daniel Pink's "A Hero's Journey" (Jenny Mehmedovic, Assistant Director of Coaching and Consulting Services)
  
3:30-3:45 PMBreak  
3:45-4:45 PM

Guided campus walk 

  • Provided by PMC staff members Kate Nygren (Associate Director, Education Programs) and Zion Guevara (project coordinator)
  
6:00-8:00 PMKACM Foundation BBQ fundraiser  
Friday May 1, 2026Activity  
7:30-8:30 AMBreakfast  
8:30-8:45 AM

Morning remarks

  
8:45-9:45 AM

Perspectives on the Kansas Legislature

  • Join League of Kansas Municipalities Executive Director Nathan Eberline and Government Affairs Director Spencer Duncan for a look back at the 2026 Legislative session and the key issues for local government. In addition to the issues, we will discuss how to effectively communicate and collaborate with your legislators.  
  
9:45-10:00 AMBreak  
10:00-10:45 AM

Economic Development Toolkit

  • John Goodyear (General Counsel, League of Kansas Municipalities)
  • Kayla Savage (Director of Community Engagement at the Kansas Department of Commerce)
  
10:45-11:45 AM

Closing plenary

  
11:45-12:00 PMConference wrap up  
12:00-1:30 PMWomen Leading Government Networking luncheonRock & Hawk (formerly the Bird Dog inside the Oread) 

Interested in becoming a KCCM sponsor?

Ready to sponsor? Contact us at sydbann@ku.edu.

KCCM 2026 SponsorsView as gallery page