Heartland Certified Public Manager® Annual Conference

2025 conference recap & preparing for 2026

On October 14 & 15, we were thrilled to welcome 200 Heartland Certified Public Manager® Program participants and alumni to Lawrence for our annual CPM conference. The full room revealed the brilliance that marks our program: diversity of thought and experience across all levels and sectors of government, our bi-state identity, and the true breadth of expertise and passion it takes to make democracy work.  

This year’s theme, Trust, Civility, and Narrative Leadership, took that charge seriously. Narrative leadership, simply defined, is purposefully using stories to help our audiences—both internal and external—understand the value and purpose of our work. It is democracy in action.  

We opened with two keynotes highlighting the up-to-the-minute research our faculty are doing on the rise of incivility in our nation. Professor Ashley Muddiman shared her research on how we can measure that rise in incivility—as well as how we define the term itself. Distinguished Professor Chris Koliba challenged the room to practice narrative leadership so that the crucial work of government  doesn’t go unrecognized or unappreciated.  

Then, we featured three rounds of breakouts from CPM participants, alumni, and valued colleagues to show us narrative leadership in action. The twelve sessions we offered caused a decision crisis for many who reported that they wished to attend more than three!  Visit the conference website to see the full range of work we were honored to platform. 

On day two, we celebrated the capstones of three CPM alumni, including our 2024 Capstone Excellence Award winner, Brandon Mills’s “Preserving Small-Town Values During Economic Growth: A Case Study of the De Soto Property Tax Relief Program.” Brandon, Brandy Janeksi, and Stephanie Hoffman all shared work that demonstrated a  commitment to building trust and doing effective narrative leadership, both externally and internally. We must address incivility and a lack of trust on our teams just as energetically as we do in the communities we serve. 

Throughout, conference attendees made new connections and deepened those that they’d built during their class year. We at the PMC were excited to present sound research and a wide range of application; however, the real magic of a conference like this is the community it helps reinforce. It was a joy to break bread and enjoy some time together as people. Thank you to our CPM community. Your excellence and energy fill our cups, and it’s always an honor to be in your company. We hope to see you all at next year’s conference on September 9 & 10! Click here to be notified about the 2026 conference.