Conference Overview

The U.S. public consistently reports that civility is essential to a functioning democracy. Yet incivility is (and historically has been) prevalent in political contexts. Public sector administrators encounter this incivility in ways big and small in their daily work. The increasing nationalization of local politics and rising mistrust and devaluation of public sector work create a challenging environment for the work CPM participants and alumni do. As the National CPM Consortium reminds us in our competencies, public sector leaders must manage the public trust through stewardship of public resources and contribute to the common good through accountability and transparency. Our conference will offer a new frame for that good work: narrative leadership.

Narrative leadership is a term being championed by Distinguished Professor Chris Koliba. In Professor Koliba’s usage, “narrative leadership”—aka storytelling—is the public administrator’s responsibility and best means to protect democratic norms and standards. Storytelling is a deeply human practice, and stories are inherently about social interactions and their consequences. Narrative leadership, then, is purposefully using stories to highlight and defend democratic values and community.  Public administrators can do narrative leadership in many, many ways, including by: 

• Appealing to tradition - “In our community, we have a long tradition of....”
• Highlighting times your community has come together across broad differences to address a shared issue.
• Finding opportunities to educate the community about how government works, how policies are formed, etc.
• Telling stories about times when your community was at its best.

The conference will feature two keynote presentations from faculty doing extensive work in these areas: Professor Ashley Muddiman and Distinguished Professor Chris Koliba. Then, we’ll dive into action with academic and practitioner breakouts. Our second morning will turn our focus to the capstone projects—including the ways many past projects have been great examples of narrative leadership in action.

Conference participants will further their understanding of the Public Service Focus  CPM competency, and collectively, we will:

• Deepen our understanding the role of public administrators in carrying out the practices and values of democracy.
• Learn the concept of narrative leadership and practice creating statements to counter incivility in their domains.
• Learn additional tools and best practices to respond to incivility and rebuild trust in their communities.

Hotel reservation information:

We have arranged two hotel blocks for the conference. They are:

• The Oread
  • This hotel is walking distance to the conference location.
  • Here is the reservation link for the KU Public Management Center Room Block. Or call 785-843-1200 and let them know you are with the KU Public Management Center - Certified Public Manager Annual Conference. Must book by 9/13/25.
• The Eldridge
  • This hotel is on Mass St. and convenient to all the restaurants etc. on that street. It is 1.1 miles from the conference location (but some of that is UP HILL.)
  • Call the reservation line (785-749-5011) and refer to the “KU Public Management Center CPM Conference” for the room block. Must book by 9/16/25.

A note about parking:

Parking will be an extra expense at either hotel (and for the conference itself). You can park in the Oread garage for $20/night. You can park in the Vermont Street Parking Garage for the Eldridge. (Rates subject to change by city of Lawrence.) Parking for the conference will be available at the Mississippi St. Parking Garage next to the KU Memorial Union. The first hour is $1.75, and all subsequent hours are $1.50 (plus a per-transaction vendor fee if using an app).