NARC EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS CONFERENCE

October 16-18, 2022 – Kansas City, MO

Last Day to Reserve Hotel is Friday, September 23!

The annual Executive Directors Conference is designed by and for executive directors of regional organizations, including regional councils and metropolitan planning organizations. The conference, held in a different region of the country each year, brings executive directors and senior staff together to discuss topics including organizational structure, innovative best practices, and new developments in technology.

The annual board retreat is our third in-person meeting that the NARC Board holds each year. In addition to the required business and governance meeting, the board has an opportunity to listen to outside speakers and engage in deeper conversations on topics of importance to NARC and their home jurisdictions than they have during the other 2 meetings each year. The retreat has no charge for NARC Board members. If others would like to attend, there is a $75 fee to cover the cost of meals during the retreat.

Hosted by Mid-America Regional Council

Executive Directors Conference Draft Agenda

Sunday, October 16  
2:00 PM – 5:00 PM  Mobile Workshop: KC Streetcar and Transit-Oriented Development 
Representatives of the Kansas City Streetcar Authority and RideKC Development Corporation will provide a tour of the system and share insights about how the combination of transit, transit-oriented development and mixed-income neighborhoods are the real solution to housing choice and affordability. The session will include time for exploration on your own of Union Station, Crown Center and the National World War I Museum.  Transportation will be via the streetcar, about two blocks from the hotel. Comfortable, casual dress is encouraged.  
6:00 PM – 7:30 PMWelcome to Kansas City Opening Reception 
Join your colleagues for the opening reception at the Loews Hotel.    
Monday, October 17 
8:00 AM – 8:30 AMBreakfast
8:30 AM – 8:45 AM Conference Welcome:  
Warm welcome from NARC’s host Regional Council the Mid-America Regional Council and NARC’s Chair of the Executive Director’s Council.  Speakers:  
Rosa De León Park, Executive Director, Stanislaus Council of Governments Lauren Palmer, Director of Local Government Services, Mid-America Regional Council
8:45 AM – 10:15 AM Rapid Fire Innovations:  
Share with your colleagues (in two minutes or less) a new project, study, revenue enhancement, or other innovation your regional council is pursuing. Handouts and other materials are welcomed but not required. 
10:15 AM – 10:25 AM  Break 
10:25 AM – 11:20 AM  Rapid Fire Innovations: 
Share with your colleagues (in two minutes or less) a new project, study, revenue enhancement, or other innovation your regional council is pursuing. Handouts and other materials are welcomed but not required. 
11:20 AM – 11:30 AMBreak 
11:30 AM – 12:15 PM Regional Role in Housing  
12:15 PM – 1:30 PM  Lunch  
1:30 PM – 1:45 PM  Break  
1:45 PM – 2:00 PM Welcome to the Region  
2:00 PM – 2:45 PM  IIJA/IRA Decode: What’s in It for Regions 
2:00 PM – 4:00 PMFiscal Officers Working Group Meeting: Financial Risks of Cyber Attacks 
Regional Council Chief Financial Officers and Deputy Directors meet to discuss the financial risks of a cyber-attack and shifting to cloud-based computing. 
2:45 PM – 2:55 PM  Break  
2:55 PM3:40 PM  Innovations in Delivering Programs for Seniors  
3:40 PM – 4:25 PM  Environmental Justice Programs for Regions 
4:25 PM – 5:10 PM  Regional Council Role in Public Safety  
Tuesday, October 18
8:00 AM – 8:30 AM  Breakfast 
8:30 AM – 9:15 AM What’s Happening at MARC 
9:15 AM10:00 AM Partnerships for Economic Development
10:00 AM – 10:10 AMBreak 
10:10 AM – 10:55 AM Regional Mental Health Initiatives 
10:55 AM – 11:40 AM Compensation and Benefits for Government Employees  
11:40 AM – 12:25 PM Experience Exchange: Executive Directors Share Their Lessons Learned 
12:25 PM – 12:30  Conference Adjourns  
12:30 PM – 12:45 PM  Lunch 
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM Executive Directors Council Meeting 
2:15 PM – 3:00 PM Break 
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM Mobile Workshop: Growing the Future through Suburban Redevelopment 
Take a downtown walking tour and learn how a landlocked, first-tier suburb reinvented itself by following a community vision. Tour stops include a new civic plaza, community center, and new residential and commercial development. Speakers will share how the city, school district and other partners are working together to achieve common goals around workforce development and economic development.   Comfortable, casual dress is encouraged for walking outside.   

Conference Registration

2022 Executive Directors Conference 
October 16-18, 2022

Board Registration

2022 Board Retreat
October 18-19, 2022

Hotel Registration

Loews Kansas City Hotel
1515 Wyandotte Street
Kansas City, MO 64108
816-897-7070
Room rate: $175

Further Information about the Kansas City Region 

The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area. Kansas City sits on Missouri’s western edge, straddling the border with Kansas. It’s known for its barbecue, jazz heritage and fountains. Downtown, the American Jazz Museum shares a building with the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in the historic 18th & Vine Jazz District.