Events

Registration and Continental Breakfast

Welcome Remarks

Julia Burrows, Director, Governing Institute

Opening Keynote

The Honorable Tonya Schuitmaker, Senator, State of Michigan

2015 Public Official of the Year Presentation

Presented by: Zach Patton, Executive Editor, Governing

Honoree: The Honorable Kym L. Worthy, Prosecutor, Wayne County, Michigan

Leadership and Justice: A National Model

Kym L. Worthy, Prosecutor, Wayne County, Michigan and Governing 2015 Public Official of the Year

Break

Concurrent Sessions: Informed and Engaged – Foundational Knowledge for Action

Michigan’s Economy: A Primer for Today and Forecast for the Future

Subtheme: Income Inequality

Market forecasts project an economy that is on the mend with growth momentum in state revenue and spending. However, despite the gradual economic upturn, governments, especially at the local level, continue to struggle with meeting demands and new challenges, which are outgrowing resources. In this session, leading financial state and local officials and a private sector chief economist will share their perspectives on some of the major pressure points for Michigan’s finances: pension liabilities, OPEB, and funding capital improvements. Municipal leaders also will address the effects of wage stagnation and rising income inequality, such as growing homeless populations, and offer recommendations for promoting greater equity and sustainable growth.

Moderator: Mark Funkhouser, Ph.D., Publisher, Governing

Carol O’Cleireacain, Ph.D., Deputy Mayor for Economic Policy, Planning & Strategy, City of Detroit, Michigan

John Roberts, Budget Director, Office of Governor Snyder, State of Michigan

Protecting Waterways: Innovative Ways to Fund Infrastructure Maintenance and Upgrades

The Environmental Protection Agency mandates that communities address untreated wastewater from flowing into waterways during heavy rain and other aspects of stormwater. Municipalities are left to figure out how to manage their stormwater, and wastewater and how to pay for it. Some jurisdictions are turning to low-impact development and green infrastructure as a way to mitigate surges in rainfall. Others are continuing to rely on grey infrastructure to meet the stormwater needs and some are using combined approaches. Our panel of experts will discuss ways jurisdictions can pay for stormwater infrastructure improvements and maintain them over the long term.

Moderator: J.B. Wogan, Staff Writer, Governing

Jon W. Allan, Director, Office of the Great Lakes, Department of Environmental Quality, State of Michigan

Pamela Schools, Director, Partnership Development, Corvias Solutions

Marketing your Agency: Traditional and New Media Models for Engaging Citizens

Today more than ever, there is great pressure and attention on governments to efficiently spend tax dollars and deliver measurable results. In addition, the modern citizen – “digital native” – has come to expect the ability to access information and services on demand, at the touch of a button, as well as to communicate via social media channels. These new modes of communication and expectations of service delivery require jurisdictions to improve budget transparency and accountability; allow greater access to data; improve citizen engagement in planning and decision making; and modernize the way they market to and communicate with their constituents. This session will offer tools and strategies governments can utilize to transition from traditional to new models of engagement for more meaningful interaction with citizens and to better serve their communities.

Moderator: Julia Burrows, Director, Governing Institute

Marlon Brown, Mayor Pro Tem, City of Mason, Michigan

Shawn Kingsberry, Director Digital Government, Global Public Sector, Unisys

Derek Melot, Director, Communications and Marketing, Michigan Association of Counties

Stepping Outside the Box: Lessons Learned from Risk Takers in Government

Innovation in government is championed by risk takers and change makers: progress requires shifting the focus of policies and programs to achieving outcomes and improving communities. Innovation grows out of setting goals and evaluating performance – and the willingness to make adjustments in order to improve. Champions of government innovation are those who invite opportunities for creativity and risk while effectively limiting risks, whether through technology, partnerships, or other tools. This session will focus on lessons learned and best practices from public sector innovators who have stepped outside the proverbial box, willing to “fail” their way to success.

Moderator: Zach Patton, Executive Editor, Governing

Garlin Gilchrist II, Director of Innovation & Emerging Technology, City of Detroit, Michigan

Michael Tosh, Director, US State and Local Public Sector, PwC

Lunch

Keynote: Leadership Lessons

Your Digital Public is Ready, Willing and…Waiting for Digital Public Services

Introduction: Julia Burrows, Director, Governing Institute

Peter Hutchinson, Management Consulting Strategy Lead – State, Provincial and Local Government Health and Public Service, Accenture

At last year’s Forum, Peter Hutchinson offered us 10 Leadership Lessons from his extensive, and somewhat unpredictable career in government. Now he is back with Lesson #11 – A Digital Public Wants a Digital Government. In today’s digital world, government leaders at every level face an urgent question: with limited resources, how can they deliver services that engage citizens and delight them? Today’s digitally savvy citizen has high expectations. When logging onto government sites, they want secure and efficient experiences that are as easy to navigate as mobile banking or an online search. In his keynote speech, Peter will explore the issues that government leaders have to consider as they re-imagine citizen services and how some governments are engaging citizens and earning their trust without additional spending. It’s an important lesson.

Keynote: Solutions to a Public Health Crisis

The rate of prescription drug overdose death has increased dramatically in Michigan as well as across the country over the last fifteen years. This trend has been directly linked to the increasingly liberal prescribing of opioid medications in the U.S. during this same time period. Further complicating the picture is a rapidly growing rate of heroin overdose over the last three years. This session will describe lessons learned from prior state and local government initiatives, programs and policies likely to result in the most “bang for the buck” to save lives, and opportunities to lead the effort to overcome this epidemic.

Amy Bohnert, Ph.D., M.H.S., Assistant Professor, Psychiatry, University of Michigan; Investigator, Department of Veterans Affairs Center for Clinical Management Research

Break

Concurrent Sessions: Taking Action

State and Local Government: Finding Common Ground

The relationship between state and local governments can be fraught with tension. Unfunded mandates and restrictive regulation may put excessive financial pressure and/or administrative burden on jurisdictions while often perpetuating ineffective, one-size-fits-all approaches. Removing the barriers to better communication and coordination between state and local levels may be easier said than done, but with effective leadership and consensus-building strategies, governments are finding ways to build support around mutual goals and objectives. This session will highlight examples of partnerships and supportive interactions, and the work done to improve relationships. Our panel will share their advice on aligning programs, building mutual support, and improving outcomes at the state and local levels.

Moderator: Mark Funkhouser, Ph.D., Publisher, Governing

The Honorable Kathy Crawford, State Representative, State of Michigan

Mike Senyko, Chief of Staff, Department of State, State of Michigan

Shelley Goodman Taub, Commissioner, Oakland County, Michigan

Government Disrupted: A Digital Public Demands Digital Public Services

According to a recent survey by Accenture, citizens are ready, willing and waiting for government to match the digital capabilities they experience in the rest of their lives. How can we close this digital gap? Featuring real-world cases, this hands-on session will illustrate how user-centered design can help governments rethink the citizen service experience and meet the expectations of digital public.

Steve Hurst, Managing Director, North American Lead for Digital Government, Accenture

Joanna Champagne, Interaction Design Lead, Fjord

Linda Pulik, Senior Design Director, Fjord

Resilient Government Operations: Protecting Business Critical Applications

As local and state governments embrace technology to enhance citizen service, proactive measures must be taken to protect critical business functions. Investments up front in safeguards will assist agencies in preventing operational failures and breaches. Should disaster strike critical applications, organizations must have plans to recover service and maintain essential and day-to-day operations. Elected officials and practitioners from across the state of Michigan are invited to learn from our expert panel on how to protect privacy, revenues, and public trust.

Moderator: Zach Patton, Executive Editor, Governing

Phil Bertolini, CIO/Deputy County Executive, Oakland County

Wesley Kennedy, Systems Engineer, SLED North America, Nutanix

Closing Panel: Leadership Lessons from the Front Line: The Flint Water Response

The public health crisis in Flint has made international headlines and generated robust discussion regarding a number of difficult public policy issues. Other communities are watching Flint carefully, knowing that it could be them next time. Governing has invited experts involved in the response to the water system contamination to discuss the emergency response and recovery and the leadership lessons learned from the front line.

Moderator: Mark Funkhouser, Publisher, Governing

Captain Chris A. Kelenske, Deputy State Director, Emergency Management & Homeland Security, Michigan State Police

Lawrence A. Reynolds, M.D., FAAP, President/Chief Executive Officer, Mott Children’s Health Center

Ken Sikkema, Senior Policy Fellow, Public Sector Consultants

Closing Remarks

Julia Burrows, Director, Governing Institute

Reception

Conference times, agenda, and speakers are subject to change.