10:00 a.m.-Noon
Opening General Session and Presentation of Awards
Shift from Fear to Freedom and Embrace Your New Normal
How does one bounce back from being an Olympic track and field hopeful and Army officer candidate one day and an amputee the next? John Register knows the answer to that question all too well because it’s his story. Despite Register’s devastating accident, he hurdled his adversity. Within 22 months post-injury, he competed on the United States Paralympic Swim Team. Four years later, he returned to his first love of track and field and in Sydney at the 2000 Paralympic Games, Register won the silver medal in the long jump, setting the American record. He is the first to say that overcoming any obstacle, no matter how great or insignificant it is, begins with a resilient mindset. But how do you get it? Where does it come from? And can it be taught so everyone can respond better when facing adversity? Your life can change with one wrong step, but your life can also change with one right step. In this presentation, John will share the pathway and steps to winning.
Speaker: John Register, Speaker and Change Management Leader
Noon-5:00 p.m.
Exhibit Hall Grand Opening
2:00-3:15 p.m.
TML Concurrent Sessions
How Small Cities Are Using Stimulus Funding Session courtesy of the Small Cities Advisory Council |
Advocacy Collaboration – Working Together for Texas’ Future Session courtesy of the American Planning Association Texas Chapter The quality and character of development in our communities has been a critical ingredient in Texas’ success as one of the fastest-growing states in the nation. The Texas Legislature has a major role in determining how development and redevelopment happen and whether Texas cities and towns are able to provide the economic support and quality of life that people and companies want and need. During the 2021 Legislative session, APA Texas experimented with some new approaches to advocacy, including collaboration with public, private, and non-profit entities that share common objectives. Join this session for a briefing on the results, and a lively, interactive dialogue focused on how future collaboration on advocacy can deliver the communities Texans want. Speakers: Matt Bucchin, AICP, Director of Planning, Halff Associates; Craig Farmer, FAICP, President, Municipal Planning Services; Kimberley Mickelson, JD, AICP, Senior Assistant City Attorney, City of Houston; and Chance Sparks, AICP, Urban Planning & Design Group, Freese and Nichols |
Winter Storms and Water Outages: The Importance and Effectiveness of Communication in a Crisis Session courtesy of the Texas Association of Municipal Information Officers February’s deep freeze and subsequent water and power outages made crisis communications more challenging than usual. In this session, we’ll have a panel of experienced PIOs discuss what worked, what didn’t and lessons learned. Speakers: LeaAnn Petersen, Director of Communications, City of Seabrook; Jay Warren, Director of Communication and Legislative Affairs, City of Arlington; and Joshua Lee, Director of Communications, City of Pearland |
Using Robert’s Rules Effectively This session takes a strategic look at Robert’s Rules of procedure. Who are the players? How do they get what they want? How can you stop them? Speaker: Thomas Gwosdz, City Attorney, City of Victoria |
3:30-4:45 p.m.
TML Concurrent Sessions
Looking Back. Focusing Forward – A Public Works Perspective Session courtesy of the Texas Chapter of American Public Works Association Round table discussion from Public Works professionals on navigating the 2021 Texas Legislative Session and COVID-19 response from a public works perspective. Speakers: Kristina Ramirez, Planning and Development Director, City of Harker Heights; Shawn Poe, Director of Engineering, City of Richardson; and Eric Dargan, Chief Operating Officer, City of Houston |
Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement Program Session courtesy of the Texas Police Chiefs Association |
Misery Loves Company! Session courtesy of the Texas Parks and Recreation Society Misery does love company, and that goes for your staff too! In this session we will discuss strategies to help you improve your internal customer service to enhance your organization’s ability to deliver exceptional service to your community. Organizations often spend thousands of dollars on customer service training and are not seeing the results they would like to see. Shifting the focus from external only to include internal customer service may be the missing link in customer service success. Speaker: Tiffany White, Membership Director, YMCA of Metropolitan Fort Worth |
Understanding the Comptroller’s Sales Tax Sourcing Rules A panel discussion to understand the impact of the comptroller’s new rules governing the sourcing of local sales taxes on local budgets, and a look at what the future may hold for city sales tax revenue in Texas. Speakers: Bill Longley, General Counsel, Texas Municipal League and Patrick Lawler, Partner, ZacTax |