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Agenda |
all times are in Eastern time zone 11:00 AM - 11:15 AM: Welcome 11:15 AM - 11:45 AM: Keynote Address: Writing Our Own Story – Civic Engagement and Community Presenter: Ramon Juan Vasquez The stories we tell—and those we choose to listen to—shape the future of our communities. Ramon Vasquez brings a powerful perspective rooted in generations of cultural leadership and civic advocacy. As a respected voice in San Antonio and beyond, Vasquez will share how communities can build stronger, more inclusive systems when all voices are invited to the table. 11:45 AM - 12:00 PM: Break 12:00 PM - 12:45 PM: Navigating Imposter Syndrome: Embracing Your Worth in the Workplace Presenter: Lauren Garrott Imposter syndrome is the quiet doubt that creeps into even the most accomplished professionals’ minds—especially young professionals stepping into new roles. This candid panel discussion brings together diverse voices to explore how imposter syndrome shows up in our careers in public participation, how we can tell the difference between healthy self-reflection and self-doubt, and what tools can help us shift from fear to confidence. Our panelists will share personal experiences, lessons learned, and practical strategies to affirm our value and support others in doing the same. This will be an honest, affirming, and empowering conversation that will leave participants feeling seen—and ready to take on your next challenge with clarity and confidence. 1:00 PM - 1:45 PM: The Future of Engagement Starts Here: An Industry Co-creation Workshop Presenter: Daniel Fusca and Emily Gallant How do we push public engagement beyond the familiar? In an era of deep polarization, rapidly changing technologies, and institutional fatigue, innovation is no longer a luxury - it’s a necessity. But where to begin? This interactive, hands-on session will challenge practitioners to think critically and co-create where we want the field of public engagement to go and how best to get there. We’ll start by examining the current state of engagement across the sector and identifying the trickiest problems we face as a field. Then, we'll explore where the field should be headed, and begin to crystalize a clear, actionable vision. Finally, we'll generate creative, future-oriented solutions using structured facilitation techniques. This will be action and dialogue-packed. The session will also demonstrate tools such as AI brainstorming aids and Socratic Circle dialogue to stretch participants’ thinking about what’s possible. Whether you’re already experimenting with innovations or just starting to feel the limits of traditional methods, this session will help us name where innovation is most needed, how to do it well, and why it matters - not just for practitioners, but for the people and communities we engage. 1:45 PM - 2:30 PM: Break 2:30 PM - 3:15 PM: From Intent to Impact: Charlotte’s SOP-E as a Model for Empowering Equitable Engagement Presenter: Nicole Storey Learn how the City of Charlotte turned values into action with the development and implementation of its Standard Operating Procedure for Engagement (SOP-E). This session highlights how the SOP-E was championed, established and how it helps teams today to plan, evaluate, measure and adapt equitable engagement efforts using clear principles, a tailored IAP2 Spectrum, and intentional practices. Attendees will explore how to build trust, institutionalize equity and empower meaningful participation. 3:30 PM - 4:15 PM: Community Transportation Navigators: Amplifying Voices of Hardest Reach Communities Presenters: Sandy Phan, Sara Sisco Transportation continues to be a significant barrier for many traditionally underserved and hard-to-reach populations, including immigrants and refugees, older adults, youth, individuals with disabilities, and those experiencing housing insecurity. In response to this challenge, Hopelink, in partnership with King County Metro, launched the inaugural Community Transportation Navigators Program in the summer of 2022. This innovative initiative connects community members with trusted peers—Navigators who share similar lived experiences, cultural backgrounds, and languages. These Navigators serve as passionate advocates, educators, and facilitators, helping individuals navigate complex transportation systems and access vital mobility resources. The program emphasizes culturally inclusive transit education, featuring in-language materials, personalized assistance, and safe spaces for community members to voice concerns and offer feedback. Led by the Hopelink Mobility Management team, this session will explore the transformative impact of a peer-to-peer model in transportation outreach and education. Attendees will gain insights into how this model empowers Navigators to act as bridges between their communities and large transit or government agencies. By elevating local voices and enabling authentic engagement, the program not only enhances transportation access but also fosters deeper, long-term community involvement in regional transit planning and investment. |
all times are in Eastern Timezone
12:00 PM - 12:45 PM: Beyond Silos: Optimizing Public Engagement for a Stronger City
Presenters: Pete Iengo and Heather Young
How should a city structure its public engagement systems so staff can be successful, and the community is best served? Should engagement be centralized, decentralized, or something in between? The answer isn’t simple—but understanding the trade-offs is critical.
Over time, the City of Fort Collins’ engagement efforts have evolved organically across departments, resulting in a mix of approaches. This variation impacts coordination, collaboration, resource allocation, and the consistency of community experiences. To strengthen engagement, we set out to assess the current landscape—inventorying engagement positions, mapping resources, and analyzing the types of work happening across the organization. But we didn’t stop there. We also examined engagement models from other cities, consulted with industry experts, and gathered insights from staff and community members to identify opportunities for improvement.
This session will share key findings from our research—both internal and external—and offer a behind-the-scenes look at how we evaluated engagement structures, resources, and strategies. But we won’t just present our findings—we’ll create space for discussion, reflection, and exchange of ideas among participants. Through interactive moments woven throughout the session, attendees will be invited to connect with one another, apply insights to their own contexts, and explore new possibilities for strengthening engagement in their own organizations.
Join us as we explore the big question: What’s the best way to structure engagement for success?
1:00 PM - 1:45 PM: Building Community Capacity and Providing Mutual Benefit Through Public Involvement Activities
Presenter: Adrienne DeDona
This thought-provoking session will center around the idea that public involvement activities can think beyond the benefit they provide to a project or process – also considering the *benefit provided to the people who participate and their communities.* In recent years, creating processes that are accessible and inclusive has been a central focus of our practice. Helping people be able to access a process and feel welcome is an essential baseline. But we should also be asking – what do they want to get out of it in the longer term? There are a range of personal benefits that people may enjoy from participating in a public process, such as increased knowledge of civic processes, connection or familiarity with local government, leadership skills, a more visible public profile within the community, and many others. Initial participation often inspires or opens doors to expanded and continued involvement, having a ripple effect of effecting change and benefitting communities into the future.
The benefits may vary as much as individuals’ goals and motivations – and public involvement practitioners can seek to understand and provide these benefits through our process design, creating mutual benefit. Together as a group, we will explore the concept of how individuals and their communities may benefit from participating in a public engagement process. (We’ll also discuss how, alternatively, some processes may unintentionally disincentive participation). Our focus will be not only on supporting people’s ability and access to participate, but also for them to gain something personally from the experience, fostering a mutually beneficial relationship. We will consider how this works as a mechanism to help participants become champions of a process and feel ownership of outcomes. We’ll also consider how this approach builds capacity, trust and representation long past a project’s end.
1:45 PM - 2:30 PM: Break
2:30 PM - 3:15 PM: Fix the Org Before You Ask the Public: Salt Lake City's Year-One Engagement Playbook
Presenters: Sarah Horton and Kyle Strayer
When engagement feels reactive, duplicative, or stuck in silos, the problem usually isn't your residents — it's your org. Salt Lake City's comms team will share the real story of their citywide engagement overhaul: how they diagnosed internal friction across 90+ staff interviews, won sustained leadership buy-in, procured a digital participation platform (shapeSLC), and built Communities of Practice that turned isolated outreach into a shared citywide function. In year one, they onboarded 60+ staff, launched 25+ feedback opportunities, and reached 17% of residents. Go Vocal's North America Director will complement SLC's case study with four concrete lessons drawn from 600+ governments worldwide — covering leadership buy-in, digital infrastructure, centralized knowledge, and the metrics that separate meaningful participation from vanity clicks.
3:30 PM - 4:15 PM: The Best of the Practice: What do Practitioners get from IAP2 Certificate Training?Presenter: Justin Schneider, Cassie Hemphill, and Doug Zenn
What happens in the IAP2 certificate courses? Who takes the classes? What do they think about them? Can you organize training for your agency?
IAP2 trainers will explore and provide insights on each of the three IAP2 certificate courses:
- Fundamentals of Public Participation (prerequisite)
- Designing and Leading Public Participation
- Applying Methods
The classes are offered both online and in-person, both publicly and with private groups (such as cities or agencies). The trainers will discuss the elements of each and answer questions.
The trainers will also discuss options for the Public Participation for Senior Leader and Allied Professionals courses and other specialized training availabilities through IAP2.
Join Justin Schneider, Cassie Hemphill and Doug Zenn for this conversation.
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