OCCMA Summer Conference 
Leading With Purpose: People, Place, and Professional Integrity
Ashland Hills Hotel & Suites, Convention Center
July 7-10, 2026

Pickleball Tournament (Ashland Hills Hotel & Suites Pickleball Court)

Bring your paddle and connect with OCCMA colleagues and guests from around the state at our pickleball tournament! Pre-registration is required.

10:00 am - 2:00 pm

Golf Tournament (Oak Knoll Golf Course, 3070 Highway 66, Ashland, OR 97520)

Sponsored by Johnson Controls          

Tee up with OCCMA members and guests from across the state for a fun and engaging golf tournament. Pre-registration is required. Players are responsible for transporting themselves to and from the golf course.  Carpooling with other players is encouraged. Bagged lunches will be available afterwards. Tee time is 10:00 a.m.

Contract, the Council, and the Unexpected

Discuss the nitty gritty of risk mitigation, fair compensation and what to address with your contract whether a first time City Manager or seasoned pro. Come learn about the variation in contracts that exist, what you should address whether it is your first contract or 5th and how to navigate first time negotiation and re-negotiation of your contract. 

Paying for It, Building It, Surviving It: The Realities of Public Infrastructure Projects

This session features experienced public works leaders sharing candid lessons from real capital projects. Panelists will discuss how to tell when a project is truly ready, align financing with risk, choose effective delivery and contracting methods, and manage scope, budget, and schedule under political and public pressure. Attendees will leave with practical takeaways and hard-earned advice for navigating infrastructure projects from planning through construction.

Stronger Together: City/County Coordination in Emergency Management

This session features experienced county emergency managers and city managers sharing candid lessons for working together before, during and after major events. Attendees will leave with practical takeaways to navigate emergency management across jurisdictional boundaries. 

Leading Where It Matters: Practical Challenges and Candid Conversations in Local Government

Stepping into leadership roles in local government brings both opportunity and complexity. This facilitated roundtable session offers an open, candid forum for new city managers, department heads, city staff, county administrators, and county staff to discuss real-world challenges they are facing early in their careers. Guided by a seasoned city manager, participants will explore practical strategies for leading teams, working with elected officials, managing public expectations, and building organizational resilience. The session emphasizes peer learning, shared experiences, and actionable insights that participants can immediately apply in their organizations.  

4:30 pm - 6:00 pm 

Welcome Reception 

Sponsored by Morgan Stanley 

Check-in, and visit with your peers while enjoying appetizers and a no-host bar prior to dinner. Team trivia starts at 5pm – don’t miss this chance to win prizes!

Dinner on Your Own

Enjoy dinner on your own tonight, or take advantage of group dining options arranged by the conference team. We’ve reserved tables at a variety of local restaurants for attendees who’d like to dine together. Sign up at the registration desk to reserve a spot at one of the restaurants.

Registration Open

Sponsor Exhibits Open

8:00 am - 9:00 am 

Breakfast and Welcoming Remarks

9:00 am - 10:30 am

Keynote: Love as a Leadership Strategy: Building the Emotional Infrastructure of Place

Sponsored by Hunter Communications 

In this keynote, Kageyama encourages city and county managers to move from problem-solving to place-making by asking a simple but transformative question: Where’s the fun? Through small, human-centered gestures—what he calls “love notes to the city”—leaders can create outsized impact, deepen civic pride, and foster communities people genuinely care about. This session reframes love not as sentiment, but as a practical strategy for building places people choose, defend, and love where they live.

Leading through Transition: A Blueprint for Municipal Shift

Join experienced Oregon City Managers Mark Shepard and Aaron Cubic for an essential in-depth session on municipal leadership during election periods. With extensive combined experience, they will teach how to sustain organizational stability and foster a positive workplace culture in a changing political environment. The presenters will explain their approach to maintaining city services during the pre-election phase and ensuring fair candidate information, especially during the important process of onboarding new council members.

Key Takeaways:

• Strategies for neutrality during transition periods.
• Ensuring information equity.
• Onboarding tactics for newly elected officials.
• Navigating the transition for both staff and council.

Networking Lunch

Unexpected departures—through termination, non‑renewal, or resignation—are an increasingly common reality in city/county management and can have significant professional and personal impacts. This session explores how the Managers in Transition (MIT) program supports managers through immediate next steps, confidential guidance, and career planning during periods of uncertainty. Participants will also learn about key OCCMA and ICMA resources available to help managers navigate transitions with professionalism, resilience, and long‑term career sustainability.

3:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Rebuilding After the Almeda Wildfire Disaster: Financing and Leading Phoenix's Recovery through Strategic Partnerships Tour 

Learn how Phoenix leveraged urban renewal, grants, and intergovernmental partnerships to rebuild after a disaster. This session focuses on funding strategies, project prioritization, and delivering visible results in a resource-constrained environment.

Tour buses will start loading at 2:50 p.m. outside of the lobby (front entrance to the hotel) and will depart at 3:00 p.m. Please wear appropriate clothes and walking shoes.

From Page to Stage: Touring the Oregon Shakespeare Festival 

The Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) in Ashland is a renowned repertory theatre founded in 1935 and now presents a mix of Shakespearean works, contemporary plays, and new productions each season. Running from spring through fall, OSF stages multiple productions in rotating repertory, offering visitors a variety of performances in one visit. This tour provides a vibrant blend of world-class theatre and the charm of historic downtown Ashland. 

Tour buses will start loading at 2:50 p.m. outside of the lobby (front entrance to the hotel) and will depart at 3:00 p.m. Please wear appropriate clothes and walking shoes.

6:00 pm - 8:30 pm

President's Reception and Dinner at Irvine & Roberts Vineyards (1614 Emigrant Creek Rd, Ashland, OR 97520)

Sponsored by Comcast

Join OCCMA President Nina Vetter and your peers for dinner and the President’s Reception at Irvine & Roberts Vineyards! 

Attendees are responsible for transporting themselves. Carpooling is encouraged. 

First Annual OCCMA 5k Run/Walk!

Run, jog, or walk your way through a 5k alongside OCCMA members and guests from around the state. No pre-registration is required. Please arrive in the lobby prior to 6:45 am. 

Registration Open

Sponsor Exhibits Open

Our sponsors/vendors will be available during session breaks and meals. Be sure to stop by for a visit.

8:00 am - 9:00 am

Breakfast & Networking

Veterans Committee Meeting

To Be Seen and Known: Cultural Expressions and Recognition 

This session explores research on how different cultures express recognition, the universal human need to be seen and valued. We'll examine how recognition shows up across time and cultures. Through reflection and discussion, participants will explore their own "Recognition Lens" and learn how to foster more inclusive, culturally aware ways of showing appreciation and belonging in the workplace. 

11:20 am - 12:20 pm 

Ethics Court

The set-up is this: some of the audience members have been charged and sent to "The Ethics Court" because of "alleged" unethical behavior. Selected audience members will be asked to testify either for or against the defendant. But in the end, it will be up to the Judge to decide who goes to "Ethics Jail"....and who goes free! 

Networking Lunch

1:30 pm - 2:30 pm

Good Governance Wish List

Have you noticed that local government management has gotten harder? Do you spend more of your day than you would like navigating conflict with residents, elected officials, and staff? Are there things you wish you had learned about communication, conflict management, and governance before you had to learn them from the school of hard knocks? What if an upcoming conference had a deep focus on improving your skills? Join your colleagues for a discussion of your "wish list" of skill development training that you'd like to see at the Northwest Regional Managers Conference in the spring of 2027. Come prepared not to talk about issues or "hard" skills, but the things you need to help you navigate polarized community politics, interpersonal conflicts, difficult negotiations, and contentious community issues. 

OCCMA Board of Directors Meeting

Lessons from the Field: Ashland's Approach to Houseless Services and Shelter Operations Tour

The City of Ashland has partnered with Opportunities for Housing, Resources & Assistance (OHRA) to provide services for people experiencing houselessness. The city operates a managed campground and a severe weather shelter, while also supporting OHRA’s mission of helping individuals move from crisis to stability. This tour will include visits to both city-operated and OHRA facilities, along with discussion on funding strategies, lessons learned, and ongoing challenges.

Tour buses will start loading at 2:50 p.m. outside of the lobby (front entrance to the hotel) and will depart at 3:00 p.m. Please wear appropriate clothes and walking shoes.

 Multi-Jurisdictional Leadership: Aligning Six Cities and a County Along the Bear Creek Greenway Tour 

Explore how city and county leaders can effectively lead across boundaries, manage competing priorities, and implement shared infrastructure and economic development goals. Learn tools for collaboration, communications, and execution in a multi-agency environment. 

Tour buses will start loading at 2:50 p.m. outside of the lobby (front entrance to the hotel) and will depart at 3:00 p.m. Please wear appropriate clothes and walking shoes.

Board Game Night (Funagain Games, 149 E Main St, Ashland, OR 97520)

Join fellow OCCMA members at Funagain Games for their weekly game night! No pre-registration is required.

Social Stitching (The Websters, 11 N. Main St, Ashland, OR 97250)

Join fellow OCCMA members at Websters for their weekly knitting social event! No pre-registration is required. 

Dinner on Your Own

Enjoy dinner on your own tonight, or take advantage of group dining options arranged by the conference team. We’ve reserved tables at a variety of local restaurants for attendees who’d like to dine together. Sign up at the registration desk to reserve a spot at one of the restaurants.

Breakfast & Networking

New-ish City Managers Meeting

The Real Truth About Union Negotiations 

Has your collective bargaining experience felt like a marathon chess match played in the dark, without the rules. This fast-paced, tip filled, applicable to the real-world session delivers a short list of the most important things to know regarding what truly drives success (and what quietly sinks it) at the bargaining table. Think practical strategy, hard-earned lessons, and a few "learned the hard way" moments you'll be glad weren't yours. Packed into one highly useful hour, this session strips away theory and focuses on what city and county managers actually need: how to prepare smarter, communicate more effectively, avoid common missteps, and reach durable agreements without unnecessary drama. If you work with labor unions and want the biggest return on your time at this conference, this may be the most valuable, and surprisingly enjoyable, hour you'll spend.