The Alaska Municipal Management Association (AMMA) will be hosting the 2026 North West Managers Conference in Sitka, Alaska March 30- April 2, 2026. We’re looking forward to welcoming City and county managers, administrators, assistants to city and county managers, consultants and local city and county government professionals from Washington, Oregon and Alaska!
Agenda
Monday, March 30, 2026
6-9 PM Reception & Registration Harrigan Centennial Hall
Tuesday, March 31, 2026
All Day Conference Registration (opens at 7:00am)
8:00 AM Breakfast
8:30 AM Opening Session
Moderated by Aimee Williams, AMMA President & John Leach, AMMA Past President
- Color Guard
- Indigenous Land Acknowledgement
- Welcome – Mayor
9:00 AM Leadership in the Full-Service Era
(Redefining what it means to lead when your municipality is expected to do it all)
- John Williams, City Manager, West Linn
- John Leach, City Manager, City & Borough of Sitka
- Adam Brown, City Manager, City of Keizer
10:15 AM Alaska Congressional Delegation – (invited)
10:30 AM Break
10:45 AM Smart Cities – Mapping the Future with GIS
Moderated by Kat Sorenson, City Manager, City of Seward
12:00 PM Lunch
- Vendor Spotlight
1:15 PM AI Governance: Establishing Frameworks for Responsible Use
2:30 PM Break
2:45 PM Balancing Tourism Growth and Local Needs: A Municipal Perspective
4:00 PM A City Leader Guide to Organizational Culture Change
5:15 PM Break
6-9 PM Reception on the Water
Wednesday, April 1, 2026
All Day Conference Registration
8:00 AM Breakfast
8:30 AM Welcome
Moderated by AMMA President
- OOCMA Representative
- WCMA President
8:45 AM Managing HR Strategy: What Municipal Managers should be asking their HR Staff
- Mila Cosgrove
10:00 AM Break
10:30 AM ICMA Spotlight
11:30 AM Lunch – HR Anonymous Hotlines
1:00 PM Emergency Management – Response & Preparation
Moderated by Dan Nelson, Katmai Solutions
- Eric Swanson, City Manager, Phoenix OR (Alameda fire)
- Ketchikan (PIO landslide)
- Katie Koester, City & Borough of Juneau, (GLOF Mitigation)
2:30 PM Break
3:00 PM NW Managers’ Women’s Leadership Academy Panel
Moderated by Sara Singer-Wilson (invited)
- Stephanie Lucash, Kenmore Washington
4:00 PM Blowing up your zoning code to encourage more housing
- Rob Doumuchel, City & Borough of Juneau
- Abigail Elder, City Manager, Hood River
5:00 PM Adjourn Day 3
5:30 PM Explore Sitka (Dinner on your own)
Thursday, April 2, 2026
8:00 AM Breakfast
8:30 am Opening Remarks
Moderated by AMMA President
8:45 AM The Mindful Leader: Enhancing Performance and Wellbeing
- Josh Branthoover, Assistant Administrator, City & Borough of Sitka
9:45 AM Conference Ends – lunch on your own (shuttle to airport)
12:00 PM Post – Conference Activities
- Raptor Center
- Tiny Home Tour
Who Should Attend?
City, borough, and county managers, administrators, assistants to city, borough and county managers, consultants and local government professionals from Washington, Oregon and Alaska are welcome to attend.
Travel & Accommodation
Alaska Airlines, is offering attendees a 7% discount code: ECMO620. To use your Discount Code, go online to alaskaair.com and input the Discount Code when searching for flights. Please note blackout dates may apply.
Southeast Resort has a rooms available for conference attendees at a discounted rate of $150 per night. To make your reservation, you must call 907-747-6241 and use Group Code: Northwest Managers Conference. Book before February 28, 2026.
We would like to thank 2026 NW Managers Conference Sponsors
