EXECUTIVE
EDUCATION

This workshop will support government leaders to define evidence of effectiveness, evaluation and equity, identify evidence-based solutions, and develop practices to ensure teams can put these concepts into action. Focusing on economic mobility outcomes, this workshop will include strategies, examples, and exercises to help government leaders clarify and define terms that can be used in their local context, and practical actions to take to ensure effective implementation of these concepts. 

Interested in recruitment and retention strategies for your local government jobs? Join the National League of Cities and the American Institutes for Research to learn how apprenticeships can serve as a blueprint for filling critical vacancies in municipal government. This session will educate city leadership and staff on what apprenticeships are, the value of building new apprenticeship programs or connecting to existing ones. Explore upcoming opportunities for technical assistance to expand the use of apprenticeships to meet local workforce needs.

Explore NLC’s new REAL Essentials curriculum! Our REAL team, alongside partner practitioners, will unveil an innovative learning and practice journey aimed at empowering jurisdictions to operationalize racial equity. Get early insights to REAL’s 2025 suite of offerings designed to equip elected officials, racial equity practitioners, and government partners with essential tools and skills for driving systemic change within their organizations. Learn foundational racial equity concepts and progress toward actionable strategies that can be implemented through policy, procedures, practices and programs to foster structural and institutional transformation. This curriculum is structured around a theory of change centering those who are most negatively impacted and guiding participants through a multi-tiered learning experience.

Learn how to apply an equity lens to infrastructure investments and capital decisions, particularly those funded with municipal bonds. Jurisdictions that want to attract investors from the sustainable and impact investment movement and are seeking federal aid programs should consider how to integrate equality and social justice in their municipal bond programs. Learn about the new Municipal Bond Markets & Racial Equity framework, which provides a roadmap for city leaders seeking to center racial equity, social justice and other equity principles in infrastructure and capital decisions funded with bonds and other revenue sources. Scholarships are available for registration. This course is offered by the Public Finance Initiative and NLC.  

The FBI has defined the rise of online threats as the “defining threat of our generation.” Learn about trends in the cyber environment and the impact of these new threats on municipalities and how your city can take action. Be the first to get a report from NLC on a pilot program to upskill and certify city workers as cyber defenders. Find out how to bring the program to your municipality and funding options.   

Want to be better at reading the data that your staff puts in front of you?  Learn basic data and statistical concepts and what are the best available sources for policymakers. Get help identifying the questions you should ask when using data. This session is designed for elected officials and municipal leaders to help you understand the basics of data review. The session will include an opportunity to practice reading data and connecting it to policy options for decision-making.   

Explore the ways that city leaders can provide children with the many benefits of daily connections with nature.  In this course, participants will increase their understanding of basic evidence about how connecting to nature improves children’s mental and physical health and academic performance, and the steps city leaders can take to address the current disparate distribution of such benefits. Acquire strategies and learn tips for building partnerships to bring nature play to parks, early childhood centers and schoolyards. Improve your understanding as a local leader on ways to align connecting children to nature with the city’s plans and policies focused on sustainability and climate resilience. As NLC’s nationwide joint initiative with the Children & Nature Network enters its 11th year and expands its reach to 100 sites, consider the Accelerator and Action Challenge options to take tangible steps toward “more green, less screen.”  

Food deserts are frequently viewed as challenging locations for establishing grocery stores or supermarkets due to the significant initial capital required and the typically smaller, lower-income populations they serve. Despite these concerns, these areas can still offer viable opportunities for trade, and grocers are willing to operate in them. Explore effective real estate strategies to combat food insecurity in underserved areas. This course will specifically focus on the critical data necessary for grocery store site selection within food deserts. Participants will learn about the specific information grocers need to make informed decisions, aiding in mitigating food scarcity in these regions.   

Explore NLC’s new REAL Essentials curriculum! Our REAL team, alongside partner practitioners, will unveil an innovative learning and practice journey aimed at empowering jurisdictions to operationalize racial equity. Get early insights to REAL’s 2025 suite of offerings designed to equip elected officials, racial equity practitioners, and government partners with essential tools and skills for driving systemic change within their organizations. Learn foundational racial equity concepts and progress toward actionable strategies that can be implemented through policy, procedures, practices and programs to foster structural and institutional transformation. This curriculum is structured around a theory of change centering those who are most negatively impacted and guiding participants through a multi-tiered learning experience.

A group totaling five million nationwide, NLC has more than a decade’s worth of experience supporting city leaders and their partners on implementing effective strategies to engage “Opportunity Youth and Young Adults.” Dive into policy solutions for reconnecting your city’s largely invisible population of out-of-school, out-of-work youth and young adults ages 16-24 to opportunities in school, work, and civic life.   Learn how to develop and build partnerships for a Reengagement Center or network of reengagement programs, which represents an essential piece of civic infrastructure for cities that seek to avoid “leaving talent on the table.”

In cities, towns and villages across the nation, local leaders are facing a pressing challenge: a shortage of nearly four million housing units. The impact of this shortage is felt by residents, businesses and local leaders. One solution to addressing the shortage of housing units is small-scale development. In this session, participants will learn how small-scale development can be a tool in its city’s housing toolbox to address housing supply challenges in their community. Participants will also get a preview of NLCU’s newest course, Supporting Small Scale-Development facilitated by the Incremental Development Alliance.  

Delve into how cities, in particular those certified by What Works Cities, are using data and artificial intelligence (AI) to set the standard for data-driven governance. This interactive workshop will feature examples from What Works Cities highlighting Certified cities using AI to address challenges and improve city management. Attendees will learn how they can responsibly and equitably use data and AI to improve programs and services, gaining insights into the future of city governance and the transformative role of AI in building smarter, more resilient cities.