County Board Members
Wednesday, December 11 - Opening Ceremonies 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Thursday, December 12
Diamond Ballrooms 1, 2, 6 & 7 
8:30 a.m.—9:30 a.m.
Leadership Excellence: Know what to give, why and how
Keynote Speaker Dr. Tim Rahschulte, PhD leads a discussion how over the years, our work has changed. Advancing technologies, diverse employee expectations, increasing customer demands, and the general need to do more with less, all add to the growing complexity of our work. With all of this change, it is easy to overlook the fundamentals of what makes our work demanding and rewarding. In this session, Dr. Tim Rahschulte will remind us what leadership excellence looks like in our work. Drawing from research from over 3,000 executives, Dr. Tim will help us remember what to give, why, and how. Spoiler alert: don’t forget the fundamentals; it’s all about the people! Dr. Rahschulte is the CEO at The Professional Development Academy and the Chief Architect of the NACo High Performance Leadership Academy. He has nearly 30 years of professional management experience
9:30 a.m - 10:00 a.m.
Break
10:00 a.m.—10:30 a.m.
Department of Health and Human Services
Dannette Smith, Chief Executive Officer will talk about her history before joining DHHS. She will share the direction she envisions DHHS taking and will also speak about the connection and relationship between the department and counties
10:30 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.
Nebraska Roads & Infrastructure
Kyle Schneweis, PE, Director of the Nebraska Department of Transportation leads a conversation about the current infrastructure throughout Nebraska. He will also share an update on the current conditions of roads and bridges within the state
11:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Census 2020 Panel
Blanca Ramirez-Salazar, Partnership Coordinator from the U.S. Census Bureau conducts a panel discussion with area Census Managers, including Johnny Rodgers, about the impact of Census 2020 on our counties. They will explain the reasons for the census, key milestones and why we want to work towards a complete count for Census 2020
12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Lunch On Your Own
1:30 p.m. - 2:15 p.m.
Break Out Sessions
(Choose One Of The Following Sessions)
Generations and the Transfer of Knowledge - Diamond Ballroom 1
Steph Vanous, MA, Vice President, Consulting Division of Zelle Human Resource Solutions discusses the four generations that intermix in today’s environment and the importance of the knowledge transfer process and how this can improve innovation, growth and efficiency within the county organization.
Veterans Affairs Resources-Joint Session with Veteran Service Officers - Diamond Ballroom 2
Levi Bennett, Nebraska Department of Veterans Affairs, leads this joint session for a discussion about local resources, that are available for veterans, ongoing challenges that are currently being faced and how counties can continue to work to address issues facing veterans
County Officials & Conflict of Interest - Diamond Ballroom 6
Frank Daley, Executive Director of the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission will discuss the difficult ethical decisions county officials often face that are scrutinized by the public and media. He will review Nebraska’s ethics laws and cover topics such as conflicts of interest, hiring of family members and interests in a government contract
Recovery of Public Infrastructure - Diamond Ballroom 7
Earl Imler, Long Term Recovery Manager for NEMA will update the progress made regarding recovery of public infrastructure, the distributions by FEMA, Small Business Admin and National Flood Insurance Program as well as the Governor’s Long Term Recovery Taskforce
2:15 p.m.—2:30 p.m.
Break
2:30 p.m.—3:15 p.m.
Concurrent Sessions
(Choose One Of The Following Sessions)
Human Resources and its Impact on Business Success - Diamond Ballroom 1
Steph Vanous, MA, Vice President, Consulting Division of Zelle Human Resource Solutions will discuss the importance of traditional and non traditional aspects of HR that are critical to the success of the organization including interviewing, retention & engagement, training, education and many more topics
Health Insurance-Joint Session with Clerks Blue Cross/Blue Shield, First Concord - Diamond Ballroom 2
McInnes Group and National Insurance Services will participate in a panel to discuss a broad range of insurance topics. High deductible health plans, health savings accounts, health reimbursement accounts and cash in lieu are just a few that will be discussed during this information sharing session
County Officials & Conflict of Interest - Diamond Ballroom 6
Frank Daley, Executive Director of the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission will discuss the difficult ethical decisions county officials often face that are scrutinized by the public and media. He will review Nebraska’s ethics laws and cover topics such as conflicts of interest, hiring of family members and interests in a government contract
Protecting your Network - Diamond Ballroom 7
Maj. Ryan Carlson, Defense Cyber Operations - Element Team Chief, Nebraska Army National Guard will discuss cybersecurity and the Nebraska National Guards cybersecurity capabilities, the cybersecurity issues they are directly seeing in cities and counties throughout the state and what they are doing to serve the State of Nebraska
3:30 p.m.
Cake Break with Vendors
4:00 p.m.
Drawings for Vendor Prizes
5:00 p.m.
Vendor Sponsored Activities