Team PPMC in Action and Public Service Recognition Week

May 2024

May 5 -11 was Public Service Recognition Week (PSRW). Celebrated the first full week in May, PSRW is a time to honor those serving our community as federal, state, county, and local government employees. We wanted to express our gratitude to those who show their unwavering commitment to serving our community.

The PPMC celebrated PSRW by starting the week with delivering cookies to the City and County staff, as well as our friends at the Hugo Wall School. The following week, at our monthly staff meeting, we continued showing our appreciation by treating our team to a breakfast charcuterie board. This was our way of saying THANK YOU!

Our staff has many reasons for choosing public service. Here are some of their reasons:

Briaja Tucker | Communications Coordinator

My mother's dedication to serving our community, both now and as I grew up, has inspired me to follow in her footsteps. Her example showed me the impact one person can have, and I want to contribute to making a positive difference in the lives of others.

Isabel Ebersole | Research Project Manager

Public servants, often under-resourced and overlooked, provide essential services to our community, and I love that my job supports them, affording me the opportunity to do the same.

James Roberts | Strategic Initiatives Manager

I choose to work in public service because it is creative, demanding, rewarding, and essential. At its core, public service is about valuing the people and community you are a part of. I believe my commitment to my community is bringing my passions and talents to the table to play whatever part I can in making our community better.

City of Liberal's Comprehensive Planning Process

This spring, PPMC in partnership with Professional Engineering Consultants (PEC) has led the community engagement phase of the City of Liberal's Comprehensive Planning process. The community has taken part in multiple sessions, offering feedback on their vision for the future needs and goals for Liberal. Stakeholder sessions brought community members together representing businesses, local government, nonprofits, arts and cultural groups, higher education, and civic organizations. We also spent the day hearing from residents and their families at the 17th Annual Yellow Brick Road Car Show at Light Park. We've loved getting to work with and getting to know the community in Liberal, Kansas.

International Institute of Municipal Clerks

CCMFOA sent Paula Downs, Talent & Organizational Success Manager and CCMFOA Institute Director to Calgary, Alberta to attend the annual International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC) conference. The conference is an opportunity to engage with institute directors from across the country to share ideas and discuss current learning trends. Paula enjoyed learning new ideas and hearing the keynote speaker Shaun Boothe who presented The Unauthorized Biography Series.

Networked for Change Conference

Team PPMC helped out at the 2024 NetWorked for Change Conference. We kicked off the event by assisting with registration at the Pre-Conference Mixer and then facilitated breakout sessions at the main event. We wrapped up the main day by hearing from Misty and James on wicked problems, breaking silos, and activating transformative change. We always enjoy supporting this wonderful conference. A huge thanks to Network Kansas for hosting us! Shout out to Christina Long and her amazing team at CML Collective for consistently organizing such an outstanding conference!

Local Government Network

Members of the PPMC’s Local Government Network recently toured the Saline County Sheriff’s Office and Detention Center. Thank you, Phil Smith-Hanes, Saline County Administrator, for sharing your lessons learned in this $89 million greenfield construction project during the pandemic. Not only did we learn the value of quality facilities to employee recruitment and retention, but also how the county’s investment is empowering inmates to re-enter the workforce (AA meetings, library programs, classes, etc.). Several attendees shared stories about construction manager at risk (CMAR) and other methods used to manage major projects. Networking makes local government better!

WSU City/County Management Summit

Presented by the Public Policy & Management Center, this is your opportunity to engage on topics that directly impact city/county management. You will be able to select sessions that allow you to expand your skills, knowledge, and abilities. Hear from experienced presenters, network with other professionals, and engage with keynote speakers.

June 20, 2024 | More Information | Register Today

KSGFOA Spring Symposium

KSGFOA held their Spring Symposium at the Drury Plaza Hotel Broadview in Wichita, Kansas, attended by nearly 50 finance professionals from across the state. Dr. Justin Marlowe from the University of Chicago presented “Five Bold Predictions on the Future of Local Public Finance.” Topics included website accessibility, AI tools, financial disclosure, presenting to elected bodies, the fentanyl crisis, procurement best practices, creating effective graphs and charts, and cybersecurity basics. Michelle Stroot from Sedgwick County received the 2024 Excellence in Public Service Award. The PPMC is proud to work with KSGFOA on this event.

Oak Conference

The PPMC collaborated with the College of Engineering to deliver the Oklahoma Arkansas Kansas (OAK) Supercomputing Conference and High-Performance Computing Security Workshop. The event was held at the Wichita State University Campus with over 250 attendees attending in-person and virtually. The conference brought together experts, researchers, and students from across the nation around the latest trends, topics, and technologies in high-performance computing. We were happy to provide logistic planning and support for this annual event.