Upcoming Symposium: Trust in Local Government

May 07, 2026 @ 01:00:00 pm - May 07, 2026 @ 02:30:00 pm
Eastern Time (ET)

Join us on May 7 at 1:00 pm Eastern Time for a focused, practitioner‑oriented symposium exploring community issues of trust in local government. Speakers will focus on the challenges local governments face and break out groups will explore what tools practitioners need to better measure resident trust, affect resident trust and community engagement and participation to build trust.

This symposium is an initiative of the Local Government Working Group and is co‑sponsored by ICMA, GFOA, NLC, NACo, NRPA, APWA, PSHRA, and IEDC.

Symposium Format
The interactive and action‑oriented session will be organized into three 30‑minute segments:

• Session 1: Framing the Challenge
  An overview of key issues related to resident trust, featuring presentations by Dr. Jaclyn Piatak from the University of North Carolina Charlotte and Dr. Colt Jensen from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, followed by an overview of programs developed by the American Public Works Association.

• Session 2: Breakout Discussions
  Participants will break into small groups to discuss the tools practitioners need to:
  • Measure resident trust
  • Strengthen trust
  • Improve community engagement and participation as pathways to trust

• Session 3: Report‑Back and Synthesis
  Groups will report key takeaways, followed by a facilitated discussion to surface common themes and promising approaches.

Register Here

Contact Wally Bobkiewicz if you have questions or would like to learn more about the Academy's Local Government Working Group.