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Location:
Renaissance Columbus – Downtown 50 North Third Street
Columbus, OH, 43215

Date:
April 5 – 7, 2023


  • Student Volunteer: $0
  • Lifetime Member: $0
  • Conference Presenter: $0
  • Full/Affiliate Member: $250
  • Consulting Member: $300
  • Nonmember: $350
  • 1st Time Attendee: $265 ($175 registration plus 2023 OCMA Membership)

The deadline to register for the conference or cancel your registration for a full refund is March 29th, 2023.

Hotel reservations can be made online at the Renaissance Columbus Downtown Hotel (50 N. 3rd Street, Columbus, OH 43215) at the link below. If you prefer to make your reservation over the phone, you can call 614-228-5050 and ask for the OCMA 2023 Conference Room Block group rate.

Please Note:

  • A limited number of rooms are available at the OCMA block room rate of $159 + tax, so register soon! Once the room block is full, room reservations will be made at the hotel’s then current available rate.
  • Valet parking is available for $37.00 overnight or $23.00 daily. All valet parking is based on availability.
  • Hotel Check in time is 4 PM. Due to high occupancy, early checks are not permitted.  If you require an early check-in, we suggest you book your room the day prior so you are guaranteed early check-in.

Please make your hotel reservation by March 7, 2023 to guarantee access to the discounted room rate.

Wednesday, April 5

1:00 – 5:00 PMConference Registration Open
2:00 – 5:00 PMPre-Conference Mobile Workshop
Intel’s Landmark Investment and Impacts on Ohio Communities

Thursday, April 6

7:30 AM – 5:00 PMConference Registration Open
8:00 AMBreakfast
8:30 AMSponsor Welcome
8:45 – 10:00 AMKeynote Address
“Leadership Lessons from a Life in Public Service”
Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, retired
10:00 – 11:00 AMBreakout Session #1

Managing Growth
Zach Woodruff, City Administrator, Whitehall
Megan Meyer, Deputy Director of Public Affairs, Whitehall

Local Government Tailored Incentives Available Under the IRA
John Flis, Associate; Austin Musser, Partner; and Joe Riley, Staff Attorney
Bricker & Eckler

Innovative Program Development Via the Hack-a-Thon
Liz Keating, Councilmember, City of Cincinnati
Eric Jamison, Director, Office of Performance and Data Analytics, City of Cincinnati
11:00 AM – 11:15 AMVendor Networking/Break
11:15 AM – 12:15 PMBreakout Session #2

Lean Management in Local Government
Tracy Owens, 3 Point Consulting

Employee Onboarding
Kate Bostdorff, Communications Director, Centerville

Electric Vehicles – What are the Costs and Where Does This Make Sense in My Agency?
Jeremy Baldwin, Senior Account Executive
Carl Cultrona, Account Executive
Enterprise Fleet Management
12:15 PM – 1:45 PMLuncheon Address
“The Chamber of Commerce Blueprint for Ohio”
Steve Stivers, President and CEO, Ohio Chamber of Commerce
1:45 – 2:45 PMBreakout Session #3

Institutionalizing DEIA in Your Organization
Ken Wilson, County Administrator, Franklin County

Financing Your Water & Sewer Infrastructure Projects
Misty Tolzda, RCAP State Manager
Pam Ewing, Sr. Rural Development Specialist
Great Lakes Rural Community Assistance Partnership

Flock Safety: Solving Crime in Ohio
Rick Lombardo and Myron Maret
Flock Safety
2:45 PM – 3:00 PMVendor Networking/Break
3:00 PM – 4:00 PMBreakout Session #4
Support for Employee Mental Health
Charlotte Colley, County Administrator, Miami County

Asset Management Best Practices in Lancaster, OH
Scott F. Snider, GIS Manager
Quint Pertzsch, Solutions Engineer
OpenGov

Main Street Redevelopment
Doug Lewis, City Manager, Painesville
4:00 – 4:15 PMVendor Networking/Break
4:15 – 5:00 PMGeneral Session
A Tale of Two States: Ohio’s Demographic Trends
Alison Goebel, Executive Director, Greater Ohio Policy Center
5:00 PM – 7:00 PMThe Jefferson Health Plan Reception/Awards

Friday, April 7

8:00 AMBreakfast
8:30 AM – 9:15 AMOCMA Business Meeting
9:15 AM – 9:30 AMVendor Networking/Break
9:30 AM – 10:30 AMBreakout Session #5

Lessons in Public Private Partnerships
Brian Riblet, City Manager, City of Montgomery
Tracy Henao, Assistant City Manager, Montgomery

Strategic Planning: How to respond to the rapidly changing economy
Dennis Maher, Marketing Development Executive,
ClearGov

Accessing Data to Improve Your Community
Eric Coyle, U.S.Census Bureau
10:30 AM – 10:45 AMBreak
10:45 AM – 12:00 PMGeneral Session
Legislative Update
Kent Scarrett, Executive Director, Ohio Municipal League
Cheryl Subler, Executive Director, County Commissioners of Ohio
Heidi Fought, Executive Director, Ohio Township Association
12:00 PM – 1:00 PMLunch

Keynote Address

Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor was the tenth Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio and the first woman to lead the state judicial branch of government. She was the first chief justice to retire from the office and upon her retirement was the longest-serving statewide elected woman in Ohio history.

During her tenure, she improved access to justice by advocating for constitutional bail practices and ability to pay assessments for court fines and fees. She convened a task force to study grand jury proceedings in Ohio, created a committee to examine the administration of the death penalty and led efforts of an eight-state initiative to combat the nation’s opioid epidemic and its impact on families and courts. Her time on the court ended during Ohio’s contentious and historic battle over gerrymandered electoral districts and a looming flight over how voters can approve amendments to the state’s constitution.

Chief Justice O’Connor (retired) will speak at the 2023 OCMA Annual Conference on her long service to Ohio and what the future of leadership looks like in Ohio.

Luncheon Address

Steve Stivers is the President and CEO of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, the state’s leading business organization whose mission it is to aggressively champion free enterprise, economic competitiveness and growth for the benefit of all Ohioans.

Prior to joining the Ohio Chamber, Stivers represented Ohio’s 15th Congressional District from 2011 until 2021. He served on the Financial Services Committee and was the Ranking Member on the Subcommittee on Housing, Community Development, and Insurance. He served on the Ohio Senate from 2004 until 2008.

Throughout his career, Steve Stivers has supported programs and initiatives to encourage job creation, and promote economic development. Stivers also served over 30 years in the Ohio Army National Guard and holds the rank of Major General. He served the United States overseas during Operation Iraqi Freedom, receiving the Bronze Star for his leadership throughout the deployment.

Stivers received his bachelor’s degree and his MBA from The Ohio State University and a master’s degree in strategic studies from the Army War College. He resides in Upper Arlington with his wife, Karen, and children, Sarah and Sam.

General Session (Thursday)

A Tale of Two States: Ohio’s Demographic Trends

Alison Goebel is Executive Director of the Greater Ohio Policy Center (GOPC). She has been with GOPC since 2010 and has held a number of positions within the organization during that time. Today, Goebel is responsible for charting GOPC’s strategic direction, directing the research, advocacy, and outreach teams, and securing resources for this work. She is the author of a number of research reports and policy briefs related to the revitalization of weak-market, legacy cities, transportation funding, and local governance structures in Ohio.

From 2005 to 2009, Goebel periodically lived in Mansfield, Ohio where she conducted long-term qualitative research on social relationships in a small city setting.  Goebel is a graduate and board member of Leadership Ohio and was elected by her class for the 2014 “Leader Among Leaders” award.  She holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in anthropology from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and received her B.A. from Miami University (Oxford, Ohio). 

Legislative Update (Friday)

Cheryl Subler is a respected government affairs professional who has more than twenty years of experience representing local government officials. She is the Executive Director for the County Commissioners Association of Ohio, where she is responsible for strategic planning and management of CCAO operations and coordinating the CCAO legislative program. Prior to that, she worked for the Ohio Township Association. A former House legislative aide and a Senate page, Subler learned about Ohio’s state government from the bottom up. She earned a bachelor’s in philosophy from Miami University, where she majored in interdisciplinary studies with a focus in politics and law and minored in political science.


Heidi Fought first joined the OTA in 2000 as the Director of Governmental Affairs, was promoted to Assistant Executive Director in 2019 and became Executive Director in January 2020.  In her current role, Ms. Fought is responsible for managing all aspects of the organization and reports to the OTA Board of Directors. Fought graduated from Muskingum College in 1998 with a B.A. in Political Science. Prior to joining the OTA, she served as a Legislative Aide to a member of the Ohio General Assembly. Fought also served 5 years as a member of the Jefferson Township (Franklin Co.) Park Board and 2 years as Chair before moving to Bennington Township (Licking Co.), where she currently resides with her husband and two dogs.


Kent Scarrett is the Executive Director of the Ohio Municipal League, which serves as the primary connection point between municipal and state government in Ohio. Scarrett focuses on advocating on behalf of the League’s nearly 740 members on issues related to state and local tax policy, local control and economic development strategies. Before being appointed Executive Director in March 2016, Scarrett served as the League’s Director of Communication for six years. He began his career at the Ohio Statehouse in 1990 as a page in the Ohio Senate, later becoming Constituent Aide and then Legislative Aide first for state Senator Steven O. Williams, then for Majority Whip Senator Nancy Chiles-Dix. Kent left the Ohio Senate in 1996 to serve as a Legislative Liaison for Governor Voinovich before joining the OML in 1997. He is a graduate of The Ohio State University.

  • Energy Systems Group
  • Jefferson Health Plan
  • Enterprise Fleet Management
  • OpenGov
  • Bricker & Eckler
  • ClearGov
  • JobsOhio
  • Flock Safety
  • IBI Group
  • American Structurepoint
  • Software Solutions
  • Bradley Payne
  • GovHRUSA
  • Raftelis
  • CT Consultants
  • Baker Tilly x Management Partners
  • Granicus