Summer Conference Recap

By Danny Davis

If you were not able to join us at Virginia Beach, you missed out on one of the biggest and best Summer Conferences we’ve ever held. Over 220 people were in attendance with incredible sessions, speakers, and fun! And thankfully, no wildfire smoke or thunderstorms!

We were honored to hear from former Governor Doug Wilder, who at the young age of 93 gave us a great look at community service and the importance of local government in creating thriving communities. Former Secretary of Health and Human Services Bill Hazel spoke on the importance of resilience and having organizational strength to navigate the challenges that our communities are facing. And on Friday, Stacey Brayboy with the March of Dimes (former state official) concluded the conference with the topic of non-profits supporting our communities and how access to healthcare is critical for our citizens.

Interspersed, we heard some incredible stories of resilience, bouncing back, and moving forward. Our own members – Sara McGuffin and Rick Bremseth – along with the Loudoun County Fire/Rescue team, talked about their owns stories dealing with adversity and managing through extremely difficult situations in a very compelling “How I Manage” session. We also heard from former Virginia Beach officials, who shared their own stories from the municipal center tragedy five years ago. And there were great sessions on economic development, health/human services, and the future of our profession.

Of course, there was great networking, connecting, and fun! Thanks most of all to Carl Rush and Melissa Rollins, Co-Chairs of the Conference, and to Alysse Dowdy and the entire Weldon Cooper team for their amazing work planning and executing this event. And thanks to our sponsors for supporting our organization and for helping make our conferences happen.

We can’t wait to see you in Charlottesville February 19-21, 2025, for the VLGMA Winter Conference!