Mid-America Special Districts Governance Summit
Friday, April 25, 2025
Join fellow special district leaders and stakeholders from across the nation’s heartland for two days of networking, governance resources, professional perspectives, and advocacy in the Springfield, Missouri!
Sunshine Law | Federal Grants | Procurement Strategies | Advocacy | Management
Thursday, April 24
Library Districts Summit
Leaders of America’s 1,600+ library districts are invited to join for a hard-hitting conversation on emerging and ongoing governance issues and concerns for this special sector of local government.
Featuring EveryLibrary & More!
Special district leaders will convene in Springfield, Missouri, for a special event offering thought-provoking and motivating perspectives on longtime and emerging district governance topics.
AASD strives to deliver these resources in the “backyards” of America’s special purpose government leaders, in regions where such conferences have never occurred, and in a way that is affordable for all types and sizes of special districts.
AASD’s core focuses for Summit content in 2025 include the following important governance issues for special districts:
Special District (Board) Governance | Special District Management/Administration & Professional Development | Accounting, Finance, and Grants | Human Resources | Advocacy & Intergovernmental Collaboration | Trending Public Policy Topics
Governance Sessions
Professional Perspectives & Presentations from AASD’s Professional Network
Office of the Missouri Attorney General: Diving into the MO Sunshine Law
Friday Session – Feature Presentation
Office of the Missouri Attorney General – Sunshine Unit
Note: This presentation specifically covers the Missouri Sunshine Law, which is the state’s open meeting and governance law. Specific reporting laws vary from state to state. Non-Missouri stakeholders in attendance are encouraged to check open governance laws in their state, and consider this presentation as a golden set of best practices for good governance.
Missouri’s Sunshine Law is the embodiment of Missouri’s commitment to openness in government. Chapter 610 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri is the foundation of what has become known as Missouri’s “Sunshine Law.” The Sunshine Law Unit within the Attorney General’s Office provides Sunshine Law education and training presentations across the state to the public, governmental bodies, members of the press, and other organizations. In addition, the Unit also reviews and investigates alleged violations of the Sunshine Law by Missouri public governmental bodies. The Unit’s objective is to broaden the understanding of the Sunshine Law and help agencies understand their roles and responsibilities to the people of Missouri regarding public meetings and public records of this state.
Leveraging Federal Grants to Build Resilience and Achieve Strategic Goals
Friday Session
Kristin Cooper Carter | Grant Management Associates
Join Kristin Cooper Carter, a grants powerhouse, as she walks special districts through approaches to unlocking federal and state grant opportunities.
This program will highlight how federal and state grants from agencies like DOE, DOT, and DHS can help special districts access the resources needed to strengthen their operations and resilience – with a focus on the alignment between these funding opportunities and the unique missions of special districts. Further, Kristin will illustrate the benefits of a proactive approach to grant funding, emphasizing collaboration, strategic planning, and forward-thinking investments in community resilience and infrastructure. Finally, we will cover how a partnership with GMA simplifies the complexities of grant processes, enabling district leaders to focus on their missions while enhancing their professional development and leadership capabilities.
District leaders will walk away from this presentation with confidence to leveraging external funding to achieve governance goals and operational success; knowledge of how to adopt strategic frameworks for grant acquisition, enhancing their ability to future-proof their districts; and feel empowered to take actionable steps toward securing essential funding with the support of a trusted partner in GMA.
Save Time and Money with Cooperative Procurement
Friday Session
Crosby Grindle | Cooperative Purchasing, LLC
Discover a more efficient way to look at your procurement process that saves time, offers you choice, and delivers better value. This session will discuss the importance of understanding your procurement process and guide you through the advantages of cooperative purchasing, your tool to smarter procurement.
Cooperative procurement has become a widely accepted practice to help local and state governments save time and money. This practice has evolved to cover most products and services special districts need to purchase. This means directors and agency leaders have another tool to save money and reduce overhead while ensuring they get the products they want for their district. You will learn how to create your own cooperative procurement strategy and take advantage of this procurement tool offered by a variety of organizations.
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Trending Human Resources Topics for Special District Leaders
CPS HR Consulting will provide special district leaders with insights on and heads up on trending human resources topics and issues. CPS HR’s mission is to bring human resources exellence to the public sector, and extensive expereince with special districts in California, Colorado, and Texas.
Districts & Retirement: 457b Deferred Compensation Fiduciary Responsibility
Kevin McAtamney | The Standard Insurance Company
Special districts offering employee retirement benefits have a fiduciary responsibilities to consider. Join the Standard Insurance Company for perspectives on how districts’ HR and finance departments are exposed to liability within sponsored 457b/401a retirement plan, and how to navigate it.
Federally Defining “Special District” & other Federal and State Trending Policy Issues
Cole Arreola-Karr | Executive Director | American Association of Special Districts
Raising awareness among special districts of the state and federal policy landscapes impacting district services and arming stakeholders with resources to effectively and successfully advocate on major issues are core elements of AASD’s mission. This 60-minute session will include be interactive, engaging with audience members on issues of importance to their special district service. With this time, AASD will provide perspective on Mid-America legislative trends for special districts and updates on major federal legislative issues for districts in the 119th Congress. We will also cover bipartisan efforts to federally define “special district” in federal law and help place special districts on a more level playing field to access federal programs.
Library Session (Thursday): The Importance of Community Collaboration
More information coming soon!
Library Panel (Thursday): Writing the Book to Address Community & Governance Challenges
Thursday Session
A panel of library district leaders will share experience-based perspectives of what worked, what could work, and what has not worked to bridge the, at-times deep, divides that can exist among community members, governing boards, and library staff.
Library Summit (Thursday): Lunch with EveryLibrary
John Chakstra, EveryLibrary Executive Director, joins America’s library district leaders for a riveting discussion on today’s hot button library issues, including funding for IMLS and navigating an at-times heated environment.
Library Summit (Thursday): Addressing Unique HR Considerations for Library Districts
Jaclyn del Carlo | CPS HR Consulting
Summit Begins
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Register Details:
Mid-America Summit – Friday, April 25
AASD Member + Trial Members: $50
Non-Members: $75
Libray Summit Only – Thursday, April 24
AASD Member + Trial Members: $55
Non-Members: $75
Libray Summit + Mid-America Summit
AASD Member + Trial Members: $70
Non-Members: $95
Professional Networkers Supporting the Summit
Promotional Opportunities for AASD’s Professional Members are available!
- Vending tables and presenter introductions
- State Caucus Coffee & Networking Sponsorship
- Program/agenda placements