The Kentucky League of Cities (KLC) is in Covington for its annual Conference and Expo, extending from Tuesday, October 3 to Friday, October 6 at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center, 1 W. Rivercenter Blvd.
“On behalf of the Covington Board of Commissioners and its citizens, I take great pleasure in welcoming the Kentucky League of Cities to our extraordinary city,” said Mayor Joseph U. Meyer. “Covington is honored to host the 2017 Kentucky League of Cities Conference & Expo.”
As Kentucky’s largest annual training event for city officials, the KLC Conference & Expo will feature more than 50 workshops and sessions with more than 500 people expected to attend.
Kentucky League of Cities Executive Director/CEO Jonathan Steiner stated, “The theme for the conference this year is ‘Engage. Evolve. Emerge.’ Our host city of Covington is a perfect location to be in the spotlight. Covington and Northern Kentucky cities are making small shifts as well as big changes to meet the needs of current and future residents.
“We want to thank Covington and to all of the Northern Kentucky cities for the hospitality they have already shown our members. It’s going to be a great Conference & Expo.”
City Manager David Johnston welcomed KLC members, stating, “Covington invites our guests to explore its successful urban revitalization firsthand.
“Whether it’s enjoying our scenic riverfront, visiting our thriving businesses and restaurants, or walking around our wonderful parks and greenspaces, we hope that you all will have an enjoyable experience here and come back to explore some more.”
In alignment with this year’s theme, the conference features the following keynote speeches:
Wednesday, October 4 – Jason Roberts, of Austin, Texas, is the founder of Better Block, a movement to reclaim and rebuild city neighborhoods and business districts one block at a time. Roberts has been featured in media worldwide, including several TED Talks and has been recognized at the White House for his work.
Thursday, October 5 – Rusty Justice of Bit Source in Pikeville has been featured on NBC News and in Forbes, Wired and The Guardian. Justice was also named by Fast Company as one of 2017’s “Most Creative People in Business” for his efforts to shift the Eastern Kentucky coal economy to a high-tech hub.
Friday, October 6 – Jay McChord of Lexington specializes in helping organizations manage and integrate the four generations currently in the workforce and prepare leaders to work and inspire young citizens.
Additionally, the conference features City employees Manager of Analytics & Intelligence Manager Dr. Todd Sink and Code Enforcement Manager Walter Mace. On October 4, Sink will present on the City’s CovStat Analytics Program. On October 5, Mace will serve as a panelist on the Code Enforcement Update Panel.
The KLC conference also features the “Send Hunger Packing” event on October 5. Conference attendees can actively participate in a meal-packing event to assemble children’s take-home packs. The take-home packs will be distributed to schools in the Northern Kentucky region.
The “Send Hunger Packing” event will be done in partnership with the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s Hunger Initiative and the Kentucky Association of Food Banks.
