Last week, NACCED took part in the 2025 National Association of Counties (NACo) Annual Conference held in the city and county of Philadelphia, PA. NACCED leadership participated in a range of sessions and networking events during the conference and across the Philadelphia area. Members shared their expertise, traded best practices, and collaborated with county officials on critical issues affecting community well-being and economic growth. They engaged in policy advocacy efforts with NACo, met with community leaders to explore strategies for economic development, and gained important perspectives on initiatives aimed at strengthening local infrastructure and expanding community opportunities.
On Thursday, July 10 NACCED’s Board of Directors convened for a productive meeting that featured a dedicated strategic planning session where board members discussed the association’s long-term goals and priorities. The conversation centered on advancing NACCED’s mission to support counties in affordable housing, community and economic development, exploring new opportunities for member engagement, and identifying strategies to strengthen advocacy efforts at the federal level. This session provided a valuable forum for board members to align on a shared vision and set a clear course for NACCED’s future mission initiatives.
NACCED attended the NACo Community Economic and Workforce Development (CEWD) Policy Steering Committee meeting on Friday, July 11 held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. CEWD’s meeting kicked off with a panel titled Unlocking Housing Potential: Navigating Funding Streams and Driving Results moderated by CEWD Chair Angela Conley, Commissioner of Hennepin County, MN. Panelists consisted of Angela Brooks, Chief Housing and Urban Development Officer with the City of Philadelphia, PA; Marcus Henry, County Executive of New Castle County, DE; NACCED Member Kayleigh Silver, Administrator with the Office of Housing and Community Development of Montgomery County, PA and Laura Slutsky, Director of Housing and Community Solutions with Guidehouse.
The discussion highlighted the Hope Center in New Castle, DE, which provides critical shelter and supportive services; insights from Guidehouse on leveraging U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and U.S. Department of the Treasury housing rebate programs to maximize resources; Montgomery County, PA’s Your Way Home initiative, a nationally recognized collaborative effort to prevent and end homelessness; and the City of Philadelphia’s robust neighborhood stabilization strategies aimed at revitalizing communities and expanding affordable housing opportunities.
Following was a panel titled Leveraging Regional Assets to Tailor Economic Development moderated by Aaron Whitely, Commissioner of Chatham County, GA. Panelists included Spencer Gober, Manager of the Office of Community and Economic Development with the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission; NACCED Board of Directors member Paul Herdeg, Director of the Department of Development with Cuyahoga County, OH; and Richard Leadbeater, Director of State and Local Government Solutions with Esri.
The panel session explored how the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission’s integration of diverse data sets support economic diversification across the region, Cuyahoga County, OH’s focus on leveraging transit-oriented development to attract new businesses and encourage mixed-use projects through its partnerships with Jobs Ohio and Team Northeast Ohio; and Esri’s advanced housing data collection using geographic information system tools that help communities better position themselves for business investment.
Thursday afternoon began with a panel titled Harnessing Modern Technology to Recruit, Retain, and Upskill the Workforce moderated by Demond Mason, Commissioner of Newton County, GA. The panel was comprised of Amanda Bergsen-Shilcock, Senior Fellow with the National Skills Coalition; Kate May, Principal Product Manager of AI and Data Insights Solutions with Granicus; and Chandler Morse, Vice President of Corporate Affairs with Workday.
The group acknowledged anxieties over AI's disruptive potential but emphasized its promise for improving outcomes including the adoption of technology to provide accurate job descriptions and cultivating digital resilience among staff. Other topics in the discussion covered private sector success in leveraging AI to speed up hiring and enhance internal mobility, capturing institutional knowledge and counteract disruptions caused by staff retirements or turnover.
The day wrapped up with the CEWD Business Meeting, which serves as an annual forum for the committee to review and vote on policy resolutions focused on particular issues or pieces of legislation. Mary Keating, NACCED representative on the NACo Board of Directors and Director of Community Services for DuPage County, IL presented five resolutions co-authored by NACCED for committee consideration.
Resolutions considered and passed by the committee included: congressional and Trump Administration support for HUD’s Office of Community Planning and Development federal staff to aid in the administration of critical programs; support for congressional reauthorization of the Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG); support for permanent congressional reauthorization of the CDBG – Disaster Recovery Grant Program; support for congressional reauthorization of the HOME Investment Partnerships Program; and urging support from both Congress and the Trump Administration for increased federal programs on homelessness assistance.
NACCED’s previously co-authored resolution that passed during NACo’s 2025 Legislative Conference which urged Congress to advance legislation supporting a permanent increase in the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit and a permanent extension of the New Market Tax Credit was withdrawn prior to the CEWD meeting following the inclusion of both items in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R.1), which was signed into law by President Trump on Friday, July 4.
On Saturday, July 12 NACCED attended the Large Urban County Caucus (LUCC) Business Meeting. The meeting began with a call to order by David Crowley, Commissioner of Milwaukee County, WI. LUCC sessions started with a panel discussion titled Advancing Strategies for Urban Transit Resiliency moderated by Eileen Higgins, Commissioner of Miami-Dade County, FL. Commissioner Higgins was joined by panelists Gregory Krykewycz, Director of Transportation Planning with the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission; Pennsylvania State Senator Nikil Saval; and Stephanie Wiggins, Chief Executive Officer of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
Panelists examined how large urban counties and their regional transit partners craft resilient, forward-thinking strategies to adapt to ridership, navigate constrained fiscal authority, and manage complex state funding landscapes. The discussion spotlighted innovative efforts in Los Angeles, where increased local control has paved the way for proactive solutions and took a closer look at the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority in Pennsylvania, where counties are collaborating to address legal and structural hurdles to sustain and strengthen their transit systems.
Following was a briefing on NACo EDGE by Andrew Conroy, Vice President of Business Development with CVS Health and Ed Malone, Director of Sales and Protected Retirement with Nationwide. Andrew and Ed provided updates on innovative financial and health benefit solutions available through NACo EDGE, a non-competitive awards program recognizing counties that have created and communicated a thoughtful and comprehensive annual strategic plan to help improve services and infrastructure
Concluding the LUCC meeting was a panel titled Local Power in a Federal Framework: The Future of AI Enforcement moderated by Shinica Thomas, Commissioner of Wake County, NC. Panelists included Sanam Hooshidary, Legislative Specialist of State-Federal Affairs with the National Conference of State Legislatures; Gerard Lederer, Partner with Best Best & Krieger, LLP; and Joseph Varallo, Divisional Deputy City Solicitor/City HIPAA Compliance Director with the City of Philadelphia Law Department.
The panel discussed how artificial intelligence has become more embedded in the areas of housing, hiring, policing, and public services. Also covered was a discussion of new federal proposals on setting a moratorium that would block state and local governments from enforcing any AI-related regulations on systems involved in interstate commerce. Panelists traded thoughts on federal and local control, offering real-world examples of current and proposed state-level AI enforcement efforts and warning of the profound implications such sweeping federal limits could have on counties trying to safeguard their communities and retain oversight of rapidly evolving AI systems.
Thank you to our NACCED members who participated during this year’s conference! To view photos from NACCED’s participation check out our LinkedIn, Facebook and X pages.
For further information, official conference program material can be found on the NACo website. NACCED looks forward to joining NACo during its 2026 Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C. and its 2026 Annual Conference in New Orleans, LA.
