Transforming Local Government - AFI Conference

U{PDATE 3 May 2026: summary from AFI of highlights from the 2026 TLG is here.

What do the futures of local government look like?

If you join us next week at the Transforming Local Government (TLG) conference in Dallas TX, you’ll get some glimpses, and help shape those futures with your ideas. I’m excited to be working with the Alliance for Innovation (AFI) in this year’s TLG.

Registration is still open through April 15. The conference is Monday through Wednesday, April 20 through 22 at the Westin Galleria Dallas.

The AFI mission is to equip those at the forefront of local government with an enhanced capacity for innovation and foresight. The annual TLG conference brings together local government professionals to engage with innovative ideas and best practices for creating more efficient, effective, sustainable communities through strategic foresight and other forward-looking forms of collaboration.

I’ll be co-facilitating two half-day workshops with AFI’s superb in-house strategic foresight expert Hauson Le.

The first is “Anticipatory Leadership: Shaping the Future with Foresight,” introducing fundamental foresight methods that empower leaders to shape the future of local government.

The second is “Participatory Foresight: Shaping Futures with Community,” where we’ll dig into practical, inclusive approaches for engaging communities on complex, long-term challenges so they can help define the futures they want to see for their cities and towns.

Two parts of an agenda packed with other sessions that all will be thought-provoking and also inspire and equip attendees for action to create the future.

My sincere thanks to Hauson Le, Michael Wilkes, Ron Holifield, Darin Atteberry, Clay Pearson, and Danielle Mahoney for inviting me into this important work with them. More great local government futures and foresight work to come throughout the year after TLG, but next stop Dallas!