Newly Added #MACoCon Sessions – Pokemon GO, Agile IT, Medical Cannabis Q&A, AND MORE!

The MACo Summer Conference really does offer “something for everyone” – we’ll be talking about Zika, drones, concussions, cyberbullying, Agile IT, identity theft, and everything in between (and around, and over, and through…).

We’ve added to the array of offerings – these great topics were added after we published the registration brochure. Don’t miss these sessions, register today!

  • Gotta Catch ‘Em All – Pokémon GO and the Public
    Pokémon GO, the augmented reality smartphone application, has been downloaded by millions of players. Using technologies such as GPS and cameras, players navigate real, physical spaces and overlay their camera-view with digital images – characters from the game appear as if they’re in the player’s real-life setting. In the quest to “catch ’em all,” some players have gotten a lot of exercise, explored new parts of their communities, and made new friends. Others have injured themselves while walking distracted, played in inappropriate places, and been targeted by criminals. The popularity of this game – and the anticipation of more like it – present both positive and negative challenges for local governments. In this session, learn more about Pokémon GO and the future of augmented reality games, as well as how state and local officials are handling the additional safety, law enforcement, and recreation needs caused by the influx of players.

    • Speakers: (to be announced soon)
    • Moderator: The Honorable Allan Kittleman, County Executive, Howard County
    • Date/Time: Friday, August 19, 2016; 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm

 

  • “But That’s The Way We’ve Always Done It” – The Value of Mindfulness in the Workplace
    “Because you can’t solve today’s problems with yesterday’s solutions,” said a recent author in the Harvard Business Review about the concept of mindfulness. Learn how to add stability and increase employee satisfaction and productivity in your organization’s operation and approach to everyday problems. Find out the strategies that let rules and routines guide, but not govern, effective organization operations. Discover how mindfulness is at the center of innovation and a superior coordinated team performance. How can you, as a critical part of your senior leadership team, put into play a leadership strategy that encourages effective innovation in your organization’s approach to meeting changing demands? Join us to find out more! This session is structured for Directors of Administration, Chiefs of Staff and senior leadership at the local, county and State levels of government.

    • Speaker: Deborah Collins, Professor and Chair, Department of Business Management and Entrepreneurship School of Business and Law, Anne Arundel Community College
    • Moderator: Kimberly McCoy-Burns, Esq., MBA, JD, Chief of Staff, Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing & Regulation
    • Date/Time: Wednesday, August 17, 2016; 3:30 pm -5:00 pm

 

  • Data-Driven Justice: Using Data to Lead to Better Outcomes in Criminal Justice
    Earlier this summer, Governor Larry Hogan led Maryland in signing on to the White House Data-Driven Justice Initiative, a bipartisan coalition of sixty-seven city, county, and state governments who have committed to using data-driven strategies to divert low-level offenders with mental illness out of the criminal justice system. These innovative strategies, which have measurably reduced jail populations in several communities, help stabilize individuals and families, better serve communities, and often save money in the process. Come learn how your jurisdiction can join the effort.

    • Speakers:
      • V. Glenn Fueston, Jr, Executive Director, Governor’s Office of Crime Control & Prevention
      • Sam Malhotra, Secretary, Department of Human Resources
      • Robert Green, Director, Montgomery County Department of Correction and Rehabilitation
    • Moderator: The Honorable Jan Gardner, County Executive, Frederick County
    • Date/Time: Thursday, August 18, 2016; 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm

 

  • Zapping Technical Debt! – MD’s Agile Cloud Transformation
    Why can’t Maryland’s technology systems be modern like Google, Netflix, Amazon, Facebook and continually responsive to ever changing needs of the users.  Well… actually they can and will be soon.  Maryland’s enormous technical debt from legacy and slow approach to IT systems development, procurement, budgeting, contracts, and architecture is being imploded, at last!  Maryland is taking a shared platform enterprise view moving to Cloud-based systems with Scaled Agile Development, DevOps automation, adaptive sourcing, and Value Stream budgeting. See how DHR and 11 other agencies are building a shared data platform called MD THINK to lead the way for this transformation.

    • Speaker: Tom Fusting, Chief Technology Officer, Office of The Secretary,  IT Modernization
    • Moderator: The Honorable Susan Lee, Maryland State Senate
    • Date/Time: Friday, August 19, 2016; 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm

 

  • Q&A with the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission
    County governments, advocacy groups, and Maryland citizens are waiting for the arrival of medical cannabis, which was legalized by the Maryland General Assembly in 2014. The Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission is in the midst of reviewing the 811 dispensary applications, 146 grower applications, and 124 processor applications received late last year. During this session, Commission staff will be available to answer questions from government officials about the current process.

    • Speaker: Patrick Jameson, Executive Director, Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission
    • Date/Time: Saturday, August 20, 2016; 8:15 am – 9:15 am

 

SCHEDULE CHANGE: “Beam Me Up – Telecommuting and County Government” has been moved from Friday at 1:00 pm to Friday at 2:15 pm.

Read about all of our great sessions and register today!

 

Learn more about MACo’s Summer Conference: