Nebraska Association of County Officials
122nd Annual Conference
Younes Convention Center
Kearney, Nebraska
December 14 - 16, 2016
November 1, 2016

Conference Attendees,
 
It is time to start planning to attend the 122nd annual NACO conference in Kearney on December 14th to 16th at the Younes Conference Center. 
 
Registration is open on the NACO website for easy access to county employees that may want to attend this excellent educational opportunity and access the atmosphere that you can enjoy by associating with your peers over three days. 

County Official of the Year
 
The County Official of the Year nomination forms are available for anyone desiring to nominate a deserving individual to be selected to NACO's highest honor at the conclusion of the December 15th NACO breakfast and business meeting.  This award was created as a means of honoring one individual each year for his or her leadership abilities, high standard of public service and outstanding contributions made to the medium of county government and that person's community.

Candlewood Suites      
The Candlewood Suites are available for conference booking. They are located just north of the Younes Conference Center across 4th Avenue in Kearney.  The Candlewood Suites do not have a guaranteed room rate for the conference this year. The room rate at the Candlewood Suites is $119.95 per night plus taxes.  A preview of that property can be seen   here. 

Changes Or Cancellations To Lodging Reservations
Reservations may have been made initially under the county name but must all have individual names of who will occupy each room no later than November 11, 2016. Any reservation being held under the county name after this date will be cancelled.

County officials should take note that the date for changing or cancelling any reservations for the NACO conference is November 11.

Any county making cancellations or changes lodging reservations after the November 11th date will be charged the first night's lodging.

Clerks, Register of Deeds & Election Commissioner's Goodwill Project       
The 2016 NACO Conference Goodwill Project has been described by Joyce Oakley, the Nemaha County Clerk.  The project will follow similar guidelines as the 2015 conference donations.   Personal Care items will be asked for from the conference attendees.  Each NACO district will be assigned certain items that will be collected at the conference and will be set for distribution to the state's Veteran's homes.  Please participate and enhance the generosity of Nebraska's county officials.

Conference Keynote Speaker 

Aaron Thomas 
Aaron Thomas' father, Ed, was a beloved high school football coach, who not only trained generations of players on the importance of hard work, dedication, excellence, and commitment, but personally put those values into action as the community leader who inspired his town to rebuild in the wake of a deadly EF5 tornado. Not long after the community withstood the disaster of the storm, the small town of Parkersburg, Iowa endured a far worse tragedy...the fatal shooting of Coach Ed Thomas by a former player with mental issues.
In this incredible story of ordinary people thrust into an extraordinary situation, Aaron Thomas shares his family's journey of showing uncommon strength during the darkest of times. Aaron will discuss how to deal with adversity and how to make the most of all opportunities. You will be challenged to look at your life, your family, and your organization to see if you are being a true difference maker.
 
Conference Exhibitors 
 
A variety of vendors will be exhibiting their products and services on Wednesday afternoon and all day Thursday. They play a very important role in supporting our program opportunities and making the conference an attractive event for so many people.

Conference Agendas
The education committees of all the NACO organizational groups have submitted agendas to provide a sneak preview of what is in store for training, topics of interest and an overview to better understand how one can maximize their conference experience.

The combined agendas of each group can be seen by clicking here.  They are listed in alphabetical sequence by the group name.
People elected and appointed to county office are perceived by the public as being leaders, capable of making decisions in the best interest of the people they serve. Leadership is more than just answering to the public, though. It's about listening and working with people to bring about change that ultimately leads to a better condition, place or situation. 

Paticipation in the 2016 Annual Conference assists everyone in taking that step of moving forward for the benefit of the citizens we serve.