The North Carolina City and County Management Association Winter Seminar focuses on topics of interest to city and county managers and administrators.

The winter seminar is January 28–30, 2026 at the Benton Convention Center in Winston-Salem. 

NCCCMA Winter Seminar Agenda 2026

Tuesday Opportunity: Essentials for Local Government Managers Workshop (separate registration required)

Wednesday Keynote Speaker: Doug Middleton

CONCURRENT SESSIONS: 

Wednesday: Orientation for New Managers and Association Members; Aligning Organizational Structure; ChatGPT Comes to City Hall: What Every NC Manager Should Know About Generative AI; Manager’s Roles in Emergency Management and Crisis Communications

Thursday: Taking Back the Narrative: Rebuilding Trust Through Storytelling; Water and Wastewater Regionalism; It’s Not You, It’s… Well, Maybe It Is You; How to Make Local Government Cool; Building a Championship Team Through Strong Manager/Assistant Partnerships; Shared Vision Takes Flight: The Partnerships Behind the City of Hickory Aviation Museum; Finding the Money: Funding Approaches for Municipal Infrastructure

MPA Student Sessions: Speed Networking for MPA Students & Emerging Local Government Managers; You’ve Got the Job… Now What? How to Thrive in Your First Local Government Role and Beyond

Friday Professional Development Workshop: Professional Development Workshop: Leading Through Incivility: What Local Government Managers Can Do (separate registration required)

Friday Mobile Tours: Mobile Workshop 1: The Grounds (Wake Forest Stadium District Redevelopment Project) and Mobile Workshop 2: NASCAR at the Fairgrounds

Guidebook App:  The agenda will be available on the NCCCMA Winter Seminar Guidebook app. To download the app, go to the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store on your device, search for “Guidebook” and download. Once the app is downloaded, search for “NCCCMA Winter Seminar.” Alternatively, click this link and scan the QR Code.

The app contains the full schedule, speaker information, vendor information, parking map, Benton Convention Center map, Marriott Hotel map, downtown map, and a restaurant map!