Meet Our 2023 LMC Annual Conference Keynote Speakers!

The Minnesota weather is finally starting to cooperate, and the League office is buzzing with activity – it must be Annual Conference time!

We are just over a month away from heading to Duluth for the 2023 LMC Annual Conference, and we hope you’re as excited as we are to celebrate and share what we love about Minnesota cities! Before joining us in Duluth, take some time to familiarize yourself with our keynote speakers and how they plan to help you deepen your love for your city.

Get courageous with Matt Lehrman

Lehrman will kick the conference off on Wednesday, June 21, with his opening keynote speech, “A Community of Possibilities.” Lehrman lives in Arizona, where he serves as co-founder and managing director of Social Prosperity Partners, a consulting firm rooted in the belief that “where people work together courageously, their potential is unlimited.

Lehrman is a frequent speaker at state leagues and has worked closely with city officials in all regions of the country. According to Lehrman’s bio, his “passion and expertise are facilitating the strategic deliberations of governance councils, boards of directors, and management teams while meaningfully involving and gathering consensus from their various constituencies (i.e., residents, members, customers, audiences, and community at large.”

Lehrman has served as a federal lobbyist in Washington, D.C., carried out leadership positions in sales and marketing within the banking industry, and transitioned to a senior management position in the nonprofit arts and cultural sector before founding Alliance for Audience and ShowUp.com and serving as its executive director for a decade.

At the LMC Annual Conference, Lehrman will ask all of us to consider what “courage” means to us and how we can act courageously in our work with cities – whether that’s by engaging in civil discussions with those whose beliefs differ from our own or simply being open to changing the way things have always been done in our communities.

His keynote titled “A Community of Possibilities” will center around “ideastructure,” which Lehrman describes as “the ongoing process of involving, connecting, and empowering the diversity of community members toward a mutually desired future.” He will ask all of us to think about how to leverage community engagement tactics that will focus on a future we can all envision. No matter your level of expertise in local governance, we can all benefit from a lesson on ideastructure.

Conference attendees also have a chance to learn more from Lehrman during his “From Conflict to Conversation” pre-conference workshop for elected officials on Wednesday, June 21 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Participants must pre-register for this workshop and are encouraged to come prepared to “wear your heart on your sleeve” about what they hope to accomplish for their community. Bolster your courage, folks!

Tap into your creative side with Ash Hanson

When we attempt to define creativity and art, we often think of masterful sculptures, beautiful paintings, or intricate drawings. This definition of art can be intimidating for those of us who know our building, painting, drawing, etc. skills are limited.

But can’t art also be found in how we tell our cities’ unique stories and envision a better life for residents?

On Friday, June 23, Hanson will ask us to get creative as we imagine our cities’ full potential in her closing keynote speech, “Eros and the Arts: Cultivating Connection to Place,” and will help us discover how new ideas, energy, and connections can make our cities more desirable.

Hanson, the creative executive officer of the Department of Public Transformation (DoPT) in Granite Falls, has more than 15 years of experience activating stories, connecting neighbors, and exercising collective imagination in rural communities. Her artist-led nonprofit organization DoPT has worked closely with the Granite Falls City Council and is rooted in celebrating rural culture instead of going along with the often damaging narrative of what it means to live and work in rural communities.

Hanson received her Master of Arts degree in Applied Theater from the University of Manchester (UK), focusing on rural community development. She founded PlaceBase Productions, a theater company that creates musicals that celebrate small-town life, and she was named an Obama Foundation and a Bush Fellow for her work with rural communities.

Hanson has partnered with urban communities, too. She previously served as the program director for Public Art Saint Paul, producing large-scale public art events in the civic realm, and she was an artist-in-residence in the City of Minneapolis Planning Department and the Southwest Minnesota Housing Partnership. Hanson used creative community engagement strategies to address affordable housing, community development, and transportation needs in these positions.

In her closing keynote speech, Hanson will share stories and examples of how artists work with cities to help them recognize how their communities can become thriving sites for civic, social, and cultural action.

We’re confident Lehrman and Hanson will be an inspiring duo at our 2023 Annual Conference, who will help celebrate and build skills for all those who love Minnesota Cities.

Register for the 2023 LMC Annual Conference by Friday, June 9.