Build Better Cities with the 2024 Annual Conference Keynote Speakers

Leaders throughout Minnesota have built up their cities during good times and mended their cities’ foundations during tumultuous times. At the 2024 League of Minnesota Cities Annual Conference, we want to expand on what city leaders have already accomplished so our cities can continue to get things done. 

Please get to know our keynote speakers, Amanda Brinkman and Richard Coffey, before joining us for the conference in Rochester where Brinkman and Coffey—both current Minnesota residents—will share leadership and connectivity tools. 

Help Your Community Thrive with Amanda Brinkman

As the creator, producer, and host of the Emmy-nominated series “Small Business Revolution,” Amanda Brinkman knows a thing or two about creating thriving communities. “Small Business Revolution” has taken Brinkman to cities around the country, and her inspiring show has assisted communities of all sizes in revitalizing their economic development while helping people and places transform, connect, and thrive. 

Brinkman will share stories of working with small businesses, governments, and people on main streets throughout the United States during her opening keynote address on Wednesday, June 26. In addition, she will give actionable advice on how cities can lean on their values to get things done for their residents and add the five common traits of thriving communities to their toolboxes. 

Brinkman is a nationally renowned brand creator, on-camera personality for national news outlets, and celebrity interviewer. Most importantly, she’s a proud Minnesotan who brings love and passion to her state and its economy. 

Persevere in Leading Change with Richard Coffey

Richard Coffey knows city leaders are not truly tested until their residents turn to them for guidance when their city’s foundation begins to crumble. The best city leaders not only help their cities avoid adversity but also help their communities come out stronger on the other end of challenging times. 

Coffey has served as a United States Army Airborne Paratrooper, played collegiate and professional basketball for the Minnesota Gophers and Timberwolves, resides in Minnesota, and is a successful corporate sales leader. Coffey’s diverse background and the challenges he weathered throughout his career have led him to become a professional speaker with a passion for empowering others. He shares insight from his experience in the military, athletics, and as a corporate leader to help others realize and reach their full potential. 

Coffey’s closing keynote address on Friday, June 28, will discover resiliency, adaptability, and positivity tools they can use to lead their cities through times of destruction. Coffey will share how to treat failure as an opportunity to learn, not as your enemy. 

Join Brinkman and Coffey at the LMC Annual Conference where they will guide city leaders and League staff through the work zone as we envision building better cities.