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State & Local Government Relations Seminar
September 18-20, 2011 - Renaissance Washington, DC Dupont Circle Hotel

*Please check back in the summer for the 2012 conference agenda*

2011 Agenda
 

Sunday, September 18

5:30 p.m.
Pre-Conference Networking ReceptionExchange business cards with new contacts and reconnect with peers as you begin sharing ideas for navigating the dynamic state and local landscapes.

Generously Sponsored by: KSE FOCUS

www.ksefocus.com

Monday, September 19

8:00 a.m.
Networking Breakfast and Seminar Welcome

Generously Sponsored by: Edelman

8:30 a.m.
State Government Problems, Predictions and Priorities
Federal gridlock will continue and is driving action down to the regional, state and municipal levels.

• What are the federal budget implications for state and local governments?
• How are states preparing for the 2012 election?
• How has partisanship changed the dynamics of state decision making?

David Thornburgh
Executive Director
Fels Institute of Government
University of Pennsylvania

9:30 a.m.
Break

9:45 a.m.
Managing Information Overload
The volume and speed of legislative, regulatory, municipal and executive decisions have changed the way you manage information. Get strategies for:

• Designing an issue prioritization process
• Identifying services that monitor and track movement on your state and local-level issues
• Internalizing the information so you can prepare effective strategies
• Getting ahead of the issues that spring up suddenly at the state and local levels

Michael DiBiase

Senior Vice President, Government Relations & Public Policy

Fidelity Investments
 

Russell K. Paul

Practice Director, Government Affairs & Public Policy Practice

Arnall Golden Gregory LLP

10:45 a.m.
Break

11:00 a.m.
Rethinking Your State and Local Structure

It’s time to apply a broad, multi-faceted approach to accomplishing your state and local objectives. You will hear how forward-looking organizations are:

• Integrating direct lobbying with grassroots, coalitions, social media and political giving
• Moving away from a contract-lobbyists-centric structure to a staff-based, long-term structure
• Setting the right goals and day-to-day priorities

Christopher J. Badgley
Senior Director, Public Policy & State Government Affairs
Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. 

Micaela Isler
Regional Manager, State Government Relations
Property Casualty Insurers Association of America

12:15 p.m.
Industry Networking Luncheon 

Generously Sponsored by: Davies

 

1:30 p.m.
Creating a Sophisticated Political Giving Strategy
If you’re building a more strategic state government relations operation, you cannot ignore your political giving strategy. We will discuss:

• PACs: Coordinating your state and federal priorities
• Best practices for PAC disbursement
• Corporate giving: Determining your strategy and being transparent
• The art of saying “No” to a legislator

Ray Long
Vice President, Government Affairs
NRG Energy

Scott Reiter
Managing Director, RPAC & Political Programs
National Association of Realtors 

Shannon Wilks
PAC & Campaign Finance Administrator
Nationwide

2:30 p.m.
Break

2:45 p.m.
Case Studies of Multidimensional Campaigns
How are today’s leading organizations finding success in the legislative arena? Tactics covered will include:

• Utilizing your grassroots advocates and coalition partnerships to achieve better outcomes
• How political giving and community relations strategies can build relationships with emerging leaders
• Translating legislative wins to year-round advocacy
• How leading companies are tying state advocacy to business goals

John Davies

Chairman & CEO

Davies

Douglas Johnson

Vice President, Technology Policy

Consumer Electronics Association
 

Lorelei N. Mottese

Director, Government Relations

Wakefern Food Corporation

3:45 p.m.
Break

4:00 p.m.
Social Media and Reputation Management

More and more SLGR programs integrate their online strategy with their traditional advocacy, reputation management and stakeholder engagement strategies.

• What tools are being used by highly sophisticated programs for monitoring issues and building communities?
• How can social media be used to respond to reputational threats?

Dawn Arteaga

Digital Strategist, Digital Communications Group

Porter Novelli Public Affairs
 

Tim McMahan

Senior Manager Media Technology

Union Pacific Railroad

5:00 p.m.
Networking Reception

Generously Sponsored by: MultiState Associates Inc.

7:00 p.m.
Dine-Around (dinner at participant's expense)
Continue discussing today's favorite topics with seminar participants.


Tuesday, September 20

8:00 a.m.
Networking Breakfast

Generously Sponsored by: State and Federal Communications Inc.

8:30 a.m.
Attorneys General Policy Perspectives
Attorneys general play a key role in state policy issues -and in helping set politicalpriorities. J.B. Van Hollen, Wisconsin attorney general and vice presidentof the National Association of Attorneys General, will be joined by Mike Morrissey, chief of staff toRhode Island Attorney General Peter Kilmartin, to discuss:

J.B. Van Hollen
Wisconsin Attorney General
Wisconsin Department of Justice 

Mike Morrissey
Chief of Staff
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Kilmartin

9:30 a.m.
Break

9:45 a.m.
Improving Your Regulatory Advocacy
Healthcare reform has been a huge issue at all levels of government -- and much of the regulatory implementation is taking place in the states. This session will help you learn how to monitor and engage with state agencies. You'll quickly learn why regulatory advocacy is becoming just as important as your legislative strategy.

• How, when and where can you have the most impact?
• What role can your lobbyists and grassroots advocates play to affect regulatory outcomes?
• Hear how an organization developed and executed a regulatory strategy

Layla D'Emilia
Member and Municipal Practice Group Director
Serlin Haley LLP

David Weaver
Managing Director, Regulatory Affairs
Southern Operations, Marketer Services, & Regulatory Planning
AGL Resources Inc.

10:45 a.m.
Break

11:00 a.m.
Today's Biggest Compliance Risks
Get important legal updates and practical advice from political attorney, Ken Gross, so you can be confident in your compliance program. We will cover:

• Pay-to-play, lobbying, gift and ethics rules
• Campaign finance changes, including the impact of the Citizens United ruling in the states
• How to educate employees on compliance rules
• Executing a pre-clearance strategy to avoid pay-to-play

Kenneth A. Gross
Partner
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom

11:45 a.m.
Answering Your Compliance Questions
A special Q&A session devoted to answering your organization's biggest compliance questions. Come prepared with questions from your counsel, executive office and government affairs staff.

Kenneth A. Gross
Partner
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom

12:15 p.m.
Regional Networking Luncheon

Generously Sponsored by: The Advocacy Group

1:30 p.m.
Responding to Crisis
You may have a strategic and forward-looking state/local program, but a major crisis can quickly make your plans obsolete. The nuclear emergency in Japan led the Nuclear Energy Institute to design a year-long outreach and education effort directed to state and local elected officials.

• What has worked, what hasn't and how is NEI dealing with the ongoing crisis?
• What can you do now to prepare for the unexpected?

Marshall Cohen
Senior Director, State and Local Government Affairs
Nuclear Energy Institute

2:30 p.m.
Determining Your R.O.I. and Justifying Your Plan
Many people in your organization don't have any idea how the state and local government relations function works. That makes it difficult to convey the value of what you do. Hear important tips for:

• Making the case for why your strategy will have the greatest impact
• Justifying why you need additional resources to be successful
• Talking about government relations in a way that others can understand

Jean Cantrell
Senior Director, State Government Relations
Philips Electronics North American Corporation 

Manan Shah
Senior Associate, State Government Affairs & Compliance
Novo Nordisk

3:30 p.m.
Adjourn