Attendees may pick up their name badge and materials at the main registration desk.

Welcoming Remarks:
• Welcoming remarks from MMA leadership
• Keynote address by Elizabeth Lombardo

Municipal leaders who have experienced mounting stress over the past few years can find their way out of the “Red Zone” when noted psychologist and author Elizabeth Lombardo shares her advice for improving mental resilience.

Called the “Head Coach for Happiness” by former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal, Lombardo has made a career of helping people manage their anxiety. The demand for her expertise has grown since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, which triggered significant increases in stress, anxiety and depression nationally.

As she does with her books, media appearances and coaching, Lombardo, who has a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Drexel University, will offer effective strategies for managing stress.

“There is an increase in anxiety, and a lot of it has to do with what we call ‘learned helplessness,’” Lombardo said during a television appearance on “Las Vegas NOW” earlier this year. “Learned helplessness is this notion that ‘There’s nothing I can do,’ and I think a lot of people right now are feeling that as things are going on with [the] omicron [COVID variant] and other things going on in this world. That increases their stress, and that stress is not helpful to their life.”

Based in the Chicago area, Lombardo is the author of several books on boosting mental health and a frequent guest on television shows such as “Today” and “Fox Business.” She has written extensively on topics including happiness and perfectionism. She started out as a physical therapist, but switched careers after realizing she wanted to help people with their psychological pain.

Lombardo’s 2021 book, “Get Out of the Red Zone,” explores the concept of a mental state in which stress and other negative emotions significantly disrupt people’s lives. When unpleasant feelings dominate, she says, people find themselves in fight-or-flight mode and caught in a cycle of negativity that interferes with healthy decision making, effective problem solving and productivity. In the extreme, this distress can cause poor communication, damage relationships, and prevent people from experiencing happiness.

“In the Red Zone, we tend to think differently, we tend to act differently,” Lombardo told “Las Vegas NOW.” “This is when we become overwhelmed. This is when we focus on what’s wrong. This is when we become much more irritable with our loved ones. So the goal is to acknowledge that, ‘I’m in the Red Zone,’ and get out of the Red Zone as soon as possible.”

According to Lombardo, this distress costs U.S. companies more than $300 billion annually due to increased absenteeism, turnover, and health care expenses.

Over the past three years, municipal leaders and employees have grappled with a public health crisis, increasing incivility, staffing shortages, budget uncertainty, climate change impacts, policing issues, and many other challenges, pushing some toward Red Zone territory.

Lombardo’s research-based advice for getting out of the Red Zone includes body movement and music playlists, among other strategies. She emphasizes the importance of self-awareness, so people understand when they’re about to experience stress overload.

“The key is to identify your triggers,” Lombardo told Gurus magazine in July. “Everyone has triggers that put them in the Red Zone. Once you identify those triggers, you want to deactivate those triggers. It’s only a trigger if we let it.”

The annual Trade Show features more than 200 exhibitors offering the latest services and solutions for Massachusetts cities and towns. The Trade Show offers opportunities to connect with companies, associations and government agencies in a lively exhibit hall.

Anthony Everett, Emmy-winning journalist and longtime host of WCVB Channel 5’s “Chronicle,” will help members celebrate the Bay State by sharing stories from his travels around Massachusetts.

Everett has hosted “Chronicle,” the nation’s longest-running, locally produced newsmagazine, for 17 years. On the show, Everett explores the “Main Streets and Back Roads” of the region, serving as part storyteller and part ambassador for its best offerings. From patrolling the Nantucket coast in a boat with the town’s harbormaster to exploring a haunted covered bridge in Greenfield, Everett provides viewers with vicarious experiences of the hidden and not-so-hidden gems of Massachusetts.

“As we travel the 351 cities and towns of the Commonwealth, I am constantly amazed how many incredible stories each one holds,” he said. “It really is a testament to the ingenuity, creativity, resourcefulness and inventiveness of the people of Massachusetts, and it is one of the main reasons ‘Chronicle’ is celebrating its 40th year on the air in 2022. Having the chance to visit their communities and tell their stories is a privilege.”

A native of New York City, Everett first appreciated the charms of Massachusetts as a student at Tufts University. But his broadcasting career first took him on a detour through two other states. In 1984, he started out as a sports reporter and anchor at KSPN-TV in Aspen, Colorado, ultimately becoming the station’s news director before leaving in 1987. He then spent a few years as a general assignment reporter and weekday anchor on the evening and nighttime newscasts at WVIT-TV, the NBC affiliate in Hartford, Connecticut.

Everett joined WCVB’s NewsCenter 5 in 1990 as a general assignment reporter. Over the years, he has co-anchored midday, evening and 11 p.m. newscasts, served as WCVB’s senior correspondent for national events and breaking news, and regularly contributed to special news reports.

He has won multiple Emmy Awards, including for his work on “Chronicle,” for reporting on subjects including education, Alzheimer’s disease and the recycling industry, and for hosting special programs, including one for the 125th anniversary of the Boston Pops. Everett’s reporting has also earned him National Headliner Awards, an Associated Press Award for Investigative Reporting and Documentary Reporting in 2012, and helped WCVB win an Edward Murrow Award for News Series and News Documentary in 2013.

Everett also devotes time to charitable causes, including as a volunteer and board member for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, for which he received a 1992 Public Education Award and a 2006 Partners in Progress Award. He has been involved with Habitat for Humanity, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, Boston Healthcare for the Homeless, the Boston Ballet, the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, the Home for Little Wanderers, and Derby Academy.

Everett has taught journalism and been a guest lecturer at Tufts, and has lectured at Boston College, Harvard Business School, the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, and other educational and community groups throughout New England.

Members can network over breakfast.

Attendees may pick up their name badge and materials at the main registration desk.

All mayors are invited to the Annual Business Meeting of the Massachusetts Mayors’ Association.

All town managers and town administrators are invited to the Business Meeting of the Massachusetts Municipal Management Association.

All members of select boards in Massachusetts are considered members of the MSA and are invited to attend the MSA Annual Business Meeting, provided they are registered for the MMA Annual Meeting. Attendance at the MSA Annual Business Meeting is limited to MSA members.

All city and town councillors are invited to the Annual Business Meeting of the Massachusetts Municipal Councillors’ Association.

The annual Trade Show features more than 200 exhibitors offering the latest services and solutions for Massachusetts cities and towns. The Trade Show offers opportunities to connect with companies, associations and government agencies in a lively exhibit hall.

Eight Learning Lab sessions will be held on the Trade Show floor.