First Session: Friday, Jan. 23, 2-3:15 p.m.
• The AI Toolkit for HR: Leveraging AI With Confidence
Artificial intelligence is no longer a future concept, it’s a present-day tool that human resource professionals can use to streamline operations, enhance decision-making, and support strategic goals. This interactive workshop will introduce HR leaders to an “AI Toolkit” designed specifically for municipal environments. From drafting job descriptions and policies to analyzing data and improving employee communications, participants will explore how to use AI for both everyday tasks and complex challenges. The workshop will also cover prompt-writing strategies to get the most out of AI tools; discuss ethical considerations; and share real-world examples of AI use. This session will equip attendees with practical knowledge to confidently integrate AI into their HR workflows.
Panelists
Joellen Cademartori, a senior vice president at MGT, brings nearly 30 years of experience in municipal leadership, human resources, and management consulting in the public sector. Known for her exceptional communication skills, she has fostered strong relationships with peers, elected officials, and government partners nationwide. Her dedication to local government excellence has positioned her as an industry leader in executive recruiting, interim staffing, and human resources consulting. She has served on numerous local, state and national committees. A professional highlight was being on the International City/County Management Association Executive Board as a representative from the Northeast Region. She regularly speaks to groups and writes about a variety of local government topics, including organizational analysis, generational diversity, succession planning, performance management, resume development, and interviewing skills and techniques.
Brandon Ledford, a senior vice president at MGT, is a proven human capital and operational strategy executive with 20 years of success in organizational improvement, project and change management, and process improvement. He has brought his passion for public policy, artificial intelligence, and technology to MGT, where he helps clients advance in all aspects of the future of work. Before joining MGT, he was the vice president overseeing the human resources and policy and compliance departments of a global technology company, as well as a consultant for both Booz Allen Hamilton and Deloitte. He is a former White House and U.S. Supreme Court intern. He is certified in human resources (Society of Human Resources Senior Certified Professional), project management (Project Management Professional), change management (Prosci Change Manager), Lean Six Sigma (Yellow Belt), and artificial intelligence (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). He has a master’s degree in public policy and is earning a master’s degree in artificial intelligence management at Georgetown University. He is also vice president of the Dormont Borough Council in Pittsburgh, where he recently helped pass the borough’s AI use policy.
Moderator
Devon Fields is the deputy city manager overseeing operations in the city of Chelsea. She is responsible for the departments of the City Clerk, Housing and Community Development, Human Resources, Permitting and Land Use Planning, and Inspectional Services. Previously, she worked in Brookline for five years as the assistant town administrator for operations. She holds a master’s degree in public administration and is a proud MMA alum.
Workshop eligible for MIIA Rewards credits
• Fiscal Outlook
Details are TBA
• Forward Focused: Moving From Reactive to Strategic Leadership
Municipal leaders make countless decisions every day, but lasting impact comes from thinking strategically, not just reactively. This interactive workshop will help you learn how to move your team from daily decision-making to long-term goal-setting by establishing shared expectations, clarifying decision-making roles and processes, and navigating disagreements productively. Using real-world municipal examples and practical tools, you’ll learn how to strengthen collaboration, build alignment, and lay the foundation for future-focused leadership across your community.
Panelist
Betsy Neptune is an executive coach and organizational development consultant with 20-plus years of experience in the nonprofit and public sectors, at the neighborhood, municipal and regional levels. She specializes in helping public sector leaders build, develop, and retain high-performing, inclusive teams. Through her coaching and consulting, Neptune has worked with a wide range of public sector and nonprofit leaders who are committed to making transformational changes in themselves and their teams to achieve lasting impact. She has a master’s degree in public administration from the Harvard Kennedy School and lives in Boston.
Moderator
Jennifer Constable is the town manager in Hull.
Workshop eligible for MIIA Rewards credits
• Keeping Up With Clean Energy: Siting and Permitting Updates
Following the passage of a 2024 climate law, significant developments are occurring in state and local siting and permitting processes for solar, battery, and other clean energy projects. The team responsible for crafting local regulations and providing technical assistance to municipalities will cover what you need to know, and KP Law will present a critical legal perspective on compliance, logistics and strategy. Attendees will walk away with information and resources to help them move forward.
Panelists
Rick Collins is director of the Clean Energy Siting and Permitting Division at the Department of Energy Resources.
Rick Holland is an attorney and shareholder at KP Law and serves as chair of the firm’s renewable energy practice group.
John Mangiaratti is the town manager in Acton and served as the MMA’s designee to the Commission on Energy Infrastructure Siting and Permitting.
Workshop eligible for MIIA Rewards credits
• Keeping Your Cool When the Public Is Losing Theirs
This dynamic workshop will equip municipal employees with essential skills to navigate the unique challenge of serving a public that may be frustrated, confrontational or uncivil — often due to circumstances beyond any single employee’s control. Participants will explore how emotional intelligence serves as the foundation for remaining calm and professional under pressure, including a practical three-step defusing technique to de-escalate tense interactions before they spiral. The session will also cover critical strategies, including when and how to end abusive conversations while maintaining dignity for all parties, techniques for supporting colleagues who face incivility, and the power of deep listening as a de-escalation tool. Attendees will practice crafting statements and questions that demonstrate genuine empathy, transforming adversarial exchanges into productive dialogues. The workshop will feature an assistant town administrator sharing her experiences with tough customer situations, and how she was able to craft helpful responses in those unique municipal situations.
Panelists
Vanessa Hale has served as the assistant town administrator in Southborough for 25 years. Previously, she was employed by the towns of Northborough and Sherborn in similar roles. She learned the ins and outs of local government through her experience working for the MMA and the Massachusetts League of Women Voters. Her current position focuses on community relations, human resource administration, support of grant administration and community endeavors, and carrying out the goals identified by the Select Board annually. Hale has a master’s degree in library and information science from the University of Rhode Island, a master’s degree in public administration from Clark University, and a bachelor’s degree in English from Albertus Magnus College. She has been active in the MMA professional associations for decades, including serving for two years as chair of Massachusetts Municipal Human Resources. She is a founding member of Women Leading Government, under the umbrella of the Massachusetts Municipal Management Association. She is passionate about Irish culture, the suffrage movement, and public libraries. In 2020, Hale was recognized with the Leadership Trailblazer award from the League of Women in Government, and in 2015 she received the Emil Skop award from MMHR.
Cally Ritter is the principal of Positive Ripple Training and Consulting. When working with employee groups, her goal is inspiring them to shift their thinking and behavior for greater work-life effectiveness. She is a licensed independent clinical social worker with a bachelor’s degree from Bucknell University and a master’s degree in social work from the University of Pittsburgh. She has worked for more than 25 years as a facilitator, speaker and director of training. Ritter offers dynamic sessions on subjects such as communication, multigenerational workplace, stress/resiliency, harassment/discrimination, unconscious bias, employee motivation, performance management, positive management techniques, and more. She engages her audiences with storytelling, humor, technology, and contagious energy. She has certified training from the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, is DiSC (Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, Conscientiousness) certified, and is a certified Motivation Factor practitioner. She has consulted with and trained for the Boston Red Sox, Harvard University, Holy Cross College, Tufts University, Wellesley College, Reebok, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the Girl Scouts, the city of Boston, and many municipalities across Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
Workshop eligible for MIIA Rewards credits
• Language Access: Starting Small in Order to Build
Are all members of your community able to access the information and services they need, despite the language they speak? If you’re unsure, it might be time to explore language access and re-evaluate your community engagement efforts. Join us for a conversation with experts who will take us through their language access journeys. This workshop will break down some of the barriers to equitable community engagement by highlighting language access best practices and ways that municipalities implement different means of communication to reach their community members. Getting started with language access can be daunting, but don’t let the perfect be the enemy of good — you just have to start somewhere. Everyone can address language access. Join us to explore how you can contribute and get your municipality started.
Panelists
Sasha Parodi is the community engagement and subregional programs manager at the Metropolitan Area Planning Council. She is passionate about facilitating processes and spaces in which people can thrive as their full selves. In her work at MAPC, she has prioritized efforts to establish systems or practices that would better support community members in participating in the public process, especially for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color), low-income, immigrant, queer, and every other community historically excluded from and marginalized by those processes. Parodi believes this type of change is achieved through meaningful relationship building, shifting power in decision-making structures, consistently meeting people where they are, designing engagement that is fun, creative and reciprocal (rather than extractive), and supporting people’s capacity to participate through adaptive and accessible strategies. As someone who grew up in a bilingual household, navigating life across two very different cultures, language access work is personal for Parodi. She believes that the better we can communicate with each other, the better we understand each other, and the better we can work together.
Crystal Rosa is the language access manager for the city of Cambridge. Rosa is the daughter and granddaughter of Americans who were once undocumented Mexicans. Having graduated from George Washington University with a double major in psychology and criminal justice, Rosa began her career in government accountability as an investigator of police misconduct in Washington, D.C. Dedicated to social justice, Rosa joined the city of Cambridge in 2015, working for the Human Rights Commission and the Commission on Immigrant Rights and Citizenship. In 2021, with the Family Policy Council, Rosa established the Language Justice Division and created the language access manager position for the city of Cambridge. She has since developed best practices for writing in plain language and for working with interpreters. She has also launched a multilingual helpline, which is a public-facing phone number that allows callers to access information and referrals in the language they are most comfortable using. Rosa is dedicated to creating systems that integrate tools and resources to expand access to programs, events and communications, creating a more welcoming and inclusive environment where communities can meaningfully participate, feel heard and feel empowered.
Moderator
Oumou Cherif is the director of outreach and the language access coordinator at the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office. In this role, Oumou leads educational programs that connect communities with statewide resources. Over the past six years, she has led hundreds of “Know Your Rights” trainings on topics like workplace rights, unauthorized practice of immigration law, and landlord-tenant rights, helping people gain the knowledge and confidence to advocate for themselves and their loved ones. As a proud immigrant, former Dreamer, and mother of two, Oumou understands the challenges of lacking access to essential resources. Her lived experiences drive her commitment to continue empowering communities and fighting for equity, especially in the language access space. Oumou prides herself on putting people first by ensuring that no one is left behind due to a language barrier. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business management, with minors in marketing and entrepreneurship, from Pine Manor College, and a master’s degree in public administration with a concentration on nonprofit management.
• Local Legal Lens: Insights on Municipal Law
Recent and significant developments in municipal law will be discussed, as well as forecasts of upcoming changes from the Legislature. A panel of municipal attorneys will discuss the impacts on cities and towns of key federal and state cases, agency decisions, regulations, new laws, and developing issues, including federal funding cases, immigration enforcement, and cannabis control.
Panelists
Sam Dinning is the chief of staff and policy for the city of Boston’s Law Department. He works on a variety of matters at the intersection of law and policy, including litigation and advising in response to federal policy actions, the development of city ordinances, and litigation regarding city policies. Before joining the city of Boston, Dinning worked for the Maryland Attorney General’s Office, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office in Washington state, and the Boston law firm Anderson & Kreiger.
Batool Raza is general counsel for the Boston Public Health Commission, where she advises the commissioner of public health and all six bureaus of the commission on regulatory, compliance and public health matters. Raza has also served as chair of the Massachusetts Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division, and currently serves as an executive management board member of the Massachusetts Bar Association and as a board member of the Massachusetts Municipal Lawyers Association. She regularly volunteers for the Dial-A-Lawyer program of the Massachusetts Bar Association and with the Massachusetts Immigration and Refugee Advocacy Coalition.
Steven “Tip” Torres is a partner in West Group Law’s Boston office, where he exclusively represents state and local government clients throughout the Northeast and chairs the firm’s environmental, energy, construction and litigation practice. Before joining West Group Law, Torres served for 13 years as a city attorney for four mayoral administrations in two cities. He is a cum laude graduate of Suffolk University Law School and a former captain in the United States Air Force.
Moderator
Shawn Williams is president of the Massachusetts Municipal Lawyers Association. He has served as the city of Boston’s director of public records, and the director-supervisor of records for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Workshop eligible for MIIA Rewards credits
Second Session: Friday, Jan. 23, 3:30-4:45 p.m.
• Accelerating Housing Supply: Local Leadership for a Statewide Goal
Massachusetts, and many municipalities, have set ambitious housing production goals. Municipalities across the Commonwealth are being called on to do their part, and the good news is that local leaders have the tools to make it happen. This fast-paced, solution-oriented workshop is designed for municipal leaders who want to take action. Using the Housing Supply Accelerator model, and real-world examples and solutions from Massachusetts and beyond, this session will cover how to drive progress without overwhelming your staff or stretching your budget. Panelists will provide practical, proven strategies. This session is designed to help you begin building your own playbook that might include ways to streamline planning, permitting and review processes to cut delays and costs; align local policies with state housing goals to unlock new funding and support; build partnerships that expand your community’s capacity; and turn community conversations about growth into shared commitments for action.
Panelists
Dana LeWinter is the chief of public and community engagement at the Massachusetts Housing Partnership. LeWinter directs MHP’s community assistance, data and policy, and public affairs teams. She leads efforts to expand the supply and affordability of housing in the Commonwealth through research and analysis, legislation and public policy, education and training for local officials and community leaders, and technical assistance supporting local housing development. Most recently, she was director of the Municipal Engagement Initiative for Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association. Earlier in her career, she was executive director of the Massachusetts Community and Banking Council (now the Partnership for Financial Equity), which brings banks and community leaders together to increase the availability of credit and financial services in low- and moderate-income communities and communities of color.
Jenny Raitt is executive director of the Northern Middlesex Council of Governments, where she directs the agency’s work across a wide range of policy and service areas and leads engagement with elected and appointed officials at the federal, state and local levels. Before joining NMCOG in 2022, Raitt served as director of planning and community development for the town of Arlington. She has held numerous leadership positions over her nearly 30-year career, supporting local and regional organizations in housing, community development, and urban planning.
• Collaborative Planning: Bringing Community Initiatives to Life
This workshop will cover how to bring successful community-wide events to your municipality, regardless of your budget or size. Panelists are organizers from three distinct Massachusetts initiatives: the Berkshire Busk street festival, the successful Farmer’s Market in Melrose, and the Falmouth Road Race. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of each initiative and how to adapt something similar for their community’s size and needs, emphasizing the municipal collaboration required for their success.
Panelists
Mike Faulkner is the public safety liaison for the Falmouth Road Race. [ADDITIONAL BIO]
Carli Scolforo is the general manager of Berkshire Busk!, the flagship project of Community Busk Inc. For the past five years, she has overseen programming, marketing and fundraising while serving as the voice of the festival’s social media presence. Through her work with Community Busk, Scolforo has expanded her reach into helping other municipalities draw their communities back downtown by harnessing the power of street performance. Her work helped the city of Lewiston, Maine, achieve its first busking festival. She has presented the work of the festival both online and through speaking engagements with the MMA and the Connecticut Chapter of Main Street USA. Scolforo began her career as a music journalist, with bylines in digital outlets including Paste and Spindle magazines, as well as regional publications such as The Berkshire Eagle and Berkshires Week. Upon returning to her hometown of Pittsfield, she co-founded 413Buzz, a media and marketing agency dedicated to supporting local businesses and amplifying community staples. A Berkshire native, Scolforo channeled her love of music and theatre into live event production, and she joined Berkshire Busk! for its flagship season. Experiencing the joy, energy and sense of belonging that street performance brought to her community sparked a passion for creative placemaking and cemented her belief in the power of cultural events to transform public spaces and foster community pride. Scolforo continues to freelance for regional publications, provides marketing support to local organizations, and serves on the steering committee of the Downtown Great Barrington Cultural District, where she helps support the local arts and business ecosystem.
Stephanie Zabel serves as executive director of the Melrose Farmers’ Market, where she guides programs that expand food access, uplift local farmers and small businesses, and engage the broader community. With a background encompassing environmental education, ethnobotany, and community event leadership, she has more than 15 years of experience connecting people with plants, food and the local landscape. Zabel also founded and directs Herbstalk, a regional herbal conference, and brings extensive experience in organizing mission-driven public events. Her work centers on fostering resilient food systems and vibrant community connections.
Moderator
Marc Craig is human services director in Foxborough and a community events leader who designs and delivers dynamic, people-centered programs that bring residents together. With extensive experience opening community centers and coordinating large-scale townwide initiatives, he creates welcoming, memorable events that strengthen connection and civic pride.
• Federal Landscape
Details are TBA
• From Challenge to Change: A Perspective on Municipal Health Care Costs
Rising health care costs continue to challenge municipalities, straining budgets and impacting the ability of cities and towns to attract and retain employees. This workshop will offer a forward-looking perspective on how local governments can navigate these financial pressures through informed decision-making, collaboration and innovation. Panelists will examine the factors driving municipal health care expenses — including workforce demographics, benefit design, and regulatory obligations — while showcasing practical approaches to managing costs without compromising employee well-being. Participants will engage in discussion to identify actionable strategies to help their communities.
Panelists
Chris Bailey has been the director of the MIIA Health Benefits Trust since 2015. He has more than 28 years of experience managing employee benefits, including 25 years in leadership roles and more than 20 years at MIIA. Previously, Bailey worked at Tufts Health Plan and Fidelity Investments Employee Services Division, managing employee health and welfare benefits for large corporate clients. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from Bridgewater State University and a master’s degree in business administration from Bentley University.
Kevin Brousseau serves as the chief financial officer for the Massachusetts AFL-CIO. Previously, he served as the political director at the Massachusetts AFL-CIO and remains a union member with OPEIU Local 6. Brousseau is a delegate to the Central MA AFL-CIO Central Labor Council and is a proud, fourth-generation union member through Roofers Local 33 and the UAW.
Paul Sweeney is senior vice president for municipal/labor and diversified sales at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, the largest private health plan in the state and one of the largest independent, not-for-profit Blue Cross Blue Shield plans in the country. Responsible for the municipal and labor segments and Medicare Advantage group sales, Sweeney also oversees the merged market segment, which includes individual and small- to mid-sized employers. He also has responsibility for specialty benefit sales, which includes dental, life and disability, stop-loss, and vision products. He has more than three decades of experience as a senior sales leader at local and national companies including Blue Cross, Cigna Healthcare, Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS)/Multiplan, and Delta Dental of Rhode Island. He has extensive experience working with public-sector employers, particularly state and municipal organizations and organized labor.
Moderator
Pat Haraden is president of Lockton Companies’ Boston office and serves on the board of directors for the Massachusetts chapter of the National Association of Benefits and Insurance Professionals. At Lockton, Haraden is responsible for the strategy and growth of the Boston office, property and casualty and employee benefits business development, and client management, as well as for increasing Lockton’s brand awareness in the Boston/New England market. Before joining Lockton, Haraden was area president in New England and Northeast regional director of the public sector practice for Gallagher, responsible for health and welfare compliance, new business development, and client management. Haraden is a widely recognized industry leader with deep expertise in a spectrum of property and casualty insurance and employee benefits, as well as health care reform.
• From Hired to Higher: Public Works Recruitment, Retention, and Succession Planning
Municipalities across all departments are facing challenges in attracting, retaining, and preparing the next generation of employees. This session will explore practical strategies for recruitment, retention and succession planning to strengthen your community’s workforce. Attendees will hear from local leaders who have implemented effective approaches to building staff capacity and who are embracing creative measures to identify and maintain strong staff.
Panelists
Jen Breaker is the assistant town manager and communications director in Danvers.
Ricardo Morales is the commissioner of public works in Pittsfield.
Andrew O’Malley is the deputy chief of police in Yarmouth.
Moderator
Roby Whitehouse is the assistant public works director in Yarmouth and president of the Massachusetts Highway Association.
Workshop eligible for MIIA Rewards credits
• Labor Law Landscape
The latest developments in municipal labor law have significant impacts on municipalities in Massachusetts. Two expert labor law attorneys with decades of experience will discuss recent trends and some coming attractions for what’s ahead. They will cover major court cases, agency decisions, and legislation on topics including collective bargaining, pensions, salary transparency, workplace safety and other important labor law issues.
Panelists
D. Moschos is a partner with Seder & Chandler.
Melissa Murray is a partner with Norris, Murray & Peloquin.
Workshop eligible for MIIA Rewards credits
• Smart Fiscal Practices During Tough Fiscal Times
Details are TBA
Third Session: Saturday, Jan. 24, 1:30-2:45 p.m.
Ready for Anything: Interactive Sessions
• Creating Cyber Resiliency: An Interactive TTX Card Game
Presented by MassCyberCenter
This interactive workshop, led by the MassCyberCenter, centers around the CyberSecure Deck: Defend the Network! card game, which engages participants in realistic cybersecurity scenarios through collaborative gameplay. Players take on roles to navigate threats, make strategic decisions, and strengthen their understanding of cyber risk management in a dynamic, hands-on environment.
Panelists
Greg Bautista, a partner at Mullen Coughlin, is an experienced cybersecurity attorney and civil litigator who is often sought by organizations for advice on data privacy and security issues. He has counseled hundreds of organizations through the response and investigation into all types of data privacy and security incidents. He counsels organizations in responding to inquiries from state and federal regulators, insurance commissioners, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Education, the Federal Trade Commission, and the New York Department of Financial Services. He also assists organizations on their data privacy and information security compliance, providing pre-incident advisory compliance services such as incident response planning and tabletop exercises.
David Dowd Jr., vice president of claims for MIIA Member Services, is responsible for the claims vision and strategy across multiple products (property, auto and liability) and for managing claims servicing, risks and costs. Dowd has more than 28 years of insurance industry experience, and has been instrumental in advancing the delivery of superior performance by the MIIA claims team. Dowd, who began his career at a prominent Massachusetts insurer, joined the MIIA team in 2009, holding multiple leadership positions of increasing responsibility. He has a bachelor’s degree from UMass Lowell.
Susan Noyes is director of the Office of Municipal and School Technology in the Executive Office of Technology Services and Security. She joined EOTSS in January 2020, serving in the Office of Municipal and School Technology as a municipal and school IT manager until October 2022. Before joining EOTSS, she served in municipal government for 15-plus years, most recently as a municipal IT director and before that in multiple roles. She also has experience in the corporate high-technology field, serving in technical support, service marketing, and professional services management capacities, both domestically and overseas. She holds an applied behavior analysis degree in management from Newbury College.
John Petrozzelli, director of the MassCyberCenter, was previously the director of cybersecurity for Magna5, where he managed the day-to-day operations of the company’s Boston Security Operations Center. He began his career as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Air Force in 1998 and served in South Korea in 1999. In September 2001, while supporting C-17 missions, he deployed to Sicily and Germany to support forward-operating bases during the initial phases of the war in Afghanistan. Joining the FBI in 2004, he led the computer forensic review of all subjects’ digital media during the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing manhunt, and later became FBI Boston’s chief security officer. He has a master’s degree in information security from Boston University.
Moderator
Lin Chabra is the senior risk management manager at MIIA. [ADDITIONAL BIO]
Workshop eligible for MIIA Rewards credits
• From Prep to Practice: Crisis Communications
Presented in partnership with Massachusetts Municipal Communicators
This highly interactive workshop will give attendees the skills and knowledge to respond effectively to a crisis. The workshop will begin by covering the fundamentals that communicators and municipal leaders need to be aware of and prepared to leverage in any critical situation. Attendees will engage in small roundtable discussions as they take part in a simulated mini-tabletop exercise that will prompt the steps necessary to effectively support a municipality’s response to critical incidents. This is an opportunity to learn from one another, gain insights on best practices, and walk away feeling more crisis-ready.
Panelist
Elaine Driscoll is director of communications and policy for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, and a veteran public servant with nearly 20 years of experience leading communications for city and state government. At EOPSS, she shapes strategy, guides messaging on complex public safety issues, and collaborates with leadership on policy initiatives that support communities across the Commonwealth. Her work is grounded in a clear understanding of how to communicate under pressure, while maintaining public confidence and trust. Crisis response has been a defining focus of Driscoll’s career. She spent more than six years as communications director for the Boston Police Department, serving as primary spokesperson during major crime incidents, police discipline matters, large demonstrations, and other high-intensity events. She modernized the department’s approach to external communication, community engagement, and media relations. Under her leadership, the BPD earned national recognition for its pioneering approach to community outreach and digital strategies, including early adoption of social media and the launch of the first anonymous text-a-tip program in the country. Driscoll later became the first communications director for the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, where she developed and led strategy during the introduction of the state’s billion-dollar casino industry, managing sustained public attention and intense scrutiny around licensing, regulation, economic development, and other key policy issues. In 2019, the Commonwealth awarded Driscoll the Harvard Bradford Fellowship for Excellence in Public Administration, one of the state’s most esteemed programs for leaders in public service. Driscoll has completed a fellowship at the Harvard Kennedy School, earning a master’s degree in public administration. She has received multiple awards and formal recognition for her contributions to public service and public communication. Driscoll began her career in the private sector in Boston and Los Angeles, leading communications campaigns for clients across various industries. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from Arizona State University.
Workshop eligible for MIIA Rewards credits
• When the Waters Rise: Leading Your Community Through Disaster
This interactive simulation is designed for elected and appointed members to practice critical leadership and governance decisions under extreme pressure. Participants are assigned roles (e.g., mayor, town administrator, select board member, city councillor, finance director) within a disaster scenario that unfolds over three escalating phases: warning, impact, and recovery pivot. The workshop will focus on how local officials manage communication, coordinate support, make quick policy and financial decisions, maintain public trust, and ensure the continuity of government. Participants will gain practical strategies to strengthen their community’s resilience before the next real-world incident.
Facilitators
Kiana Baskin is chair of the Sharon Select Board and an assistant teaching professor and associate dean for belonging at Northeastern University School of Law. A former practicing attorney turned educator and social justice advocate, she has led major DEI initiatives in higher education and public service. She is a member of the MMA Board of Directors.
Peter Cusolito is a member of the Leicester Select Board, owner of Ranger Security and Emergency Preparedness, and a certified emergency manager. He works with public and private sector clients to mitigate security and emergency management issues, as well as to prepare for, respond to, and recover from those events. A retired senior military officer, Cusolito served as a representative for the coordination of security and emergency planning for several large-scale, high-risk events throughout the country. He is also the District 5 Representative for the Massachusetts Select Board Association.
Workshop eligible for MIIA Rewards credits
• See details about our 9 Learning Lab sessions
MMA.ORG
A central feature of Connect 351 is the wide selection of workshops covering the latest developments and pressing issues affecting local governments in Massachusetts.