IARC 2025 Annual Meeting

Wednesday, November 12

10:00 am                          Registration Opens                                              

Noon                                  Opening Lunch - General Session – Business meeting/speaker.

We will be highlighting recent significant accomplishments and contributions made by IARC members.

1:45 PM -- Concurrent Workshops - Session 1                                        

Workshop 1                                                                                               

Placed-based Community Development Arts Strategies - 1 CEU

Given the growing budget constraints on Indiana Local Governments, this workshop will overview low budget, high impact strategies for creative community development that focus on quality of place and quality of life as well as strategies for integrating public art, creative placemaking , and cultural programming to strengthen local economies and foster community pride.

• Connie Brahm, Marketing and Communications Director - Indiana Arts Commission

Workshop 2                                                                                                 

New Clusters for the 21st Century - Purdue University Center for Regional Development - 1 CEU

This workshop will address the knowledge, skills and industries clusters data collected by the

Center for Rural Development and provide guidance to the Regional Council staff on ways to

apply and use the data to communicate to the regional stakeholders in crafting policies at the

regional level.

• Dr. Indraneel Kumar, Director
• Dr. Annie Cruz-Porter, Community Regional Development Specialist
• Dr. Andrey Zhalnin, GIS/Data Analyst

3:15 pm  -- Concurrent Workshops - Session 2

Workshop 3                                                                                                   

Applications for Artificial Intelligence by Regional Councils

There are increasing opportunities for Regional Councils to use artificial intelligence in performing their many activities and responsibilities. This workshop will describe some of the basic and readily available applications but will also provide cautions and guidelines on relying too heavily on artificial intelligence and some of the over-hyped benefits from this growing trend.

• Jeff Roeder, Director of External Affairs, EXOS IT
• Cody Tyler, CISO & Managing Director, EXOS IT

Workshop 4                                                                                                     

Current Trends in Child Care - 1 CEU

Indiana residents face significant challenges securing high-quality childcare, impacting their participation in the workforce and family quality of life. This workshop will address some of the issues facing the childcare industries and communities, and what some areas of the state are doing to overcome these challenges.

• Dr. Melinda Grismer, Community & Regional Development Specialist, PCRD
• Tanya Hall, Purdue Extension Regional Educator, PCRD
• Brianne Wrede, Purdue Extension Childcare Team Director -
• Kyla Cox Deckard, Interim Executive Director, Indiana University Center for Rural Engagement
• Jennifer Myers, Director, Upland Start Smart

5:00 pm                                  Cocktail Reception 

7:30-ish pm                          Hospitality Suite                              

IARC 2025 Annual Meeting

Thursday, November 13

8:00 am – Breakfast & General Session
David Bottorff, Executive Director -Association of Indiana Counties and Ryan Hoff, Senior Director of Governmental Affairs

- Indiana Farm Bureau – SEA 1

9:45 am – Concurrent Workshops - Session 3

Workshop 5                                                                                                                           

Measuring the Impact of Senate Enrolled Act 1 on Local Governments - 1 CEU

To better address the budgetary pressures of the recent legislative changes in Indiana, proactive planning has become even more essential for Indiana local governments. This workshop will provide the Regional Councils with tools and strategies needed to navigate revenue constraints and build long term resilience they can use to assist the governments in their regions.                      

• Susan Cowan, Senior Manager, Baker Tilly

Workshop 6                                                                                                   

Community Development Strategies and Updates - 1 CEU

This session will explore recent developments and best practices in key areas of the State Community Development Block Grant Program. Topics include updates to the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition procedures and timing considerations, insights into Resiliency Index scoring as a measure to increase resilience in rural areas and actionable steps communities can take to improve their ratings, an overview of evolving blight clearance strategies with a focus on residential impacts, and effective approaches to owner-occupied rehabilitation, including compliance with radon mitigation standards. Attendees will gain practical knowledge and policy context to support informed decision-making and program implementation.

• Pamela Guerrero, Senior CDBG Program & Policy Analyst, OCRA
• Steve St. John, CDBG Program Director, OCRA
• Adam Moschell, Grant Services Director, ORCA

11:00 am – Concurrent Workshops - Session 4

Workshop 7                                                                                                   

Brownfields, Transforming Eyesores into Opportunities - 1 CEU

Indiana Communities continue to suffer the effects of properties that have been abandoned because of contamination and legal uncertainties. This workshop will offer information on overcoming the legal, environmental and financial challenges that typically serve as barriers for redevelopment and improvement of those Brownfields.

• Todd Relue, Partner, Kreig Devault
• Cindy Taylor, Regional Manager, Atlas Technical Consultants
• John Morris, Stakeholder Engagement Coordinator, Indiana Finance Authority

Workshop 8                                                                                                   

Tools to Manage Local Government Transportation Networks - 1 CEU

This session will examine tools and methodologies for efficiently collecting and analyzing infrastructure data to support data-driven decision-making within local governments. Discussion will also address available funding mechanisms, including the newly legislated direct distribution program and the requirements associated with the locally enacted wheel taxes and excise surtaxes for eligibility.

• Jen Sharkey PE, Assistant Director for Engineering, Indiana LTAP

12:15 PM               Closing Luncheon                                     

Joe McKinney - Executive Director, NADO

Followed by election of officers.