2027 Annual Conference: Navigating Public Service in Uncharted Territory

No charts. No maps. A world you have not seen before. How do you find your way? The same way everyone always has done: with the knowledge that comes from past experience and an educated companion or two to help you understand the terrain. Our profession is facing a host of new challenges: technological, regulatory, budgetary, philosophical, conceptual and cultural. No matter your role, chances are good your world is shifting constantly right nowâ€"in good ways and cautionary ones. “Doing something new†always carries with it elements of both the exciting and the scary. No matter what any of us faces, upholding our mission and taking care of those we serve require agility, flexibility and temerity. We continue to grasp the efficiencies generative AI has provided us, the judicial decisions that create new regulatory landscapes and revised concepts of what public service is and should beâ€"as well as the whiplash effect created by recent federal, state and local policy choices. We have better analytics, better tools and a more active and engaged publicâ€"who has the same analytics and tools we do, trusts less and is quick to argue. We teach, we learn, we generate research findings and work to put them to use, despite any roadblocks. We serve our communities, manage budgets, develop new funding sources and evaluate programs to ensure success. We highlight “promising practices†and strive to improve programs that do not work anymore. We explore the unknown and share our journey to help guide others. ASPA’s 2027 Annual Conference will help us all navigate uncharted territoriesâ€