5-Year Updates from MnCCC’s Executive Director
MnCCC’s Progress from 2020 and Beyond
Dear MnCCC Members, Vendors, Partners, and Friends,
As we head into 2026, MnCCC is looking at several changes. Mike, who has been with us for 22 years, will be retiring on March 2. In 2026, our conference, which has been held at Arrowood during the first week of June for more than 25 years, will be moving to the week of May 18-22 and held at Madden’s. We are looking at some projects for our IT group starting with a brainstorming session in January. 2026 will see our updated CATCH (Child and Teen Checkups) solution being released. Two major tax system implementations will be continuing in 2026. Exciting things will be showing up with some big projects, new board members, and a new staff member!
Looking forward also gives us an opportunity to reflect on the last few years. I wanted to share some major highlights:
In March of 2020, we entered the time of lockdown. At MnCCC, we stepped up to help by offering numerous training webinars on how to run and attend virtual meetings, offering a chance to give the tools a try before engaging in online meetings.
In April of 2020, we decided to jump in with both feet and offer our June conference in an all-virtual format. We did the same in 2021, then in 2022, we held a hybrid conference. We were very excited to return to in-person in 2023, but I am so proud of my staff for how they pivoted and provided one of the first all-virtual Minnesota local government conferences, offering tips and ideas that other organizations utilized in their events. Our team answered the question “how do you make a virtual conference engaging?” with conference attendee swag and information boxes mailed to all conference attendees, “live” music performances during a virtual happy hour, self-care activities including virtual yoga, fireside chats for our IT group, and lots of interactive events.
We were mid-process with two major RFPs prior to the lockdown. We transitioned both our Tax and CAMA RFP and our HR & Payroll RFP into a virtual process. Fast forward to the end of 2025 and you’ll see we have 33 counties on our Tyler Tax System and 20 organizations on our UKG HR & Payroll. We now host the Minnesota All Users UKG event once a year and assist with the annual Back to Skol training for all Tyler users in Minnesota. Both groups rapidly gained traction and continue to see growth.
RSVP has gone through several major releases since 2020 and is now being serviced by our new vendor, Logisolve. We have exciting new releases coming in 2026, with a large list of enhancements procured by our team and our membership. Users can expect RSVP releases on a quarterly basis. RSVP helps us coordinate 300-400 events each year - 370 events in 2025 alone! With an average of 350 events per year, that is approximately 1,750 meetings and training sessions in the past five years! Our most popular meeting day is the third Wednesday each month, sometimes with up to seven events during that one day!
We have now been offering discounted options for Adobe and LinkedIn Learning for more than 5 years! Members can join our Training Program to receive access to almost 25,000 topics on a tiered basis, which also includes training vouchers for other sessions we offer. More than 3,000 LinkedIn Learning Licenses are offered to our members for on-demand training with LinkedIn! Amanda has done a great job taking the lead on both projects, working with both vendors during the renewal process, and providing administrative support to users. Now, you can even receive an Adobe Certification through LinkedIn Learning, blending both of our partners!
We have implemented Salesforce to better manage our membership information, including contracts, board ratifications, and User Group reports. Emily has done a great job setting us up and getting us all trained in. She completed the Salesforce admin training in 2023 and oversees regular administration and updates to the system. Many reports have been created to answer internal and external questions that come up on a regular basis.
Our Board has returned to annual retreats to cover topics and discussions on strategic planning, policy review, organizational alignment, and other initiatives to keep our organization strong and current.
We changed phone numbers and phone systems and then moved our emails and website to .gov domains! These kinds of changes are never easy, but the transition has been positive, allowing MnCCC Staff to remain current and more effectively communicate with our members.
In 2023, I was honored with the Outstanding Individual Leader award at the GOVIT Symposium. Emily was recognized by Smart Meetings for being a Mission Possible Meeting Planner. Our team is always learning and growing, and we are honored to receive recognition for the work we do.
Celebrating Women in Government was initially a one-time event created in 2023. Due to the great success, we have now hosted three Celebrating Women in Government events. Each year has been bigger and better with more attendees. In 2024, we outgrew the MCIT space and moved the event to the Resource & Training Center in Sartell. We will be returning to the Sartell location with new and exciting presenters in 2026. Mark your calendars for our March 6 event!
In 2023, we also introduced our new Blogcasts to our website providing interesting and timely interviews for our members. We currently have 7 episodes available at https://mnccc.gov/resource-center/mnccc-blogcast, and we’re always looking for more topics to cover!
The past five years have brought us an increase in membership and new User Groups, which includes our Human Services User Group. Human Services currently has 22 member organizations and is offering Blue Zone scripting for members. The group is also working on a Data Depot project in partnership with DHS.
MCAPS has been completely rewritten and updated with the hard work of the User Group and STI. We also have a hosting option, and two BCA-vetted vendors providing service for our members! One of our members described MCAPS as “simply better” than other options available.
We have consistently increased membership each year. With strategic financial planning and Mike keeping a close eye on our investments, MnCCC has increased its fund balance. This has allowed us to keep membership fees steady, especially during challenging financial times for our members. I wrapped up 2025 by presenting on Time Management at the GOVIT Symposium in November. I also authored a chapter in the soon-to-be-released PTI CIO Leadership Book on the same topic.
MnCCC will have booths at the MCAA conference as well as the AMC Conference in December. I’m looking forward to presenting a session on Change Management at AMC.
Lastly, on a very personal note, many of you knew Jerry, my partner. He lost his battle with his health issues in October of 2024. I cannot thank everyone enough for the outpouring of care and support during this challenging time for me. The MnCCC Staff stepped up and took great care of our members during my absence.
What has all of this taught me? In order to move forward, we need to also look back to see what we were able to accomplish that simply did not seem possible at the time. With that in mind, we can use our new-found skills to accomplish so much more in the future. I can’t wait to see what we can accomplish in the next five years! I celebrated my 24-year anniversary with MnCCC in November. I’m so honored to be a part of this amazing organization!
Keeping with my open-door policy in a virtual world, I would like to offer an open invitation to meet over coffee (in person or virtually). Let’s talk about what is going on in your organization, ideas you have, or answer questions you may have about MnCCC. Simply email me to set something up.
I look forward to hearing from you! Be well, and have a very happy holiday season.
Get Connected with Me!
Phone: (651) 401-4201
Email: lisa@mnccc.gov
Website: mnccc.gov
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lisacmeredith/
My Favorite Quotes
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. ~Margaret Mead
The starting point for a better world is the belief that is it possible. ~Margaret Mead
I’m fairly certain that given a cape and a nice tiara, I could save the world. ~Leigh Standley
For a PDF copy of this message, click here.