Best Practices in Public Outreach: Putting Theory into Practice

October 1-2, 2024 | Richmond, VA :: Eastern Time

“This conference was outstanding! The panel of speakers provided valuable insight, tools and techniques on addressing the public’s concerns and opposition!” Project Manager II, Tampa Electric

“The conference provided a platform of seasoned professional who shared their insights, real-life experiences and their findings pertaining to best practices in public participation for transmission projects.” Manager, Area Government and Community Affairs, ITC Holdings Corp.

“The conference was a wonderful opportunity to learn from an impressive array of speakers representing utilities from across the nation.” Corporate Communications, American Transmission Company

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“I really enjoyed the EUCI 12th Annual Conference on Best Practices in Public Participation for Transmission Projects. This was a great opportunity to connect with practitioners across the nation and compare notes on best practices, challenges, and successes. It was very useful to get the perspectives of utility providers in different parts of the country.” Director, Horizon Water and Environment

“Understanding and hearing other utilities discuss real world experience and what works and lessons learned is excellent insight to improve how we handle projects in the future” Project Outreach Specialist, Eversource

“The conference exceeded my expectations. Great topics, speakers, and networking opportunities. I will recommend this to coworkers.” Real Estate Representative, NorthWestern Energy

“Best conference I have attended in some time. Great topics.” Land Specialist, Grant PUD

“Great topics and materials for Project Managers, many tools and models not used by my company. This will help us think out of the box more.” Project Manager, SCE

“The pros who attend this conference have a lot to share about how to do community relations right, even in trying circumstances. I heard a lot of relevant case studies, got tips on the latest techniques, and realized all over again how important it is to be a good listener when dealing with the public. I hope to join this group next year, and I’ll be using these insights meanwhile to help get more clean energy onto the grid.” Public Affairs, American Wind Energy Association

“This conference is an excellent opportunity to learn effective & successful techniques to work with stakeholders and agencies alike, highlighting case studies & lessons learned from projects across the country” Sr. Project Manager, TRC

At this year’s EUCI Best Practices in Public Outreach Conference, we will dive into the theory behind our methods to better understand the “why” of what we do. We will then dig into the practical applications of the theory to answer “how” we can implement best practices into our work. You will learn the strategies and methods used by numerous utilities public engagement experts to positively engage stakeholders, build trust with the community, and overcome project obstacles.

Participants will leave this conference with practical tools and techniques that can be immediately implemented within your own organization to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of your public engagement program.

Learning Outcomes

Discover how other industries handle communications for controversial projects
Gain insights into methods for emergency communications during an extreme event
Review valuable lessons from listening to as well as creating stories in your outreach
Acquire communication methods for Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act projects
List ways to create engagement with equity as the focus
Identify how the words selected in communication can impact outreach
Gain unique communication approaches to find success navigating a difficult project
Review the best digital tools and their uses for your outreach goals
Discover how to tell positive stories as part of the communication cycle
Make note of how to ensure your message gets heard in the media
Review how to make a lasting impact in the community after project completion

Agenda

8:00 – 8:30 a.m.
Registration and Continental Breakfast

12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Group Luncheon

8:30 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.
Conference Timing

Tuesday, October 1, 2024

8:30 – 8:45 a.m. :: Welcome and Opening Remarks

Greg Mathe, Manager – Electric Transmission Communications, Dominion Energy

8:45 – 9:15 a.m. :: Executive Remarks

Jason Williams, Vice President – Corporate Communications, Dominion Energy

9:15 – 10:15 a.m. :: Communicating Through Controversy: Perspectives Beyond the Energy Industry

Communications, outreach, and public relations professionals from industries outside of the utility and energy world share insight on how they handle communications for controversial projects and challenging topics.

Moderator: Bonita Billingsley Harris, Director of Media Relations, Dominion Energy

Bill Martin, Director, The Valentine

Brantley Tyndall, Director – Bike Walk RVA, Sports Backers

10:15 – 10:30 a.m. :: Networking Break

10:30 – 11:30 a.m. :: Emergency Event Planning and Communications

This session will explore how we should think about emergency communications and provide insight into real-world emergency responses and lessons learned from communicating through an extreme event.

Kimberly Williams, Director – Government and Community Affairs, Con Edison

Virginia Limmiatis, Communications Manager, National Grid Ventures US

11:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. :: Learning Through Stories

In this session, we will explore the valuable lessons of learning through stories that are being told to you as well as stories you are telling others through your outreach.

Jon Berkin, PhD, Partner, ERM

Aimee Gourlay, JD, Collaboration Services Manager, League of MN Cities

12:00 – 1:00 p.m. :: Group Luncheon

1:00 – 2:00 p.m. :: Community Benefits Planning for Infrastructure Projects

Through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the U.S. Department of Energy has made funding available for large infrastructure projects that will help transform the energy grid, enable the renewable transition, and benefit disadvantaged communities. This session will focus on community engagement for these projects.

Moderator: Ella Beale, Energy Market Consultant, Dominion Energy

Danielle Aretz, Manager – Stakeholder Engagement, National Grid

Drew Gilmore, Director of Public Involvement, POWER Engineers

Renee Hoyos, Principal Consultant – Environmental Justice and Impact Assessment, ERM

2:30 – 2:45 p.m. :: Networking Break

2:00 – 2:30 p.m. :: Equity-Focused Engagement

In this session, attendees will learn why we should focus on equity in our engagement, how to design engagement with an equity focus, and what equity focused engagement looks like.

Kimberly Horndeski, Executive Director, Community Consulting LLC

2:45 – 3:15 p.m. :: Language, Words, and How We Communicate with Stakeholders

This session focuses on an essential communication element: the words we choose and how we put them together. Participants will get a short overview of the rhetoric of public outreach and engagement and better understand how the words we select impact outreach.

Catherine Farr, Senior Vice President, Maslansky + Partners

3:15 – 4:45 p.m. :: Unique Approaches Navigating Difficult Projects

This session is a classic case-study approach familiar to anyone who has attended the conference in the past. It serves as an opportunity for engagement professionals to showcase a unique approach or were able find success navigating a difficult project.

Chelsey Falk, Manager, Community Activation, Salt River Project

Megan Cesiel, Senior Manager, Community Activation, Salt River Project

Heather Mumaw, Manager – NC Infrastructure Engagement, Duke Energy

Carter Jones, Managing Consultant, Strategic Communications and Stakeholder Engagement, ERM

Brian Lathrop, Project Manager, Visualization Services, POWER Engineers

Jenna Brown, Communications Specialist, Dominion Energy

Wednesday, October 2, 2024

8:00 – 8:30 a.m.
Continental Breakfast

8:30 – 12:00 p.m.
Conference Timing

8:30 – 9:15 a.m. :: Digital Communications Trends

This session dives into current trends in digital, social, and web-based outreach. As our digital tools evolve, what should communicators focus on?

Kimm Boyd, VP, Media and Insights, Charles Ryan Associates

Matt Isner, Chief Strategy Officer, Charles Ryan Associates

9:15 – 10:15 a.m. :: Finding and Telling Your Positive Stories

This session focuses on how to tell positive stories in a profession that is heavily based on issues-management and responding to concerns. What stories are you telling? How are you telling them? What are the impacts in the communities? How has your focus shifted in your outreach approach to be more positive?

Jon Callaway, Local Relations, American Transmission Company

Mike White, Local Relations, American Transmission Company

Kelsey Leavey, Communications Strategic Advisor, Dominion Energy

Aaron Ruby, Director, Virginia and Offshore Wind Media, Dominion Energy

10:15 – 10:30 a.m. :: Networking Break

10:30 – 11:00 a.m. :: Cutting Through the Noise of the Political Cycle

News-dominating subjects such as political events and controversy often bury the information we are trying to share. This session will focus on how we can ensure our message gets heard.

Abigail T. Floyd, Vice President, Digital Advocacy, McGuireWoods Consulting LLC

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. :: Closing the Loop: Creating a Lasting Impact in the Community

This session will focus on answering the question, “How do we make a lasting impact in our community when a project is complete?”

Moderator: Lindsey W. Norfolk, External Affairs Manager, Dominion Energy

Kimberly Williams, Director – Government and Community Affairs, Con Edison

Jessica Kirby, Director – Community & Government Relations Central Region, New York Power Authority

Tonya D. Byrd, Senior Policy Director, Dominion Energy

Katie Barrett, Northeast Director of Public Involvement, POWER Engineers

12:00 p.m. :: Final Remarks and Adjournment

Speakers