WASHINGTON, D.C. — As communities across the country navigate workforce shortages, housing challenges, aging infrastructure, and economic uncertainty, local government leaders are developing innovative strategies to create pathways to prosperity and build long-term resilience.

To advance this work, the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) will host the 2026 National Economic Mobility and Opportunity (EMO) Conference, August 19–21, 2026, in Washington, D.C.   The three-day conference will bring together practitioners and thought leaders to share best practices, spotlight solutions, and examine approaches that drive lasting economic progress.

“The most promising solutions to economic mobility are emerging in local communities across the country,” said Julia D. Novak, ICMA-CM, CEO/executive director of ICMA. “Every day, local government leaders work with organizations and employers to tackle complex challenges and help more people achieve economic security. This conference highlights the ingenuity and determination required to challenge conventional thinking, test new approaches, and help redefine what is possible for generations to come.”

Conference sessions will feature more than 50 leaders from local government, nonprofit organizations, and private sector partners. Attendees will explore initiatives ranging from a culturally responsive entrepreneurship program in Thomasville, North Carolina, to efforts addressing “employment blackspots” in Limerick, Ireland, and a regional approach driving community-level impact in the DMV. Together, these examples demonstrate how communities are transforming bold ideas into measurable progress that advance shared prosperity.

Leigh-Ann Buchanan, president and CEO of the Miami-Dade Innovation Authority and author of Innovation Currency, will deliver the keynote address on how an innovation mindset can help expand economic opportunity and strengthen public-sector excellence.

Presenters from Morgan Hill, California, will share the unexpected challenges, difficult pivots, and breakthrough moments that shaped their economic mobility initiative, ELEVATE Morgan Hill, in the Game-Changer Plenary, Civic Acrobatics: The Messy Reality of Economic Mobility.

The conference also offers immersive mobile workshops throughout the Washington, D.C., region, giving participants the opportunity to visit local organizations and engage with teams putting economic mobility strategies into action.

Registration and additional conference information are available at emoconference.org.

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