Oregon counties were well-represented at the 2026 National Association of Counties (NACo) Annual Conference and Exposition in Orleans Parish/New Orleans, La. The nation’s largest meeting of county leaders drew over 3,200 attendees from across the country for four days of learning, networking, and advocacy.
Commissioners, judges, chairs, and staff from 12 Oregon counties attended the conference with staff members from the Association of Oregon Counties (AOC) to exchange best practices on a wide range of county responsibilities and domestic policy issues.
“NACo’s annual conference serves as a vital opportunity to gather innovative ideas and resources that we can bring back to our counties to better serve our communities,” said AOC President and Tillamook County Commissioner Erin Skaar.
Beyond attending educational workshops on public health, data centers, energy, and revenue generation, the Oregon delegation participated in NACo’s policy steering committee meetings to shape the organization’s advocacy efforts.
Conference highlights included:
- Population caucus meetings for urban, midsize, and rural counties to discuss critical federal, state and local issues impacting these unique communities
- The Western Interstate Region (WIR) Board of Directors meeting, where Klamath County Commissioner Derrick DeGroot serves as first vice-president, to discuss county involvement in energy production and balancing resource development with public access to federal lands
- A pre-conference summit highlighting best practices for using settlement funds to strengthen public health responses to the opioid crisis
- A workshop featuring Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson on the role of childcare as essential economic infrastructure
- The annual business meeting where NACo’s new president, George Dunlap, announced presidential appointments for 2026-27, including several appointed to key roles in policy committees and caucuses from Oregon
- Mobile workshops for a look into the local services offered by the city and parish of New Orleans
- Closing reception at Mardi Gras World!
Read NACo news coverage and watch video highlights on the NACo conference webpage.
Contributed by: Erin Good | Communications Coordinator