Feb 24, 2026 | AOC Business Partner
Sponsored content contributed by AOC Business Partner: CIS
CIS has a new look, and it tells our story in a single glance: CIS is Oregon’s risk pool. This isn’t just a design update — it’s a clearer expression of who we are, how we operate, and why Oregon’s cities and counties trust CIS as a long-term partner.
For years, explaining CIS to new staff or elected officials could be challenging. We’re not a for-profit company. CIS is a member-owned risk pool made up of Oregon’s cities and counties, operating much like a nonprofit. Our purpose is simple: to help Oregon’s cities and counties manage risk and protect public resources. Every decision we make is by and for our members. That’s the essence of a risk pool — local governments joining together to share costs, stabilize budgets, and strengthen one another against unexpected challenges. Today, CIS serves nearly all of Oregon’s cities and most of its counties — a level of participation that reflects our role as Oregon’s risk pool and the trust local governments place in the model.
As part of this update, CIS is also formally retiring the use of “Citycounty Insurance Services.” While the organization shortened its name years ago, the full name — and variations like “CCIS” — have remained a long-standing source of confusion. Going forward, we are simply CIS, which better reflects who we are today and aligns with how members, partners, and staff already refer to us.
The new logo reflects that identity. It’s clean and contemporary, anchored by Oregon’s silhouette to show our roots and our commitment to communities statewide. The words “Oregon’s Risk Pool” appear prominently, leaving no doubt about who we are and what we do. It’s a visual cue that reinforces what members already know: CIS is about partnership, not profit.
Several design elements were intentionally chosen to reflect both our mission and our connection to Oregon. The primary green used in the logo was inspired by Oregon’s evergreen forests — while the bold, modern lettering gives the mark a contemporary feel without sacrificing the strength and stability members associate with CIS.
At its heart, the refreshed logo reflects the relationship CIS has built with its members over decades — one grounded in ownership, financial strength, and expertise. It represents our shared commitment to providing stability, defending against complex claims, and investing in prevention. Just as important, it reinforces CIS’ role as a collaborative resource, offering comprehensive coverages and services tailored to public entities, from liability and property protection to employee benefits, HR support, and risk management consulting. While the look has evolved, our commitment to serving Oregon’s cities and counties with integrity and care remains unchanged.
Members will see the new logo across CIS communications, publications, and signage. It’s a fresh look, but the promise behind it remains the same: CIS stands with Oregon’s cities and counties in good times and bad — providing stability, partnership, and long-term protection for the communities you serve.
Jan 28, 2026 | AOC Business Partner
Sponsored content contributed by AOC Business Partner: Covenant Technology Solutions
Counties don’t need a “perfect” cybersecurity program to make meaningful progress—they need a roadmap that fits real life: limited staff, tight budgets, and services that can’t pause.
Here’s a simple 3-stage approach we use with Oregon counties to move from uncertainty to steady improvement—without turning every meeting into a fire drill.
- VISIBILITY (Know what you’re protecting)
- Confirm your “crown jewels”: email, finance/payroll, public safety systems, records, and backups.
- Run a baseline check: exposed credentials/dark web, email spoofing risk (DMARC), and basic security posture.
- Make sure you know who has admin access—and why.
- HARDENING (Shut the easy doors)
- Lock down identity: strong MFA + conditional access, remove stale accounts, tighten admin roles.
- Patch what’s most exploited first: internet-facing systems, remote access, high-risk devices.
- Ensure backups can restore—test one critical restore, not “someday.”
- CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT (Stay ready)
- Set a cadence: weekly alert review, monthly access review, quarterly tabletop exercise.
- Track leadership-friendly metrics: restore success, downtime avoided, phishing risk reduced.
Quick win for January: schedule a 30-minute “Crown Jewels + Admin Access” review. It’s the fastest way to reduce risk and clarify priorities.
Want the full roadmap? Read the expanded guide here: https://covenant-tech.net/blog/county-cybersecurity-roadmap-2026/
Want to see how this roadmap maps to a structured solution? Explore Fortify.
Jan 28, 2026 | AOC Business Partner
Sponsored content contributed by AOC Business Partner: CIS
The CIS Annual Conference returns Feb. 25–27, 2026, bringing city and county leaders together in Salem and online for three days of learning, connection, and practical problem-solving. Now in its 24th year, this fully hybrid conference is built for Oregon’s public sector, with timely guidance on risk management, public safety, employee benefits, and organizational leadership — delivered in a format that works whether you attend in person or virtually.
The conference is designed to be both accessible and high impact. CIS offers one of the lowest conference registration fees among comparable public-sector events and provides a member grant program to help offset attendance costs — a benefit unique to CIS. By making participation affordable, CIS helps ensure members can receive early rate indications and receive practical education focused on claim prevention, risk reduction, and workforce wellbeing. This shared learning supports the overall health of the pool and helps control claims and long-term costs for all members.
The conference opens Wednesday with focused tracks for Public Safety professionals and Small Members, setting the tone with sessions grounded in real-world experience. Small members begin the day with a practical overview of CIS services and support, helping newer or smaller organizations quickly understand how to access risk management, claims, HR, and benefits resources. At the same time, public safety attendees dive into relationship-building strategies that strengthen trust between command staff, city managers, elected officials, and community partners — an essential foundation for navigating high-pressure incidents and public scrutiny.
Mid-morning sessions address the issues members face every day. Claims experts walk through property and liability claims from incident to resolution, giving attendees confidence in documentation, reporting, and next steps. Public safety leaders explore fitness-for-duty exams, prescreening tools, and emerging technology designed to support employee wellness while reducing risk. Cybersecurity takes center stage for small members, with cost-effective tools and collaborative solutions that make enterprise-level protection more accessible, even on limited budgets.
The afternoon shifts toward prevention and preparedness. Safety and emergency management sessions offer clear starting points for small organizations building safety programs and disaster response plans. Legal and HR-focused presentations unpack common pitfalls — from lawsuits and compliance missteps to hiring and performance challenges — providing straightforward guidance attendees can apply immediately. The day concludes with sessions on maximizing CIS benefits and navigating line-of-duty loss, underscoring CIS’ commitment to supporting members through both everyday operations and their most difficult moments.
Thursday brings all attendees together for general sessions and breakouts. The opening welcome and annual report provide a snapshot of CIS operations and a look ahead, including preliminary rate projections. Keynote speaker Laura Putnam follows with an energizing look at building cultures of wellbeing that support focus, safety, and performance across organizations. Throughout the day, members can choose sessions on cybersecurity threats, the full life of a claim, benefits updates, case law, recruitment, leave and accommodations, public works liability, and employee assistance resources. Fast-paced Popcorn Sessions add variety and inspiration, while the Agent & Member Update and CTAC Meeting create space for dialogue, feedback, and shared planning.
Friday closes the conference with inspiration and hands-on learning. Keynote speaker Hoan Do challenges attendees to think differently about connection and engagement, followed by practical workshops on documentation, volunteer program management, emergency response lessons from recent disasters, safety committee innovation, and progressive discipline. The conference wraps up with the always-popular Shark Tank & Lunch, where members vote to award risk management grant funding to projects that reduce claims and strengthen communities.
Across all three days, attendees can earn insurance, MCLE, SHRM, and DPSST credits through qualifying sessions. Whether joining in Salem or online, participants have access to live sessions and on-demand recordings for up to 90 days after the event, making it easy to revisit key takeaways and share them with their teams.
“No other event even comes close to the CIS Annual Conference. Year after year, it sets the gold standard.” — 2025 Conference attendee
Members are encouraged to register early to take full advantage of the conference experience. The 2026 CIS Annual Conference offers insights, tools, and relationships members need to reduce risk, manage change, and better serve their communities.
Explore the Full Conference Experience
The 2026 CIS Annual Conference offers 34 sessions over three days, with dedicated tracks for Public Safety and Small Members, general sessions, hands-on workshops, and returning favorites like Popcorn Sessions and Shark Tank.
The Small Members Track is also a great option for anyone new to CIS, offering practical overviews of CIS services, tools, and resources — and a strong foundation for navigating risk management, claims, benefits, HR, and training support.
“A great learning opportunity and a place to network with others in our community.” — 2025 Conference attendee
CIS is also unique in offering a fully hybrid conference experience, with every session available both in person and virtually — giving members flexibility to participate without missing content. All registrants also receive access to on-demand session recordings for up to 90 days after the event — making it easy to revisit key takeaways or share them with your team.
View the full agenda, see available credits, and register at cisoregon.org/conference.
Jan 28, 2026 | AOC Business Partner
Sponsored content contributed by AOC Business Partner: Center for Public Service
Across Oregon, county leaders are facing a common challenge: critical projects are stacking up while staffing remains tight. To bridge this gap, Portland State University’s Center for Public Service (CPS) is connecting Oregon counties with a pipeline of exceptionally qualified, diverse, and highly trained project managers through its 2025-26 Fellowship Program.
These fellows are recruited from over 60 prestigious graduate institutions nationwide and are specifically prepared to support counties in high-impact areas such as community engagement, program evaluation, climate policy, health equity, and data-driven research.
Strategic Support for County Goals
The program offers two distinct models tailored to different organizational needs and timelines:
- The Hatfield Resident Fellowship ($46,782): An eight-month commitment for recent Master’s and Ph.D. graduates ready to lead long-term, complex initiatives.
- The Oregon Summer Fellowship ($11,416): A ten-week intensive program designed for currently enrolled graduate students to tackle immediate, short-term project goals.
Real-World Results in Oregon Counties
County sponsorship has already proven to be a high-value investment. In recent years, counties have successfully utilized fellows to modernize internal operations. For example:
- Succession Planning: One Oregon county contracted a Summer Fellow to develop a succession plan for key positions, review workforce processes, and build new institutional relationships. The fellow’s recommendations provided significant long-term value for the county’s future planning.
- Operational Efficiency: Another county utilized a fellow to review internal fee practices and organizational structures. By conducting staff interviews and developing an effective data dashboard, the fellow directly improved the county’s programmatic efficiency.
A Streamlined Path to Partnership
PSU manages the rigorous screening and recruitment process, ensuring that sponsors are matched with candidates who possess a strong record of scholarship and a demonstrated interest in public service. Once a match is confirmed, PSU assists with the inter-governmental agreement and provides specialized training to the fellow before they arrive at your office. These fellowships offer a unique win-win: your county gains professional capacity for essential projects, while a rising leader gains invaluable experience in local government.
Ready to expand your team?
Counties interested in hosting a fellow for the upcoming cycle are encouraged to visit the PSU website and submit a sponsor application: https://www.pdx.edu/center-for-public-service/sponsor-fellow. For direct inquiries, please contact Program Administrator Meaghan Lingo at mlingo@pdx.edu.
Dec 8, 2025 | AOC Business Partner
Sponsored content contributed by AOC Business Partner: Covenant Technology Solutions
At this year’s Association of Oregon Counties (AOC) Conference, we were reminded just how much Oregon’s counties carry on their shoulders. From public health and mental health to housing and homelessness, public safety, roads, and so much more, you are on the front line of almost every complex issue our communities face.
On behalf of our team at Covenant Technology Solutions, I want to extend a sincere thank-you to everyone who serves in county government across Oregon – elected officials, department leaders, IT teams, finance, public safety, public health, and the many staff members who keep essential services running every day. We are also grateful to AOC for creating spaces like this conference where counties can learn from one another and from partners like us.
One theme that came up over and over in Eugene was cybersecurity, specifically email security and the growing problem of email impersonation. As part of our preparation for AOC, we reviewed the public email security settings (DMARC-related) for all 36 Oregon counties. Only two counties fell into the “low risk” category; 94% were at either medium or high risk of email impersonation.
We also ran a dark web exposure check tied to county email domains, when applicable. In several cases, we saw county email addresses and passwords show up in older data breaches. That doesn’t mean someone is currently “in” your systems, but it does mean credentials associated with your organization have been leaked and could be re-used by attackers. When passwords are reused across systems, a stolen login from one breach can become the front door into email, VPN, or line-of-business applications.
When we shared these findings at the booth, the most common responses were, “I’m not surprised,” or “I get those emails all the time.” Many leaders also shared a deeper concern: they know it’s a problem, but they’re not sure what, realistically, can be done, especially with limited staff and budgets and IT teams that are already stretched.
We don’t think the answer is to add more fear or more work to your plate. We do believe there are practical, achievable steps counties can take to materially reduce their risk.
Here’s what we recommend as next steps:
- Review your county’s report together.
We’re happy to send your individualized email and dark web exposure report and walk through it in plain language, what it means, where the gaps are, and which changes matter most.
- Support your IT team, not replace them.
If it’s helpful, we can work directly with your internal IT staff or existing provider to close those email security and identity gaps, especially within Microsoft 365.
- Consider a broader security scan.
For counties that want a deeper view, we can run a full security scan to identify other high-impact, low-effort improvements beyond email and credentials.
If you’d like to see your report, talk through options, or just sanity-check where you stand, I’d welcome the conversation.
Tom Choquette
Tom.Choquette@covenant.global
Dec 8, 2025 | AOC Business Partner
Sponsored content contributed by AOC Business Partner: OSU Extension Service
It sounds like the setup for a holiday romantic comedy – Priya Rajarapu works as a Christmas tree expert for Oregon State University’s Extension Service, helping Oregon’s 300-plus Christmas tree growers produce a healthy crop each holiday season so that the state can export millions of perfect trees across the world.
But this job is more science than sentiment. In her Extension role and as an assistant professor in the College of Forestry, Rajarapu, who earned her doctorate in entomology, is studying how to keep Oregon’s holiday industry thriving as the climate changes.
“Oregon is a perfect place to grow evergreens because of the climate,” she said. “Our mild summers and wet winters are ideal for native species like noble and Douglas-fir that are traditionally among the most popular Christmas trees in the Western United States.
“If you’re sick you call a doctor. If you’re a Christmas tree grower who has a sick tree, you call me.”
As temperatures rise and weather patterns shift, the cost to maintain a healthy crop of Christmas trees is rising. And once-rare extreme climate events, like the 2020 fires and the 2021 heat dome in Oregon can have decades-long impacts on forests that affect the holiday tree industry.
“Our goal is to help the current and future growers sustain production of Christmas trees on their land,” Rajarapu said.
Long a sustainable industry, with at least one tree going into the ground for every one cut, Christmas trees are an important agricultural crop for Oregon. Oregon sold 3.17 million trees in 2023 (the most recent year for which federal statistics are available) – making it the top Christmas tree grower in the United States and contributing $118 million to Oregon’s economy.
Industry associations estimate that Christmas tree prices should remain stable this year, averaging about $12 to $15 per foot, and don’t anticipate that tariffs and trade policies will have a significant impact on the tree industry. To support growers, Rajarapu and her colleagues are working at North Willamette Research and Extension Center in Aurora to develop new resilience strategies.
For example, an ongoing study is looking at different mulch alternatives to understand whether any of these mulches boost seedling survival during their first year. Native noble fir make up just over half of Oregon’s Christmas tree sales, but in recent years, OSU Extension experts have also been studying the genetics of introduced species from Eurasia that are potentially more resilient to climate change.
Before his retirement, Rajarapu’s predecessor Chal Landgren personally carried seeds back from Georgia, establishing the new species at the three-acre field site that she now oversees. For example, Nordemann and Turkish fir, both native to Georgia, now make up a small but growing percentage of Oregon’s crop. These new-to-Oregon species can hold their needles longer after they’re cut and displayed.
“They’re drought-and pest-tolerant,” Rajarapu said. “That reduces the need for inputs such as chemical insecticides.”
More than half of Oregon’s Christmas trees are sold in California each year, with other Western states, Mexico, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, Panama, Singapore and Maldives among Oregon growers’ top markets, according to the Oregon Department of Agriculture.
“With consistent water, these new species can hold their needles for four-to-six weeks indoors,” Rajarapu said. Additives like sugar or alcohol that claim to lengthen a tree’s life indoors aren’t backed by scientific evidence, she explained, but lots of water, especially in the first few days, is key to a tree that lasts the season.
“When you buy a real tree, you’re supporting a local business,” said Rajarapu, who is planning to display a noble fir at her home this year. “And it just smells and feels like Christmas.”
Read this article online: https://beav.es/JYm
Story by Misty Edgecomb, Oregon State University
Story source: Priya Rajarapu, OSU Extension Christmas Tree Specialist and Assistant Professor, College of Forestry
Photo caption: Priya Rajarapu, Christmas Tree Specialist at Oregon State University Extension explains the characteristics of various tree species.
Photo credit: Oregon State University
