Interested in speaking at an educational event for the Association of Oregon Counties?

AOC hosts educational programs throughout the year for which we encourage our members and partners to contribute content. We are always seeking new ideas, solutions, and innovations to leverage opportunities and overcome challenges that confront county leaders. For each event, our goal is to create a balanced program that consistently meets the needs of our membership. In order to provide the best content for our members, we are accepting ongoing proposals that we will evaluate on a rolling basis.

The County College program began in 2006 in partnership with the Oregon State University Extension Service. Occurring biennially, the program offers a comprehensive overview of the responsibilities and authorities of a county, and a county commissioner, judge, or chair, including legal, government ethics, public meetings, and records, parliamentary procedure, and much more. With a class size of between 20 to 30 AOC members, one of the most valuable benefits is the networking that takes place and the relationships that are built over the course of approximately 90 hours of in-person instruction. Registration for the next County College program will open in November for newly elected county officials and high level county staff from AOC member counties. Please contact events@oregoncounties.org for more information.

Open to the Public!

AOC’s Online County College, designed in partnership with Oregon State University is an essential, on-demand resource designed to help the public navigate and understand the vital services counties provide every day. This accessible course serves as a comprehensive guide to the complexities of local governance. Participants can sign up for individual modules or all eight modules.

This course is open to all, but ideal for county employees seeking cross-training or leadership readiness, constituents interested in better understanding local government, community members preparing to run for public office, and civics and government educators who wish to supplement their instruction with real-world examples of county government in Oregon. 

The Membership Exchange Program is a one year program designed to provide commissioners, judges, and chairs the opportunity to connect with their peers, build relationships, and learn best practices and innovative solutions from counties throughout the state.

Applicants will be placed in pairs or small groups and encouraged to plan county visits to get on the ground exposure to county successes, projects, and programs across diverse geographic regions and county structures.