The National League of Cities just wrapped up City Summit 2025 in Salt Lake City, Utah! More than 3,000 local leaders gathered in the Beehive State to connect, learn and engage with experts and their peers through workshops, presentations, panels and beyond.
The overall theme for this year’s conference was “Creating Opportunity in Uncertainty.” 2025 has been an exceptionally challenging year to be a local leader – from vast changes to the federal government landscape to political violence to challenging economic indicators to AI disruption.
But City Summit showed how local leaders continue to meet the moment and find ways to deliver results for their constituents and communities.
“Uncertainty has a unique way of revealing the true opportunity for leaders,” said NLC CEO & Executive Director Clarence Anthony during the Opening General Session.
“It pushes us out of our comfort zone into courage. Thinking about these times of deep uncertainty reminds me that those moments can either lead to setbacks, or they can be opportunities to move forward.”
Learn more about the different themes of City Summit 2025 and how we brought the message to our members:
AI In Action
AI is changing the way we work, play and think. Our “AI In Action” panel on Thursday, Nov. 20 explored the ways AI is transforming the work of local communities, featuring panelists Chief Information Officer of Philadelphia, PA Melissa Scott; Technology Leader, Professor & Author Dr. Jonathan Reichental; and Deputy City Manager of Maricopa, AZ Micah Gaudet.
“AI is not new,” said Scott during the panel. “IT professionals have been using AI machine learning for many years in order to keep our communities running safely and more efficiently.
“What is new is generative AI, and generative AI has created a myth that it’s going to take over all jobs. What is true is that it gives us the opportunity to do so much more…our leaders can use data to analyze and make better decisions.”
Learn more about NLC’s work empowering local governments in AI.
Bridging Our Divides
American politics and culture are becoming increasingly polarized – but local leaders have a unique opportunity to bring Americans together during times of turmoil. On Friday, Nov. 21, Utah Governor Spencer Cox and New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham took the stage to share their experiences reaching across the aisle, bridging the partisan divides and breaking the cycle of personal attacks by leading with conviction, not conflict.
“If you want to build trust, you have to tell people what you know…too often we stand behind our attorneys and our PR people,” said Governor Cox. “People see through that, and they just want you to be a human being. When we do that, we’re able to gain their trust.”
“We have to do a better job making sure elected leaders get support for telling the truth and for owning it when we make a mistake…being kinder is what moves the needle,” said Governor Lujan Grisham.
Tim Shriver, Chairman of Special Olympics, Founder and CEO of UNITE and co-creator of The Dignity Index, also took the stage to speak on the importance of bridging dives.
“My hope for you is that you will at least consider this: that there is a new issue amongst us in our country,” said Shriver. “It’s not immigration. It’s not education. It’s not policing. It’s not emergency management. It’s not taxes. It’s how we treat each other.”
Strong Leaders, Strong Communities
Our final General Session on Saturday, Nov. 22 explored ways that communities can stay resilient, beginning with a Housing Panel featuring Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall, Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell and Salt Lake City housing developer Clark Ivory.
“No matter what your politics are, you want your kids to want to live near you…but they have to be able to afford to do it!” said Mayor Mendenhall on the panel.
Next, Angela F. Williams, the President and CEO of United Way Worldwide, spoke about the power of partnerships, resilient leaders and how they build strong communities.
“When the going gets tough and things get really hard, we have to rely on each other,” said Williams.
“We have to lean on each other. We must draw strength from each other. And so, I hope that you leave Salt Lake City refreshed because you had the fellowship of fellow leaders.”
Listen now to Angela F. Williams’ conversation with Clarence Anthony in our CitiesSpeak podcast.
Planning for America250
July 4, 2026 is the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States!
At City Summit 2025, we helped leaders prepare for the semiquincentennial and understand how communities nationwide can turn it into an opportunity for grassroots initiatives.
Our “Planning for America250” workshop – led by NLC Senior Executive & Director of Digital Engagement, Marketing & Communications Melanie Fonder Kaye; America250 Utah Executive Director Nicole Handy; Issaquah, WA City Administrator Wally Bobkiewicz; and Senior Strategic Relationships Manager for JustServe LaDawn Stoddard – explored some of these options, from community-led events to educational outreach and beyond.
See You Again Soon!
Thank you to all who joined us at City Summit 2025 and a huge thank you to our host city, Salt Lake City, Utah, including Mayor Erin Mendenhall and all the city staff who helped make the event a huge success!
Check out our photo gallery to browse more highlights from the conference.
Be sure to register now for Congressional City Conference in Washington, D.C. from March 16-18, and save the date for City Summit 2026 in Nashville, TN from Nov. 18-21.
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