Agenda, Session and Speaker Information

• 8:00 - 8:45 - REGISTRATION, CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST, VISIT WITH VENDORS 
• 8:45 - 9:00 - WELCOME - Eric Strouse, MACTA President
• 9:00 - 10:15 - GENERAL SESSION
  • Ethical AI Use and Policy Development - The capacity of AI has doubled in the last 4 months - this session is already outdated. Catch up by learning more about AI resistance, using AI responsibly, the difference between Traditional AI and Generative AI, and how to develop a policy around it from one city's perspective and a local academic expert from Normandale Community College.
    • Panelists

      • Ryan Browning is the IT Director for the City of Edina. With over 25 years of public and private sector IT experience, he leads a department spanning support, GIS, infrastructure, and security across a variety of city facilities. He serves on the City's Executive Leadership Team and on the Executive Committee of the LOGIS Board of Directors. Ryan recently led development of Edina's AI use policy and is helping to guide the City's approach to responsible AI adoption.

      • Kathleen Coate serves as the Lead Instructional Designer/Technologist at Normandale Community College through the Center for Teaching and Learning. She serves on the Normandale AI Workgroup, as well as the Minnesota State AI Committee. She has helped developed curriculum for faculty development around AI, as well as helped build student AI literacy resources. Kathleen has worked professionally in Theatre directing and producing and has a background in teaching college courses in Communication, Film, Television, and Theatre.

• 10:15 - 10:45 - BREAK, VISIT WITH VENDORS AND OPTIONAL TOURS

• 10:45 - 12:00 - CONCURRENT WORKSHOPS 
  • Content/Technical: Cool Tech Toys and Tools! - In this roundtable session, hear from your fellow producers about new tech gear and creative uses for toys you might already have on hand. From action cameras to Stream Decks, to portable streaming gear and generators, we'll show off gear to make your productions shine and improve your workflows.
  • Policy/Legal: Broadband Franchising and Legislation Updates - Lights, camera, legislation. Get the latest from the state capital and Washington, a look at broadband franchising, and a sneak peek at MACTA's 2027 legislative options. Discover what's coming next and help shape the script.
    • Moderator
      • Ann Schweisguth is the Executive Director of TrueLens Community Media, serving the communities of Woodbury, Cottage Grove, St. Paul Park, Newport, and Grey Cloud Island Township. With 34 years in community media and 26 years at TrueLens, she has served in roles ranging from cablecaster and producer to content manager and executive director. Ann is also a MACTA Board member, serves on the MACTA Legislative and Conference Planning Committees, and is a passionate advocate for local storytelling and sustainable funding for community media.
    • Panelists
      • Michael R. Bradley is a partner of the Municipal Telecommunications law firm Bradley Werner, LLC. Mike has spent nearly his entire 30+ year career representing local governments on a wide variety of telecommunications and franchising issues. Throughout that time, he has had the privilege of representing many municipal clients continuously. Last fall, Mike negotiated the first broadband franchise in the State of Minnesota. 
      • Shannon Slatton Schwartz is Executive Director of CCX Media and NWSCCC, which serves nine northwest suburban communities in the Twin Cities. A Regional Emmy Award-winning journalist with more than 20 years of experience in local television, she leads the organization's news, sports, government programming, and community media initiatives. As MACTA Legislative Co-Chair, Shannon advocates for policies that protect and sustain community media and PEG programming.
• 12:00 - 1:00 - LUNCH 
  • MACTA ANNOUNCEMENTS AND RECOGNITION

• 1:00 - 1:30 - BREAK, VISIT WITH VENDORS AND OPTIONAL TOURS

• 1:30 - 2:45 - GENERAL SESSION 
  • Captions, Clicks, and Compliance: Navigating the New ADA Rules - We may have been given a 12-month extension on the upcoming Federal ADA requirements for government web content, but that doesn't mean the changes and challenges are going away! Get the latest updates from fellow MACTA members and from Tightrope Media Systems on what is required and some tips and advice on how you can start to implement the changes now.
  • Panelists
    • Dana Healy is COO of Tightrope Media Systems, a Minneapolis-based company that helps government and community media organizations meet accessibility standards for their video. She has spent the past year in the trenches with cities working through WCAG and ADA Title II compliance. Dana loves turning a daunting regulatory deadline into a clear, doable plan for cities. 
    • Pete Tufigno is VP of Sales at Tightrope Media Systems, a Minneapolis-based company, and he's spent nearly 20 years getting to know the people and communities that make up the government media world. Over the past year, he's traveled the country talking with cities about the real challenges of ADA and WCAG compliance, and speaking publicly to help demystify what these deadlines actually mean for the people responsible for meeting them. For Pete, it's about listening, building trust, and making sure the people he works with feel supported.
• 2:45 - 3:00 - AFTERNOON SNACK
• 3:00 - 4:15 - GENERAL SESSION
  • MACTA Film Fest, celebrating the best of PEG! - Join us for popcorn, candy, quality content, and probably some cheesy jokes from host Mike Bremer of "Take a Hike, Mike!" fame! We'll watch a collection of video content from the past year and hear from the MACTA members that created it. You may laugh, you may cry, you may even learn a thing or two, but you will at least get some snacks out of the deal!
• 415 - 425 - CLOSING REMARKS
• 430 - OPTIONAL SOCIAL GATHERING
  • Happy Hour and Networking at Nine Mile Brewery (9555 James Ave S., Suite 290, Bloomington, MN 55431)​​​​​​​​

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