Especially in volatile times, your financial forecasting strategy needs to shift, including conducting risk-adjusted modeling, to bring clarity to the breadth of financial implications surrounding uncertainty. Learn strategies for effective forecasting and how to build structures that remain stable yet flexible in turbulent conditions. Hear from public power utilities that leverage financial forecasting as an everyday tool, including tips for how they communicate with governing bodies to ensure shared understanding.

As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms the workplace, the greatest opportunity for driving organizational impact is in how well AI can enhance – not supplant - human intelligence. Learn practical ways HR and utility leaders can integrate technology with workforce expertise to improve productivity, enhance workforce planning, and support smarter organizational outcomes. Grow your awareness of the array of emerging AI tools public power utilities can leverage to strengthen the human capabilities that remain essential to leadership, decision-making, and operational success.

Connect with colleagues from other small public power utilities to swap ideas and strategies on the business and finance topics of your choice.

Connect with colleagues from other large public power utilities and organizations, including joint action agencies, to swap ideas and strategies on the business and finance topics of your choice.

It’s not enough for you to know the risks your utility faces, you have to be able to express to others across the organization why various internal stakeholders need to be involved in managing the risk. Gain strategies and review tools for how to communicate the purpose and responsibilities of risk, controls, and audit in a way that resonates with those outside of risk management, fostering a more efficient enterprise. Review simple frameworks for organizing information in a way that helps reduce confusion, improve collaboration, and reinforce the value of enterprise risk management in everyday work.

Public power utilities must compete for skilled talent while balancing public accountability and fiscal responsibility. Explore practical approaches to keeping public power compensation competitive through market data, compensation studies, and strategic pay practices. Gain insights on how utilities can strengthen recruitment, improve retention, and align compensation strategies to support a sustainable and resilient workforce.

Energy prepayment transactions can help public power utilities reduce costs, improve price stability, and support long-term energy procurement strategies. This session will provide an overview of how prepay structures work, key financial and risk considerations, and lessons learned from utilities that have successfully leveraged these opportunities.

Gain a deeper understanding of how various factors are affecting the price of electricity, including load growth, technology, and geopolitical concerns. Learn practical strategies to balance affordability, financial resilience, and economic development. Review the core contractual and financing mechanisms, cost of service study considerations, and targeted rate design strategies that align risks and rewards appropriately, ensuring growth opportunities are good for all customers.

Continued activity and uncertainty around tariffs and trade‑related supply chain pressures is making utility planning challenging. Walk through recent trends and decisions and what steps utilities can take to prepare for continued uncertainty. Discuss which key risk indicators to monitor and how these risks could influence your utility’s long‑term project and budget decisions.

Customers are increasingly adopting behind-the-meter technologies, including solar. Explore how and why Austin Energy and Sacramento Municipal Utility District, early leaders in value-based solar compensation, evolved their value of solar methodologies. Learn how changing customer adoption patterns, grid needs, and policy considerations have shaped their approaches over time, and what lessons other utilities can apply as they evaluate the future of distributed energy resource compensation.