Bryan K. Barnett has served as Rochester Hills’ (MI) mayor for more than 13 years and is the longest serving mayor in the history of the city. At the time of his election, he was also the youngest mayor in the United States of a city with a population over 50,000. In November, 2015, Barnett won a historic third mayoral term as a write-in candidate, earning the largest write-in win in a general election in the history of the State of Michigan. He previously served on the Rochester Hills City Council for six years.

Mayor Barnett’s administration has received local, national, and international recognition for innovation, fiscal responsibility, operational excellence and environmental leadership. During his tenure, Rochester Hills has been recognized as “One of the Top Places to Live in America” numerous times by sources like CNN and Money Magazine. In addition, Rochester Hills has held the title “Safest City in Michigan” for the past three years. Mayor Barnett is a frequent national speaker on topics including innovative government, long-term sustainability, and economic development and has represented Rochester Hills and Southeast Michigan on multiple international delegations.

Barnett is a graduate of Oakland University’s School of Business with a degree in marketing. He served as Student Body President at OU and was the recipient of the university’s highest honor, the Alfred Wilson Award. He went on in his career to receive the Outstanding Michigander of the Year, Oakland County “Elite 40 Under 40,” and the prestigious John F. Kennedy School of Government Harvard Scholarship.

On July 1, 2019, Mayor Barnett was named the 77th President of the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM), the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. Barnett is one of only six mayors from Michigan to ever become President of the Conference since it’s inception in 1932. As President, Mayor Barnett is focused on three key priorities for the nation’s cities: Infrastructure, Innovation, and Inclusion. In this role, he will also advocate nationally about the importance of cities and advocate for the priorities of local government.

Mayor Barnett’s vision for Rochester Hills is to be the preeminent place in America to live, work and raise a family.

MICHAEL B. HANCOCK is Denver’s 45th mayor. During his time in office, Mayor Hancock and his administration have created the city’s first dedicated affordable housing fund, implemented a Mobility Action plan expanding Denver’s bicycle and pedestrian networks, and established the Neighborhood Equity and Stabilization Team to keep longtime Denver residents and businesses in their homes as the city embraces a growing economy.  Mayor Hancock’s Equity Platform spans all city departments to increase opportunity for every resident and ensure no one is left behind.  He has prioritized investing in the city’s children and youth, started record investment in affordable housing and tripled funding for services for those experiencing homelessness, hired more police and firefighters to keep our residents safe, and embraced technology as a Smart City to make government resources work smarter and more impactfully for residents.

Chicago’s own George Burciaga is an international thought leader and subject matter expert in digital transformation, government efficiencies and smart city modeling. He specializes in the areas of platform disruption, sustainable development and citizen engagement. George is highly regarded for his recent smart city deployments and engaging presentation formula which advances conventional development. 

Among his numerous accolades, Burciaga has been honored by two U.S. Presidents for his leadership within the technology sector and has been appointed to numerous public sector leadership roles. He was inducted into the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame, and has been named U.S. Small Business Administration’s Business Person of the Year. Burciaga’ s leadership and business experience along with his passionate and inspirational eloquence established him as a valued keynote and panel participant at events and conferences across the globe.