2025 Conference Schedule
*This is the tentative schedule—sessions subject to change.
10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Conference Registration and Check-In
9:00 AM – 12:15 PM
Public Campaign Financing Administrator Roundtable
This dynamic event on the morning of the first day of COGEL will bring together public campaign financing administrators from across the country for a collaborative forum to discuss issues like candidate qualification, contributor verification, enforcement, and others. Participants will exchange knowledge and best practices among the professionals who run programs of all types: block grants, matching funds, and vouchers; state and local; new and longstanding. This event is intended for administrators of public financing programs in the United States. Registration is required and is separate from registration for the COGEL conference itself. For answers to your questions or to pre-register, contact ian.vandewalker@nyu.edu.
This dynamic event on the morning of the first day of COGEL will bring together public campaign financing administrators from across the country for a collaborative forum to discuss issues like candidate qualification, contributor verification, enforcement, and others. Participants will exchange knowledge and best practices among the professionals who run programs of all types: block grants, matching funds, and vouchers; state and local; new and longstanding. This event is intended for administrators of public financing programs in the United States. Registration is required and is separate from registration for the COGEL conference itself. For answers to your questions or to pre-register, contact ian.vandewalker@nyu.edu.
12:30 PM – 1:00 PM
Kay Williams First Timers & Conference Preview
1:15 PM – 2:30 PM
Concurrent Sessions
- Campaign FinancePublic Campaign Finance: America's Next Top Model
- LobbyingLobbyist Gifts: Implications, Considerations, and Challenges
- ElectionsCommunicating with Impact About Local Elections
- Multi-DisciplineWhere is the Line? Examining When Advice Intersects with Enforcement
2:45 PM – 4:00 PM
Concurrent Sessions
- Campaign FinanceThe Sphere of Influence(rs) - Is It that Easy to Follow the Money?
- EthicsThank You for Your Service ... Now Please Don't Break the Law: Helping Public Employees Exit Ethically and Stay Compliant
- Investigations & EnforcementInvestigations and Enforcement Update 2025: Trends, Challenges, and Developments
- Multi-DisciplineMission Control: Agency Leaders Roundtable - Unplugged & Unfiltered, Just Facts
- Professional DevelopmentPresenting WITH the Audience: A Guide to Making Presentations More Interactive
4:15 PM – 5:15 PM
Team Huddle
5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
Opening Reception
7:00 PM
Dinner - On Your Own or Join a COGEL Dine-Around
7:30 AM – 8:30 AM
Breakfast - Table Topics
8:30 AM – 10:00 AM
Plenary Session
10:20 AM – 11:40 AM
Concurrent Sessions
- Campaign FinanceFree-ish Speech: Regulating Political Speech in the Age of Misinformation
- EthicsEthics Update I
- FOIANavigating Employment Investigations: The Intersections of Privacy, Public access and Transparency, and Ethical Considerations
- ElectionsFlexible Voting Models as a Response to Crisis
- Multi-DisciplineUsing AI and Tech Tools to Improve Your Office and Compliance
- TrainingThink Like a Writer! A Workshop in Creating Content for Effective Training and Public Communications
12:00 PM – 1:40 PM
Lunch - On Your Own and New Event
2:00 PM – 3:20 PM
Concurrent Sessions
- Campaign FinanceCampaign Finance Update I: Litigation Update
- EthicsStaying Steady in the Storm: Lessons for Local Ethics Amid Washington's Chaos
- Investigations & EnforcementBuilding the Case I: Up Your Investigative Game with Real Tools for the Modern Investigator
- FOIAShaking The Trees: Getting Responses To Records Requests Out The Door
- Professional DevelopmentOn the Record: Mic'd Up Tips for Working with the Media
3:40 PM – 5:00 PM
Concurrent Sessions
- Campaign FinanceWe're Listening: What Campaigns Really Need from Compliance
- Investigations & EnforcementBuilding the Case II: Planning, Drafting, and Executing Your Blueprints for a Successful Case
- LobbyingLobbying Update: U.S. and Canadian Federal, State, Provincial, and Local Lobbying Laws
- ElectionsElections Update
- Professional DevelopmentNew Kid on the Block: How to Help New Leadership and Board Members Help You
- TrainingFoundations: Building Your Training Program from the Ground Up
6:30 PM
Dinner - On Your Own or Join a COGEL Dine-Around
7:30 AM – 8:30 AM
Breakfast - Table Topics
8:30 AM – 10:00 AM
Plenary Session
10:20 AM – 11:50 AM
Concurrent Sessions
- Campaign FinanceCampaign Finance Update II: Legislative and Regulatory Update
- EthicsPerilous Procurements: Ethics Guardrails for Public Contracts
- Investigations & EnforcementFine Tuning Enforcement: Alternative Sanctions in Ethics Accountability
- FOIAFor Better or Worse: FOIA and Elections
- Multi-DisciplineFighting for Resources: Strategies to Strengthen Budgets for Ethics, Disclosures, and Oversight Programs
- TrainingLeveling Up: 10 Tips to Revamp and Improve Your Training Program
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
Lunch - On Your Own or Join a COGEL Dine-Around
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Concurrent Sessions
- Campaign FinanceLimited Limits? Contribution Limits in an Era of Unlimited Political Spending
- EthicsIndependence Under Fire: How to Protect Ethics Commissions from Political Interference in Challenging Times
- LobbyingTips and Strategies for Reaching the Known Unknowns: A Roundtable Discussion on Engaging Unregistered Lobbyists
- FOIAAnnual FOI Legislation and Litigation Update
- ElectionsPapers, Please: Documentary Proof of Citizenship Laws and Their Impacts on Elections
- TrainingTraining Roundtable
3:50 PM – 5:00 PM
Plenary Session
5:00 PM – 6:30 PM
Reception
6:30 PM
Dinner - On Your Own
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
9:15 AM – 10:30 AM
Concurrent Sessions
- EthicsKnow Your Role: Whoa! No! v. OK, Go
- Investigations & EnforcementYou've Got Questions, We've Got Answers: Investigations & Enforcement Roundtable
- FOIAAnnual FOI Roundtable
- ElectionsEnhance Your Outreach Efforts: Meeting Voters Where They Are
- Multi-DisciplineGovernment Social Media: Best Practices for Engagement
10:45 AM – 12:00 PM
Concurrent Sessions
- Campaign FinanceDanger Zone: Current Public Financing Challenges
- EthicsEthics Update II
- LobbyingJoin Us in the Lobby: Lobby Law Hot Topics, Innovations, and Challenges
- Multi-DisciplineGrow, Inform, and Establish Trust: Strategies to Build Awareness of Your Organization's Mission
12:00 PM
Lunch - On Your Own or Join a COGEL Dine-Around