Thursday Schedule | 2026 Annual Meeting
Annual Meeting Day 1
Thursday, October 8, 2026 | Monterey Marriott
Schedule is tentative and subject to change.
Click on a session title to view the full session description and speaker information.
7:00 AM-4:00 PM: Registration
7:30 AM-8:30 AM: Breakfast
8:30 AM-9:00 AM: Welcome & State of the Association. Presented by Cathy Martin, ACHD.
9:00 AM-10:00 AM: Thriving & Leading in the Age of AI with Keynote Speaker Michelle Gielan – Presented by our eminent sponsor, Beta Healthcare Group
As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms the workplace, leaders have an unprecedented opportunity to embrace change with confidence. Michelle Gielan will share science-backed strategies to help healthcare district leaders build optimism, resilience, and adaptability-turning disruption into a catalyst for innovation, stronger leadership, and lasting success.
10:00 AM-10:15 AM: Morning Break
10:15 AM-11:45 AM: Anchored in Communities: District Best Practices Breakout Session 1
- District BP A: (Grossmont) Building More Health Literate Communities: The Healthcare District’s Role
- District BP B: (Camarillo) Storytelling: Helping to connect, heal and inspire
10:15 AM-11:45 AM: Anchored in Communities: District Best Practices Breakout Session 2
- District BP A: (Desert) Bridging the Gaps: A Strategic Partnership Model to Improve Vision Care Delivery
- District BP B: (Del Puerto) Navigating Growth: A 50-Year Health Care District Strategy
11:45 AM-12:45 PM: Lunch
1:00 PM-1:50 PM: General Session: Good Governance When Your District Builds presented by Michael Eads Owner’s Representative PM • Co-Founder, SiteOps360 – This session provides healthcare district leaders with a practical look at the governance decisions that can keep capital projects on track, from clinic remodels to major hospital construction. Participants will learn how regulatory requirements, including HCAI (California Department of Health Care Access & Information) oversight, can affect project costs and timelines, while gaining strategies for asking the right questions, identifying risks early, and providing effective board oversight without slowing progress.
1:50 PM-2:00 PM: Transfer Break
2:00 PM-3:30 PM: Anchored in Communities: District Best Practices Session 3
- District BP A: (Healthy Petaluma) Empowered and Equipped: A Healthcare District’s model supporting Bystander Cardiac Emergency Readiness
- District BP B: (Antelope Valley) Healthy Living Pantry Program
2:00 PM-3:30 PM: Anchored in Communities: District Best Practices Session 4
- District BP A: (Beach Cities, Petaluma & Peninsula) From Conveners to Catalysts: Scaling Community Health Beyond the Blue Zones Project
- District BP B: (Fallbrook) Charting a Better Course: Navigating the California’s Uniform Public Construction Cost Accounting Act (CUPCCAA)
3:30 PM-3:45 PM: Transfer Break
3:45 PM-5:00 PM: General Session: From Hype to Governance – Building AI Readiness for Accountable Community Health Leadership presented by Wipfli -This session explores how healthcare districts can move beyond the excitement surrounding AI to build effective governance practices that protect community trust and organizational accountability. Discover practical strategies to assess your organization’s AI readiness, strengthen board oversight, manage risk, and implement AI in ways that are ethical, transparent, and accountable to the communities you serve.
5:00 PM-5:30 PM: Transfer to Awards Reception
5:30 PM-6:45 PM: Awards & Networking: Trustee, CEO, and District of the Year Ceremony & Reception
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