Overview
The 2025 NARC Executive Directors Conference and Board Retreat is designed by and for executive directors of regional organizations, including regional councils and metropolitan planning organizations. The conference is for executive directors, their senior staff, and elected officials to discuss topics including organizational structure, innovative best practices, and new developments in technology.
The Conference, taking place from October 5th through October 8th, will feature two full days of sessions, plenty of networking opportunities, and two unique mobile tours of the Portland region. Registration will launch soon.
Conference Agenda
Mobile Workshops
GPCOG has planned two exciting mobile workshops exploring various aspects of the region’s transportation networks, land use planning strategies, and climate change adaptions. Register for mobile tours on the conference registration page. Pre-registration is required.
- Date: Sunday, October 5th
- Time: 1:50 – 5:30 PM
- Meeting Point:
- Golf Cart & Regular Bike Riders – meet at 1:50 PM in the hotel lobby for a short walk to the Casco Bay Lines Ferry. If you requested a golf cart, complete this waiver prior to the tour.
- E-Bike Riders – Meet at 1:05 PM in the hotel lobby for a short walk to the Ocean Gateway Parking Lot (2 Commercial Street, Portland ME 04101) for a brief training by the Bicycle Coalition of Maine. Only people who have emailed Matthew Leder and completed this waiver are eligible for an e-bike. Thank you to the Bicycle Coalition of Maine for providing e-bikes!
On the island, you’ll have the option to get in a golf cart or rent a bike for a trip around the perimeter of the island (about 4 miles). You’ll see how the community is responding to a series of historic storms—with investments in more sustainable infrastructure, adaptation strategies for sea level rise, and efforts to rebuild in ways that preserve the island’s character while protecting its future.
- Date: Tuesday, October 7th
- Time: 3:30 – 5:30 PM
- Meeting Point: Portland Regency Hotel & Spa Lobby
Join us as we explore Commercial Street, the most complicated street in Maine. This vibrant yet vulnerable stretch is where Portland’s working waterfront meets downtown’s shops, restaurants, and tourism economy. This one-mile long walking tour delves into the economic, resilience, and planning challenges of balancing traditional maritime industry with growing housing pressures and a vibrant retail and visitor presence.
Along the way you’ll have the opportunity to:
- discover the narrow-gauge railroad lines that once propelled freight,
- pass the Casco Bay ferry terminal, where daily passenger service connects islands and downtown,
- visit the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, which monitors marine health, climate impacts, and supports resilient economic planning.
- see the International Marine Terminal with its newly built cold-storage facility—essential for Maine’s seafood and life science exports,
- and observe the Portland Harbor dredging project, which includes Maine’s first Confined Aquatic Disposal (CAD) cell—a 9-acre deep pit—to safely isolate roughly 245,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment.
Registration
Register for the 2025 Executive Directors Conference and Board Retreat below. NARC members receive a special rate.
Lodging
Located at 20 Milk Street, the Portland Regency Hotel & Spa will host this year’s conference.
About
NARC is proud to host the 2025 Executive Directors Conference and Board Retreat with the Greater Portland Council of Governments (GPCOG).
The Greater Portland Council of Governments (GPCOG) was founded in 1969. Like many regional planning agencies formed in the wake of the 1960s federal push for coordinated metropolitan governance, GPCOG emerged as a response to growing recognition that challenges like transportation, housing, land use, and environmental stewardship transcend municipal boundaries.
Greater Portland’s member municipalities—ranging from dense urban neighborhoods to rural coastal and mountain towns—were grappling with post-war population shifts, sprawling development, and infrastructure demands. Since this time, GPCOG has helped these communities work together across jurisdictional lines, providing a forum for collaboration, technical assistance, and regional planning.
GPCOG hosts the region’s Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), supporting safer streets and allocating funding to maintain and expand safe streets and public transportation. This work supports housing choices, climate mitigation and resilience, and economic development.
Over the years, GPCOG has evolved from a traditional planning agency into a hub for regional innovation—whether helping towns meet clean energy goals, launching a regional AmeriCorps Resilience Corps, or expanding broadband and digital skills. At the core of its work is a commitment to community engagement, collaboration, sustainability, and shared prosperity.
Learn more about how GPCOG is building a stronger, more connected southern Maine at www.gpcog.org.
Welcome to Greater Portland!
As your host, the Greater Portland Council of Governments (GPCOG) is proud to welcome you to a region that exemplifies both the promise and complexity of regional collaboration. From coastal villages to growing cities, our region spans 29 municipalities and serves 300,000 residents, about one fourth of Maine’s population. It is a place where tradition meets innovation—where 19th-century working waterfronts coexist with cutting-edge economic and climate initiatives.
The Greater Portland region is the economic engine of Maine, the gateway for the state’s largest industry, tourism, and a culinary hot spot, globally. Portland, our largest city, has long been recognized for its vibrant arts scene, historic neighborhoods, working waterfront, and foodie culture. South Portland is home to Maine’s busiest airport and a diversifying population, while surrounding communities like Westbrook, Falmouth, and Scarborough have experienced rapid growth, bringing both opportunity and the need for careful planning. Our region also includes rural towns spotted with gorgeous lakes, coastal villages anchored by traditional New England architecture, and island communities with distinct identities developed over generations. All are interconnected by shared infrastructure, environmental resources, economic ties, and the challenges and opportunities that come with a changing climate.
As a region shaped by its industrial past and its coastal geography, we are both cleaning up the legacy of pollution and preparing for the future. Dozens of former mill sites, shipyards, and industrial properties have been identified as brownfields, and GPCOG has worked with municipalities to assess, remediate, and redevelop many of them into housing, public spaces, and commercial hubs. At the same time, the effects of a changing climate—rising seas, intensifying storms, and increasing heat—pose growing risks to our people, economy, and infrastructure. GPCOG helps communities adapt through regional resilience planning, investments in low-carbon transportation, and collaborative hazard mitigation.
We’re excited to share not only our challenges but also the collaborative solutions we’re building—solutions rooted in community engagement, data-driven planning, and a deep commitment to regionalism.
As you explore Portland during the conference, we encourage you to experience the region’s dynamic mix of old and new—walk our historic downtowns, visit working harbors and revitalized mill districts, and talk with the local leaders who are shaping our future. We’re honored to host you and look forward to sharing insights, ideas, and inspiration together.
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