Burlington – Keynote Speakers

Brenda J. Bond-Fortier, PhD is Professor of Public Administration in the Sawyer Business School at Suffolk University. Dr. Bond-Fortier specializes in organizational change, performance measurement and management, collaborative approaches to organizational and community challenges, and the development, implementation, and evaluation of public policies and practices. Her book, Organizational Change in an Urban Police Department: Innovating to Reform (2020) analyzes changes in policy, practice and community relationships to understand innovation and organizational transformation in policing. She has conducted research across the United States, published her work in prestigious journals, and is a frequent contributor to major media outlets. Bond-Fortier is a nationally respected and recognized scholar who is valued by practitioners and policymakers for her participation and contributions to public practice and management. Her recent work has focused on the transformation of public safety in the higher education realm, exploring how safety and wellness are achieved in academic environments. Dr. Bond-Fortier serves as a Senior Advisor for 21CP Solutions, Inc. where she has conducted reviews and advised institutions in re-imagining campus policing and public safety. Her projects at 21CP Solutions have included Harvard University, Carnegie Mellon University, Drexel University, Temple University, among others. These organizational assessments focus on re-imagining community safety, much of which include race and justice on college campuses. Dr. Bond-Fortier has served as a Subject Matter Expert for the US Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance Strategies for Policing Innovation initiative, and a Research Fellow for the National Police Foundation. She previously served as a Research Associate at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government Program in Criminal Justice Policy & Management, as Research Advisor for the Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council, and as Director of Research and Development at the Lowell, Massachusetts Police Department. Dr. Bond-Fortier received a PhD and MA in Social Policy from the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University, a Master of Arts in Community Social Psychology and a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from University of Massachusetts Lowell. See https://brendabondphd.com/ for more information on Dr. Bond-Fortier’s work.

Mayor Remy Drabkin is a McMinnville native, Mac High and Linfield College Graduate. Her public service includes two terms on McMinnville Planning Commission, two terms as Councilor for Ward 3, one term as Council President. She was appointed by the Governor to the Oregon Wine Board for one term, has acted as Chair of the McMinnville Affordable Housing Commission since it’s inception, and was formerly liaison to the McMinnville Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force and Visit McMinnville.

Remy is an entrepreneur and started her eponymous Remy Wines in 2006, she is nationally recognized as an industry leader in equity and climate action. Remy is also co-founder of the non-profit, Wine Country Pride.

Jeff Towery began his career in Coos Bay, OR by serving as Assistant to the City Manager, City Manager Pro Tem and Assistant City Manager from February 1986 to May 1990. From there he went on to Cottage Grove, OR as the City Manager from June 1990 to March 1997 and held the same position in Auburn, NY from April 1997 to November 1998. In December 1998 he established Towery Consulting providing consulting services to local governments and other agencies until December 2005 on a part time basis. In August 2001 Towery joined Lane County, OR as a Management Analyst II for one year and then served as the Land Management Manager until April 2007. He was hired as Assistant City Manager for the City of Springfield, OR in April 2007, serving in that position until June 2016. Towery became the City Manager for the City of McMinnville, OR in February 2017. Towery holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Montana State University. He has served on a variety of boards and committees for several professional and community organizations including the International City/County Management Association, the Oregon Chapter of ICMA, United Way and Rotary. Towery is currently the ICMA President. Previously he served a three-year term as one of three ICMA West Coast Vice-Presidents, sitting on the Committee for Professional Conduct (2015-16), the Membership Committee (2017) and Board Liaison to the Sustainable Communities Advisory Committee (2015) and Governmental Affairs and Policy Committee (2016-17). He served on the ICMA Model Employment Agreement Task Force and served on the 2020 Conference Planning Committee and 2021 Host Committee. He is married to Doris and they have two children, Jared and Delores.