The Connect & Celebrate Dinner in the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center on Wednesday, Aug. 5, featured award presentations, the swearing-in of the Board members and of the 2026-2027 Executive Committee. It also featured the farewell and inaugural addresses from outgoing President Jack Varnado and incoming President Michael O’Connor.

APCO 2026’s Food for Thought Lunch on Wednesday at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center honored chapters for membership growth, recognized agencies for training accreditation, presented individual honors and looked to next year’s conference in Anaheim. A confidence coach and bestselling author closed with a pitch for why personal confidence pays off for you and those around you.

APCO has recently launched an update to the APCO Public Safety Telecommunicator (PST) 1. This course provides a comprehensive curriculum to establish the core knowledge, practical techniques and critical thinking required to confidently manage emergency and non-emergency calls.