Government & Public Sector Speaker
Lead The People Who Keep The City Running.
League conferences, city and county all-staff days, supervisor academies, department retreats, and employee recognition events.
Government
Public service attracts people who want the work to mean something, and cities and counties that say that clearly hold onto them. The lever is almost always the same one: supervisors who lead well, recognition that reaches the crew, and a reason to build a career rather than take a job. Chris Sund has spent two decades building exactly that in shift-based, public-facing organizations.
Government & Public Sector Speaker●Bestselling Author of You Are Capable of More●President & COO●Fortune Best Workplaces●Great Place to Work Certified●Forbes Business Council●Government & Public Sector Speaker●Bestselling Author of You Are Capable of More●President & COO●Fortune Best Workplaces●Great Place to Work Certified●Forbes Business Council●
Nobody notices the water working. Which is exactly why somebody inside the building has to say it out loud.
My KC Live, KCTV5 Kansas City →In The Media
Everything your committee needs to approve it.
Public sector bookings go through a committee, a purchasing process, and sometimes a council agenda. Chris has been on morning television in six markets and in Forbes, Inc., and the Midlands Business Journal. The media hub and speaker kit give you bios, photos, and session descriptions in one link.
What They Get
Five things a public sector room takes back to work.
Nothing here requires a budget cycle, a new policy, or a council vote. All of it is available on Monday.
- Supervisors who lead, not just approve timesheets. Public works crew leaders, shift supervisors, and department heads were nearly all promoted for being excellent at the job itself. Give them one usable leadership skill and the whole department feels it within a month.
- Recognition that reaches the crew, not just the department head. When the work goes right, nobody calls. Naming specific work by specific people is free, it is the most underused tool a city has, and it is the thing employees mention in exit interviews.
- A reason to build a career here. Public service still offers what people say they want: stability, real purpose, and work that touches the whole community. Cities that say that out loud recruit better and keep people longer.
- One message across very different departments. Public works, clerks, parks, utilities, and administration do completely different jobs. Because the subject is the person rather than the role, an all-staff day actually lands as one message instead of five.
- One move, not a program. Every session closes on a single specific action, sized for people who already have a full week. Nobody needs another initiative to track.
Your residents notice the potholes and the outages. They never notice the four hundred days nothing went wrong. Somebody inside the building has to.
On what the public sector session is about
Formats
Seven ways governments book him.
Cities usually pair an all-staff day with a supervisor session. Associations usually add a breakout to the general session.
45 to 60 Minutes
League or Association Conference
General session for a league of municipalities, county association, city and county management association, or state agency conference.Repeated Per Shift
City or County All-Staff Day
Every department in one room, or the same session run twice so field crews and office staff both get it live.60 to 90 Minutes
Supervisor Academy
Crew leaders, foremen, and first-line supervisors. The highest-leverage group in any municipal organization and usually the least developed.Half Day
Department Leadership Retreat
Department heads and the administrator's leadership team. Standard-setting and honest conversation inside a leadership group.20 to 30 Minutes
Employee Recognition Event
Service award luncheons, employee appreciation days, and years-of-service ceremonies, written around the honorees.45 to 60 Minutes
Public SafetyPublic Works & Field Crews
Streets, water, sanitation, and utilities. Built for people who spend the day outside and are skeptical of a conference room.Police, Fire & EMS
Department all-hands, supervisor sessions, and academy graduations.Virtual
Virtual Session
Live for multi-site agencies, county departments spread across a region, or a statewide training series.Who Books It
Built for the organizations that serve everyone.
The framework holds across all of them. What changes is which department is in the room.
Leagues of Municipalities
State league annual conferences, regional meetings, and elected official training.Cities & Villages
All-staff days, supervisor academies, leadership retreats, and recognition events for cities of any size.Counties
County association conferences, county employee days, and department leadership sessions.City & County Management
State city and county management associations, administrator groups, and assistant manager cohorts.Public Works
State public works associations, APWA chapters, and street, water, and utility departments.Parks & Recreation
State parks and recreation associations, department staff days, and seasonal staff training.Clerks, Finance & Records
Municipal clerks associations, government finance officers groups, and administrative staff conferences.Public Sector HR
Public sector HR associations and civil service groups working on recruitment and retention. See HR conference speaker.State Agencies
State department conferences, agency all-staff meetings, and statewide training events.The Framework
Four movements. Ten principles.
Every session runs the same architecture as the book, which is what lets a supervisor academy and an all-staff day land as one message rather than two.
1
The Foundation
Ownership and time. What is inside your control when the budget, the council, and the calendar are not.2
The Breakthrough
The comfort ceiling and the inner voice. The section a twenty-year employee goes quiet for.3
The Standard
Truth over praise, and the hidden gear. How a leadership team starts telling each other the truth.4
The Purpose
Finishing, and leaving people better. The close, and the movement that reconnects the work to the community it serves.The Book
A copy for every employee on the roster.
A session gives your staff an hour. A copy gives an organization the same ten principles and the same words, which is how a message survives past the week of the all-staff day.
You Are Capable of More: A No-Excuses Guide to Becoming Your Best Self. An Amazon bestseller from Game Changer Publishing, with a foreword by Ben Newman.
Ten chapters across four movements, written plainly for every department rather than for administration. The free companion toolkit includes a discussion guide sized for a crew huddle or a staff meeting, a self-assessment, and a thirty day challenge. Nothing is gated behind an email address.
Length172 pages, 10 chapters
Common UseAll-staff giveaway, supervisor academy text, service award gift
Bulk OrdersAny quantity, signed and pre-signed copies available
ProcurementInvoicing, W-9, and quotes provided for purchasing processes
What People Say
The feedback speaks for itself.
“
Chris was an outstanding speaker and a highlight of our event. He took the time to deeply understand our organization and thoughtfully personalized every moment.
MW
Macy WebbDirector of Human Resources, Crawford County Memorial Hospital
“
Chris energized the room, sparked conversations, and encouraged connections throughout the event, with a lasting impact on our future leaders.
MB
Merrick BrtekGreater Omaha Chamber
“
Chris is a thoughtful, intentional leader who understands the influence he carries. His message challenged me to think differently about how I lead, serve, and influence others.
JR
Jay RamosCEO AGSI & President, California Staffing Professionals
“
Chris consistently brings knowledge, insight, and practical advice. He led two impactful sessions and left everyone with tools they could use immediately.
GS
Gina SalazarTalent Acquisition Lead, University of Kansas Health System
“
His engaging style draws the audience into the conversation, creating a relaxed atmosphere that encourages learning and reflection. You leave not only inspired but equipped.
DB
DeAnna Busby-RastAuthentica Group
“
Chris was an outstanding speaker and a highlight of our event. He took the time to deeply understand our organization and thoughtfully personalized every moment.
MW
Macy WebbDirector of Human Resources, Crawford County Memorial Hospital
“
Chris energized the room, sparked conversations, and encouraged connections throughout the event, with a lasting impact on our future leaders.
MB
Merrick BrtekGreater Omaha Chamber
“
Chris is a thoughtful, intentional leader who understands the influence he carries. His message challenged me to think differently about how I lead, serve, and influence others.
JR
Jay RamosCEO AGSI & President, California Staffing Professionals
“
Chris consistently brings knowledge, insight, and practical advice. He led two impactful sessions and left everyone with tools they could use immediately.
GS
Gina SalazarTalent Acquisition Lead, University of Kansas Health System
“
His engaging style draws the audience into the conversation, creating a relaxed atmosphere that encourages learning and reflection. You leave not only inspired but equipped.
DB
DeAnna Busby-RastAuthentica Group
Drag or swipe
Best For
Events already on your calendar.
League Conference
All-Staff Day
Supervisor Academy
Leadership Retreat
Service Awards
Public Works Meeting
Parks & Rec Training
County Employee Day
About Chris
He is from a town your size.
Chris Sund is an executive leader, keynote speaker, and bestselling author of You Are Capable of More.
He lives in Fremont, Nebraska. As President and COO of Uniti Med, GQR Healthcare, and Nebula, he helped grow Uniti Med 10x in two years and earn the number three ranking on the Inc. Regionals list among the fastest growing companies in the Midwest, while the organization earned Fortune Best Workplaces recognition and Great Place to Work certification three years running.
He is a father of three, a Maxwell Leadership Certified speaker, trainer, and coach, Vice President of the NATHO Board of Directors, and the founder of Amplify Speakers. He has not run a city and does not claim to. What he knows is how a supervisor keeps good people in demanding, public-facing work, which is the part of a municipal organization a keynote can genuinely move.
Fast Facts
Details your committee will ask for.
FormatsLeague conference, all-staff day, supervisor academy, leadership retreat, recognition event, field crew session
Length20 minutes for an awards event up to a half day for leadership
AudiencePublic works, clerks, parks, utilities, administration, supervisors, and department heads
Group SizeA department of twenty up to a league conference general session
Not CoveredNo policy positions, no political commentary, no procedural or legal content
ProcurementW-9, certificate of insurance, quotes, and invoicing provided
SpaceCouncil chambers, community room, shop bay, or conference hall
Travels FromOmaha, Nebraska. Speaks nationwide.
Questions
Administrators and HR directors ask these.
How much does a government keynote speaker cost?
It depends on the date, the travel, and how many sessions you are running. Pairing an all-staff day with a supervisor session on the same visit costs far less than two visits. Municipal budgets are their own conversation, so say what you actually have and you will get a straight answer rather than a range.
Can you work with our purchasing process?
Yes. W-9, certificate of insurance, formal quotes, and invoicing are all standard and provided without you having to chase them. If your process needs a specific form or a vendor registration, send it along and it gets handled.
Will it work for public works crews and office staff in the same room?
Yes, and that mix is the design constraint. Nothing in it assumes a desk, a salary, or a title. If your departments are too different to gather at once, the same session can run twice so field crews and administration each get it live.
Will he say anything political?
No. No policy positions, no commentary on anything your council or community is currently working through, and nothing that puts an administrator in an awkward spot afterward. The material is leadership and culture and it stays there.
What about our supervisors and crew leaders?
This is the highest-leverage session in most municipal organizations. Crew leaders and first-line supervisors were nearly all promoted for being excellent at the job itself and given very little leadership training. A dedicated session for that group tends to show up in retention.
Do you speak at league and association conferences?
Yes. Leagues of municipalities, county associations, city and county management associations, public works and parks and recreation associations, clerks associations, and state agency conferences. General sessions and repeatable breakouts both work.
Can he do our employee recognition or service awards event?
Yes, in short form. Twenty to thirty minutes built around the people being honored rather than around the speaker, and it ends on time so your program does.
Does this connect to our police and fire departments?
Yes. Public safety has its own dedicated page because the formats differ, but many cities book both on one visit so the whole organization hears the same message.
Can we get books for staff?
Yes. All-staff giveaways, supervisor academy texts, and service award gifts are the three common uses. Quotes and invoicing are provided for purchasing, and the free discussion guide sizes each chapter to a crew huddle or staff meeting.
How do we start?
Send your date, which departments are in the room, the format you are considering, and what your organization is focused on this year. You will get availability and a plan back within one business day.
Related Programs
Other ways organizations book him.
Same framework, built for the specific room you are filling.
Public Safety
First Responder Speaker
Police, fire, EMS, and dispatch.RetentionEmployee Retention Speaker
Why people leave, and what actually keeps them.RecognitionEmployee Recognition Event
Service awards and appreciation events.CultureCulture Keynote
Build an organization people never want to leave.LeadershipLeadership Keynote
Leadership as the multiplier.AssociationsState Associations & Chapters
League and association conference work.Signature KeynoteYou Are Capable of More
The flagship keynote behind the book.SafetySafety Keynote Speaker
Public works safety programs and municipal risk pools.ManagersFrontline & Middle Manager
Municipal supervisors and department leads.BooksBulk Book Orders
Volume pricing with quotes and invoicing.Let’s Talk
Say it to the people who keep it running.
Send your date, which departments are in the room, and what your organization is focused on this year. You will get availability and a plan back within one business day.Or reach out directly: info@chrissund.com · 402-212-5771