The Nebraska Association of County Officials' 132nd Annual Conference, December 16–18, 2026, at the Younes Conference Center North in Kearney. Agenda highlights, registration details, and our CDL drug testing and record retention session for county highway departments.
The 132nd NACO Annual Conference is the yearly statewide meeting of the Nebraska Association of County Officials (NACO). It runs Wednesday through Friday, December 16–18, 2026, at the Younes Conference Center North, 707 Talmadge St, Kearney, Nebraska, and brings together county board members, attorneys, clerks, treasurers, assessors, sheriffs, highway superintendents, and other county officials from across the state.
NACO organizes the conference, sets the agenda, and handles registration, lodging, and pricing. Diversified Safety & Compliance is not the organizer. Tom Nesbitt, our Chief Operating Officer, is presenting one session in the Highway Superintendents, Engineers, Surveyors track, and Derek Aude, our founder and CEO, is attending with him. This page summarizes NACO's published agenda and shows where to find our session.
NACO posts room assignments and schedule changes in its NACO Connect mobile app, available on the Apple App Store and Google Play. Limited printed agendas are available at the conference.
Tom presents Wednesday, December 16, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:15 p.m., in the Highway Superintendents, Engineers, Surveyors affiliate session. The Nebraska State Patrol follows at 1:15 p.m. with a session on post-accident investigation and reconstruction.
County road departments that employ CDL drivers fall under the same FMCSA drug and alcohol testing rules as private carriers (49 CFR 382.103). The session focuses on the testing program and the records behind it. A few of the requirements in that area:
The county, as the employer, remains responsible for its program. We help county highway departments run it: random consortium administration, collections by our own collectors across Nebraska and Kansas, Clearinghouse queries run by our team, supervisor training, and organized records.
To set a time to talk with Derek or Tom at the conference about CDL testing, record retention, or post-accident response, email [email protected] or call (402) 252-5144.
What this event covers. The agenda shows who is leading each session.
See the agenda for times and how to reserve each one.
Tom Nesbitt, our Chief Operating Officer and a former Nebraska State Patrol Colonel, presents Wednesday, December 16, at 12:30 p.m. in the Highway Superintendents, Engineers, Surveyors session. The focus is the drug and alcohol testing program for county CDL drivers and the records it requires.
After our session, the Nebraska State Patrol covers post-accident investigation and reconstruction at 1:15 p.m., and NIRMA covers managing motor grader incidents at 2:15 p.m.
Peter Cressy of the George Washington Leadership Institute and Lisa Quist of Land As Your Legacy open Thursday at 8:30 a.m. Breakouts cover grants, record retention, swatting with the FBI, rural railroad safety, public records requests, AI, and HR.
Derek Aude and Tom Nesbitt are attending. To set a time to talk at the conference about CDL testing, records, or post-accident response, email [email protected].
Chief Operating Officer
Diversified Safety & Compliance
Tom is our Chief Operating Officer and a former Nebraska State Patrol Colonel. He oversees operations across our four service areas and shapes how we prepare customer records for audits and handle post-accident and reasonable-suspicion response. He presents CDL Drug Testing and Record Retention on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. in the Highway Superintendents, Engineers, Surveyors session.
Keynote Speaker
George Washington Leadership Institute
A keynote speaker at Thursday's all-conference opening session, 8:30 a.m.
Keynote Speaker
Land As Your Legacy
A keynote speaker at Thursday's all-conference opening session, 8:30 a.m.
Attend the full day or drop in for the sessions that matter to your organization.
Registration opens in the Younes North Foyer. Vendors set up in the exhibit hall (Silver Ballroom) at the same time.
Registration runs 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Younes North Foyer, with a coffee and tea station. The exhibit hall is open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Silver Ballroom.
Separate sessions for assessors; clerks, registers of deeds, and election commissioners; clerks of the district court; county boards and attorneys; emergency managers; health directors; highway superintendents, engineers, and surveyors; planning and zoning; sheriffs; treasurers; veteran service officers; and weed superintendents.
Tom Nesbitt, Chief Operating Officer of Diversified Safety & Compliance, on the drug and alcohol testing program for county CDL drivers and the records it requires.
The Nebraska State Patrol on investigating and reconstructing crashes.
New this year: an afternoon networking hour in the Silver Ballroom.
Sponsored hospitality rooms and dinner at Younes South.
Breakfast, with registration open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the exhibit hall open 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Keynote speakers Peter Cressy of the George Washington Leadership Institute and Lisa Quist of Land As Your Legacy.
Choose from a livestock matrix session with Keith Marvin of Marvin Planning Consultants, finding grants with Katie LeDoux of Sunflower Grant Writers, record retention and paper hygiene, swatting with Eugene Kowel of the FBI, or a county board roundtable.
Lunch with Nebraska state senators invited, plus an exhibit hall break.
Choose from rural railroad safety; supporting community recovery after high-impact events with Kurt Mantonya, PhD, and Denise Bulling, PhD; public records requests with Leslie Donley of the Nebraska Department of Justice; AI use and best practices with Ed Knott of Applied Connective; an HR roundtable with Zelle HR Solutions; or an urban and micropolitan counties conversation.
The association's annual business meeting.
Door prizes from conference exhibitors.
Sponsored dinners and hospitality suites at Younes South.
NACO's legislative forum over breakfast closes the conference.
It takes about a minute. Tell us which sessions you want and we’ll have everything ready for you.
Questions about this event?
The Younes Conference Center North is at 707 Talmadge St on the Younes campus in Kearney. NACO runs a shuttle to and from hotels on and around the campus on Wednesday and Thursday, starting at 8 a.m. and running into the late evening. Check the NACO Connect app for the schedule.
Wednesday through Friday, December 16–18, 2026, at the Younes Conference Center North (Crowne Plaza), 707 Talmadge St, Kearney, NE 68845. Early registration opens Tuesday, December 15, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. The conference closes with the Legislative Forum and breakfast Friday from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Central.
NACO handles registration. Its posted pre-registration fee is $165 through November 20, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Central. After that, registrations are treated as on-site at $175. Guest or spouse registration is $100. Diversified Safety & Compliance is a presenter, not the organizer, so contact NACO at (402) 434-5660 with registration questions.
Wednesday, December 16, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. Central. Tom Nesbitt presents CDL Drug Testing and Record Retention in the Highway Superintendents, Engineers, Surveyors affiliate session. NACO posts room assignments, so check the NACO Connect app or the printed agenda for the room.
The drug and alcohol testing program for county CDL drivers and the records it requires. County road departments that employ CDL drivers follow FMCSA testing rules (49 CFR Part 382), including random, pre-employment, and post-accident testing, Clearinghouse queries, supervisor training, and retention periods that run from 1 to 5 years depending on the record (49 CFR 382.401).
NACO's room block request form for hotels on the Younes campus closed October 9. NACO lists additional lodging options on its conference page. For questions about Younes campus hotel reservations, call (308) 237-8813. NACO runs shuttles between the hotels around the Younes campus and the conference on Wednesday and Thursday.
Derek and Tom are both attending. To set a time to talk about CDL testing, record retention, random consortium administration, or post-accident response, email [email protected] or call (402) 252-5144. For an accident at any time, call our 24/7 line at the same number.
Our compliance team is available today for DOT testing, Clearinghouse and MOTUS support, driver qualification files, and audit preparation.
Call (402) 252-5144 · (402) 252-5144
