TOPIC

"Plain Language for Government"

Presented by: Valerie Hiltz, State of Michigan/ DTMB Central Procurement Services

How many times have you read a document, created internally or externally, and had wished that it just got to the point or didn't try to baffle you with their brilliance!

This webinar will touch on the Plain Language movement that began as a federal government initiative to help us unlearn all the writing habits we have been taught that make our messages too wordy and difficult to understand. Let's examine how to streamline our writing for impact and understanding. It isn't as easy as you think!

To register for this session, click the button below

November 2025 Lunch and Learn - 11/18/2025

"The Challenge of Procuring Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Stations"

Presented by Dean Peterson, Compliance Analyst with MDOT Office of Passenger Transportation



There are more than 10,000 EV charging stations in Michigan and more are being added all of the time, and the uniqueness of these systems pose significant challenges to procurement specialist.



In this presentation our speaker and fellow MPPOA member will discuss the challenges he has encountered and share his experiences, both good and bad, in establishing EV charging stations for rural transit agencies and their EV bus fleets.

To Register for this session, click on the button below:

January 20, 2026- Lunch and Learn



MPPOA Lunch and Learn- January 2026



"Your Project Isn't Telling You the Truth: The warning signs that never appear in dashboards, reports or slide decks"

Presented by Matthew Oleniuk, The Risk Insider. Matthew is a former public sector senior executive who provided oversight on major government projects.

Most public sector projects watch the dashboard, not the road.

Leaders review familiar metrics and feel reassured by “green” indicators — even as real dangers form outside the reporting frame. Dashboards capture activity, not vulnerability, and they routinely filter out the uncomfortable messages leaders most need to hear.

This session teaches public sector leaders how to detect the early, subtle signals of project collapse long before timelines slip or issues become public. Using real‐world examples, Matthew shows why the conditions that matter most never appear in slide decks, why routine reporting blinds teams at critical moments, and how project instability can take root when no one is looking.

To Register for this session, click on the button below:

MPPOA Lunch and Learn- Your Project Isn't Telling You the Truth- 3/17/2026