Speakers

John A. Adams, Jr., PhD, CEcD
Wellborn, TX

John A. Adams, Jr., served as President and CEO of Enterprise Florida Inc., and Executive Director of the Laredo Development Foundation as well as a delegate to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade negotiations in Geneva. He is the past Chairman of the Industry Sector Advisory Council for trade policy review at the U.S. Department of Commerce and has provided Congressional testimony on NAFTA and U.S.-Mexico border infrastructure issues. Formally an Adjunct Professor of International Banking and Finance at Texas A& M International University in Laredo, Dr. Adams is the author of a dozen books, to include Bordering the Future: Impact of Mexico on the U.S. Economy; and Conflict and Commerce on the Rio Grande: Laredo 1755-1955. He holds Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) credentials and is currently Business Development Manager for Knowledge Engineering at TEEX.

Williams J. Agate, Jr., LEED AP
Vice President, Navy Yard Management and Development
Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation
Philadelphia, PA

Mr. Agate leads the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC) team that is developing and managing the Philadelphia Navy Yard. Serving as one of Philadelphia's primary economic development engines, The Navy Yard represents one of the nation's most successful reuses of a former military installation with an effort that has been underway for 11 years and now includes a vibrant community with over 115 companies that occupy over 6 million SF of industrial, office and clean energy research facilities, with over 8,500 employees.

Since Summer, 2010, Mr. Agate led in determining a strategy to continue to own and operate the Navy Yard's existing unregulated electric grid with a comprehensive smart grid energy master plan underway. Mr. Agate also serves as a key participant within the Greater Philadelphia Innovation Cluster (GPIC), an organization created and led by the Pennsylvania State College, which is designated by the federal Department of Energy and six other federal agencies as the nation's energy efficiency hub.

Mr. Agate is a strong advocate for good sustainability practices and serves on a number of civic boards in the greater-Philadelphia region. Will lives with his wife of 25 years and two sons in the Chestnut Hill area of Philadelphia.

Charles S. Alvey, CEcD
Reno, NV

In September of 1998 Chuck Alvey was selected to be President/CEO of EDAWN (Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada) a private not-for-profit corporation and public-private partnership in the region. Since that time EDAWN has grown operating revenues from $700,000 (for 2006 and 2007 it was $3.2 million) and annual economic impact from about $125 million to $402 million per year. EDAWN has completed a very extensive analysis of the Greater Reno-Tahoe market. The result is an additional effort to focus on six key industries and niches within to attract, expand and help start-up companies that are high-yield to and sustainable within the market. The effort includes a strong brand/marketing and national public relations campaign to attract those top companies and related skilled workers. Mr. Alvey received his CEcD in 2003. Prior to EDAWN he spent 31 years in television management, programming and production, the final eight as General Manager of KOLO-TV/ABC in Reno. He has twice been selected by the Nevada Business Journal as one of Nevada's most respected CEO's and has twice been selected Marketer of the Year by the American Marketing Association/Reno Chapter.

Honorable Hope Andrade
Secretary of State
State of Texas
Austin, TX

Esperanza "Hope" Andrade is Texas' 107th Secretary of State and one of six state officials to form the Executive Department of the State of Texas. Governor Rick Perry appointed Secretary Andrade as the first Latina Secretary of State, swearing her into office on July 23, 2008.

Secretary Andrade serves as Texas' chief elections officer, chief international protocol officer and Border Commerce Coordinator for the Governor. Before being appointed Secretary of State, she served as chair of the Texas Transportation Committee. Prior to serving in state office, Secretary Andrade was a successful entrepreneur and leader in the San Antonio business community for more than three decades.

The Secretary's civic service includes previous leadership roles with the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Free Trade Alliance of San Antonio, the United Way, the San Antonio Symphony and the board of trustees for Our Lady of the Lake University.

In recognition of her service to Texas, Secretary Andrade has received a number of accolades including the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce's Lifetime Achievement Award, the Hope for Children Esperanza Award, and the San Antonio Leadership Hall of Fame Award. Additionally she has been named the Woman of the Year by the Houston Chapter of the Women's Transportation Seminar, Mother of the Year by Avance and Small Business Advocate of the Year by the Small Business Administration.

Secretary Andrade resides in San Antonio with her husband of 43 years, and has a son, a daughter-in-law, and three grandsons.

Rodolfo Andrade
Chief Executive Officer
AP Consulting Marketing and Economic Development
Mexicali, Mexico

Rodolfo Andrade has a Masters degree in Marketing and is working on a Doctoral degree in International Business. He graduated from EDI at University Of Oklahoma. And Is a member of the IEDC

In the mid 90´s Rodolfo headed the Industrial Development Commission of Mexicali, Mexico .Over 600 million dollars of investment from all over the world and over 8,000 new jobs Created in his term.

As Marketing Director for IVEMSA Shelter Company, he was in charge of attracting investment as well as serving as an administrative partner for companies establishing operations in Mexico, assisting over 25 companies from aerospace, automotive, medical, and commercial sectors setting up operations in Mexico. Companies such as GKN Aerospace, Paper-mate , and Panasonic. He has performed Site Selection Studies throughout Mexico for important fortune 500 companies such as ITT Corporation and Bic to name a few.

Rodolfo is founder of the CETYS University Economic Development Institute , a Certified IEDC Program. He has served as assistant Dean of the OU-EDI. As well as Board member of numerous chambers in his community.

Currently Rodolfo is CEO of APC Consultants an Economic Development and Marketing firm. And is a partner in 2 manufacturing and service companies in Mexico.

Darrell W. Auterson, CEcD, EDFP
President & CEO
York County Economic Alliance
York, PA

Darrell Auterson has been in the economic development profession for nearly 30 years. His background includes positions in county and city governments as well as various non-profit corporations. He has accumulated knowledge and expertise in numerous areas of economic development endeavor. As a community visionary and innovator, he has created and led numerous successful economic and community development initiatives.

In addition to his current role, Mr. Auterson has held positions in Indianapolis, IN, Champaign-Urbana, IL, Warrick County, IN, Rockingham County, NC, Long Beach, CA, and Terre Haute, IN.

Mr. Auterson is a Certified Economic Developer through the International Economic Development Council and an active member of the Economic Development Research Partners. He also holds certification as an Economic Development Finance Professional through the National Development Council and is a Certified Professional Supervisor through the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He served on the Board of Directors of the American Economic Development Council in 1999-2000. He serves on numerous local, regional and state boards and committees. He is a graduate of Indiana State University with a BS degree in Urban Regional Studies and a specialization in economic development.

Dan Bean, MA, MBA
Partner
CMA
St. Louis, MO

Dan Bean is an owner and managing partner of CMA, a management consulting firm located in St. Louis, Missouri. He received a Bachelors degree and a Masters degree in Business Administration and Psychology and a Masters degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Western Kentucky, and an MBA from the University of Missouri - St. Louis.

He has provided consulting services in a wide variety of industries, since 1980. His focus is on strategic planning, organizational assessment and structure, leadership and management development, coaching and individual and team development. He has worked extensively with family businesses, and has served as liaison to the Family Business Forum at Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville and he leads CMA's Family Business Forum roundtables.

He is a member of the American Psychological Association, the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, and a member of the Board of Directors of The Entrepreneurship Institute - St. Louis Chapter, Youthbridge Association and Kirkwood Baptist Church.

Ronnie L. Bryant, CEcD, FM
President & CEO
Charlotte Regional Partnership
Charlotte, NC

As President and CEO of the Charlotte Regional Partnership, Ronnie Bryant promotes the 16-county Charlotte USA region as a premier location for expanding and relocating businesses. With more than 30 years of technical, managerial and economic development expertise, Bryant is nationally known for establishing and implementing successful economic development programs, with a strong emphasis on existing industry expansion and retention, regionalism and marketing. The editors of Site Selection magazine have recognized Bryant for excellence in the field of economic development by naming three organizations he led, those in Pittsburgh, St. Louis and Charlotte, to its list of Top 10 economic development groups in the nation. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ranked him No. 25 on its list of top 50 business leaders, and Charlotte – The City Magazine named Bryant No. 30 in its list of Charlotte's Fifty Most Powerful.

Prior to joining Charlotte Regional Partnership, Bryant was president and chief operating officer of the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance where he marketed the region and collaborated with regional economic development agencies to develop and implement job creation strategies. Before working in Pittsburgh, Bryant was the senior vice president of the Economic Development Division for the St. Louis Regional Chamber & Growth Association where he has been credited with the development of job creation strategies that resulted in more than 117,000 jobs within a five-year period. These professional skills grew from leading the development team at the Shreveport, La., Chamber of Commerce, working as a development consultant, and holding managerial and technical positions at AT&T's Western Electric facility.

Bryant, a certified economic developer (CEcD) since 1991, is a graduate of Louisiana State University in Shreveport and the Economic Development Institute at the University of Oklahoma (OU/EDI) in Norman. While attending OU/EDI, he received the American Economic Development Council's Robert B. Cassell Leadership Award for excellence in leadership and scholarship. He currently serves as the dean, as well as a member of the OU/EDI executive board and faculty. Bryant has lectured internationally and nationally on issues related to economic development marketing, professional development and organizational management, and is currently an adjunct faculty member at UNC Charlotte Belk College of Business.

Robert J. Camoin, CEcD
Principal
Camoin Associates, Inc.
Saratoga Springs, NY

Over the past 28 years, Rob Camoin has developed a comprehensive understanding of the business investment decision making process and the important role that public and quasipublic sector organizations play in creating healthy business environments. In 1999, Rob formed Camoin Associates to assist businesses and developers in pursuing public financing and tax incentives for expansion and industrial development projects and to help economic development organizations and local governments foster private investment. Since then, Camoin Associates has assisted hundreds of private businesses in securing millions of dollars in financing and tax credits, and has guided more than 30 local communities through strategic planning processes with the goal of strengthening their competitiveness in an increasingly global economy. Most recently, Rob established Advanced Energy Economics to focus on Energy-led economic development services.

Rob has a BBA in Finance and Economics from St. Bonaventure University and a Masters of Planning degree from SUNY @ Buffalo. Prior to establishing Camoin Associates, Rob worked in the equity and currency markets in New York City, becoming Series 7 and 63 licensed. He began his economic development and planning career as the Development Director for Saranac Lake, New York.

Camoin Associates provides consulting services to economic development organizations, businesses, developers and municipalities. These services include innovation economy benchmarking, formulating economic development strategies that identify opportunities for energy-led, commercial and industrial development, providing market and financial feasibility studies used in the investment decision process, identifying and pursuing financing and tax incentive packages necessary to induce private investment, and cost/benefit studies that measure the impact a public or private investment will have on a local economy and taxing jurisdiction.

Currently, Rob is the Vice-Chair of IEDC's Awards Task Force and serves on the Board of the Northeast Economic Developer's Association and the New York State-wide Zone Capital.

Danielle Casey, CEcD, EDFP, MA
Economic Development Director
City of Maricopa
Maricopa, AZ

Danielle Casey joined the City of Maricopa in June 2005. Her responsibilities include the management of general operations for the City's economic development efforts, as well as overseeing all City marketing and communications activities. Ms. Casey has managed a number of noteworthy tasks in the establishment of the City's economic development office, such as the creation of the Industrial Development Authority of the City of Maricopa, the development and Council approval of a Fast Track Program, the creation and implementation of the City's Business Retention and Expansion Program, and a City-wide branding initiative and 5-year Economic Development Strategic Plan. The creation of the City's Redevelopment District Area Plan was also developed under her purview and in its first year received two grant awards. Prior to joining the City of Maricopa, Ms. Casey attained significant experience in the non-profit sector working in fundraising, marketing, and event and membership management.

Ms. Casey received her Bachelor's Degree from Arizona State University and Master's of Administration from Northern Arizona University, and is a Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) as well as a certified Economic Development Finance Professional (EDFP). She serves as an Executive Board Member with the Arizona Association for Economic Development and in May of 2010 was the proud recipient of the 'Economic Developer of the Year - Small Community' award from that organization.

Jon Chadwell, CEcD
Executive Director
Newport Economic Development Commission
Newport, AR

As Executive Director for the Newport Economic Development Commission, Jon Chadwell is actively involved in marketing a rural Arkansas community. Through trial and error (plenty of errors) Jon has learned some things that work well and many that don't. His personal goal is to keep in mind that the end result of marketing any community is to improve the quality of life for the people who live there.

Jon received his Bachelor's degree from Harding University in 1985. In 1997 he graduated from Community Development Institute at the University of Central Arkansas. His Master of Divinities degree was completed in 1999 from Harding Graduate School of Religion. Jon is a graduate of LeadAR Class 10. In 2005, he became a Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) through the International Economic Development Council.

Additional experience comes from Jon's eclectic job background. He has worked in a number of different ministry settings both full-time and part-time. A grant-writing job required that he lead 18 grassroots community groups through a comprehensive strategic planning process, which allowed the community to receive a major grant. Jon has also worked as a Main Street director, a Chamber Director, facilitator of two adult leadership programs and facilitator of a youth leadership program. The Newport Economic Development Commission is the third economic development group he has guided.

Jon has lived in Arkansas, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, and as a child, Cameroon, West Africa. Travels abroad have taken him to eleven foreign countries and allowed him to experience a large number of cultural differences. As different as people can be from place to place, their underlying needs and desires remain the same.

Awards Jon has received include several leadership awards from different groups, including 1987 Outstanding Young Men of America, a 1999 Better Newspaper Advertising Award, 2005 Jackson County Outstanding Citizen and the Newport Independent's 2005 Man of the Year.

Joseph R. Chapa
Executive Director, International Trade Development & Assistance Center
Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce
Irving, TX

Joe Chapa is a Bi-cultural internationalist who has extensive private industry experience and skills in Finance, Strategic Planning, Operations and Marketing. Chapa is a global executive who has focused his attention on the oil & gas industry and on U.S.-Mexico trade and development.

Chapa currently serves as Vice President, International Trade Centers, for the U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce, a position where he divides his time between the two countries, providing support to the Chamber's U.S. offices, while directing the Chamber's chapters in Northeast and Central Mexico (Monterrey and Guanajuato); he also directs several special government grant projects in the two countries; his responsibilities include assisting U.S. companies do business in Mexico. He is also Executive Director of the International Trade Development and Assistance Center, Irving, TX., a joint project between the U.S.-Mexico Chamber and the Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce, which focuses on helping Texas companies undertake trade in Mexico and throughout the world.

Concurrently, he also serves as Chief Financial Officer for PAZ Resources, LLC, a recently founded privately held entity based in Irving, Texas, which followed his involvement in a previous and similar endeavor through PAZ Energy, LLC, where he also held the position of Chief Financial Officer. PAZ Energy, also privately held, was in existence from 2006 through 2010 and was involved in production, marketing and distribution of natural gas. In addition to funding from capital injection, the company also raised $125 million to fund development and operations.

Prior to the above positions and during an 18-year career with Mobil Oil Corporation, Chapa progressed from positions in Operations in the U.S. (Chicago and New York), to senior expatriate assignments overseas. International experience included postings in Bogota, Colombia, as Operations Supervisor, then Planning Associate (Colombia, Peru, Chile, Ecuador); in San Juan, Puerto Rico, as Plans & Programs Manager for the Caribbean and Central America, then as General Manager of Mobil's Liquefied Petroleum Gas company; and in Harare, Zimbabwe, first as Plans & Programs Director, then as Group Operations Director for five countries with revenues in excess of $200 million and over 500 employees (Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique and Tanzania).

Previously, he co-founded and for more than two years was President of a training company based in Virginia (Interactive Ventures, Inc.), and has undertaken numerous educational and in-house training assignments in the areas of finance, international trade and in the petroleum industry. During the Summers of 2006 and 2007, he taught an Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Business Plans Program at Western Illinois University in Macomb, IL.

Tim Chase, CEcD, FM
President & CEO
Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Wichita Falls, TX

Mr. Chase was named President and CEO of the Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 2001 after having served as its Vice President of Economic Development since 1998. Included in the Chamber's missions are economic development, workforce development, military affairs and community-wide Marketing for the City of Wichita Falls, Texas, trade area 387,000.

Serving as the Director of the Dixon, Illinois, Industrial Development Association (DIDA) for ten years prior to moving to Texas, Mr. Chase also spent 12 years in retail management and four years in the Navy.

Mr. Chase is the recent past Dean for the University of Oklahoma's Economic Development Institute. He has taught at EDI for 18 years and is a nationally recognized speaker on the topics of economic & community development, strategic planning, infrastructure, sales, and marketing. He is the former chairman of Team Texas, a marketing organization of 55 Texas communities.

An International Economic Development Council (IEDC) member since 1988 and currently serves on the Board of Directors. Mr. Chase was presented with the first Outstanding New Economic Developer award in 1993. He became a Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) in 1994, and for his work in the field of training and education related to economic development, Mr. Chase received his Fellow Member (FM) in May of 2001.

Tedra Cheatham, CEcD
Executive Director
The Clean Air Campaign
Atlanta, GA

Tedra Cheatham joined The Clean Air Campaign as executive director in 2011, leading statewide efforts for cleaner air and less traffic. Formerly, Tedra worked as chief operating officer and vice president of economic development for the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce near Atlanta, Georgia, helping foster a thriving business community that is home to several Fortune 500 companies.

Tedra previously held leadership positions overseeing economic development and tourism for the cities of Bedford and Euless, Texas. A Louisiana native, she began her career in government affairs and later worked as an analyst for the Louisiana State Senate. Tedra was named to the White House's deployment team to the Gulf Coast in 2010 to address economic conditions following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and served on the Post-Katrina Task Force in New Orleans.

An active member of the community, Tedra helped establish The Drake House, a residential assessment center in Roswell, Georgia for homeless women and their children. She also serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the International Economic Development Council. Tedra earned her Bachelor of Arts from Louisiana State University and her Master of Public Administration from the University of New Orleans.

Henry Cisneros
Chairman & CEO, CityView
Former United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
San Antonio, TX

Henry Cisneros is Executive Chairman of the CityView companies, which work with urban homebuilders to create homes priced within the range of average families. CityView is a partner in building more than 60 communities in 13 states, incorporating more than 7,000 homes with a home value of over $2 billion.

Mr. Cisneros' community-building career began at the local level. After serving three terms as a City Councilmember, in 1981, Mr. Cisneros became the first Hispanic-American mayor of a major U.S. city, San Antonio, Texas. During his four terms as Mayor, he helped rebuild the city's economic base and spurred the creation of jobs through massive infrastructure and downtown improvements. In 1984, Mr. Cisneros was interviewed by the Democratic Presidential nominee as a possible candidate for Vice President of the United States and in 1986 was selected as the "Outstanding Mayor" in the nation by City and State Magazine.

After completing four terms as Mayor, Mr. Cisneros formed Cisneros Asset Management Company, a fixed income management firm operating nationally and ranked at the time as the second fastest growing money manager in the nation.

In 1992, President Clinton appointed Mr. Cisneros to be Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. As a member of President Clinton's Cabinet, Secretary Cisneros was credited with initiating the revitalization of many of the nation's public housing developments and with formulating policies which contributed to achieving the nation's highest ever homeownership rate. In his role as the President's chief representative to the nation's cities, Mr. Cisneros personally worked in more than 200 U.S. cities in every one of the 50 states.

After leaving HUD in 1997, Mr. Cisneros was president and chief operating officer of Univision Communications, the Spanish-language broadcaster which has become the fifth-most-watched television network in the nation. Mr. Cisneros currently serves on Univision's Board of Directors.

Mr. Cisneros has served as President of the National League of Cities, as Deputy Chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and is currently an officer of Habitat for Humanity International. Mr. Cisneros remains active in San Antonio's leadership where he is Chairman of the San Antonio Economic Development Foundation. He is currently a member of the advisory boards of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Broad Foundation.

Mr. Cisneros has been inducted into the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) "Builders Hall of Fame" and honored by the National Housing Conference as the "Housing Person of the Year."

Mr. Cisneros has also been author or editor of several books including: Interwoven Destinies: Cities and the Nation. His book project with former HUD Secretary Jack Kemp, Opportunity and Progress: A Bipartisan Platform for National Housing Policy, was presented the Common Purpose Award for demonstrating the potential of bipartisan cooperation and Casa y Comunidad: Latino Home and Neighborhood Design was awarded the Benjamin Franklin Silver Medal in the category of best business book of 2006.

Mr. Cisneros holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master's degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Texas A&M University. He earned a Master's degree in Public Administration from Harvard University, studied urban economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, holds a Doctorate in Public Administration from George Washington University, and has been awarded more than 20 honorary doctorates from leading universities. He served as an infantry officer in the United States Army. Mr. Cisneros is married to Mary Alice P. Cisneros, who from 2007-2011 served on San Antonio's City Council and they have three children - Teresa, Mercedes, and John Paul - and four grandchildren.

Dennis G. Coleman, CEcD, FM
President & CEO
St. Louis County Economic Council
St. Louis, MO

Dennis G. (Denny) Coleman is the president & CEO of St. Louis County Economic Council. Prior to his present position, Coleman was director of development for the City of St. Louis, being in charge of the city's neighborhood, housing and economic development efforts. He also has served as vice-president for community development at Mercantile Bank when the bank's community development corporation won national Fair Housing awards and a Private Sector Initiatives Award from the White House. He also was the founding director of the DeSales Housing Corporation, a non-profit, neighborhood-based organization. St. Louis County Economic Council is a not-for-profit economic development organization responsible for creating high quality business and employment opportunities for long-term diversified growth throughout St. Louis County and the St. Louis region. Mr. Coleman has a master's degree in urban and regional planning from the University of Wisconsin and a bachelor's degree in urban geography from St. Louis University. He also has completed the Senior Executives Program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and serves on the national board of directors of the International Economic Development Council.

Tiffany Coleman, CEcD
Economic Development Coordinator
Urbandale Development Association
Urbandale, IA

Tiffany Coleman is the President of EDO Services, Inc. She provides economic development organizations with services such as planning, organization administration and project management. Additionally, she assists start-up companies with site selection, resource identification and accessing financial assistance.

Tiffany has 13 years of experience in economic development. Prior to starting her own company, she worked for county-wide organizations and cities in both Missouri and Iowa. She has pioneered new economic development programs and held the positions of executive director and project manager.

In addition to being a Certified Economic Developer (CEcD), Tiffany has a MBA from University of Iowa and a BS in Biology from Culver-Stockton College in Canton, MO.

Tiffany is a member of International Economic Development Council and Professional Developers of Iowa. Additionally, she serves on the MidIowa SBDC Advisory Board and Endow Urbandale Board. She lives in Indianola, Iowa and is currently the chair of the Planning and Zoning Commission.

John D. Cook, CEcD
Economic Development Department Manager
CenterPoint Energy
Houston, TX

John Cook leads the economic development efforts of CenterPoint Energy. As Department Manager, he has over 20 years of experience in economic development and is a Certified Economic Developer. John began his career with the company as a Project Manager in Economic Development and has played an increasingly integral role in the Economic Development Department. Prior to joining CenterPoint Energy, John was the National Sales Manager for two industrial plastics products and services companies, where he guided several new product launches.

John is a leader and an active member of the economic development community. He holds prominent positions in organizations such as the Texas Economic Development Council, Utility Economic Development Association and Texas Manufacturers Assistance Center. Beyond his professional interests, John is active in church and community volunteer activities. He also enjoys travel and amateur autocross.

Larry Cope
Executive Director
Tuolomne County Economic Development Authority
Sonora, CA

Larry Cope is the Director of Economic Development for the Tuolumne County Economic Development Authority (TCEDA) in Sonora, California. The TCEDA is a joint partnership between Tuolumne County and the City of Sonora. Cope is responsible for the retention and recruitment of businesses for Tuolumne County. He is currently Chair of the Central Sierra Economic Partnership (CSEP), a regional group of economic development organizations, including: Amador, Calaveras, Mariposa, and Tuolumne Counties. He serves on the Tuolumne County Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Board. Cope spearheaded a collaborative group of four agencies known as the Business Alliance of Tuolumne County who offers free business counseling and classes to small business owners. Cope recently became Executive Director of the Central Sierra Economic Development District (CSEDD), a federally funded district comprised of 4 counties and 7 cities, and was contracted to complete their Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS).

In addition, Cope holds an executive level board member position as treasurer for California Association of Local Economic Development (CALED), California Downtown Association (CDA), California Enterprise Development Authority (CEDA), and serves as a board member on the California Academy for Economic Development.

Prior to his position in Sonora, Cope served as President/CEO of the Gilroy Economic Development Corporation in Gilroy, California, where he also served as the Chairman of the Board for both the Silicon Valley Economic Development Alliance (SVEDA) and the Central Coast Marketing Team (CCMT).

Cope was the Executive Director for the Junction City-Geary County Economic Development Commission in Junction City-Fort Riley, Kansas from 2001 to 2005, and was also the Executive Director for the Jefferson County Economic Development Commission in Oskaloosa, Kansas from 1996 to 2001.

He is a 2007 Graduate of the California Downtown Association Institute, 2003 graduate of the Community Development Institute, 2001 graduate of the Economic Development Institute, and a 2001 graduate of the National Development Council's Economic Development Finance Professional Institute. He holds national certifications as a Professional Community and Economic Developer (PCED), an Economic Development Finance Professional (EDFP), and a Certified Downtown Professional (CDP).

With over fifteen years of economic development, and twenty-two years of management, technology and marketing background, Cope is a sought-after speaker and guest instructor throughout the nation by organizations such as the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), California Association of Economic Development (CALED), California Downtown Association (CDA), the Economic Development Institute, the Community Development Institute, Columbia College and Kansas State University.

JoAnn Crary, CEcD
President
Saginaw Future Inc.
Saginaw, MI

JoAnn Crary is the President of Saginaw Future, a non-profit economic development organization. She has held that position since 1993 and has been in economic development since the mid 1980's.

Crary completed her undergraduate degree from Ferris State University and has a Masters degree from Central Michigan University. She is a Certified Economic Developer (CEcD), a graduate of the University of Oklahoma's Economic Development Institute and is a certified Economic Development Finance Professional.

Crary is a member of the MEDC Collaborative Development Council and the Incentives Committee. She is currently a member of the Board of the International Economic Development Council and serves as the Vice Chair of External & Member Relations, on the Diversity Task Force, is a member of the Economic Development Research Partners and is on the Audit Committee. She has served on the IEDC Board since 2006.

Crary is also on the Saginaw County Revolving Loan Fund Board, Saginaw Brownfield Redevelopment Authority, Citizens Bank Market Area Board and the Saginaw Hospital Finance Authority. Crary also serves on the Covenant HealthCare Partners Board of Directors, Board of Fellows at Saginaw Valley State University, Mobile Medical Response Finance Committee and is an ex officio member of the Saginaw County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.

Crary was given the Wally Bronner Community Spirit Award from the Saginaw County Chapter of American Red Cross in 2010. She was also honored with the inaugural Economic Leadership Award from Junior Achievement of Northeast Michigan in 2010. The Saginaw County Chamber of Commerce gave Crary its inaugural Athena Award in 2005 and in 2001, the Michigan Economic Developers Association named Crary as the MEDA Medalist Award winner. In 1996, she was honored by Governor Engler as the Economic Developer of the Year for outstanding contributions in economic development.

Bill Davis
Principal
WRDavis Collaborative
Davis, CA

Jean DeBellis
Vice President, Operations
Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation

Jean DeBellis has worked at the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation, the City of Philadelphia's economic development agency, for the past 27 years. Since 1958 PIDC has made over 6,000 loans totaling more than $10 billion in financing through its various loan programs, ranging from tax-exempt financing and CDBG lending to business assistance for defense conversion. Ms. DeBellis has been responsible for the day-to-day operations of managing that portfolio, including not only all servicing processes but also a wide range of reporting to outside entities (EDA, HUD, CDFI Fund, SBA) and to "special requests" for information, including politicians at all levels and the press. Her duties included tracking job creation goals and all funding requirements. In 1986 PIDC designed its software package, Portfol™, to help manage everything PIDC does. Ten years later PIDC was approached by other economic development agencies who wanted the opportunity to use Portfol™ and since that point Ms. DeBellis has trained and worked with more than 200 agencies nationwide to assist them in meeting their portfolio management needs. For the past 11 years Ms. DeBellis has been a member of the Loan Advisory Committee for the Women's Opportunity Resource Center, a microenterprise lender in Philadelphia.

Gene DePrez
Partner
Global Innovation Partners
Sparta, NJ

Founding partner of Global Innovation Partners, a group of highly experienced innovation champions assisting businesses, cities and universities to increase their global competitiveness. Recently chief innovation officer for the UK's first comprehensive economic development company. Previously Co-Global and Americas Leader for IBM's Global Location and Economic Development strategies consulting practice, and associate partner in IBM's Strategy & Change practice and IBM's Global Innovation Team, and at PricewaterhouseCoopers prior to IBM's acquisition of PwC's management consulting practice.

Over 35 years of advising hundreds of the world's leading organizations to transform their business strategies and where to invest and locate their headquarters, research centres, advanced manufacturing and other major business units. Past clients include Citigroup, Novartis, Merck, Becton Dickinson, P&G/Gillette, Hertz Corporation, Shire Pharmaceuticals, Master Card, VISA and UPS.

Directed competitive economic development strategy for numerous states and city - regions throughout North America and the UK. Clients have included Pennsylvania, Texas, Louisiana, Maryland, Indiana, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, New York, and New Jersey, and metro areas of Phoenix, Toledo, Baltimore, Toronto, and Sheffield and Hull in the UK. Led the development of best practice growth models for universities and technology parks, among them the world class Research Triangle Park.

Also served as Vice President of PHH Fantus and as Principal of Fluor Daniel Consulting, and President/CEO of Partnerships DataNet; a Washington DC based national collaborative development initiative formed by the White House with business and association leaders. Earlier was a university director of public affairs and held several marketing communications positions at Eastman Kodak.

Karen Dickson, CEcD
Vice President
Denton Economic Development
Denton, TX

As the economic development vice president for the Denton Chamber of Commerce, Karen Dickson oversees the daily operations of the Chamber's economic development program and budget and carries out marketing campaigns to attract those prospects that are most compatible with the Denton area.

Karen began her economic development career in 1999 at the Clear Lake Area Economic Development Foundation (CLAEDF), now known as the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership (BAHEP), as a marketing manager. Next, Karen worked for the Pearland Economic Development Corporation as their business and retention manager where she was directly responsible for the establishment of the award-winning Business Retention & Expansion program. She is currently the vice president of economic development for the Denton Chamber of Commerce. Karen is an instructor for the Basic Economic Development Course and served on the board of directors for the Texas Economic Development Council (TEDC) and many committees as well as various committees of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC),

Karen is a native of Bryan/College Station, Texas and graduated from Bryan High School. She received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science from the University of Houston-Clear Lake and a Masters of Public Administration degree from the University of North Texas. She is a graduate of the Basic Economic Development Course at Texas A&M University, a graduate of the Economic Development Institute (EDI) at the University of Oklahoma, and received the Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) Designation as recognized by the International Economic Development Council. Karen is also author of Pounding the Pavement: Pearland's Path to Business Retention & Expansion Success in the Fall, 2005 publication of the IEDC Economic Development Journal.

Karen is a Rotarian and sits on the board of directors for the Rotary Club of Denton.

Brett Doney, CEcD
President
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
Great Falls, MT

Brett Doney is the President and CEO of the Great Falls Development Authority, a public/private partnership with the mission of growing and diversifying the 13 county Rocky Mountain Front Great Falls trade area in central Montana. Efforts include business retention, expansion and attraction, workforce development, real estate development and entrepreneurship. Industry focuses include agri-processing and energy production. The Authority is a Community Development Financial Institution, and hosts a Small Business Development Center and a Procurement Technical Assistance Center. Doney is also responsible for managing High Plains Financial, a SBA Certified Development Corporation.

Doney has 27 years of experience in economic development. Past positions include President of Enterprise Maine, a community economic development organization in western Maine, Director of the Ft. Devens Reuse Center, a 9,600 acre army base redevelopment effort in Massachusetts, and President of Doney Associates, a Boston-based consulting firm focused on urban revitalization.

Doney's professional certifications include Certified Economic Developer (CEcD), Senior Leader of Corporate Real Estate (SLCR), American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and Economic Development Finance Professional (EDFP). He is a graduate of the Economic Development Institute at the University of Oklahoma. Doney earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California at Santa Barbara and a Masters in Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Doney serves on the Boards of NeighborWorks Great Falls, the Great Falls Area Chamber of Commerce, the Montana Economic Development Association, the Central Montana Defense Alliance and the Great Falls Rotary Club.

Kathy J. Evert, CEcD
President & CEO
Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corp.
Spencer, IA

Kathy Evert received the distinguished Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) designation in October 1994. She also earned the Certified Economic Development Finance Professional designation in 1986 and the Master Consultant designation in the Business Retention and Expansion Program in 1995. She has been working in community and economic development at the regional, state and local level for more than 25 years.

She is the President of the Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation, beginning on September 19, 2005. She held similar executive positions in Davenport and Burlington, Iowa; Norfolk, Lincoln and Ogallala, Nebraska.

She is a past president of the Professional Developers of Iowa (PDI) and of the MidAmerica Economic Development Council (MAEDC) Board of Directors, a 10-state regional economic development association, and Chair of Community Housing Initiatives (CHI), a national non-profit housing development and management organization based in Spencer.

She is a native of Ponca, Nebraska and obtained a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration from St. Ambrose University. She and her husband Craig live in Spirit Lake.

Dawn Ferrante
Executive Director
Carbon County Economic Development Corporation
Jim Thorpe, PA

Dawn is the Executive Director of the Carbon County Economic Development Corporation and also has a dual role as the Director for the Carbon County Economic Development Department. She has held both positions since February of 2009. Dawn is responsible for supporting local businesses, attracting new business, and developing entrepreneurs in Carbon County. Prior to her role in Economic Development, Dawn was a business and technology consultant and was a project manager on large implementations for Verizon, AT&T, and many other Fortune 500 clients for more than 17 years.

Prior to working in the corporate world, Dawn owned her own business in San Francisco for five years. Dawn is a strong proponent of entrepreneurship as an economic development strategy.

Dawn has a degree in Broadcasting from San Francisco State University and began her career in the multimedia industry in the Bay Area developing educational and game titles. She is also currently enrolled in the Master's program at Pennsylvania State University in Community and Economic Development.

Originally from California, she has lived in Denver, CO and Bridgewater, NJ prior to moving to Pennsylvania where she has resided since 2002.

Kristen Fish, CEcD
Managing Partner
Redevelopment Resources, LLC
Wausau, WI

Kristen Fish has 20 years of direct experience leading the business development efforts of a small municipality, and working in media and manufacturing sectors. She has managed all aspects of a business development program including business recruitment, retention, entrepreneurial programming, marketing, loan fund management and deal structuring. She managed development in the City of Wausau, WI's 400+ acre industrial park, and also managed the City's Tax Increment Financing program.

In the manufacturing sector, Ms. Fish led the business development efforts of a custom manufacturer of large hydraulic cylinders and hydraulic system components, primarily serving the oil and gas industry, mining industry, and U.S. Department of Defense.

Ms. Fish was President of the Wisconsin Economic Development Association in 2008. She was a Board Member of the International Economic Development Council in 2006-2008. She is a Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) through the International Economic Development Association; has her MBA from the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh, and her BBA in Marketing from the University of North Dakota. She also holds her real estate license in the state of Wisconsin, with a focus on commercial real estate/development/redevelopment.

She is currently the managing partner of Redevelopment Resources, LLC, an economic development and real estate consulting group.

Jim Fram, CEcD, CCE
Senior Vice President, Economic Development
Tulsa Metro Chamber
Tulsa, OK

A 25 year veteran of economic development and chamber of commerce management, Jim has served in senior management and CEO roles in economic development organizations and/or chambers of commerce in Arkansas, Texas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma.

As the Senior Vice President for Economic Development for the Tulsa Metro Chamber he leads a nationally recognized staff team of professional economic developers who work in the areas of Business Attraction, Business Expansion, Business Development, and Business Retention.

Following formal education at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Fram graduated from the Institute for Organizational Management at Southern Methodist University and from the Economic Development Institute at the University of Oklahoma. In addition to many professional awards and honors, Jim has earned both CCE (Certified Chamber Executive) and CEcD (Certified Economic Developer) status, one of only a dozen active professionals in the nation to hold both designations.

In 2001, Fram was selected by his peers as the Economic Development Professional of the Year by both the Tulsa Area Partnership and the Oklahoma Economic Development Council. He served as the Chairman of the Oklahoma Governor's Economic Development Team in 2007. He also serves on the Board of the Heartland Basic Economic Development Course and is a past chair of the International Economic Development Council's Education & Certification Committee.

In 2011, Jim was honored with "Fellow Member" (FM) designation by the International Economic Development Council in recognition of his service to the economic development profession.

Todd Greene, CEcD
Vice President, Community & Economic Development Research & Policy
Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
Atlanta, GA

Todd Greene is vice president in the research department at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. Greene's responsibilities include providing leadership, strategic direction, and oversight for the community and economic development division and for the Americas Center. He is also the co-director of the Atlanta Fed's Center for Human Capital Studies.

• The community and economic development division supports the Fed's monetary policy function as well as community and economic development activities, community reinvestment, and fair lending throughout the Sixth District. Addressing a broad range of development topics including small business, neighborhood stabilization, and workforce and employment, the division undertakes research and analysis and identifies best practices, builds partnerships, and provides training and technical assistance to financial institutions, community and economic development organizations, government agencies, and policymakers.

• The Americas Center seeks to understand, cooperate and coordinate with, and respond effectively to changes in Latin American, Caribbean, and Spanish financial institutions and markets. Its mission involves better supervising constituencies, strengthening the Federal Reserve System's and Sixth Federal Reserve District's voice and influence in hemispheric policymaking, and adding value to evolving regional payment processing. • The Center for Human Capital Studies intends to enhance the understanding of human capital development and labor market issues. The center's broad focus is on the interaction between labor markets and the health and education sectors and the associated human capital development and workforce policies derived from such enhanced understanding.

Before joining the Atlanta Fed in 2008, Greene held leadership roles in the private, government, and educational sectors. Most recently he was a member of the general faculty at Georgia Tech where, at various times, he served as center director and oversaw research and programs related to applied economic development including the Program in Science, Technology and Innovation Policy and the Center for Manufacturing Information Technology.

Currently, Greene is on the board of directors of the International Economic Development Council and the Georgia Academy for Economic Development and is a member of the Southern Economic Development Council. He is a past president of the Georgia Economic Developers Association. His previous board and advisory council experience includes the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta, and the SouthEast Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors.

Greene is a graduate of the 2011 Leadership Atlanta, 2009 Leadership Georgia, and 2003 Buckhead Business Association programs. In 2002, he obtained the Certified Economic Developer designation (CEcD). Greene earned a bachelor's degree in English and American literature and language from Harvard University and master's degrees in human resources management from Washington University and public administration from Georgia State University.

James W. Griffin, CEcD, HLM, FM
Executive Director
City of Hornell Industrial Development Agency
Hornell, NY

James W. Griffin is the Executive Director of the City of Hornell Industrial Development Agency and President of the Hornell Area Chamber of Commerce and has headed both of these entities for over 38 years. He is Consultant and former Executive Director of the Steuben County Industrial Development Agency since 1986.

Mr. Griffin graduated from St. Bonaventure University in 1960 with a BBA and served in the US Army from 1963 - 1965 and the US Army Reserve from 1965 - 1972. Prior to 1972 Mr. Griffin was owner of Griffin General Tire.

Mr. Griffin is Past Chairman of the American Economic Development Council; Past Chairman of the International Economic Development Council - Honorary Life Member and Fellow Member; and a Certified Economic Developer for the past 20 years; Past Chairman & Member of Board of Directors of the New York State Economic Development Council - New York State Developer of the Year 1991.

Mr. Griffin is also a Board Member of Steuben-Chemung-Schuyler Workforce New York; Southern Tier Central Regional Planning & Development Board; Regional Economic Development & Energy Council; New York State New Market Tax Credits Task Force; and the Western New York & Pennsylvania Railroad.

Mr. Griffin helped create the City of Hornell Industrial Development Agency (CHIDA) in 1974 and has directed it since. Under his direction, the Agency has created over 3500 new jobs and retained over 1500 jobs. CHIDA has constructed seven industrial and commercial parks, five of which are fully occupied. CHIDA has constructed over four miles of new roads and streets and installed over seven miles of sewer and water lines. CHIDA has applied for and received over $20 million in State and Federal construction grants and loans and this has resulted in new private investment of over $200 million. CHIDA is a completely self- sufficient agency operating on a budget of over $1 million annually without any government assistance. This has all been accomplished in a city of under 10,000 population.

Richard Griffin, CEcD, AICP
Director of Economic Development
City of Frederick, Department of Economic Development
Frederick, MD

Trevor W. Hamilton, CEcD
Senior Director Economic Development
Cincinnati USA Partnership
Cincinnati, OH

Trevor W. Hamilton is Senior Director, Economic Development for the Cincinnati USA Partnership, which is responsible for attracting, retaining and growing new business, jobs and investment in the three-state, 15-county region known as Cincinnati USA. Hamilton is responsible for leading all economic development activities in the aerospace, automotive and advanced materials industries.

For over twenty years, Hamilton has provided leadership and direction to economic development programs in Ohio, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina in the areas of attraction, retention & expansion, workforce development and small business development.

Prior to his current role, Hamilton was Vice President of Economic Development & Chief Economic Development Officer for the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce. Under his leadership the Chamber successfully stimulated 94 location and expansion projects creating more than 12,000 jobs and more than $2.4 billion in new investments.

In addition to leading other local and regional economic development initiatives, Hamilton also served as Executive Director of the Ohio Tax Credit Authority from 1994 through 1998, where he reviewed, negotiated and recommended business projects resulting in nearly 400 business location and expansion projects, 40,000 new jobs and $5.3 billion in new capital investments.

Hamilton is also past-chair of the Tennessee Economic Partnership, a statewide, public-private economic development organization that conducts business development activities in partnership with the State of Tennessee, the Tennessee Valley Authority and the state's business and economic development community.

Hamilton earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Virginia Tech and has completed graduate work in economic development, urban affairs and planning, economics, and finance. He has earned the designation of Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) and holds certificates from numerous continuing education courses in economic development, leadership, organizational management, and foreign trade zones.

Janet Hammer, PhD
Director, The Initiative on Triple Bottom Line Development
College of Urban and Public Affairs, Portland State University
Portland, OR

Dr. Janet Hammer serves as Program Director for The Initiative on Triple Bottom Line Development at Portland State University. Drawing on two decades of experience in public, private, and non-profit settings, her focus is on development strategies that achieve economic, social, and environmental excellence - also known as triple bottom line (TBL) results. Currently, she is leading a project for the US Economic Development Administration to create an on-line tool to assess the triple bottom line of economic development investment that is useful to practitioners, policymakers, and public, private, and non-profit investors. Janet is a systems thinker who works in the challenging but rich spaces that exist where different disciplines and sectors intersect. She comes from a family of small business owners. Her degrees have been earned at UC Davis, the University of Pennsylvania, and Portland State University.

Don A. Holbrook, CEcD, FM
Partner
The Vercitas Group
Las Vegas, NV

Don Holbrook is a private practitioner involved in site selection for private sector investment projects and economic development consulting nationally as one of the fields most influential and recognized subject matter experts. His site selection practice specializes in public backed business attraction inducements and incentives within the tourism destination location entertainment industry. The establishment of public private partnerships in such projects is critical to their success. Don has specialized in creating customized incentive policies that reduce the over-all cost of the project to the clients with favorable ROI to both the private and public sector partners that takes into account market based realities, economic risk & reward justifications and economic impact models that support investor solicitation packages to the private debt and equities capital markets worldwide.

Holbrook is recognized as an early pioneer of site location and community profiling technology in web based infrastructure. He assisted in establishing the data standards utilized today as the industry standard through his role at the International Economic Development Council, IEDC. He is regarded as one of the experts in the field of technology based site selection and creative financing for public investments in attracting business catalyst private sector projects. He is the developer of the patent pending dynamic site location database model now currently licensed to the industry with the IEDC.

He has authored two books, his first the "Little Black Book of Economic Development, 2007" and his most recent book, "Who Moved My Smoke Stack. 2008" He is a highly published and quoted subject matter expert and is a frequent keynote speaker on the "Art of the Deal Today" and "Globalization" for economic development groups, chambers of commerce and corporations internationally and within the North American markets. He is a highly sought after expert within the media industry for his over-all knowledge of economic development practices and private sector investment acumen. He has been a guest and interviewed by national news sources such as; Fox News, NBC News, Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today along with numerous local news media.

Donald E. Jakeway
President & CEO
Brooks Development Authority
San Antonio, TX

Mr. Donald E. Jakeway is the President and CEO of the Brooks Development Authority (BDA) in San Antonio, Texas. As the President and CEO of the BDA, he leads one of the most unique public/private economic development projects in the United States. Through an unprecedented partnership between the City of San Antonio and the United States Air Force, the former Brooks Air Force Base is being re-developed into a world-class research and technology center.

Don previously served as Director of the Ohio Department of Development (ODOD). Under his tenure, the ODOD was named one of the "top ten development agencies in the world" for two straight years by Site Selection Magazine. He subsequently served as President and CEO of Northwest Ohio's Regional Growth Partnership (RGP) and Regional Technology Alliance (RTA), non-profit corporations dedicated to fostering economic development and enhancing technology opportunities in the region.

Mr. Jakeway also led the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), a $100 million public/private partnership, established as a one-stop economic development agency for the state of Michigan.

Barbara K. Johnson
Principal
The Johnson Group, LLC
New Orleans, LA

Barbara K. Johnson, MPA, board member and chair of the IEDC External Member Relations Committee, is principal with The Johnson Group, a New Orleans consulting firm founded in 2008.

The Johnson Group provides business solutions to corporations to help them achieve a greater return, impact and results from their community investments. As it assists organizations to rethink strategies, maximize resources and accelerate program implementation, it also brings to bear extensive knowledge, experience and networks in philanthropic, community and economic development.

Johnson has held executive positions in economic development, planning and and public policy research at Greater New Orleans, Inc., the Downtown Development District, the University of New Orleans and the Bureau of Governmental Research. She directed the 2004 organizational merger of the New Orleans Regional Chamber of Commerce and the MetroVision Economic Development Partnership as Greater New Orleans, Inc., aligning key business and political leadership on a focused blueprint for economic development. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina's devastation, Johnson led the creation and implementation of an economic roadmap for the region's renaissance. She has established a strong workforce development track record and was instrumental in securing over $20 million in funding for colleges and universities in the New Orleans area to address the critical shortage of talent in key industries in the region.

Johnson holds a bachelor of arts in city and regional planning from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and a master's degree in public administration from the University of New Orleans.

JJ Johnston, CEcD, FM
Vice President
San Antonio Economic Development Foundation
San Antonio, TX

J.J. Johnston serves as a Vice President of the San Antonio Economic Development Foundation. His areas of responsibility include business attraction and expansion programs. Prior to joining the professional team at the SAEDF, he served in senior business development capacities in several regional economic development organizations, including senior positions in Colorado, New Mexico and Texas.

Mr. Johnston was raised in Houston and has worked in economic development organizations located in Austin, Corpus Christi, Denton and the Rio Grande Valley. During the last thirty five years, he has helped create and implement economic development programs that have attracted more than one hundred new primary employers, billions of dollars in new capital investment, and thousands of new primary job opportunities for local residents.

Mr. Johnston is internationally recognized as a leader in economic development. He chaired the professional certification board of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) and has served on their governing Board. The IEDC selected him as a "Fellow Member" in 2002, an honor conferred upon members who have achieved "exceptional stature" in the practice of economic development.

Mr. Johnston was selected as the "Economic Developer of the Year" in New Mexico and received IEDC's "Best of Class" marketing plan award. J.J. was appointed by the First Minister of Scotland as one of approximately 800 worldwide Global Scots. He serves on the Council of Officers of the Clan Johnston/e in North America.

He earned a bachelors degree in business administration from the University of North Texas and is a graduate of the Economic Development Institute and the US Chamber's Post Graduate Institute. He has chaired numerous state and regional Economic Development Organizations, including the Mountain States Association.

John Kaliski
Principal
Cambridge Systematics, Inc.
Cambridge, MA

John Kaliski is a Principal of Cambridge Systematics, Inc., a public policy research and consulting firm. Mr. Kaliski has worked with numerous states and regions to develop long-range economic competitiveness strategies addressing infrastructure, business climate, livability, and sustainability.

Mr. Kaliski led development of statewide economic development strategies for the Florida Chamber Foundation and the Mississippi Economic Council. For Enterprise Florida, Mr. Kaliski helped direct the Rural Catalyst initiative to help transform Florida's economically distressed regions. Mr. Kaliski also has developed economic competitiveness strategies for states and regions nationwide, including projects in the tri-state New York-New Jersey-Connecticut area, southeast Florida, California, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Pennsylvania, and Texas. He also has helped develop long-range sustainability initiatives for several regions, including 50-year visioning processes for Central Florida and rural south central Florida.

Mr. Kaliski is Project Manager for the 2060 Florida Transportation Plan, which includes a long-term transportation vision and goals to ensure Florida's future economic competitiveness. He also is part of the team developing Ohio's Transportation Futures Plan, which is identifying transportation strategies to enhance Ohio's economic prosperity. He has analyzed the economic impacts of major transportation investments in Florida, Indiana, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington State. He also has assessed transportation's role supporting economic development for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Florida Chamber Foundation, and other business and economic development organizations.

Birgit M. Klohs
President & CEO
The Right Place, Inc.
Grand Rapids, MI

Birgit Klohs is the President & CEO of The Right Place, Inc., a position she has held since 1987. The Right Place, Inc. is the regional economic development organization responsible for the retention, expansion and attraction of businesses in the West Michigan Area.

Klohs, a native of Germany, came to The Right Place from Grand Valley State University (GVSU), where she served as Assistant Director of the Office for Economic Expansion. Prior to her tenure with GVSU, Klohs worked for Prince Corporation in Holland, Michigan.

Her economic development career began in 1977 as an Industrial Consultant with the Economic Development Corporation of Berrien County, Michigan. Following that experience, she joined the Michigan Department of Commerce as an Account Executive for the West Michigan region.

She is a graduate of Western Michigan University, where she earned her B.A. in Corporate Finance. She is a graduate of the Economic Development Institute of the University of Oklahoma; and completed the professional economic development finance program through the National Development Council.

Ms. Klohs is a frequent speaker at national and international economic development events. She has lectured in France, Great Britain, Germany, Sweden, China, Australia and Israel, and most recently participated in the Clinton Global Initiative - America.

Robin Roberts Krieger, FM, HLM
Executive Vice President
Greater Oklahoma City Chamber
Oklahoma City, OK

Robin Roberts Krieger is Executive Vice President of Economic Development for the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber, and leads the 10-county region in international and domestic business recruitment, and Oklahoma City in expansion and retention, research and strategy development. She oversees contracts with the City of Oklahoma City and Oklahoma County to provide their economic development services. She recently played a key role in the acquisition of the idled GM facility by the County, which has been leased to the US Air Force and Tinker AFB.

Roberts-Krieger is a native of Oregon, and has over 20 years of public service in the economic development and public policy arena. Prior to assuming the position in Oklahoma City, she served as a Regional Coordinator for the Oregon Governor's Office, focusing on developing cooperation between local, county, state & federal government on economic development projects. Areas of focus included Transportation, Land Use, Housing, and Environmental Issues. She spearheaded an effort to expand Ft. Clatsop National Park during her tenure.

Previously she served as Director of Economic Development for the Portland Development Commission, where she oversaw Economic Development activities as well as two urban renewal areas, including light rail development to the Portland International Airport. Prior, she was Executive Director of Economic Development for Central Oregon, and International and Product Development Manager for the Oregon Tourism Commission, part of the Oregon Economic and Community Development Department. She spent several years in the private sector before entering public service.

Roberts-Krieger holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education from Oregon State University (Go Beavers!) and a Master's of Science in Educational Administration from Portland State University. She has completed OU/EDI, and was a scholarship recipient for the Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government.

She is Past Chair of The International Economic Development Council, the first woman and first Oklahoman to hold this position. She serves on the Board of the Industrial Asset Management Council (IAMC), as well as the Governor's Economic Development Marketing Team. Krieger is a member of the US Air Force Chief of Staff's Civic Leader Program. She recently joined the Advisory Committee for SMART (Single Mothers Academic Resource Team), an effort to help further the educational attainment of single mothers in Oklahoma and The ACM@UCO (Academy for Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma) Business Development Center Advisory Board, as well as the United Way Campaign Cabinet. She was recently named a finalist for Woman of the Year in Oklahoma by the Journal Record.

Roberts-Krieger is the co-author of "Community Wisdom", a humorous look at economic and community development; has written numerous articles and is a frequently requested speaker on economic development topics.

Paul L. Krutko, FM
President & CEO
Ann Arbor SPARK
Ann Arbor, MI

Paul Krutko is Ann Arbor SPARK's president and CEO. In this role, he leads the organization's efforts to expand the regional economy through business attraction, retention and acceleration.

Paul has more than 31 years of economic and business development expertise. Before joining Ann Arbor SPARK, he led San Jose, California's economic development efforts, where he served as chief development officer. He has also worked in economic development for the cities of Cleveland and Jacksonville. In addition to his economic development leadership for San Jose and other cities, Paul founded Peloton Development, a consultancy devoted to advising businesses and municipal, regional, state, and national governments on economic development and climate prosperity strategies and on creating high performing economic development leaders and teams.

Paul is secretary/treasurer of the International Economic Development Council. He co-chairs the organization's Economic Development Research Partners subsidiary. He was selected as a Fellow Member of IEDC in 2009. He earned a bachelor of urban planning and design degree from the University of Cincinnati, College of Design, Architecture and Art.

Allison Larsen, CEcD
Principal
Chabin Concepts, Inc.
Yakima, WA

With over 23 years experience in economic development, sales and business management, Allison Larsen has worked with a wide variety of communities (both rural and urban), regions and states for strategic planning and implementation. She applies her corporate experience to take economic development practices to a new level, helping communities capture positive attention. She introduces communities to innovative approaches and is an outgoing facilitator, delivering solutions to enhance communities' competitive readiness.

Allison's experience in front-line economic development contributes to her success with Chabin clients. She understands the challenges of working with boards, managing staff and the expectations for measurable results. At the Economic Development Corporation serving Fresno County, she attracted and retained 6,000+ jobs. Previously, Allison was the Manager of Business Development & Marketing in Madera County where she successfully recruited 2,500+ jobs. Her corporate experience includes sales for Merck & Co., Inc. and managing an international distribution business.

Allison is a graduate of OU EDI, a Fellow of the California Agricultural Leadership Program and holds a B.S. from the University of California, Davis. She has run eight half-marathons, enjoys golf and her two golden retrievers, Enzo and Tadich.

Andrew T. Levine
President/Chief Creative Officer
Development Counsellors International
New York, NY

Andy Levine is President of Development Counsellors International (DCI), a firm that specializes in all phases of economic development and travel marketing. The DCI team has worked with a broad range of cities/regions (Charlotte, Kalamazoo, San Diego, Denver) states (North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Utah, North Dakota) and countries (Colombia, Dubai, South Africa and Scotland).

Since 1960, the firm has worked with more than 400 economic development and tourism organizations. Areas of expertise include editorial placement/media relations, prospect development/qualification, marketing blueprints, perception studies, special events, crisis communication and community branding.

The Johnny Cash tune, "I've Been Everywhere, Man" could be Andy's theme song - and he has the frequent flyer miles to prove it.

Gail Lewis
Assistant Director
Arizona Department of Transportation
Pheonix, AZ

Gail Lewis is the Assistant Director for the Arizona Department of Transportation. She was formlery Policy Advisor for Economic Development to Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano. In that capacity, she advised the Governor on economic development issues, helps to set economic development policies and priorities for the state, and acts as the liaison to the Department of Commerce and the Office of Tourism. Prior to joining the Governor's staff in 2003, she spent 10 years as the Director of Economic Development and Constituent Outreach at Arizona State University, where she oversaw activities designed to make the resources of the university more accessible to the Arizona business and economic development communities. She has worked extensively on technology development, international trade, and long term policy issues, and has done consulting work in Australia, France, Saudi Arabia, Mexico and around the US. Gail has a Master's degree in International Affairs from Columbia University and a bachelor's degree in international affairs and journalism from the University of Southern California. Gail sits on the board of the Phoenix Sister Cities Commission, World Affairs Council, Arizona-Mexico Commission and Arizona Bioindustry Association. She also sits on the national Board of Directors of the International Economic Development Council.

Alvaro Lima
Director of Research
Boston Redevelopment Authority
Boston, MA

As Director of Research for the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA), Mr. Lima oversees research that formulates public policy and legislation related to planning and community economic development. He supervises a six person staff that collects and analyzes current, historical, and comparative data on Boston's economy, population, and commercial markets.

Prior to his work at the BRA, Mr. Lima was the Senior Vice President and Director of Research for the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC), a national organization founded in 1994 by Harvard Business School Professor Michael E. Porter. At ICIC he was responsible for designing and executing The State of the Inner City Economies (SOICE), one of ICIC's most ambitious research projects to date. SOICE provides a consistent means to assess the economic assets, opportunities, and performance of inner cities across America so as to uncover drivers of performance, increase private investment, and sharpen public policy.

Previously, Mr. Lima served as the Director of Economic Development for the Urban Edge Housing Corporation from 1995 to 1999. From 1985 to 1987 he served as the Chief of the Economic Development Department for the Ministry of Industry and Energy at the State Directorate of Metalworking Industry in Mozambique where he was responsible for the design and coordination of the Rehabilitation Program for Small and Medium-scale Enterprises. In his native Brazil, Mr. Lima served as the Coordinator of Regional Development Projects for the Institute for Social and Economic Research from 1980 to 1981.

Belinda Little-Wood
Executive Director
New Orleans Advisory Task Force
NSA New Orleans Advisory Task Force
City of New Orleans
New Orleans, LA

Belinda Little-Wood is the Executive Director of the Local Redevelopment Authority for the Naval Support Activity "East Bank" facility in New Orleans, LA. Ms. Little-Wood assumed this position in February 2007 as part of the Office of Recovery of the City of New Orleans. Building on the strengths of the City of New Orleans and the NSA site, her team has created a forward thinking, business-minded redevelopment plan that will make use of all available resources; create opportunities for the city as a whole and the immediate neighborhoods in particular; and involve both businesses, civic and residential communities. This redevelopment envisions an international disaster management center that will include a regional emergency operations center, temporary shelter for essential personnel during a catastrophic event, research and development(public and private sector), and training facilities.

Prior to joining the City of New Orleans she owned and operated 10th Captial Small Business Advisors, LLC, a firm specializing in small business development and entrepreneurship. Before Hurricane Katrina, she was the President/CEO of Newtek Community Financial Services, LLC, in New Orleans, LA, providing services to businesses including, financing through SBA loans, strategic planning, tax services, merchant processing, and general business consulting nationwide. Ms. Little-Wood is a long-term resident of Algiers, a suburb in the heart of New Orleans on the west bank of the Mississippi River. She has received a Masters in Business Administration and graduated from the Mid-South School of Banking.

Thomas G. Long, CEcD
Senior Manager of Economic Development
CPS Energy
San Antonio, TX

Tom Long is the Senior Manager of Economic Development for CPS Energy in San Antonio, TX. With over 23 years in economic development, Tom has worked in both the private and public sectors for local governments, utilities, chambers of commerce and private economic development organizations in North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas before joining CPS Energy in 2000. In his curent role, Tom is responsible for the development, implementation and execution of strategies designed to recruit targeted new businesses into the CPS Energy service territory. His team also supports existing businesses needing to expand. Mr. Long earned a Bachelor's degree in Geology from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and a Master's Degree in Economic Geography from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 2001, Tom earned the professional designation of Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) from the International Economic Development Council.

David Maahs, CEcD Executive Vice President, Economic Development
Greater Des Moines Partnership
Des Moines, IA

David Maahs is the Executive Vice President for Economic Development of the Greater Des Moines Partnership. The Greater Des Moines Partnership is an organization dedicated to the economic and community development of the Greater Des Moines area. Maahs is responsible for regional economic development.

Maahs has thirty years of economic development experience. He has a B.S degree in Industrial Administration from Iowa State University and a M.A. degree in Economics from the University of Iowa. He has received certification as an economic development professional (CEcD) from the International Economic Development Council.

Norm MacNeill, CEcD
Executive Director
Ouachita Partnership for Economic Development
Camden, AR

Norm MacNeill, CEcD, has been Executive Director of the Ouachita Partnership for Economic Development in Camden, Arkansas since 2007 after serving as Director of Economic and Community Development in Putnam CT for 5 years. Before focusing on economic development full-time, he worked 13 years in municipal government in Massachusetts and as a local government consultant for the University of Maryland. Norm has a Bachelors of Sciences in Community Leadership and Development from Springfield College and a law degree from Antioch University. He and his wife Selina reside in Camden, Arkansas.

Robert J. Marcusse
President & CEO
Kansas City Area Development Council
Kansas City, MO

Bob Marcusse joined the Kansas City Area Development Council (KCADC) in 1991 as president and chief executive officer. During his tenure, KCADC along with its state and local partners have attracted companies that have created over 30,000 new jobs and $4.0 billion in capital investment to the 18-county, bi-state Kansas City region.

Bob has an extensive background in domestic and international corporate attraction, business growth and retention, and regional marketing. He has spearheaded major growth initiatives in the region such as the Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute, KC Animal Health Corridor and KC SmartPort and the Trade Data Exchange.

Bob's community involvement extends well beyond his role at KCADC. Bob serves on the Executive Committees of KC SmartPort and Missouri BIO. He is a member of the University of Kansas Edwards Campus Advisory Board, Rockhurst University School of Business Advisory Board and University of Missouri Economic Development Cabinet. He is immediate past Chairman of the University of Kansas Medical Center Research Institute.

Bob has also held leadership positions with the Columbus (OH) Area Chamber of Commerce, the Economic Development Council for the Peoria area, Battle Creek (MI) Unlimited, and the Inland Port Authority of South Central Michigan and Foreign Trade Zone #43.

Bob graduated from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with a Bachelor of Science degree. He received his Master of Science from Purdue University.

Barry I. Matherly, CEcD
Executive Director
Lincoln Economic Development Association
Lincolnton, NC

Barry Matherly is a certified economic developer with over 17 years of leadership experience at the city, county, non-profit and university levels.

Currently, Barry is the executive director of the Lincoln Economic Development Association, a private, non-profit corporation charged with facilitating industrial and office development in Lincolnton and Lincoln County, NC. Previously, he was the Director of Economic Development for the communities of Goochland and Pulaski, Virginia and the Special Projects Manager at the Economic Development Assistance Center at Virginia Tech University.

Mr. Matherly has a bachelor's degree from James Madison University and a master's degree from Virginia Tech University. He is also a graduate of the Economic Development Institute at the University of Oklahoma and a recipient of the Robert B. Cassell Leadership Award.

Barry serves on the Governance Committee of the International Economic Development Council Board and is the Chair of its Planning and Business Development Committee. He is also a member of the Economic Development Research Partners group.

Barry Matherly was named one of the 40 Leaders Under 40 (2002) by the Charlotte Business Journal, recognized as a North Carolina Main Street Champion and is a Senior Fellow of the American Leadership Forum.

Tim McCabe, MCIP, RPP
General Manager, Planning and Economic Development Department
City of Hamilton
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Tim McCabe has been a professional planner for 34 years, primarily working as a Senior Manager in the public sector, having extensive experience with change management and organizational design.

For 19 years, Tim was employed by the City of Kitchener, including five years as the City's General Manager of Business and Planning Services from 1994 to 1999, managing the Planning, Building, Downtown Revitalization, By-law Enforcement and Economic Development Divisions.

After working 3 years in the private sector as a Planning Consultant, Tim returned to the public sector in October 2002 as Hamilton's Director of Development and Real Estate where his responsibilities included managing the City's Development Planning, Community Planning, Heritage and Urban Design, Committee of Adjustment, Development Engineering, Corporate Real Estate and the Zoning By-law Reform Programs.

On June 1, 2007, Tim was appointed to his current position of General Manager, Planning and Economic Development Department, where he oversees Divisions responsible for a wide variety of municipal functions. Such Divisions include Growth Management, Downtown and Community Renewal, Planning, Economic Development, Corporate Real Estate, Building Services, Tourism, Parking and By-law Services and Strategic Services / Special Projects.

Andrea McCarren
Reporter
WUSA-TV
Washington, DC

Andrea McCarren is a veteran television journalist, whose reporting has earned the Edward R. Murrow Award, 8 Regional Emmys and dozens of local and national honors.

Andrea's career includes covering the Clinton White House for ABC News, traveling with the President on Air Force One. She has served as a Washington correspondent for NBC News, and has been a local reporter and news anchor in Miami, Portland, OR, Wichita, KS, Savannah, GA and Washington, D.C. where she is currently a reporter with WUSA-TV.

In 2009, Andrea was unexpectedly laid off from her job in a corporate downsizing, and experienced what millions of Americans have faced. She responded by creating 'Project Bounce Back' to document the way other Americans handled adversity in tough economic times. With her husband, three children and a rented RV, she traveled through 21 states and covered more than 6,400 miles to find stories of inspiration, hope and reinvention. Their itinerary was determined primarily through social media.

Andrea is a graduate of Vassar College and the London School of Economics in England. She has been awarded the Nieman Fellowship at Harvard University and the KCBS-TV Fellowship at the University of Southern California.

Todd E. McDaniel, CEcD
President & CEO
The Research Valley Partnership, Inc.
College Station, TX

Todd has served as President and CEO of the RVP since November 2005. Under his leadership at the RVP, the organization has evolved from a focus on traditional economic development strategies to what he calls "innovation economic development" through partnerships – an "innovation to industry" model. Today, the RVP works arm in arm with the Texas A&M University System components headquartered in Bryan-College Station, Texas on innovation economic development initiatives connecting community, university, and industry.

Under Todd's leadership and his team's efforts, the RVP adopted its first Research Valley Strategic Plan, The BioResearch Valley Masterplan, the Research Valley Biocorridor Concept Plan, established the Research Valley Innovation Center, the Research Valley International Gateway, facilitated the public-private development of Texas Triangle Park – an Inland Port, and founded Invest Research Valley. Additionally, the RVP has won multiple awards and recognitions such as the University Economic Development Association's Connecting Community and Campus Award for The Research Valley's One Health Plus™ Biocorridor initiative and the International Economic Development Council's Award for Responding to Globalization via the RVP's International Gateway program.

Todd is a member of the Texas Economic Development Council, the International Economic Development Council, and CoreNet Global. Todd currently serves on the State of Texas Gulf Coast Regional Center for Innovation and Commercialization's Advisory Committee.

Todd is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma's Economic Development Institute and holds the designation of Certified Economic Developer – CEcD as bestowed by the International Economic Development Council.

Kenny McDonald, CEcD
Chief Executive Officer
Columbus2020
Columbus, OH

As chief economic officer of Columbus2020!, Kenny McDonald, CEcD, serves as the primary leader of all economic development and business attraction efforts, including the Columbus2020! initiative.

McDonald has an extensive background in site selection, regional economic development, community marketing, business recruitment and international business development.

Previously, McDonald had served seven years as the executive vice president of the Charlotte Regional Partnership, a public-private economic development organization covering a 16-county region in North and South Carolina. McDonald's 15 years of economic development experience also include leadership positions at the Albuquerque Economic Development Corporation, Fluor Daniels Global Locations Strategies and the Savannah Economic Development Authority.

McDonald received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Dickinson State University and a Master of Public Administration from Georgia Southern University. He holds the professional designation of Certified Economic Developer, (CEcD) awarded through the International Economic Development Council.

Bruce E. Miller
President & CEO
Port San Antonio
San Antonio, TX

Bruce E. Miller is President and CEO of Port San Antonio, a multimodal logistics-based platform, Foreign-Trade Zone, industrial airport, railport and aerospace industrial center on the 1,880-acre site of the former Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. With 12.9 million square feet of facilities, it is the region's largest commercial real estate leasing and management organization.

Under Miller's supervision over the past nine years, Port San Antonio has become one of the country's most successful redevelopment efforts of a former military base. Almost 80 organizations currently operate at the Port, focusing primarily on the aerospace, logistics and military/government industries. Employers based at Port San Antonio generate over $4 billion in regional economic activity annually and employ 14,000 skilled workers.

Among its distinctions for innovation, Port San Antonio received the 2010 Real Estate Redevelopment & Reuse Award from the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) and was named 2010 Base Redevelopment Community of the Year by the Association of Defense Communities (ADC).

Miller previously was CEO of the Rickenbacker Port Authority in Columbus, Ohio-also a former Air Force base-overseeing over $500 million in redevelopment projects.

In the mid-1980's Miller worked with Dallas-based Vantage Properties, Inc. He subsequently created his own industrial and commercial development firm.

He also worked for 13 years in urban design, planning and economic development for the City of Columbus.

Miller serves on the boards of Free Trade Alliance San Antonio, the East Asia Institute of the University of Texas at San Antonio, the Economic Development Foundation of the City of San Antonio and the San Antonio Mobility Coalition, Inc. He is on the advisory board of the Alamo Asian American Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI), the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP) where he is a member of its Mixed-Use Forum, and the International Economic Development Council (IEDC).

Janet M. Miller, CEcD, FM
Chief Economic Development & Marketing Officer
Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce
Nashville, TN

Janet M. Miller is Chief Economic Development and Marketing Officer for the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce. Janet has oversight of the team that serves as the 10-county region's lead agency for economic development and job creation strategies, with oversight of functions including business recruitment, working with existing Nashville-based firms on expansions, entrepreneurship initiatives, and international business. She also has oversight of the Chamber's marketing and communications team, and is responsible for delivery of all Chamber of Commerce marketing and branding programs. Miller works on a day-to-day basis with corporate executives of relocating and expanding companies to advise on capital investments and site locations. Successful relocation projects in which Miller has been involved include Nissan's North American headquarters, Dell Computer Corporation, Caremark Rx, Asurion, Louisiana-Pacific, HCA, PRIMUS/Ford Motor Credit, Mars Pet Care, and numerous others. Since she took on the departmental leadership role at the Chamber in 2002, over 93,000 jobs have been created in the Nashville region and over 275 companies recruited.

Miller was named the local Sales and Marketing Executive Association's National Salesperson of the Year for 2006, and was named one of three "Women of Influence" in the "Inspiration" category by the Nashville Business Journal in July 2007. She was named a Fellow Member of the International Economic Development Council in recognition of exceptional contributions to the field of economic development in America in Fall of 2007. She was named in 2009 to the International Economic Development Council's board of directors, after chairing the organization's awards section in 2009. She is a past-President of the Tennessee Economic Development Council, a past Tennessee director for the Southern Economic Development Council Board, and a board member and past chairman for the Tennessee Economic Partnership. She is also a Tennessee board member of the National Association of Industrial and Office Parks (NAIOP); a member of AAA Auto Club's Tennessee advisory board; an associate member of CoreNet Global; past membership recruitment chair, program chair and a current board member for Nashville's Downtown Rotary Club; a member of the United Way of Nashville board of directors and serves on the campaign cabinet for United Way for 2010; and serves on numerous other boards. She is a graduate of the 2001 class of Leadership Nashville, and a 2008 graduate of Leadership Music. Miller is a frequent lecturer at economic development classes around the country, including engagements as an instructor at Basic Economic Development Courses at Georgia Tech, the University of Kentucky, and the Tennessee Basic Course.

Miller did her undergraduate work at the University of Tennessee, and is a graduate of the Economic Development Institute at the University of Oklahoma, where she received the Certified Economic Developer designation, the industry's highest achievement, in 2000. Prior to her tenure at the Nashville Chamber, she served as Director of Research and Marketing for Grubb & Ellis/Centennial, Inc.

Jay C. Moon, CEcD, FM
President & CEO
Mississippi Manufacturers Association
Jackson, MS

Jay C. Moon is the President and CEO of the Mississippi Manufacturers Association, the largest and most influential voice for Mississippi manufacturers. The Association represents more than 2,200 manufacturers and associated members. As President of the MMA, Jay has helped to develop and win passage of several significant legislative programs. Jay worked with Governor Barbour, the Mississippi legislature and other business leaders to enact landmark civil justice reform. Jay helped to develop and pass Momentum Mississippi, one of the most comprehensive improvements to Mississippi's business incentive offerings. Other significant legislative incentive packages supporting Mississippi companies, such as Viking, Baxter, Northrop Grumman and Howard Industries, were also made possible through Jay's leadership.

Jay has over twenty-five years of professional economic development experience in site development, business retention, strategic plan development, financial incentive creation and marketing. Prior to joining the MMA, Jay served as the Deputy Director/Chief Operating Officer and Director for International Development with the Mississippi Development Authority. During that period, Jay was responsible for the recruitment of many well-known national and international companies to Mississippi. Jay led Mississippi's successful effort to locate the new $1.5 billion, 5,300 employee Nissan Automotive Assembly facility. This project was named by Site Selection Magazine, Corporate Location Magazine, Area Development Magazine and Southern Business & Development Magazine as the top development project of that year. Through Jay's efforts, the state development authority received consistent recognition for its innovative business attraction and support programs, including acknowledgment by Site Selection Magazine as one of the top ten economic development organizations in the US.

Jay is well known throughout the state and nation for his progressive approach to economic development and his leadership capabilities. Jay has extensive experience in international markets including Asia, Europe, and Latin America. He has led dozens of trade and investment missions and has managed international offices in seven countries. In addition, Jay has successful community based economic development experience, having directed the economic and community development, planning and building programs for the City of Gulfport, Mississippi.

He is currently the Secretary/Treasurer of the International Economic Development Council, the largest economic development organization in the world. Jay has also been designated by the IEDC as a Fellow Member. This designation is given to those who have attained unusual stature in the field of economic development. Jay is a Certified Economic Developer. Jay also served on the board of the American Economic Development Council for two terms. Jay is a former President of the National Association of State Development Agencies. He is a graduate of the Economic Development Institute where he currently serves as an instructor on international trade and marketing. Jay is also an instructor for the EDI/IEDC program in Mexico. Jay is a member of the Executive Board with the University of Oklahoma's Economic Development Institute and is responsible for international programs and special projects. Jay is the chairman of the Mississippi Manufacturing Extension Partnership, is a board member with the Mississippi Intermodal Council and the Mississippians for Economic Progress. He is a board member with the State of Mississippi Workforce Investment Board and the Southern Global Strategies Council, a part of the Southern Growth Policies Board. He is a board member with the Mississippi State University College of Business Advisory Board and the Center for Manufacturing Excellence with the University of Mississippi. He was appointed by Governor Haley Barbour to be a member of the Governor's Comprehensive Tax Study Commission, the National Governor's Association Sector Strategy Policy Academy and the Mississippi Energy Policy Institute. He is also a member of the Society of International Business Fellows. Jay has an undergraduate degree in International Relations and a Masters of Public Administration from the University of Georgia.

Mary Ann Moon, CEcD
Senior Account Executive
Entergy Louisiana
West Monroe, LA

Mary Ann serves as Economic and Community Developer for Entergy Louisiana's Division of Business and Economic Expansion. Entergy LA is the state's largest utility provider. Moon works with community groups, establishing networks and assisting with economic development projects and business growth and expansion. She is responsible for facilitating Louisiana Economic Development's Certified Site program throughout Northeast Louisiana .

Moon previously served as the President of the West Monroe-West Ouachita Chamber of Commerce She is a graduate of the University of Louisiana at Monroe and the University of Oklahoma Economic Development Institute and is a Certified Economic Developer. Prior to her position with the WMWO Chamber, Mary Ann was the Owner/President of Dixie Bonded Warehouse of Ouachita, Inc. and Dixie Transportation, LLC. She was a member of the American Trucking Association, the Louisiana Motor Transport Association, the American Warehousing Association and served as a member of the Louisiana Department of Transportation Inter-modal Planning Committee.

Moon is a member of the International Economic Development Council and serves on the Membership Committee. She is a Board member and mentor for the University of Oklahoma's Economic Development Institute. Mary Ann is a member ULM's K-12 Education Committee, the Delta Regional Authority Alumni Board, LA's Educations' Next Horizon and is a graduate of DRA's Leadership Institute and Leadership Louisiana.

Roland C. Mower, CEcD
CEO
Corpus Christi Regional Economic Development Corp.
Corpus Christi, TX

Anthony Muñoz
President
Anthony Muñoz Foundation
Cincinnati, OH

Considered by many as the greatest offensive lineman in NFL history, Anthony Muñoz has a record of excellence that is unrivaled in Professional Football. An eleven-time NFL Pro Bowl selection, Muñoz is the only Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee in Cincinnati Bengals history. Since retiring, Anthony and his family have remained in Cincinnati, where Muñoz has served as one of the community's most accessible and involved advocates.

Despite his skill and brilliant performance, Muñoz, a native of Ontario, California, battled multiple injuries while attending the University of Southern California. His faith, family and sheer will helped him overcome the setbacks. His diligent workout routine and commitment to fitness paved the way for a remarkable professional career in which he missed just three games in his first 11 years in the NFL.

Anthony was selected by the Bengals as the third overall pick in the 1980 NFL Draft, and instantly became one of the league's premiere lineman. He led the team to two Super Bowls, three AFC Central Division titles and two AFC Championships (1981 and 1988). Anthony was selected to play in eleven consecutive Pro Bowl games (1981-199), is a member of the NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team. For his work in the community, he was honored as the NFL Man of the Year in 1991.

Following his retirement, Muñoz received the ultimate honor for an athlete. He was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first attempt on the ballot. In August of 1998, Muñoz was enshrined into the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. He selected his son, Michael, to introduce him at the induction ceremonies.

In 2002, Anthony established the Anthony Muñoz Foundation, a non-profit organization that engages the Tri-State region to impact area youth mentally, physically and spiritually. Since its inception, the foundation has impacted thousands of children and raised more than $8,000,000 for its eight regional programs.

James E. Nevels
Founder and Chairman
The Swarthmore Group, Inc.
Philadelphia, PA

James E. Nevels is Chairman of The Swarthmore Group, an investment advisory firm which he founded in 1991, as well as the non-executive Chairman of The Hershey Company Board of Directors. He has more than twenty-five years experience in the securities and investment industry.

Mr. Nevels is also a member of the Board of the Hershey Trust Company, Milton Hershey School, The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In addition, he serves as Member of Council and Secretary of The Pennsylvania Society.

In December 2001, the Governor of Pennsylvania appointed Mr. Nevels as Chairman of the Philadelphia School Reform Commission to oversee the turnaround of the financially distressed Philadelphia School System, the seventh largest school district in the United States. Mr. Nevels served as Chairman until September 2007.

Mr. Nevels was appointed by President Bush to the Advisory Committee to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation and served a three year term, 2004-2007. He served as Chairman from 2005-2007. Mr. Nevels also served as a member of the Board of Tasty Baking Company, the Gettysburg Foundation and St. Joseph's University, just to name a few.

Perry Newman
President
Atlantica Group LLC
Portland, ME

Perry B. Newman is the founder and president of Atlantica Group LLC. Founded in 2000, Atlantica Group is a global business development consultancy based in Portland, Maine. Atlantica Group assists business, governments and not-for-profit organizations in achieving international development objectives. Clients are located in North America, Europe and Israel.

Prior to forming Atlantica Group, Mr. Newman served from 1996 - 2000 as Maine's first Director of International Trade and President of the Maine International Trade Center. In that capacity and as an international business attorney he has facilitated exports, projects and exchanges with partners in more than twenty-five countries on four continents. In 2000, Mr. Newman was selected by the European Union to study project and infrastructure development in Brussels and Scandinavia.

He serves as the Chair of the Maine District Export Council, appointed first by United States Department of Commerce Secretary William Daley (Clinton administration), then by Secretaries Evans and Gutierrez (Bush administration), and most recently by Secretary Gary Locke (Obama administration). Long an advocate for international business and regional economic development, Mr. Newman is the author of the export guide, "The Ten Commandments of International Business.")

A frequent lecturer and writer on global business topics, Mr. Newman's work has appeared in Northeast Export, World Trade Magazine, Corp!, Progress Magazine (Canada), Israel 21C, the National Law Journal, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Lewiston Sun-Journal, the Bangor Daily News and the Portland Press Herald. He has spoken to groups on international business and economic development throughout the US and in Canada, and has been interviewed on such matters by National Public Radio, the Wall Street Journal, US Business Review and the CBC, among others.

A graduate of Oberlin College (B.A.) and Washington University (J.D.), he serves on the Board of Directors of the French American Chamber of Commerce for New England, the New England Canada Business Council, and the New England Israel Business Council. In 2004, Mr. Newman was named Canada's first Honorary Consul to Maine.

In 2010, the State of Israel honored Mr. Newman for his "remarkable efforts" to promote economic collaboration between Israel and New England. Also in 2010, the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine presented Mr. Newman with a grant to study joint Jewish- Arab economic development initiatives in Israel.

Mr. Newman is an avid musician and long distance runner. He is married to the former Sharon Gwatkin, an attorney with expertise in environmental law, and has two grown daughters.

Lou Ann Nisbett, CEcD
President & CEO
The Economic Development Alliance
Pine Bluff, AR

Lou Ann Nisbett was named president and CEO of the Economic Development Alliance of Jefferson County (The Alliance) in September of 2006. In her current role, Ms. Nisbett oversees the operations of eight Jefferson County organizations, bringing them together to complete projects in business retention and expansion, workforce development, and industry and prospect development.

Ms. Nisbett has worked as an economic development professional for the past sixteen years, including four years as the Executive Director of the Marshall Economic Development Corporation in Marshall, TX.

Currently, Ms. Nisbett serves on the Board of Directors for five separate development organizations, as well as holding the roles of Secretary of Arkansas Economic Developers and Vice President of the Arkansas-Oklahoma Port Operators Association.

Leslie Parks
Principal
Leslie Parks Consulting
San Jose, CA

Leslie Parks has led a diverse range of economic development, redevelopment and workforce development programs throughout her career in Silicon Valley. She previously served as Director of Downtown Management and Industrial Development for the San Jose Redevelopment Agency where she was responsible for business recruitment and retention for the City's downtown and industrial areas. She has now returned to consulting in economic development and has also spent the time since her last full time position mentoring and coaching colleagues and young professionals who are seeking employment in a challenging work environment.

Previously, Leslie assisted with a number of consulting projects that included an assessment of biotech opportunities; site location assessments for various companies; and preparation of economic development and retail revitalization action plans and marketing strategies for both rural and urban communities such as Anchorage, Honolulu, San Jose, San Francisco, El Cerrito, Santa Rosa, and Redwood City. Her current work focuses on how communities can foster and support innovation to create jobs and grow their economies.

Manuel Pelaez-Prada
Attorney, Mediator, Arbitrator
Pelaez Prada, PLLC
San Antonio, TX

Stephen A. Perry
President, Pro Football Hall of Fame
Former Administrator of the US Department of General Services Administration
Canton, OH

Stephen A. Perry became the fifth person to lead the Pro Football Hall of Fame when he was named the President/Executive Director in 2006. The Pro Football Hall of Fame, America's premier sports museum and showplace, has become a major tourist destination in the state of Ohio and the nation and is a "must see" attraction for any pro football fan. Also, it hosts a spectacular Enshrinement Festival each summer to honor Hall of Famers who have made outstanding contributions to the game.

Under Perry's leadership, the Pro Football Hall of Fame has recently completed the modernization and renovation of three major galleries in the museum and is currently launching the largest overall expansion and renovation project in the Hall of Fame's nearly 50-year history. The "Future 50" Expansion & Renovation Project, which will be completed in 2013 at a cost of $27 million, will do much to enhance the visitor's experience and will enable the museum to better preserve and present its ever-growing collection of historical artifacts and documents.

Prior to joining the Pro Football Hall of Fame Perry gained extensive experience in executive leadership positions in the private sector and in the public sector at both state and federal levels. Perry rose to the position of Senior Vice President during his 37 years at The Timken Company. He served in the cabinet of then-Governor of Ohio George Voinovich as his Director, Department of Administration Services from 1991 to 1993 and from 2001 to 2005, he headed the General Services Administration under President George W. Bush.

The Canton, Ohio native has been active for many years in diverse civic and professional associations. He served as a member of the Ohio Board of Regents (1993-2002), the Pro Football Hall of Fame Board of Trustees (1993-2001), the United Way of Central Stark County, the Canton Urban League Board of Trustees (1968-1983), Timken Mercy Medical Center Board of Trustees (1984-1991 & 2006- to-date), Walsh University Advisory Board (1987-1991), and as the General Chairman of the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce Pro Football Hall of Fame Festival (1999), as well as numerous other community-oriented organizations.

Sandy Pratt, CEcD, FM
President
The Pratt Group, Inc.
Oklahoma City, OK

Sandy Pratt has over 25 years experience in executive management of private and public sector entities, with state/local/regional economic development organizations and also owned several small businesses.

Pratt recently established The Pratt Group Inc., a consulting firm, to assist communities and regions with strategic planning, asset development, competitive positioning, and marketing and communication.

During her nine years with the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, Pratt served in numerous leadership roles including Deputy Director. In addition to developing state strategies and policy, she directed Oklahoma's economic development initiatives designed to expand existing business, stimulate entrepreneurship, recruit new business to the state, and attract foreign direct investment.

Pratt many years of experience in business, community, and economic development also included executive positions with the Chickasha Chamber of Commerce/Grady County EDC, Rural Enterprises Inc., the National Corporation for Housing Partnerships, and several private business ventures.

Pratt has served in numerous national and state leadership roles with IAMC, SEDC, the CoreNet SW Chapter, and Oklahoma entities.

Pratt is a Certified Economic Developer and Fellow Member, accredited and conferred by IEDC. She is a graduate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organizational Management. Pratt received her B.S. in Accounting/Business from Southeastern Oklahoma State University.

Russell Riblett
Director of Sales
GIS Planning, Inc. & ZoomProspector.com

Daryl D. Phillips, CEcD
Executive Director
Hickman County Economic & Community Development Association, Inc.
Centerville, TN

Daryl Phillips entered the economic development field in 1996. He earned a B.B.A. from Austin Peay State University and an M.B.A. from Tennessee Technological University. He achieved the Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) designation from IEDC in 2008. Daryl created his first economic development website 14 years ago and has continued to utilize technology to enhance economic development in the communities for which he has worked. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee and serves as the economic developer for his rural hometown of Hickman County, as well as working on other economic development projects.

Rick Platt
President & CEO
Heath-Newark-Licking County Port Authority
Heath, OH

Rick Platt is President and CEO of the Heath-Newark-Licking County Port Authority, a position he's held since 2002. The Port Authority owns and manages a former Air Force Base facility redeveloped as home to private, aerospace companies and known as the Central Ohio Aerospace & Technology Center.

During his tenure, the Port Authority has developed a reputation as a tech-savvy, government innovator and problem solver. The Port Authority has grown to become the largest self-sustaining port authority in Ohio.

Rick previously worked with an economic development partnership in Steubenville, Ohio and with the Governor's economic development office in Northeast Ohio. In a career which began with his first site selection project in 1988, he's worked on development projects with companies such as Boeing, Goodrich, Walmart, Heinz, Sterilite, Samuel Manu-Tech, and Timken.

Rick is active with Vistage International, is a member of the EDRP think tank of the International Economic Development Council, and involved at the state, regional, and local levels of economic development. He is also a manufacturing advocate, known to flood the social media world with manufacturing-oriented tidbits. Follow his tweets from @RickPlatt or his column at RickPlatt.com.

Craig J. Richard, CEcD
Chief Economic Development Officer
Greater Houston Partnership
Houston, TX

Mr. Richard joined the Partnership in March 2008 and leads the Greater Houston Partnership's Opportunity HoustonSM economic development initiatives. Opportunity HoustonSM is an aggressive marketing program to generate leads for economic development organizations throughout the 10-county Houston region. It is the direct result of the Partnership's visionary, 10-year strategic plan, which aims to create 600,000 new jobs; attract $60 billion in new capital investment in the Houston region.

Craig is a Certified Economic Developer with over fifteen years experience on many different levels of economic development from neighborhood based to state level organizations and from public to private; as well as various disciplines of economic development including recruitment, retention and expansion, technology led and small business development. Most recently, he served as Chief Operating Officer, Special Districts for the firm of Hawes Hill Calderon, LLP. Before joining Hawes, Craig was Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for the Arlington Chamber of Commerce. He also held positions with the Dallas Regional Chamber, the Virginia Economic Development Partnership and the City of Richmond, Virginia.

During his economic development career, Craig has assisted more than 87 projects representing over 45,000 jobs and $4.1 billion in capital investment. Some of his notable projects included the Dallas Cowboys Stadium, Siemens Postal Dematic Headquarters, General Motors Plant Expansion, Rooms To Go Distribution Center and Vestas Technology R&D Americas.

A native of the Houston area, Craig received his Master of Urban and Regional Planning with a concentration in economic development from Virginia Commonwealth University. He earned his Bachelor of General Studies at the University of Houston-Downtown and is a graduate of the Economic Development Institute. Craig serves on the boards of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), Texas Economic Development Council (TEDC) and the Gulf Coast Regional Center of Innovation and Commercialization (GCRCIC).

Jon M. Roberts
Managing Director
TIP Strategies, Inc.
Austin, TX

Jon Roberts is the Managing Director of TIP Strategies, Inc. (TIP), in Austin, Texas. He is an international leader in economic development and a proponent of the "creative class" as a model for growth. He has overseen projects in Oregon, Texas, and other U.S. regions, as well as in Europe and Asia. Mr. Roberts is currently involved in a variety of development and recruitment projects.

Mr. Roberts has wide range of experience associated with incentives and tax abatements, as well as local recruitment and redevelopment efforts. He has prepared policy papers on national economic development strategy, published articles on economic development marketing and has written editorials for the state's major newspapers.

Mr. Roberts was formerly the Director of Business Development both for the State of Washington and then for the State of Texas. In these positions, he directed recruitment and investment and led international trade missions.

Prior to working for the Washington Department of Trade, Mr. Roberts was with the Oregon Technology Fund, where he was responsible for venture capital investments. He also managed two start-up technology companies: Fiberlite Composites and LifePort Inc., and worked with the Center for Entrepreneurial Ventures.

Mr. Roberts was elected to the board of KMFA radio in Austin, Texas, and is active in the technology community. He maintains his ties to the Northwest and is a Fellow of the Washington World Affairs Council in Seattle. He has served on the boards of several start-up technology companies and on state task forces and gubernatorial committees. He has lectured in business at the University of Washington, the University of Texas, and was on the faculty at Marylhurst College in Portland, Oregon. Mr. Roberts has also proven to be a successful entrepreneur. He is the founder of a mountain bike company in Portland, Oregon.

Born and raised in Germany, Mr. Roberts has traveled extensively throughout Europe and Asia. He lived in the Pacific Northwest for over twenty years before making Texas his home.

Monica Rovers
Business Development Manager, Energy, The Americas
Calgary Economic Development
Calgary, AB, Canada

Monica Rovers joined Calgary Economic Development in 2007 as Business Development Manager – International. In her role, Monica promotes international business by assisting local companies to grow internationally and encouraging foreign companies to enter the Calgary market. She has led and hosted numerous trade missions and has built a strong network of local, national and international colleagues and organizations. Through her work with the Global Business Centre, Monica is invested in the attraction of international businesses and building connections between international organizations and businesses. Monica's role has recently changed to focus on the Energy sector for the Americas and has led trade missions to Brazil and Colombia.

Monica has over fifteen years of international relations and business development work experience in non-profit, private and public organizations. She has worked and traveled in Brazil, China, Colombia, Egypt, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, UK, US, and Vietnam. Monica holds an MBA in Global Management from the University of Phoenix and a Bachelor of Business Administration from St. Francis Xavier University.

Andrew C. Ruben
General Counsel/Vice President, Real Estate & Community Development
St. Louis County Economic Council
St. Louis, MO

Andrew Ruben joined St. Louis County Economic Council in 2010, where he currently serves as both General Counsel and Senior Vice President for Real Estate and Community Development. In those capacities, Ruben is responsible for real estate development activities as well as coordinating legal matters and providing counsel to the eight separate boards of directors within the Economic Council umbrella. Prior to joining the Economic Council, Ruben spent 10 years in private law practice at Bryan Cave LLP and SNR Denton, where he represented national and international clients in the areas of real estate development, general corporate law, corporate finance and securities, project finance, complex commercial construction and commercial litigation and arbitration. He also has extensive international deal experience, counseling clients with respect to real estate development projects in Canada, Mexico and the European Union.

Ruben received his law degree, Order of the Coif, from Washington University School of Law in St. Louis and a Bachelor's and Master's degree in music performance from the University of Michigan. Prior to attending law school, Ruben was a professional cellist and performed over 300 chamber music concerts around the world as a founding member and cellist of the Rackham String Quartet.

Gurbox Sahota
Chief Operating Officer
California Association for Local Economic Development
Sacramento, CA

Wayne Schell, FM
President & CEO
California Association For Local Economic Development
Sacramento, CA

On September 18, 2006 Wayne Schell received the Chairman's Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) at their Annual Conference in New York. As CALED's President/CEO, Wayne works with a statewide Board of Directors to shape programs and services. Wayne is very active nationally and internationally, giving California economic development a broad presence.

Wayne grew up and graduated from Law School in North Dakota. When he first came to California, he was an Assistant in Governor Ronald Regan's Office of Intergovernmental Management. Then, for almost a decade, Wayne was Director of the California Office of Local Economic Development. During that time, Wayne helped write the legislation that established a state role in economic development as well as conducted extensive training provided technical assistance teams who designed local ED strategies, and helped set up many of the state's network of economic development organizations. Wayne also served as the interim Director of the State Department of Economic and Business Development. Wayne also owned and operated his own consulting firm, Economic Development Services. EDS specialized in economic development strategies, financing, community consensus-building, marketing, and organizational development.

Wayne was a founder and original Board member of CALED. He became President and CEO in 1990. In 2000, he received the Golden Bear Award - California's highest economic developer honor. He also serves as a Board member and officer of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) and has been selected as a fellow member of IEDC for his significant contributions to the profession and practice of economic development nationally and internationally.

Many know Wayne as the cowboy of local economic development not only because of his cattle-ranching experiences in Wyoming, but also his pioneering spirit. It is no wonder that he has successfully lead CALED for many years. Assembly member Juan Arambula in March of 2006 captured Wayne best when he said that, "Wayne is someone who says what he thinks is right and thinks what he says is right!"

Don C. Schjeldahl
Vice President & Director, Renewable Energy Strategies
The Austin Company
Cleveland, OH

As Vice President and Director for Renewable Energy Strategies for The Austin Company, Mr. Schjeldahl is responsible for guiding renewable energy and sustainability initiatives for Austin's global consulting, engineering and construction practice.

Mr. Schjeldahl works with renewable energy companies, primarily solar, wind and smart grid manufacturers, to define location strategies across the value chain. Mr. Schjeldahl also coordinates Austin resources aligned with the design and installation of renewable energy systems at client facilities.

Recent clients include Sanyo Solar and German solar module manufacturer CentroSolar. Mr. Schjeldahl has also been a recent advisor on renewable energy policies to the states of Ohio and Oklahoma.

Mr. Schjeldahl has over 30 years of professional experience in the development and implementation of corporate location strategies for commercial and industrial clients, 25 years with Austin Consulting.

Since joining Austin Consulting, Mr. Schjeldahl has performed or directed more than 300 location strategy studies for manufacturing plants, distribution centers, aviation facilities, research and development centers, newspaper plants, broadcast studios and information processing centers. His work on location studies has included labor market analysis, supply chain logistics, community evaluation, urban land use analysis, tax evaluation, incentive negotiation, site/building assessment and environmental hazard analysis.

Clients include, aerospace companies, financial institutions, machinery manufacturers, food processors, pharmaceutical firms, consumer products firms, commercial airlines, major daily newspapers, solar and wind manufacturing companies, and television broadcasters.

His research efforts on renewable energy have included attendance of important trade shows and conferences and trips to Europe and Japan to meet with corporate leaders to understand factors that will guide short term and long term investment patterns.

Mr. Schjeldahl has worked on behalf of Austin clients in urban centers and rural areas throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom and throughout Europe.

Mr. Schjeldahl is a frequent contributor to industry-specific publications and location selection journals including Area Development, Business Facilities, and Site Selection, and Baking & Snack. His most recent article, "Unraveling Renewable Energy," appeared in the July/August 2009 issue of Trade and Industry Development Magazine. Mr. Schjeldahl recently particated in Solar Power 2009 (a global industry exhibition and conference) in Anaheim, California in October 2009 with a presentation titled, "The Role of Incentives in Location of Solar Manufacturing."

Carlton Schwab
President & CEO
Texas Economic Development Council
Austin, TX

Carlton Schwab has been President/CEO of the Texas Economic Development Council (TEDC) since February 1st, 1999. During that time, the 900-member TEDC has developed into a recognized leader in the professional development of its members and a powerful voice for economic development policy in the state of Texas.

Prior to his tenure at the TEDC, Mr. Schwab was Director of Development at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin (1996-1999). From 1989 to 1996, Schwab was a Director with Deloitte Touche offices in Austin and Chicago, specializing in corporate site location analysis and economic development strategic planning. Mr. Schwab has also spent time working in economic development at the local level, having served as Vice President of the Lubbock Board of City Development from 1986 to 1989. He began his career in Austin in legislative analyst positions at the Texas State Treasury, the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts and the Texas Senate.

Mr. Schwab holds a Master's degree from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin (1983), and a Bachelor's degree from Austin College in Sherman, Texas (1981).

Gail Scott
Executive Director
Leduc/Nisku Economic Development Authority
Leduc, Alberta
Canada

With over 20 years of private and public sector community and regional economic development experience, Gail has developed the expertise needed to help regions, communities, government and non-government organizations and businesses to help themselves by defining and advancing their objectives within a framework of consultation, analysis and informed decision-making. She effectively and efficiently builds collaborative partnerships with the aim of narrowing the gap between where they currently are and where they want to be.

Gail is passionate about building vibrancy and resiliency within a community and brings a high level of energy and innovation into all aspects of her work. Her colleagues believe her to be an agent of change.

Gail holds a Business Administration Management/Personnel Concentration Diploma from the University of Calgary and is currently working towards her Economic Development Designation through Economic Development Association of Canada.

Ryan Sharp, CEcD
Director
Center for Strategic Economic Research (CSER)
Sacramento, CA

Ryan Sharp is the Director of the Center for Strategic Economic Research (CSER), an economic research and consulting group affiliated with the Sacramento Area Commerce and Trade Organization (SACTO), one of IEDC's 29 Accredited Economic Development Organizations (AEDOs). CSER provides a full range of objective economic and demographic research services to government entities, businesses, educational institutions, and non-profit organizations. Mr. Sharp provides leadership and management for CSER's activities, research projects, and staff. His responsibilities include research design, project analysis, project management, business development, and resource allocation. He participates in all CSER projects, produces signature publications, and supports SACTO's economic development efforts.

Mr. Sharp has experience in both the public and private sectors including work in the economic development, management consulting, and technical research arenas. He has developed a wide range of skills in the regional economics and economic development fields including economic and demographic analysis and forecasting; cluster and workforce assessments; market and feasibility analysis; econometric and input-output modeling; strategic planning and collaborative processes; and performance monitoring and evaluation. Prior to joining CSER, Mr. Sharp was a consultant for a professional services and advisory firm, Sjorberg Evashenk Consulting, where he acquired strong skills in program evaluation, performance measurement, project management, government relations, and financial assessment. Preceding his work with Sjoberg Evashenk Consulting, Mr. Sharp acted as project manager for a non-profit scientific research institute, the National Institute for Global Environmental Change, and was responsible for managing a scientific research project and implementing an online environmental reporting system, both of which allowed him to develop high-quality research, management, and technical writing skills.

Mr. Sharp has a M.A. in International Affairs from California State University, Sacramento with a focus in public policy and administration and a B.A. in International Relations specializing in political and economic development from the University of California, Davis. He has been designated as a Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) by IEDC. He also holds a graduate-level certificate in Collaborative Governance from California State University, Sacramento and furthered his studies in political science and sociology at the University of Cambridge, Pembroke College. He is a member of the International Economic Development Council, California Association for Local Economic Development, Urban Land Institute, and American Society for Public Administration. Mr. Sharp is invited to speak regularly within the economic development and business communities who rely on CSER's research and expertise as a key resource for identifying and analyzing local, statewide, and national economic trends.

David P. Smith
Executive Vice President
Economic Development Sector Leader
DHR International
Pittsburgh, PA

David P. Smith is Executive Vice President with DHR International and serves as the firm's Practice Leader in Economic Development and Planning. DHR International is the 5th largest executive search firm in the US and the only "top 5" search firm with a dedicated economic development practice. Headquartered in Chicago, the firm has over 120 professionals located in 55 offices around the globe - including 26 offices in the United States. Dave is a trusted advisor to the economic development community with over 27 years of experience in executive search supported by an international team of experts and resources. He provides his discriminating clients with access to global thought leaders and a level of personal service usually associated with boutique firms.

Gary E. Spanner, PhD
Manager, Economic Development
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Richland, WA

As the manager of the Economic Development Office, Gary's role is to apply Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's technological resources to help boost the economy of the nation and the region.

Gary serves as the first point of contact for small businesses that wish to collaborate with PNNL through a variety of mechanisms. He has worked in economic development full-time for fourteen years. Gary is currently the chair of the Tri-Cities Research District, serves on the Richland Economic Development Committee, and on the advisory boards for the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Washington and for the Spokane Intercollegiate Research & Technology Institute. Gary co-founded angel investor groups in Spokane and the Tri-Cities.

Gary and his team have won a number of national and local awards for their work, including the Sam Volpentest Entrepreneurial Leadership Award, a 2007 Tibbetts Award, the Columbia Basin College Outstanding Alumnus Award, and a "Silver Hammer Award" from Vice President Al Gore.

Dr. Spanner holds a BS/ME from Washington State University, a MBA from the University of Washington, a PhD/IE from Arizona State University, and is an Adjunct Professor of Technology Entrepreneurship at WSU. He is also a Certified Economic Developer.

Curtis Spencer
President
IMS Worldwide, Inc.
Webster, TX

Mr. Curtis D. Spencer is the President of IMS Worldwide, Inc. (IMSW), headquartered in Houston, Texas. Mr. Spencer is a nationally regarded expert on matters related to:

• Logistics and intermodal shipping trends, ports, inland ports and rail-served logistics centers,
• The development and utilization of Foreign-Trade Zones for importers and exporters
• All aspects of Custom's issues and compliance, specifically those related to Homeland Security

Mr. Spencer is featured as a speaker at more than 50 national conferences and workshops each year, and has been published in the The Journal of Commerce, Pacific Shipper, Inbound Logistics and other newsmagazines. Mr. Spencer has been the keynote or featured speaker at annual events sponsored by the following associations: IWLA, RILA, JOC, ULI, NAIOP, SIOR, AAEI, NAFTZ, AAAE, CSCMP, WERC, and ICSC.

Mr. Spencer has recently completed his term on the 9th and 10th COAC Committee, with oversight responsibilities on Customs and the Department of Homeland Security. IMS Worldwide, under Mr. Spencer's leadership, is now a leading consulting firm for developers and real estate trusts who seek his guidance as it relates to property value, port efficiencies and site selection differentiators.

William C. Sproull, FM
President & CEO
Richardson Chamber of Commerce
Richardson, TX

William Sproull is President and CEO of the Richardson Chamber of Commerce (RCC), Metroplex Technology Business Council (MTBC) and the Richardson Economic Development Partnership (REDP). This unique and complex set of organizations he runs has two separate Board of Directors and a City Council to whom he reports.

He has led the revitalization of Richardson's telecom based economy through a focus on industry and technology diversification . He built the MTBC into the state of Texas's largest trade association for technology companies. He led the RCC in 2010 through the rigorous US Chamber Accreditation program successfully, earning the highest 5 Star rating conferred by the US Chamber for accreditation. Sproull and his REDP team are credited with bringing two catalyst economic development projects to Richardson: a 3,000 employee Bank of America operation in 2004, and a $3 billion Texas Instruments semiconductor factory in 2003.

In 2005, he helped lead a statewide coalition that got legislation passed in Texas to create the Texas Emerging Technology Fund, a half-billion investment fund. Governor Rick Perry of Texas has appointed him to three consecutive two-year terms on the Fund's Advisory Committee, and appointed him as Chairman in 2010.

Previously he held senior economic development positions at the Greater Dallas Chamber, the McKinney Economic Development Corporation and at the EDC of Kansas City, Missouri. Sproull is a graduate of Baylor University, where he received a BA degree with a double major in Economics and Political Science.

Sproull is on the Boards of Directors of the International Economic Development Council, the University of Texas at Dallas, the North Texas Regional Center for Innovation & Commercialization, the North Texas Commission, and the Technology Councils of North America.

Sproull's economic development accomplishments were recognized by the editors of Site Selection magazine when they selected the $3 billion Texas Instruments project as the Top Development Deal nationally of 2003; his economic development teams have been selected three times by Site Selection as one of the top 10 development groups in the U.S. in 1994, 1997 and 2004. He is a two-time recipient of the American Economic Development Council's "Best of Class" marketing award. In 2010, the International Economic Development Council designated him with the distinction of being a Fellow Member.

The Metroplex Technology Business Council inducted Sproull as the inaugural member of their Hall of Fame in 2010 by declaring him a Tech Titan.

Walter C. Sprouse, Jr., CEcD, CCE, FM, HLM
Executive Director
Augusta Economic Development Authority
Augusta, GA

Walt Sprouse is the Executive Director of the Augusta Economic Development Authority. Walt is charged with the economic development strategy for Augusta, including the recruitment of targeted companies such as manufacturing, distribution, life sciences and customer service companies and corporate headquarters to Augusta-Richmond County.

Prior to coming to Augusta, Walt Sprouse served as President of the Randolph County Economic Development Corporation in North Carolina for fifteen years. During his 25-year career in economic development, Walt has recruited more than two billion dollars in new and expanding industrial investment, with more than 22,000 new jobs created. Under his leadership, his economic development organizations were twice named by Site Selection magazine as one of the "Top Ten Economic Development Organizations in the United States" and his organizations were named to the country's "Top Twenty" list three times.

During his career, Walt has won twenty-six national and regional awards for economic development marketing. Sprouse is a graduate of the University of South Carolina and the Institute for Organization Management at the University of Georgia.

Walt recently completed six terms on the Board of Directors of the International Economic Development Council. He is a Past President of the North Carolina Economic Developers Association, a member of the Board of Directors of the Savannah River Site Community Re-Use Organization, and the Episcopal Day School of Augusta.

In 2010, Walt was named by Georgia Trend Magazine to their highest honor as one of the "100 Most Influential Georgians". In 2006 and again in 2008, Georgia Trend named Walt to their list of "Notable Georgians". In 2011, the International Economic Development Council awarded Walt the "Honorary Life Membership Achievement" Award.

Tom Stellman
President & CEO
TIP Strategies
Austin, TX

As president of TIP Strategies, Inc., Tom has national and international experience in economic development and workforce analysis. Tom is the lead author of TIP's Texas Automotive Profile and has spoken extensively about automotive supplier attraction strategies. He also developed and launched the highly successful Invest in Texas Alliance, a marketing initiative targeting domestic and international growth companies which generated over $3 billion in investment leads and facilitated the location of 15 companies.

Tom's recent projects include developing a talent-focused strategy as part of a WIRED-funded initiative for a 26-county region in Kentucky and Indiana; crafting diversification strategies for military dependent communities in Texas (Fort Hood and Sheppard AFB) and Tennessee (Fort Campbell); preparing an economic development strategic plan for Hinds County (Jacksonville), Mississippi; and creating marketing strategies for suburban communities along the expansion of the President George Bush Tollway in the Dallas area.

Prior to establishing TIP, Tom was director of the Office of International Business for the Texas Department of Commerce. He led a 10-person staff charged with promoting the state's exports, marketing the state to foreign investors, and facilitating communication between foreign investors and economic development organizations statewide.

John D. Tennant
Managing Partner
W2N2 Partnership
Waterloo Region, ON
Canada

John Tennant's experience spans economic development; international relations; trade, investment and technology; government relations; and governance.

From 2002 through 2008, John was CEO of Canada's Technology Triangle Inc (CTT Inc), the public-private regional economic development partnership for Ontario's Waterloo Region, including the cities of Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo.

Previously, he had a distinguished Canadian foreign service career which culminated as Canadian Consul General in Detroit (1998 to 2002). Earlier assignments were in New York , Chicago, Japan, West Africa, Central America, the Eastern Caribbean and Australia.

John currently heads his own strategic consulting firm, W2N2 Partnership, which leads initiatives and advises government, economic development agencies and academic institutions.

John holds the ICD.D certification from Canada's Institute of Corporate Directors and serves on private and public sector boards.

Allison J.H. Thompson, CEcD, EDFP
Director of Economic Development
City of Cedar Hill
Cedar Hill, TX

Allison J. H. Thompson, holds a BS in Criminal Justice from Texas Christian University, an MA in Urban Affairs from the University of Texas of Arlington as well as professional certifications from both the International Economic Development Council and the National Development Council.

Currently employed by the City of Cedar Hill, a thriving community in southwest Dallas County on Joe Pool Lake, she serves as the Director for the Cedar Hill Economic Development Corporation as well as directs the economic development efforts for the City of Cedar Hill.

Her experience ranges from working as a consultant focusing on strategic economic development planning to managing a regional economic development organization. She has served as director of economic development in several Texas cities.

Anatalio Ubalde, MCP, FM
CEO and Co-Founder
GIS Planning, Inc. and Zoomprospector.com
San Francisco, CA

Anatalio Ubalde is Co-founder and CEO of GIS Planning Inc., an economic development internet service company and ZoomProspector.com, an online site selection and business intelligence service. Mr. Ubalde works with organizations throughout the nation to foster enhanced economic development strategies using Internet technology. His company's strategies are implemented in 42 states and serve the majority of the 100 largest cities in the United States as well as numerous states and small communities. GIS Planning's ZoomProspector Enterprise web-based GIS product is the industry standard for site selection websites in economic development.

His work in geographic information systems, economic development and the Internet is featured in The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, INC., Forbes, Fortune, New York Times, and the U.S. Department of Commerce "Innovative Local Economic Development Programs" publication. In 2009 he was named a Fellow Member of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) for achieving exceptional stature in the field of economic development. He is also a Board Member of IEDC.

Mr. Ubalde is co-author of the book Economic Development Marketing: Present & Future, and author of articles in Economic Development America, Economic Development Commentary and the Canadian Economic Development and Technology Journal. He is a highly sought-after speaker on the subject of Internet and GIS strategies for effective economic development and has made presentations on these subjects throughout North America, Asia, and Europe.

Before GIS Planning he worked in local economic development with a focus on downtown revitalization, waterfront redevelopment, business attraction/expansion, business retention, and site selection assistance. Mr. Ubalde is a twenty-four-time United States Master's Diving National Champion, All-American, and in July of 2010 won two silver medals at the World Masters Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden in springboard and platform diving. He has a Masters degree in City Planning from U.C. Berkeley.

Sharon K. Ward, MBA, CEcD
Chair
AEDO Advisory Committee
Allentown, PA

Sharon Ward, CEcD, has more than 25 years experience in economic development. Her initial experience was as research director for a new economic development organization in Northeastern PA. She reviewed and synthesized the findings of community-wide task force studies into a marketing package and worked with local stakeholders and staff to address the SWOT findings. Sharon then assumed responsibility for both research and marketing and worked directly over the next 12 years on 88 company locations. While working in community-level economic development, Sharon chaired a regional initiative to combine the marketing efforts of nine counties in Northeastern PA and form what is now Penn's Northeast. From that base, she moved to utility economic development. Working with 29 counties in central eastern Pennsylvania, Sharon directed marketing activities and managed community partnership programs for PPL Corporation to bring jobs and economic prosperity to the region. Sharon is currently the chair of the International Economic Development Council's Accredited Economic Development Organization (AEDO) committee and has lead 12 national accreditations. Sharon has earned a B.S. and M.B.A. from Oklahoma State University.

Rick L. Weddle, FM, HLM
President & CEO
Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission
Orlando, FL

Rick L. Weddle joined the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission (EDC) as President and CEO in March of 2011. In this role, he leads the operations of a $6 million regional organization with a 32-person staff that represents the four-county region of Orange, Seminole, Lake and Osceola, and the City of Orlando.

Prior to joining the EDC, Weddle spent seven years as President and CEO of the Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina, owner and developer of The Research Triangle Park. Under his leadership, the Research Triangle Park generated successful development projects with projected capital investment of over $800 million and the projected creation of over 6,300 new jobs.

Weddle's extensive career in economic development also includes serving as President and CEO of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC) in Phoenix, Arizona. He has led economic development organizations in Toledo, Ohio, where he served as President and CEO of the Regional Growth Partnership (RGP); in Stockton, California, as President and CEO of the San Joaquin Partnership & Business Council; and in Winston-Salem, North Carolina where he was President and CEO of Winston-Salem Business Inc.

An active speaker and leader in numerous economic development and science park organizations, Mr. Weddle currently serves as Vice President of the International Association of Science Parks (IASP) and was elected President of IASP-North American Division in December 2007. He has also been active in the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) since its inception and served as president in 2002.

Geoffrey B. West
Distinguished Professor
Former President, Santa Fe Institute
Santa Fe Institute
Sante Fe, NM

Geoffrey West is Distinguished Professor and former President of the Santa Fe Institute (SFI) and an Associate Fellow of the Said Business School, Oxford University. He is a Senior Fellow and former leader of high energy physics at Los Alamos National Laboratory. He received his BA from Cambridge University (1961) and his PhD from Stanford University (physics, 1966), where he returned in 1970 to join the faculty.

West is a theoretical physicist whose primary interests are in fundamental problems, from elementary particles and universal scaling laws to a unifying quantitative framework of biology, including metabolic rate, growth, aging & death, sleep, cancer, and ecosystem dynamics.

Recent work has focused on developing an underlying quantitative theory for the structure and dynamics of cities, companies and sustainability, including growth rates, innovation, the accelerating pace of life, and why all companies die, yet cities survive. Recent awards include the Mercer Prize from the Ecological Society of America, the Weldon Prize for Mathematical Biology, and the Glenn Award for Aging research. His work was selected as a breakthrough idea of 2007 by Harvard Business Review and, in 2006, he was selected for Time magazine's list of "100 Most Influential People in the World".

Joy Wilkins, CEcD
Senior Fellow
The University of Georgia's Fanning Institute
Athens, GA

Joy Wilkins is a Senior Fellow with The University of Georgia's Fanning Institute – and, is a frequent advisor, speaker, instructor, and author on economic development, strategic planning, and quality management topics. Joy joined Fanning to contribute to the organization's efforts in leadership development and community capacity building. One of her primary interests is to continually identify and share best practices on what it takes to run a high performance organization in ever-changing economic, social, and political dynamics. She has served as a consultant for clients in the United States and Canada.

Previously, Joy served as Group Manager for Community Innovation Services at Georgia Tech's Enterprise Innovation Institute and oversaw the development and delivery of the Institute's planning, research, and educational services for leaders in economic development and government representing cities, counties, regions, and state and federal entities. She built and grew a unit into a highly successful, talented, and recognized group of service-oriented team members and served as an accomplished member of the general faculty for more than 10 years. In another prior capacity, Joy served as a researcher with the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce where she produced customized reports and publications concerning metro Atlanta's economic development landscape for a wide range of investors. While at the Chamber, much of her work was concentrated on addressing research needs associated with Atlanta's hosting of the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games.

Joy entered the economic development profession in 1994 and has been a Certified Economic Developer by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) since 2002. She has a master's degree in city planning from the Georgia Institute of Technology; a graduate certificate in real estate from Georgia State University; and a bachelor's degree, with majors in sociology and political science, from the State University of New York at Fredonia. Joy serves on the IEDC Board of Directors and has been actively involved in a number of other professional associations and committees.

Gregory H. Wingfield
President & CEO
Greater Richmond Partnership, Inc.
Richmond, VA

In 1994, Gregory Wingfield was elected president and chief executive officer and helped launch the Greater Richmond Partnership, Inc., Greater Richmond's public-private regional economic development organization.

Over the last 16 years, the Partnership has assisted numerous high profile companies including Genworth, Brinks, Philip Morris USA (their headquarters and research/development), Altria and MeadWestvaco. The 395 businesses recruited since 1994 have committed $7.3 billion in new investment. The region has also added 100,000 net new jobs over this same period of time.

The Partnership, five times in a row, has won accolades as one of the top economic development groups in the national. In addition, the region three times has achieved "Top Deal" recognition from Site Selection magazine for pulling off the nation's biggest top-dollar projects.

Greg earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in urban and regional planning from Virginia Commonwealth University and began his career as a planner with state and regional agencies and as director/manager with the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development.

From 1984 to mid-1987, he was marketing manager with the Virginia Department of Economic Development. Then, for seven years, just before coming back to Greater Richmond, he was president of Forward Hampton Roads, the economic development arm of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce in Norfolk, Virginia.

Honorable Nelson W. Wolff
County Judge
Bexar County Commissioners Court
San Antonio, TX

Nelson William Wolff was appointed Bexar County Judge in 2001 and has since been elected to the position in November 2002, 2006, and again in 2010. He is the first County Judge who also served as Mayor of San Antonio in more than 100 years.

With his colleagues on the Commissioners Court and in the City of San Antonio, Judge Wolff has worked to promote greater economic development in Bexar County, including the successful efforts to lure Toyota Motor Manufacturing and the PGA Village to locate here. In 2007, Judge Wolff led the Commissioners Court approval of a $500 million, 10-year regional flood control program. The following year he initiated the County's effort to successfully convince voters to approve the first ever visitor tax-backed bond package for $415 million. Those bond funds will help the construction of up to 13 amateur sports facilities, a dedicated performing arts venue, improvements to the San Antonio River and future improvements to the AT&T Center and the Joe and Harry Freeman Coliseum. In July 2008, Judge Wolff and Commissioners Court approved a $900 million plan backed by bonds issued over three years to build a new trauma center and provide other improvements for the University Health System.

As Mayor of San Antonio, Wolff oversaw the establishment of the University of Texas at San Antonio Downtown Campus; construction of the Nelson W. Wolff Municipal Stadium, home to the San Antonio Missions; and the development of the San Antonio Public Library's central branch designed by renowned architect Ricardo Legorreta. Also during his four-year tenure, the new City Hall Chambers opened in the Municipal Plaza Building and he led the effort to pass the largest parks bond issue in city history.

Wolff has authored four books and is an avid reader and collector of 20th Century first editions. Challenge of Change, published in 1975, is about Wolff's experience in the Texas Legislature and the Constitutional Convention he participated in and for which he was largely responsible. Baseball for Real Men reflects on life and Wolff's love of the game. Mayor: An Inside View of San Antonio Politics 1981-1995 takes a look at local politics during his and Henry Cisneros' years leading the city. Wolff's most recent book Transforming San Antonio: An Insider's View of the AT&T Center, Toyota, the PGA Village and the River Walk Extension explores the four major developments in recent history that have provided urban renewal and growth for the city.

Wolff holds a bachelor of business administration from St. Mary's University and a doctorate of jurisprudence from St. Mary's University School of Law. Throughout his life, Wolff has excelled in both politics and business.

In 1961, Wolff, his father and two brothers formed Alamo Enterprises Building Supplies. In 1977, they sold the eight-store chain. A year later with his brothers George and Gary, Wolff founded Sun Harvest Farms, a successful chain of natural food stores. After growing the business to include nine stores, they sold the chain in 1999.

Mixed in with his successful business career Wolff also served in the State House of Representatives from 1971 to 1973 and then in the Texas Senate from 1973 to 1975.

Ben Wright
CEO
Atlas Advertising
Denver, CO

Ben Wright is one of the foremost experts in economic development marketing, with over 18 years of experience, working primarily in North America. In the ten years since he started U.S. based Atlas Advertising, the company has grown to serve more than 70 different economic development clients, in 40+ states and 6 countries.

Ben started his career in economic development as the Chief Economist for the Metro Denver EDC, in Colorado in the early 1990s. He brings a wealth of branding, digital marketing, and GIS experience into every client engagement. Ben helps clients develop and execute innovative marketing strategies, and is a frequent speaker with the International Economic Development Council, Georgia Tech Innovation Institute, and various state and regional economic development conferences.

Having worked all over North America, Ben understands how economic development agencies must compete in a global marketplace. He applies this passion for places and knowledge of people into Atlas Advertising's very core, and, thus, into every project.

Ben is a graduate of Stanford University in California with a degree in economics, with emphasis on urban studies. Ben lives in Denver, CO with his wife and three adventurous daughters.

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