Draft Conference Agenda  

 SUNDAY, JUNE 9 

12:00 PM - 4:00 PM  Registration 

1:00 PM - 5:00 PM  Mobile Tour - Boys Town: History and New Development Tour Hop aboard a motorcoach to the Boys Town campus where 101 years ago Father Flanagan started his mission of caring for abused and underprivileged children and learn how Boys Town has grown into a national presence over the years. Following the guided tour of sites in historic Boys Town Village, visitors will head to the nearby Heartwood Preserve, for a look at a project creating a unique urban core in suburban West Omaha.  Sunday Tours ($50 per person – non registered guests welcome) 

  Mobile Tour - Urban Revitalization in Omaha Travel by bus to neighborhoods on both the Omaha and Council Bluffs sides of the Missouri River that resurged through redevelopment efforts. Stops will include Rivers Edge, the 100 Block in Council Bluffs, South 24th Street in the heart of Omaha’s Latino community in South Omaha; the Blackstone District, and Midtown Crossing in Midtown Omaha; and the Highlander Development in North Omaha.  Sunday Tours ($50 per person – non registered guests welcome) 

6:00 PM - 7:30 PM  Opening Reception 

 MONDAY, JUNE 10 

9:00 AM - 10:00 AM  Welcome to the Region ● The Honorable Geof Benson, Commissioner, Town of Beverly 

Shores, Indiana; Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning 

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Commission; NARC President ● The Honorable Douglas Kindig, Mayor, La Vista, Nebraska; 

Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Area Planning Agency  ● The Honorable Jean Stothert, Mayor, Omaha, Nebraska; 

Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Area Planning Agency  ● The Honorable Don Bacon, U.S. House of Representatives, 2nd 

Congressional District of Nebraska 

10:00 AM - 10:45 AM  What’s on the World’s Mind?  ● Jon Clifton, Global Managing Partner, Gallup   

10:45 AM - 11:00 AM  Exhibitor Break 

Breakout Sessions 11:00 AM - 12:15 PM 

Engaging the Private Sector Engaging the public in the regional planning process is a given, but there are significant advantages for regions that make private sector engagement a part of their overall strategy. Private companies, individually or through chambers of commerce, bring a lot to the table: project and program expertise, financial and other resources, and a vested interest in advancing the well-being of your regions and its communities and citizens. Join a conversation between stakeholders with various perspectives on this issue and learn about the advantages and how-tos of private sector engagement. 

● Jeff Kutash, Executive Director, Peter Kiewit Foundation  ● Robert Freeman, Attorney, Fraser Stryker 

Changing Demographics/ Changing Times According to the United States Census Bureau, the year 2030 will mark a major turning point for the United States. All baby boomers will be older than 65; one in five Americans will be of retirement age; older adults will outnumber children for the first time in U.S. history; and immigration is projected to overtake natural increase as the primary driver of population growth. What do these demographic changes mean for cities, counties and regions? How can we better prepare for these changes? Are there specific things that regions can do to help their cities and counties better prepare? What will we be able to learn from the 2020 Census? A panel of experts will help us better understand how demographic changes are impacting their communities, the importance of making cities and towns more livable, and how changes in demographics are impacting our society as a whole.  

● Brian Martin, Executive Director, Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission 

● Gary Huttmann, AICP, Executive Director, MetroPlan Orlando ● AARP 

12:15 PM - 1:30 PM  LUNCH PLENARY: Is the World of Work Really Changing? Everywhere we look it seems to be the case that the world of work is 

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changing. Automation, artificial intelligence, robotics, and similar technological changes appear to be changing the nature of how we work. But the changes are not just in manufacturing. The exponential growth of digital connectivity, devices and information is driving profound changes in the way we work across the globe. In order to survive in this new world, companies need to rethink everything from culture to tools and environments, and decide what types of workers they will seek to employ. WorkingNationis at the forefront of the debate about whether the world of work is changing, and if it is, what it means for our future. Hear from experts on the changing nature of work, and how government can help play a significant role helping all Americans transition to the new world of work.  

● Keynote Speaker: Jane Oates, President, WorkingNation ● David Warm, Executive Director, Mid-America Regional Council ● Chuck Wemple, Executive Director, Houston-Galveston Area 

Council ● Anthony W. Starr, Executive Director, Western Piedmont Regional 

Council of Governments 

1:30 PM - 2:00 PM  Exhibitor Break 

Breakout Sessions 2:00 PM - 3:15 PM 

Transportation Committee  

● The Honorable Fred Strong, Councilmember, City of Paso Robles, California; San Luis Obispo Council of Governments; NARC Board of Directors @SLOCOGdotORG 

● Greg Stuart, Executive Director, Broward Metropolitan Planning Organization @MPOGreg @SpeakUp_Broward 

● Miriam Gillow-Wiles, Executive Director, Southwest Colorado Council of Governments @SWCCOG 

● Egan Smith, Managing Director, Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office, U.S. Department of Transportation 

● Susanna Hughes-Reck, Capacity Development Team Leader, Office of Transportation Performance Management, Federal Highway Administration 

● James Garland, Transportation Planning Capacity Building Team Leader, Office of Planning, Federal Highway Administration 

● Erich Zimmermann, Deputy Director / Transportation Director, NARC 

 

Economic & Community Development Committee Connecting Housing & Jobs  

● Moderator: Jennifer Robinson, Town of Cary, NC; Triangle J Council of Governments 

● Daria Daniel, Associate Legislative Director for Community, 

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Economic and Workforce Development, National Association of Counties 

● Chuck Bean, Executive Director, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments 

3:15 PM - 3:20 PM  Break 

3:20 PM - 4:35 PM  JOINT COMMITTEE MEETING: Environment & Public Safety The record setting flooding in Nebraska and Iowa makes clear that weather related disasters can happen anywhere. It also makes clear that every region in the nation must be thinking about how best to prepare and respond to natural disasters of all sorts. Today’s joint meeting of the Environment and Public Safety Committee will focus on preparation, resiliency, and emergency management. Members and others will learn from representatives of the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA), and regions that have prepared for and responded to natural disasters.   

● Moderator: The Honorable Carol Vinton, Chairman, Mills County Board of Supervisors; Metropolitan Area Planning Agency  

● Federal Emergency Management Agency 

4:45 PM - 6:00 PM  Executive Directors Council Meeting 

6:00 PM  Joint Board/EDC Get Together 

 TUESDAY, JUNE 11 

8:15 AM - 9:00 AM  PLENARY  Supreme Court Update 

● Lisa Soronen, Executive Director, State and Local Legal Center 

9:00 AM - 9:45 AM  PLENARY Welcome to the Region Part II 

9:45 AM - 10:00 AM  Exhibitor Break  

10:00 AM - 11:15 AM  Funding Regional Initiatives ● Alejandro Escobar, and Aaron Heintz, Office of Water, WIFIA 

Portfolio Management Team, Environmental Protection Agency ● Nefretiti D. Harrison, Project Development Lead, U.S. Department 

of Transportation Build America Bureau 

  Land Use Planning   ● Doug Bisson, Community Planning and Urban Design Lead, HDR  

DRAFT

11:15 AM - 11:30 AM  Exhibitor Break 

11:30 AM - 12:30 PM  LUNCH -- U.S. Economic Development Administration The Economic Development Administration invests in America’s regions to encourage sustainable regional economic growth and diversification. With programs that support economic resilience and recovery from disasters, critical infrastructure, workforce development and growth in exports.   Dr. John C. Fleming was sworn in as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development on March 15, 2019 after serving four terms as a Member of Congress representing Louisiana's 4th District  

● The Honorable John Fleming M.D., Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development, U.S. Economic Development Administration 

12:30 PM - 12:45 PM  Exhibitor Break 

12:45 PM - 2:00 PM  PLENARY Smart Cities and Transformative Technology 

● Moderator: The Honorable Geof Benson, Commissioner, Town of Beverly Shores, Indiana; Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission; NARC President  

● The Honorable Jennifer Robinson, Councilmember, Cary, NC; Triangle J Council of Governments 

● William Murdock, Executive Director, Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission 

● Austin Yates, TSMO Engineer, District 4, Iowa Department of Transportation 

2:00 PM - 2:15 PM  Exhibitor Break 

Breakout Sessions 2:15 PM - 3:30 PM  

Communications Session 

Transportation -- Authorization Discussion 

3:30 PM  Break (for Mobile Workshops) 

3:30 PM - 6:00 PM  Major Metros Roundtable 

4:00 PM - 5:30 PM  Mobile Workshop - Bike Tour Jump on a Heartland B-Cycle and join a local biking enthusiast and planner for a 90-minute tour (of relatively flat terrain) and learn the history of neighborhoods near and around Downtown and Midtown Omaha. For those unsure about pedaling for 90 minutes, Heartland B-Cycle is adding electric-assist bikes to its fleet in May. (B-Cycles and helmets provided.) Tuesday Tours ($25 per person – non registered guests welcome) 

Mobile Workshop - College World Series: Behind the Scenes 

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Omaha hosts the College World Series each June. Take a behind-the-scenes tour of TD Ameritrade Park as final preparations are put in place for one of the biggest summer events in the Omaha metro region. Tuesday Tours ($25 per person – non registered guests welcome) 

6:30 PM - 9:00 PM  Awards Dinner 

 WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12 

9:00 AM - 10:00 AM  NARC Board of Directors Elections 

10:00 AM - 1:00 PM  Board of Directors Meeting 

  DRAFT