A generation ago, U.S. cities were in crisis, and people looked to Washington for answers. Today the situation is reversed. Our national government is mired in dysfunction, but the impetus for economic innovation and growth and social progress has moved to America’s cities and metropolitan regions.
“The economic vitality of its cities sets the United States apart from other nations,” reports the McKinsey Global Institute. Rather than wait for Washington to get its act together, local leaders – political, business and civic – are collaborating to renew America’s economic dynamism from the ground up. This is a hugely positive development for our country.
The Progressive Policy Institute, the New Leaders Council, and Mayor Mitch Landrieu will host a conference in New Orleans Oct. 19 to highlight strategies for spurring economic investment, innovation and jobs, for preparing young people for the challenges of competing in a data-driven economy. Please join us for this important conversation, Engines of Innovation: How Cities and Metros Are Leading America’s Economic Revival.
AGENDA
Saturday, Oct. 19
The Civic Theatre, 510 O’Keefe Ave.
8 a.m. – 9 a.m. Registration & Breakfast
9 a.m. Welcome
Remarks: Rachael Hebert, NLC Louisiana Chapter Co-Director
Chris Kelly, Chairman, New Leaders Council
Will Marshall, Progressive Policy Institute
9:15 – 10 a.m. The Metropolitan Revolution: How Local Networks Are Driving Economic and Political Change in America
Moderator: Will Marshall, Progressive Policy Institute
Discussants: Amy Liu, Brookings
Michael Mandel, Progressive Policy Institute
10 – 11:30 a.m. Forging New Partnerships for Innovation and Jobs
Moderator: Chris Tyson, LSU Law School
Discussants: Rep. Walt Leger III, Speaker Pro Tempore, Louisiana House of Reps.
Andrea Chen, Propeller
Rod Miller, New Orleans Business Alliance
Tim Williamson, Idea Village New Orleans
11:30 a.m. Keynote Address: Building the Knowledge Economy in New Orleans
Introduction: Chris Kelly, NLC Chairman
Remarks: Mayor Mitch Landrieu, Mayor of New Orleans
12 – 1:30 p.m. Lunch
Mayors Roundtable: How Local Leaders are Tackling the Problems Washington Can’t Solve
Moderator: Norman Robinson, WDSU
Discussants: Steve Benjamin, Mayor of Columbia, S.C.
Bob Buckhorn, Mayor of Tampa, Fl.
Cedric B. Glover, Mayor of Shreveport, La.
Lisa A. Wong, Mayor of Fitchburg, Mass.
1:45 – 3 p.m. High-Skill Workers for a High-Growth Economy
Moderator: Caroline Fayard, Fayard Law Firm
Discussants: Glen Armantrout, CEO Café Reconcile
Neerav Kingsland, New Schools for New Orleans
James Moustafellos, Urban Apps & Maps Studios, Temple University
Bret Perkins, Comcast
