NARC’s 53rd Annual Conference & Exhibition was hosted in Omaha Nebraska by the Metropolitan Area Planning Agency, June 9-12, 2019.

 Representatives of Councils of Government and Metropolitan Planning Organizations — leadership, professional staff, board members, local elected officials, technical and program staff — came together in Omaha this June to share best practices, attend informative sessions, and engage in training and technical service programs.

Conference Sessions and Presentations

SUNDAY

MOBILE TOUR – URBAN REVITALIZATION IN OMAHA

OPENING RECEPTION

MONDAY

JOGGING WITH JEFF AND JASON

PLENARY BREAKFAST -Welcome to the Region
Speaker: The Honorable Geof Benson, Council Member, Town of Beverly Shores, Indiana; Northwestern
Indiana Regional Planning Commission; NARC President
Speaker: The Honorable Douglas Kindig, Mayor, La Vista, Nebraska; Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Area
Planning Agency 
Speaker: The Honorable Jean Stothert, Mayor, Omaha, Nebraska; Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Area
Planning Agency 
Speaker: The Honorable Don Bacon, U.S. House of Representatives, 2nd Congressional District of Nebraska
Speaker: Greg Youell, Executive Director, Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Area Planning Agency

PLENARY -What’s on the World’s Mind
Moderator: Greg Youell, Executive Director, Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Area Planning Agency
Speaker: Jon Clifton, Global Managing Partner, Gallup

ENGAGING THE PRIVATE SECTOR
Moderator: The Honorable Karen Keith, Commissioner, Tulsa County, Oklahoma; Indian Nations Council of
Governments; NARC Board of Directors
Speaker: Jeff Kutash, Executive Director, Peter Kiewit Foundation 
Speaker: Robert Freeman, Partner, Fraser Stryker 
Speaker: Kathleen Lomako, Executive Director, Southeast Michigan Council of Governments 

CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS, CHANGING TIMES
Moderator: The Honorable Alan D. Wapner, Council Member, City of Ontario, California; Southern California
Association of Governments; NARC Board of Directors 
Speaker: Brian Martin, Executive Director, Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission 
Speaker: Gary Huttmann, Executive Director, MetroPlan Orlando 
Speaker: Kent Sovern, State Director (retired), AARP Iowa

LUNCH PLENARY -Is the World of Work Really Changing?
Moderator: The Honorable Marge Vogt, Councilmember, Olathe, Kansas; Mid-America Regional Council;
NARC President-Elect 
Keynote Speaker: Jane Oates, President, WorkingNation 
Speaker: David Warm, Executive Director, Mid-America Regional Council 
Speaker: Chuck Wemple, Executive Director, Houston-Galveston Area Council 
Speaker: Anthony W. Starr, Executive Director, Western Piedmont Council of Governments 

ECONOMIC & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
Moderator and Co-Chair: The Honorable Jennifer Robinson, Council Member, Town of Cary, North Carolina;
Triangle J Council of Governments; NARC Board of Directors 
Co-Chair: Betty Voights, Executive Director, Capital Area Council of Governments
Speaker: Daria Daniel, Associate Legislative Director for Community, Economic, and Workforce Development,
National Association of Counties 
Speaker: Chuck Bean, Executive Director, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments
Speaker: Mike Alexander, Director, Center for Livable Communities, Atlanta Regional Commission

TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE
Co-Chair: The Honorable Fred Strong, Councilmember, City of Paso Robles, California; San Luis Obispo
Council of Governments; NARC Board of Directors 
Co-Chair: Greg Stuart, Executive Director, Broward Metropolitan Planning Organization
Co-Chair: Miriam Gillow-Wiles, Executive Director, Southwest Colorado Council of Governments 
Speaker: Egan Smith, Managing Director, Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office, U.S.
Department of Transportation 
Speaker: Susanna Hughes-Reck, Capacity Development Team Leader, Office of Transportation Performance
Management, U.S. Federal Highway Administration 
Speaker: James Garland, Transportation Planning Capacity Building Team Leader, Office of Planning, U.S.
Federal Highway Administration 
Speaker: Erich Zimmermann, Deputy Director / Transportation Director, NARC 

JOINT COMMITTEE MEETING – Environment & Public Safety
Co-Chair: The Honorable Lee Constantine, Commissioner, Seminole County, Florida; MetroPlan Orlando and
East Central Florida Regional Planning Council; NARC Board Member 
Co-Chair: Rosa De León Park, Executive Director, Stanislaus Council of Governments, Modesto, California
Co-Chair: The Honorable Byron Ryder, Judge, Leon County, Texas; Brazos Valley Council of Governments
Co-Chair: Diane Rath, Executive Director, Alamo Area Council of Governments
Moderator: The Honorable Carol Vinton, Supervisor, Mills County, Iowa; Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan
Area Planning Agency 
Speaker: Robert Haywood, Federal Disaster Recovery Coordinator, U.S. Federal Emergency Management
Agency 
Speaker: Marlene Nagel, Director, Community Development, Mid-America Regional Council 
Speaker: Mike Alexander, Director, Center for Livable Communities, Atlanta Regional Commission

EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS COUNCIL MEETING

Thank You to Our Sponsors!

TUESDAY

BREAKFAST PLENARY
Moderator: The Honorable Geof Benson, Council Member, Town of Beverly Shores, Indiana; Northwestern
Indiana Regional Planning Commission; NARC President
Speaker: Lisa Soronen, Executive Director, State and Local Legal Center

PLENARY
Welcome to the Region Part II
Moderator: The Honorable Rusty Hike, Mayor, Bellevue, Nebraska; Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Area
Planning Agency
Speaker: Jimmy Weber, Head of Communications, Program Management Office, USSTRATCOM C2 Facility, U.S. Air Force 

THE INTERSECTION OF LAND USE, TRANSPORTATION, AND URBAN DESIGN – AT MULTIPLE SCALES
Moderator: The Honorable Julie Pierce, Council Member, City of Clayton, California; Association of Bay Area
Governments
Speaker: Nelson Peng, Senior Urban Designer, HDR | Calthorpe
Speaker: Kaia Nesbitt, National Development Sector Director, HDR
Speaker: Doug Bisson, Community Planning and Urban Design Lead, HDR

FUNDING REGIONAL INITIATIVES
Moderator: The Honorable Garret Nancolas, Mayor, Caldwell, Idaho; Community Planning Association of
Southwest Idaho 
Speaker: Carol Wetuski, Community Development Specialist, U.S. Department of Agriculture-Rural
Development 
Speaker: Alejandro Escobar, WIFIA Portfolio Manager, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Speaker: Aaron Heintz, WIFIA Portfolio Manager, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Speaker: Nefretiti D. Harrison, Project Development Lead, U.S. Department of Transportation Build America
Bureau 
Speaker: David Cleveland, Executive Director, East Texas Council of Governments 

LUNCH PLENARY – U.S. Economic Development Administration
Moderator: The Honorable Robert Cannon, Supervisor, Clinton Township, Michigan; Southeast Michigan
Council of Governments; NARC Senior Vice President 
Speaker: The Honorable John C. Fleming, M.D., Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic
Development, U.S. Economic Development Administration 

PLENARY – Smart Regions and Transformative Technology

Part I
Moderator: The Honorable Geof Benson, Council Member, Town of Beverly Shores, Indiana; Northwestern
Indiana Regional Planning Commission; NARC President 
Speaker: The Honorable Jennifer Robinson, Council Member, Town of Cary, North Carolina; Triangle J Council of Governments; NARC Board of Directors 

Part II
Moderator: Jean Rice, Senior Broadband Program Specialist, U.S. National Telecommunications and
Information Administration 
Speaker: William Murdock, Executive Director, Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission 
Speaker: Austin Yates, TSMO Engineer, District 4, Iowa Department of Transportation 
Speaker: Eric Anderson, Executive Director, Maricopa Association of Governments 

TRANSPORTATION AUTHORIZATION DISCUSSION
Speaker: Erich Zimmermann, Deputy Director / Transportation Director, NARC 

COMMUNICATIONS SESSION
Moderator: The Honorable Joy Fuchs, Commissioner, Washington County, Texas; Brazos Valley Council of
Governments; NARC Board of Directors
Speaker: Steve Wolf, Community Engagement Director, JEO Consulting Group 
Speaker: Meagan Coughlin, Director of Communications, Houston-Galveston Area Council
Speaker: Sue Cutsforth, Information Officer, Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Area Planning Agency
Speaker: Kelly Shoff, Communications Assistant, Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Area Planning Agency

MAJOR METROS ROUNDTABLE

MOBILE TOUR – BIKE TOUR

MOBILE WORKSHOP – COLLEGE WORLD SERIES: BEHIND THE SCENES

AWARDS DINNER

WEDNESDAY

NARC BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELECTIONS

BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING