2019 National Conference of Regions

The National Conference of Regions is NARC’s forum to determine key policy issues and a legislative agenda for the year ahead, targeting topics central to our members’ missions and their local elected officials’ focus.

NARC’s 2019 National Conference of Regions took place Sunday, February 10 – Wednesday, February 13, 2019 at the Washington Court Hotel, 525 New Jersey Ave NW Washington, DC.

Conference Sessions and Presentations

Sunday, February 10

MOBILE TOUR: NATIONAL LANDING AMAZON HQ2

Monday, February 11

GENERAL SESSION: PERSPECTIVES ON WHAT LIES AHEAD
Speaker: The Honorable Geof Benson, Commissioner, Town of Beverly Shores, Indiana; Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission; NARC President @geofbenson @NIRPC

WHAT TO EXPECT IN THE 116th CONGRESS
Moderator: Mitchel Herckis, Senior Editor and Director of Strategic Initiatives, RouteFifty.com, Atlantic Media, @MHerckis @routefifty
Speaker: Nancy Ognanovich, Congressional Leadership Reporter, Bloomberg Government @NOgnanovich @BGOV

LOCAL GOVERNMENT PARTNER PERSPECTIVES
Speaker: The Honorable Gary Moore, Judge/Executive, Boone County, Kentucky; Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments; NARC Past President; NACo 2nd Vice President @BooneCountyKy @OKIRCOG

THE IMPORTANT ROLE OF TRANSIT
Speaker: Paul P. Skoutelas, President and CEO, American Public Transportation Association @APTA_info

BREAKOUT SESSION: TRANSPORTATION DATA: LEVERAGING OPPORTUNITIES AND AVOIDING PITFALLS
Moderator: Greg Rodriguez, Of Counsel, Best Best & Krieger @smartertranspo @BBKlaw
Speakers: Ron Achelpohl, Director of Transportation & Environment, Mid-America Regional Council @MARCKCMetro
Randell Iwasaki, Executive Director, Contra Costa Transportation Authority @CCTA

BREAKOUT SESSION: THE 2020 CENSUS: ENSURING ITS SUCCESS IN YOUR REGION
Moderator: Diane Rath, Executive Director, Alamo Area Council of Governments @AACOGCEO @AlamoAreaCOG
Speakers: Jim Reed, Executive Director, Central Texas Council of Governments @CentralTexasCOG
Marlene Nagel Community Development Director, Mid-America Regional Council @MARCKCMetro
Aaron Schill, Data & Mapping Director, Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission @morpc

LUNCH PLENARY SESSION: THE POWER OF THE COMMONS
Moderator: The Honorable Marge Vogt, Councilmember, Olathe, Kansas; Mid-America Regional Council;
NARC President-Elect @MARCKCMetro
Speaker: Lynn M. Ross, AICP, Founder and Principal, Spirit for Change Consulting @mslynnross

LUNCH PLENARY SESSION: LOCAL GOVERNMENT PARTNER PERSPECTIVES
Speaker: Clarence Anthony, CEO and Executive Director, National League of Cities @ceanthony50 @leagueofcities

BREAKOUT SESSION: THE EVOLVING LANDSCAPE OF TRANSPORTATION PLANNING
Moderator: Erich Zimmermann, Deputy Director, NARC @erichzimm @NARCRegions
Speaker: Jason Jordan, Director of Policy, American Planning Association @APA_Planning

BREAKOUT SESSION: EXPANDING BROADBAND’S REACH
Moderator: Miriam Gillow-Wiles, Executive Director, Southwest Colorado Council of Governments @SWCCOG
Speakers: Svetlana Matt, Legislative Assistant, Office of Representative Jerry McNerney – Co-Founder of Congressional WiFi Caucus @RepMcNerney
Kathryn De Wit, Manager, Broadband Research Initiative, Pew Charitable Trusts @km_dewit @pewresearch
Angelina Panettieri, Principal Associate, Technology and Communications, National League of Cities
@AngelinainDC @leagueofcities

ECONOMIC & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
Chairs: The Honorable Jennifer Robinson, Councilmember, Town of Cary, North Carolina; Triangle J Council of Governments; NARC Board of Directors @TownofCary @TJCOGnc
Betty Voights, Executive Director, Capital Area Council of Governments
Speakers: Matt Josephs, Senior Vice President, Local Initiatives Support Corporation @LISC_Policy
Mike Wallace, Program Director, Federal Advocacy, National League of Cities @MikeWallaceII
@leagueofcities
Brett Theodos, Principal Research Associate, Urban Institute @BrettTheodos @urbaninstitute
Wes King, Policy Specialist, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition @SustainableAg

ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE
Chairs: The Honorable Lee Constantine, Commissioner, Seminole County, Florida; MetroPlan Orlando and East Central Florida Regional Planning Council; NARC Board Member @seminolecounty @MetroPlan_Orl
@ECFRPC
Rosa De León Park, Executive Director, Stanislaus Council of Governments @FollowStanCOG
Speakers: Julie Ufner, Associate Legislative Director – Environment, Energy & Land Use, National Association of Counties @NACoTweets
Carolyn Berndt, Program Director, Sustainability, National League of Cities @BerndtCarolyn @leagueofcities
Jason Isakovic, Director, Legislative Affairs, National Association of Clean Water Agencies @NACWA

Tuesday, February 12

GENERAL SESSION:

VIEW FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
Moderator: The Honorable Geof Benson, Commissioner, Town of Beverly Shores, Indiana; Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission; NARC President @geofbenson @NIRPC
Speaker: The Honorable Benjamin S. Carson Sr., Secretary, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
@SecretaryCarson @HUDgov

VIEW FROM CONGRESS
Speakers: The Honorable Peter DeFazio, U.S. House of Representatives, 4th Congressional District of Oregon
@RepPeterDeFazio
The Honorable Sam Graves, U.S. House of Representatives, 6th Congressional District of Missouri
@RepSamGraves
The Honorable Dina Titus, U.S. House of Representatives, 1st Congressional District of Nevada
@repdinatitus

BREAKOUT SESSION: TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE
Chairs: The Honorable Fred Strong, Councilmember, Paso Robles, California; San Luis Obispo Council of Governments @PRCity @SLOCOGdotORG
Greg Stuart, Executive Director, Broward Metropolitan Planning Organization @MPOGreg
@SpeakUp_Broward
Miriam Gillow-Wiles, Executive Director, Southwest Colorado Council of Governments @SWCCOG
NARC Staff: Erich Zimmermann, Deputy Director, NARC @erichzimm @NARCregions
Speakers: Helena Zyblikewycz, Majority Staff Director, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
@TransportDems
Murphie Barrett, Minority Staff Director, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
@TransportGOP

BREAKOUT SESSION: PREPARING TOMORROW’S WORKFORCE
Moderator: Neil Bomberg, Senior Policy Advisor, NARC @neilbomberg @NARCregions
Speakers: Katie Spiker, Senior Federal Policy Analyst, National Skills Coalition @Katie_SpikerNSC @SkillsCoalition
Mirielle Burgoyne, Director of Government Relations and Legislative Affairs, National Association of Development Organizations @NADOWeb
Chuck Wemple, Executive Director, Houston-Galveston Area Council @HouGalvAreaCog

BREAKOUT SESSION: TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE – CONTINUED
Speakers: Brittney Kohler, Director of Transportation and Infrastructure, National League of Cities @bdkohler
@leagueofcities
Jessica Jennings, Associate Legislative Director for Transportation and Infrastructure, National Association of Counties @NACoTweets

WHAT’S AHEAD FOR MUNICIPAL FINANCE IN 2019
Moderator: Steve Dial, Deputy Director, San Joaquin Council of Governments
Speakers: Michael Belarmino, Senior Policy Advisor, Government Finance Officers Association @GFOA
Brian Egan, Principal Associate, Federal Advocacy, National League of Cities @BeegleME @leagueofcities
@NARCregions

GENERAL SESSION
Moderator: The Honorable Robert Cannon, Supervisor, Clinton Township, Michigan; Southeast Michigan Council of Governments; NARC Senior Vice President @SEMCOG

FEDERALISM AND THE SUPREME COURT
Speaker: Lisa Soronen, Executive Director, State and Local Legal Center

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Speaker: Anthony Bedell, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs, U.S. Department of Transportation @USDOT

BREAKOUT SESSION: ADDRESSING THE HOUSING CRUNCH
Moderator: Marc Draisen, Executive Director, Metropolitan Area Planning Council @MAPCMetroBoston
Speaker: Elayne Weiss, Senior Policy Analyst, National Low Income Housing Coalition @elaynebw @NLIHC
Vicki Watson, Executive Director, National Community Development Association @NCDAonline

RENEWING THE OLDER AMERICANS ACT
Moderator: Douglas R. Hooker, Executive Director, Atlanta Regional Council @AtlantaRegional @DougATL2
Speakers: Sandy Markwood, CEO, National Association of Area Agencies on Aging, @n4aACTION
Rina Wulfing, Legislative Assistant, Office of Representative Peter DeFazio @RepPeterDeFazio

Wednesday, February 13

CONGRESSIONAL BREAKFAST
Moderator: The Honorable Marge Vogt, Councilmember, Olathe, Kansas; Mid-America Regional Council;
NARC President-Elect @MARCKCMetro
Speakers: The Honorable Earl Blumenauer, U.S. House of Representatives, 3rd Congressional District of Oregon
@repblumenauer
The Honorable Paul Tonko, U.S. House of Representatives, 20th Congressional District of New York
@RepPaulTonko