Day 1 ~ October 29th

7:30 am           Breakfast Served

8:45 am           Conference Opening Remarks by Event MC: Jason Grill, Founder, JGrill Media

9:00 am           Presentation by:         Michael Lockwood, Senior Principal, Populous

9:20 am           Session 1:  Building the New American City
Cities are across the United States are undergoing an urban renaissance. Downtowns are growing for the first time in generations, and new investments are giving life to formerly under-utilized assets like old buildings and urban waterfronts. It’s an opportunity to shape the next generation of American urban life.

• Jim Schmitt, Mayor, City of Green Bay, WI
• Sue Schwartz, Director of Planning, City of Greensboro, NC
• Beth Van Duyne, Mayor, City of Irving, TX
• Steve McDowell, President, Design Director and Design Principal, BNIM

Panel Chair:   Mahesh Daas, Dean, School of Architecture, Design and Planning,
University of Kansas

10:05 am         Presentation by:Julie Lorenz, Senior Strategic Consultant, Burns &
McDonnell

10:25 am         Keynote Address by:             Sly James, Mayor, Kansas City, MO

10:45 am         Morning Break

11:10 am         Session 2:  Cloud Cities — Data in The 21st Century City
One of the most exciting developments in our urban age is the use of new computing technologies, systems and digital infrastructures to run cities and improve urban life. Cloud Cities use new platforms and technologies to improve, transportation, policing and services. Cities are now in a position to offer the innovation and economic leadership in an emerging digital economy. What are the partnerships and new data tools that let us make our cities safer, more prosperous, and more livable? How can open data foster a better city and even help build startup companies?

• Suzanne Lee Chan, Vice Mayor, City of Fremont, CA
• Luke Norris, Director of Government Relations, Code for America
• Stephen Hardy, Chief Product Officer, mySidewalk
• Dominique Davison, Principal, DRAW Architecture + Urban Design LLC

Panel Chair:   Michael Grigsby, Director of Information Services, Kansas City Police
Department

11:55 am         Lunch

1:00 pm           Presentation by:         Kurtis McBride, CEO, Miovision

1:20 pm           Presentation by:         Fred Ellermeier, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Smart
and Integrated Infrastructure, Black & Veatch

1:40 pm           Session 3:  Smart Cities and Smart Utilities — What Next?
Smart cities has been a buzz term for several years, but a new era of smart, integrated infrastructure is now creating new opportunities for cities and revolutionizing how we live. This panel will address the opportunity to use sensors, data and technology to make cities and utilities much more functional.  What are the partnerships necessary to make it happen? Where is the current opportunity, and how can your city take advantage?

• Guy Lipa, Chief of Staff, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
• Blake Miller, Partner, Think Big Partners
• David Guhin, Director, Santa Rosa Water, CA
• Howard Morgan, Systems Engineering Manager, Cisco

Panel Chair:  Fred Ellermeier, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Smart
and Integrated Infrastructure, Black & Veatch

2:25 pm           Presentation by:         Mark Holland, Mayor, Kansas City, KS

2:45 pm           Presentation by:         Julián Zugazagoitia, Director, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

3:05 pm           Afternoon Break

3:25 pm           Session 4: Investing in The New American City
America’s cities require major investment in urban infrastructure to prosper, but municipal budgets remain stretched. How can cities implement the long term financial plans required to build – and re-build – the transportation, energy, water and transportation systems that are required to be competitive in the global market place? What investments are required to lead the way in the future, and where will the money come from?

• Joe Reardon, President & CEO, Kansas City Area Transportation Authority
• Terry Bassham, President & CEO, Kansas City Power & Light
• Charles Renner, Partner, Husch Blackwell
• Mike DeBacker, Director, Transportation Practice, Burns & McDonnell

Panel Chair:   Jim Heeter, President & CEO, Greater KC Chamber of Commerce 

4:10 pm:          Session 5:  The Skilled City
The new American economy relies on advanced research, clusters of industrial activity and close cooperation among universities, companies and cities. How can we build our cities as incubators of ideas, talent, entrepreneurship and the skills companies require? What is the emerging role of partnerships among companies, community colleges and post-secondary institutions in building the skills and business of tomorrow?

• Bernadette Gray-Little, Chancellor, University of Kansas
• Leo Morton, Chancellor, UMKC
• Jeff Longwell, Mayor, City of Wichita, KS
• Paul Soglin, Mayor, City of Madison, WI

Panel Chair:   Dane Stangler, Vice President, Research & Policy, The Kauffman
Foundation

4:55 pm           Day 1 Closing Comments and Invitation to Reception

5:00 – 6:30 pm            Reception

Day 2 ~ October 30th

8:00 am           Breakfast Served

9:00 am           Day 2 Welcome by Conference MC: Jason Grill, Founder, JGrill Media

9:10 am           Session 6: Education Cities
Education is vital to The New American City. Great schools are critical to economic development, as young parents choose where to live, and to future wellbeing as we educate the next generation and create opportunity for every child. What is the essential role of cities in building better schools? From early childhood education through more options for job training in high school, community colleges and universities, what new tools do Mayors, business leaders, and community institutions have at their disposal? This panel will address some of the best practices being implemented here and around the United States.

• Jim French, Senior Principal, DLR Group
• Mike Stradinger, CEO, Holland 1916
• Aaron North, Vice President, Education, The Kauffman Foundation
• Daniel Frank, Deputy Director, ReadyNation

Panel Chair:   Sly James, Mayor, Kansas City, MO

9:55 am           Presentation by:         Michael Collins, President & CEO, PortKC

10:15 am         Presentation by:         Esther George, President and CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of
Kansas City

10:45 am         Morning Break

11:15 am         Presentation by:         Lev Gonick, Chief Executive Officer, OneCommunity, Cleveland

11:35 am         Session 7:  Fiber Cities — The New Essential Infrastructure
Kansas City made national headlines as the first city to be awarded Google Fiber. Three years into its implementation, what has the city learned in its efforts to leverage next-generation digital infrastructure? What strategies are other cities across the nation implementing to develop fiber networks of their own, and how are they being used to drive job creation, economic growth, and bridge the digital divide?

• Lev Gonick, Chief Executive Officer, OneCommunity, Cleveland
• Lindsey Frost, Gigabit City Lead, Mozilla, Chattanooga
• Cheptoo Kositany-Buckner, Deputy Director of Strategic Initiatives, Kansas City Public Library
• Mark Stodola, Mayor, City of Little Rock, AR

Panel Chair: Aaron Deacon, Managing Director, KC Digital Drive

12:20 pm         Session 8:  The Startup City — Catalyzing Growth
For more than a generation, major cities have experienced a steady decline of manufacturing and jobs from the city core. There is, however, a new trend: downtowns are growing again in many cities, and seeing a new entrepreneur economy rising that is driven by technology, ‘maker’ manufacturing and entrepreneurship. Why are some cities so much better at fostering a great network of startup companies? How can cities accelerate this renaissance of the downtown through partnerships, zoning, tax policy and external marketing of a re-focused metropolitan brand?

• Maria Meyers, Founder, U.S. Sourcelink
• Jacquie Morgan, COO & Principal, Balance Point Corporation
• Candace Byrd, Chief of Staff, Atlanta, GA

Panel Chair:   Yasuyuki Motoyama, Director of Research and Policy, The Kauffman
Foundation

1:00 pm           Conference Close