Allan  Wallis  Associate  Professor,  University  of  Colorado  Denver    Allan  Wallis  is  an  Associate  Professor  of  Public  Policy  at  the  School  of  Public  Affairs,  University  of  Colorado  Denver,  where  he  directs  the  concentration  in  local  government.  He  currently  teaches  courses  in  leadership  and  ethics,  urban  policy,  growth  management  policy,  and  innovation  in  public  management.  He  has  also  taught  courses  in  architecture,  city  planning  and  urban  design.    An  active  researcher,  Dr.  Wallis  focuses  his  work  on  emerging  forms  of  metropolitan  regional  governance,  leadership  development,  and  methods  for  improving  collaboration  among  nonprofit  organizations.  He  is  currently  working  on  a  metropolitan  regionalism  project  in  South  Florida  and  Chicago  under  a  grant  from  the  MacArthur  Foundation.  He  has  authored  numerous  articles,  book  chapters,  and  a  book-­‐Wheel  Estate:  the  Rise  and  Decline  of  Mobile  Homes.    Professor  Wallis  holds  a  Bachelors  in  Architecture  from  The  Cooper  Union,  a  Master  of  Public  Administration  from  the  Kennedy  School  of  Government  at  Harvard,  and  a  Ph.D.  in  Environmental  Psychology  from  the  Graduate  School  of  the  City  University  of  New  York.  Dr.  Wallis  has  also  taught  at  The  Cooper  Union,  Pratt  Institute,  Ball  State  University  and  the  University  of  Colorado  at  Boulder.      

Tiffany  Melvin,  J.D.  Executive  Director  North  American  Strategy  for  Competitiveness,  Inc.  (NASCO)    Tiffany   is   a   graduate   of   The   University   of   Texas   at   Austin,   holding   a   BBA   in  International   Business,   with   minors   in   Marketing   and   Spanish.     She   received   her  Juris  Doctor  degree  from  St.  Mary’s  University  School  of  Law  in  San  Antonio  in  1995.    Tiffany   is   the  original  Executive  Director  of  NASCO  –  North  American  Strategy   for  Competitiveness  –  and  has  served  in  that  capacity  for  17  of  its  20  years.            Under   her   leadership,   NASCO   has   grown   into   a   widely   respected,   tri-­‐national  coalition   focusing   on   freight   logistics,   energy   and   the   environment,   and   skilled  workforce   certification   programs.     She   directs   NASCO   with   an   aggressive,   far  reaching   approach   to   solving   critical   issues   impacting   the   efficient,   secure   and  sustainable  movement  of  freight  throughout  North  America.          Tiffany  serves  on  the  North  Central  Texas  Council  of  Governments’  Regional  Freight  Advisory  Committee,  the  U.S.  Department  of  Homeland  Security  Advisory  Council’s  Border   Infrastructure   Task   Force,   and   the   Bi-­‐national   Board   of   the   U.S.   Mexico  Chamber  of  Commerce.      Everything   at   NASCO   is   a   team   effort,   and   Tiffany’s   team   mates,   Rachel   Connell  (Director   of   Membership   and   Events)   and   Frank   Conde   (Director   of  Communications   and   Special   Projects),   are   at   the   core   of   every  NASCO   effort   and  success.            

   Kenny  McDonald,  CEcD  Chief  Economic  Officer  Columbus  Region    Kenny  McDonald,  CEcD,  serves  as  the  primary  leader  of  all  economic  development  and  business  attraction  efforts  for  the  11-­‐county  Columbus  Region  in  his  position  as  chief  economic  officer  of  Columbus  2020.  McDonald  has  an  extensive  background  in  site  selection,  regional  economic  development,  community  marketing,  business  recruitment  and  international  business  development.      He  holds  the  professional  designation  of  Certified  Economic  Developer  (CEcD)  and  serves  as  an  elected  member  of  the  Board  of  Directors  for  the  International  Economic  Development  Council.  In  addition,  McDonald  serves  locally  on  the  boards  of  Columbus  Crew,  MidAmerican  Global  Ventures,  NAIOP,  SciTech  and  Transportation  Research  Center.      Previously,  McDonald  served  as  the  executive  vice  president  of  the  Charlotte  Regional  Partnership,  a  public-­‐private  economic  development  organization  covering  a  16-­‐county  region  in  North  and  South  Carolina.  McDonald's  16  years  of  economic  development  experience  also  include  leadership  positions  at  the  Albuquerque  Economic  Development  Corporation,  Fluor  Daniels  Global  Locations  Strategies  and  the  Savannah  Economic  Development  Authority.  McDonald  received  a  Bachelor  of  Science  in  business  administration  from  Dickinson  State  University  and  a  Master  of  Public  Administration  from  Georgia  Southern  University.    

   John  O’Grady  Franklin  County:  Board  of  Commissioners  Columbus  Region    Since  first  elected  to  the  Franklin  County  Board  of  Commissioners  in  November  2008,  John  O'Grady  has  strived  to  make  Franklin  County  one  of  the  best  communities  in  the  nation  for  living,  working,  visiting  and  doing  business.  To  do  this,  he  takes  a  "hand-­‐in-­‐glove"  approach  to  economic  development,  community  development  and  social  services,  seeing  their  link  as  critical  to  the  success  of  each.    Over  the  last  several  years,  John  has  taken  a  leadership  role  in  economic  development  initiatives  such  as  the  investment  in  a  sustainable  model  for  Nationwide  Arena,  the  re-­‐development  of  the  Westside  near  the  new  Hollywood  Casino,  and  a  2011  trade  mission  trip  to  India  to  attract  foreign  direct  investment  in  Central  Ohio.  In  2012  and  2013,  Commissioner  O'Grady  pushed  the  County's  Economic  Development  team  to  pursue  innovative  funding  opportunities  such  as  the  Workforce  Training  Grants  (WIT-­‐G).  These  grants  were  approved  by  the  Commissioners  for  IBM,  Quantum  Health,  Sid  Tools  and  Allied  Mineral  to  train  and  retain  workers.  Commissioner  O'Grady  also  encouraged  the  creation  of  a  new  Economic  Development  program  that  advances  the  Commissioners'  core  policy  goals  of  job  creation  and  economic  development,  building  on  existing  county  programs,  and  increasing  funding  for  strategic  partners.  This  program  will  be  launched  in  2014.  All  of  these  projects  create  jobs,  attract  tourism  and  improve  the  quality  of  life  for  Franklin  County  residents.    While  development  projects  grow  the  resources  of  Franklin  County,  John  remains  focused  on  maintaining  a  strong  community  base.  One  of  his  main  priorities  in  this  area  has  been  to  bolster  the  local  foods  system  to  improve  the  health  and  wellbeing  of  residents  and  encourage  sustainability  through  community  gardening  and  local  small  business  growth.  In  2011,  John  joined  his  fellow  Commissioners  and  

Columbus  Mayor  Michael  B.  Coleman,  in  cooperation  with  The  Columbus  Foundation,  to  create  a  Community  Gardens  Grant  fund.  Grants  have  been  awarded  every  year  since  to  support  organizations  with  new  and  existing  community  gardens  in  the  City  of  Columbus  and  throughout  Franklin  County.    Another  of  John's  community  development  priorities  continues  to  be  responding  to  the  needs  of  vulnerable  communities.  For  example,  in  2009,  he  established  the  Somali  Work  Group,  an  ongoing  collaboration  between  numerous  county  agencies,  courts,  and  community  organizations  tasked  with  identifying  the  needs  of  Franklin  County's  immigrant  communities  and  developing  effective  government  responses  to  these  needs.    He  also  recently  joined  the  Greater  Columbus  Infant  Mortality  Task  Force  which  aims  to  reduce  the  rate  of  infant  mortality  in  Columbus/Franklin  County  by  nearly  40  percent,  from  the  2011  benchmark  rate  of  9.8  infant  deaths  per  1,000  live  births  to  6  per  1,000,  and  cut  in  half  the  racial  disparity  gap  between  white  and  black  infants.  This  mission  connects  with  and  enhances  work  supported  by  ongoing  investments  of  the  Board  of  Commissioners  in  Nationwide  Children's  Hospital's  Ohio  Better  Birth  Outcomes  (OBBO)  initiative.    John's  leadership  in  these  areas  has  been  recognized  at  the  state  and  national  level.  He  served  previously  as  Vice-­‐Chair  and  currently  as  Chair  for  the  General  Government  &  Operations  Committee  and  as  a  member  of  the  Metropolitan  &  Regional  Affairs  Committee  for  the  County  Commissioners'  Association  of  Ohio  (CCAO).  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  steering  committee  of  the  Large  Urban  County  Caucus  for  the  National  Association  of  Counties  (NACo).  Through  his  involvement  with  these  associations,  John  engages  with  leaders,  in  our  region  and  beyond,  in  the  discussion  of  solutions  for  community  issues.  He  promotes  shared  government  services  and  cooperative  purchasing  contracts  among  communities  as  a  way  to  reduce  the  cost  of  government,  and  whenever  given  the  opportunity,  he  looks  for  and  promotes  big  ideas  and  new  strategies  that  will  make  Franklin  County  stronger.    John  is  also  involved  in  the  fields  of  health,  education,  and  domestic  relations.  He  served  six  years  on  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Epilepsy  Foundation  of  Central  Ohio  and  served  five  years  on  the  Institutional  Biological  and  Chemical  Safety  Committee  at  Nationwide  Children's  Hospital.  John  was  the  founder  of  the  Hearts  Over  Clubs  Charity  Fund,  a  non-­‐profit  organization  that  benefited  the  families  of  heart  disease  victims,  and  in  2012  became  an  Ambassador  for  The  American  Heart  Association.  He  is  an  honorary  board  member  of  Kid's  Voting,  Central  Ohio,  and  an  active  sponsor  of  programs  that  promote  hands-­‐on  educational  experiences  for  young  people.  John  has  also  been  supportive  of  the  Columbus  Coalition  Against  Family  Violence  and  their  efforts  to  stem  the  incidences  of  domestic  violence.    Prior  to  serving  as  Commissioner,  John  worked  as  an  administrator  in  the  State  Treasurer's  office,  owned  his  own  business,  and  served  two  four-­‐year  terms  as  the  Clerk  of  Courts  for  the  Franklin  County  Common  Pleas  Courts  and  the  10th  District  

Court  of  Appeals.  As  Commissioner,  he  was  selected  in  both  2010  and  2013  by  his  fellow  Commissioners  to  serve  one-­‐year  terms  as  Board  President.  John  is  the  youngest  of  12  children  of  former  Ohio  Democratic  Party  Chairman  Pete  O'Grady.  John  and  his  wife,  Pamela  Hykes  O'Grady,  are  the  proud  parents  of  four  children:  Elizabeth,  Jack,  Patrick  and  Erin.  He  is  a  lifelong  member  of  the  Catholic  Church.        

   

   

Tom  Clark  Chief  Executive  Officer  Metro  Denver  Economic  Development  Corporation  Denver  Metro  Chamber  of  Commerce  

Tom  Clark  is  the  Chief  Executive  Officer  of  the  Metro  Denver  Economic  Development  Corporation  and  Executive  Vice  President  of  the  Denver  Metro  Chamber  of  Commerce.  He  has  over  30  years  of  economic  development  experience  at  the  state,  regional,  county  and  city  levels.    

Mr.  Clark’s  recent  accolades  include  the  2012  Denver  Business  Journal’s  Power  Book  Award  in  the  Economic  Development  and  Government  category  and  being  named  the  2012  Denver  Post  Business  Person  of  the  Year.    

Mr.  Clark’s  career  spans  four  decades  from  Director  of  Commercial  and  Industrial  Development  for  the  Illinois  Department  of  Commerce  and  Community  Affairs,  through  positions  with  the  Fort  Collins,  Colorado  Chamber  of  Commerce,  the  Greater  Denver  Corporation,  the  Boulder  Chamber  of  Commerce,  the  Jefferson  Economic  Council,  and  the  Denver  Metro  Chamber  of  Commerce.  He  holds  bachelors  degrees  in  speech  and  psychology  from  Minnesota  State  University  and  a  Masters  in  Public  Administration  from  the  University  of  Illinois.  Mr.  Clark  was  the  founder  and  first  president  of  the  Metro  Denver  Network,  the  Metro  Denver  region's  first  economic  development  program,  for  which  he  received  the  Arthur  D.  Little  Award  for  Excellence  in  Economic  Development.  He  was  chosen  as  one  of  the  nation's  top  economic  development  professionals  by  the  Council  on  Urban  Economic  Development.  In  2007  Clark  was  awarded  the  Business  Person  of  the  Year  by  the  Colorado  Chapter  of  the  Public  Relations  Society  of  America.