The Arlington Economic Development Commission and George Mason University invite you to join them for conversations about Economic Sustainability

When Arlington County's economic development community looked into how it became #1 on the list of The Best Cities for Riding Out a Recession* — despite one of the worst economic decades in recent history — Arlington's Smart Growth planning policies and proximity to the federal government turned out to be only part of the answer. Lurking beneath the obvious were unique and surprisingly interdependent dynamics that came together to give this thriving community the three key components of economic sustainability: innovation, competitiveness and resiliency.

In this half-day seminar, representatives from business, philanthropy, government and academia will come together for a lively and broad-thinking dialogue to examine Arlington's success and explore how communities can develop their economic sustainability dynamic with intentionality. Participants will come away understanding what we're doing today that contributes to our future well-being — and what more we can do.

*Bloomberg Businessweek, October 14, 2008

Agenda

7:30 – 8:00 am  --  Breakfast/Registration

8:00 – 8:15 am  --  Welcome and Opening Remarks

8:15 – 8:45 am  --  Grand Thoughts Presentation:
Melissa Bondi, Member, Economic Development Commission

8:45 – 9:00 am  --  Findings of Academic Work:
Darrene Hackler, Associate Professor, George Mason University

9:00 – 9:45 am  --   Innovation Panel Discussion Session:
Donald J. Leo, Vice President and Executive Director, National Capital Region Operations Virginia Tech
Jonathon Perrelli, Founder, Fortify.vc
Eric Schaeffer, Co-founder and Artistic Director, Signature Theater

10:00 – 10:45 am  --   Competitiveness Panel Discussion Session:
Sampriti Ganguli, Managing Director, The Corporate Executive Board
Matt S. Erskine, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development and Chief Operating Officer, U.S. Economic Development Administration
Lyles Carr, Senior Vice President, The McCormick Group

10:45 – 11:30 am  --  Resiliency Panel Discussion Session:
Jonathan Aberman, Co-Chair, Startup Virginia, President, FounderCorps and Founder & Managing Director, Amplifier
John Spirtos, CEO, GridPoint
Terry Holzheimer, Director, Arlington Economic Development

11:30 – 11:50 am  --  Closing Remarks:
Christopher Leinberger, President, LOCUS, Responsible Real Estate Developers and Investors and Nonresident Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution

11:50 – 12:00 pm  --  Q&A and Next Steps