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Over the last few decades, many parts of the American economy have grown with technology and globalization. But others have witnessed industries being gutted and jobs being lost, resulting in persistent economic distress. Federal policy in the past few years has responded to this with programs targeting distressed regions, leveraging the power of local economic development intermediaries. Fortunately, these economic development organizations are not new. We can learn from their decades of experience recruiting firms, creating ecosystems and partnerships, facilitating economic transformations, and responding in real-time to economic transitions.

This Spring, we'll be bringing together leaders from regional economic and workforce development organizations, including winners and finalists of the Build Back Better Regional Challenge and the Recompete Pilot Program. The goal of this gathering is to take stock of recent place-based policies and interventions that aim to address economic distress and promote productivity. Through panel discussions, breakout sessions, and workshops, we hope to examine different models and theories of change, understand what is working (and what isn't), unpack local capacity constraints and opportunities, and facilitate new connections and learning among regional leaders.

April 24 and 25, 2025

Location: Nye ABC Conference Center, 5th Floor Taubman Hall, Harvard Kennedy School

Thursday, April 24

4:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.Registration
5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Taking Stock: What do we know about place-based policy?

 

  • Rebecca Gandour (Buffalo Urban Development Corporation)
  • Jen Giovannitti (Benedum Foundation)
  • Stewart Sarkozy-Banoczy (Four Bands Community Fund)
  • Gordon Hanson (Harvard Kennedy School)
6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Fireside chat: What is the future of U.S. industrial policy?

 

  • Heather Boushey (Harvard Kennedy School, former Chief Economist, Invest in America Cabinet)
  • Gordon Hanson (Harvard Kennedy School)
7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.Reception

 

Friday, April 25

8:30 a.m. - 9:20 a.m.Coffee and pastries
9:20 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.Introduction and context
9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

Panel: Unpacking different models across the country

 

  • Sarah Wilson (Birmingham, AL)
  • Trevor Torman (Allentown, PA)
  • Kristina Cannon (Skowhegan, ME)
  • Thomas Kucharski (Invest Buffalo Niagara, NY)
  • Heather Boushey (Harvard Kennedy School)
10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Concurrent workshops

 

  1. Innovation and business ecosystem approaches
    Lead Discussants: Heather Brown (Central Valley Community Foundation), Garvan Donegan (Central Maine)
  2. Workforce development strategies
    Lead Discussants: Todd Hawke (Stark Economic Development Board), Suzy Ames (Peninsula College)
  3. Small business supports
    Lead Discussants: Leslie Scaller (Rural Action), Jessica Walden (Macon-Bibb Chamber of Commerce)
  4. Building a systems hub
    Marlee Stark (City of Fayetteville), Will Warren (SOAR)
12:00 p.m. - 1:15 p.m.Lunch
1:15 p.m. - 2:15 p.m.

Panel: Building the capacity to implement place-based policy in the context of distress

 

  • Colby Hall (Eastern Kentucky)
  • Rebecca Kuzma (Stark, OH)
  • Josiah Hannah (Coalfield Development)
  • Mike French (Clallam County)
  • Matthew Lee (Harvard Kennedy School)
2:15 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.Breakout conversations
2:45 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.Coffee break
3:00 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.

Panel: Where do we go from here? Implications for policy, philanthropy, and the private sector

 

  • Heidi Binko (Just Transition Fund)
  • Alejandra Castillo (Former Economic Development Administration)
  • Becky McCray (Save Your Town)
  • Rohan Sandhu (Harvard Kennedy School)
3:45 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.Takeaways