AICP Playing to Strength

Mark R. Drabenstott
Vice President and Director
Center for the Study of Rural America
Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City

Mark Drabenstott is a seasoned observer of the rural economy who has gained national and international recognition for his economic analysis and policy insights.
Throughout his career at the Federal Reserve Bank, Mark has been an ardent observer of the leading issues facing the rural economy and food and agriculture sector. The Center for the Study of Rural America serves as the Federal Reserve's focal point for research on rural and agricultural issues.

Biography

AICP Superstore or Big Box

Every day a new megastore opens somewhere in America. Some towns court super stores while others pass ordinances to discourage them. Some point to the creation of entry-level jobs and added revenue to local treasuries while others say these stores create net job loss and little economic gain as sales are transferred from existing merchants.

Panelists present economic, social and land use considerations. Ask questions and join the conversation.

Richard Hanner Biography
News Editor
Lodi News Sentinel

Peter Kanelos Biography
Community Affairs Manager
Wal-Mart Community Affairs

Mark Wolfe Biography
Principal
M. R. Wolfe & Associates

Charlie Woods Biography
Planning Director
City of Turlock

Melting Pot, Crazy Quilt or Tossed Salad: Diversity in the Valley

Kenji Hakuta
Dean of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts
University of California Merced

Dr. Hakuta is passionate about how research can impact education practice and policy. As a researcher with training in experimental psycholinguistics, his interest extends to the role of evidence from behavioral data collected with theoretical discipline. He decided to make the leap into being part of the start-up team for UC Merced because he believes this is the best way to make a difference, especially in the lives of students who ordinarily would not have access to a first-rate higher education experience.

Biography

Health in the Central Valley

Richard H. Carmona, MD
United States Surgeon General

Appointed Surgeon General by President George W. Bush, Dr. Richard Carmona is a national leader in the field of public health and medicine. In his early life, he dropped out of high school, only to restart while serving in the US Army by receiving a GED certificate. Trained as an Emergency Medical Technician and RN, Carmona received his bachelor's degree from the University of California, San Francisco and his MD from the University of California Medical School. His interests are in the areas of childhood fitness, emergency and correctional medicine.

Biography

AICP Building Communities

Edward J. Blakely, PhD
Author of Fortress America

Internationally recognized as an expert in the field of urban community development and a successful practitioner in strategic planning, financing, real estate development and project management, Edward J. Blakely is probably best known for his book Fortress America: Gated Communities in the United States. The book follows the development of gated communities from their beginnings as retirement villages and enclaves for the super rich through their expansion into upper and middle class neighborhoods, and examines the social, political and governance issues that result.

Biography

Leadership Now—More than Ever

Frances Hesselbein
Leader to Leader Institute

"The leader for today and the future will be focused on how to be—how to develop quality, character, mindset, values, principles and courage," predicts Frances Hesselbein. Currently the Chair of the Leader to Leader Institute Board of Governors, Mrs. Hesselbein started as a volunteer troop leader and became CEO of the Girl Scouts of the USA, reinvigorating the organization with her commitment to inclusiveness and to upholding the Girl Scout mission of empowering each Scout to reach her highest potential. She co-founded the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management and in 1998 was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honor for her outstanding work in the nonprofit sector.