Marshaling Regional Assets to Build Shared Opportunities for Growth
The 2022 program focused on creating regional opportunities that brought together education, workforce development and infrastructure investments to generate economic growth, and promote economic opportunities for all Western Pennsylvania residents. The first day of the retreat featured the following keynote sessions:
- Former Republican mayor of Indianapolis and current professor at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government Stephen Goldsmith presented findings from his new book, Growing Fairly, alongside his coauthor, Kate Markin Coleman, former vice president of the national YMCA. View this keynote here.
- John C. Austin, director of the Michigan Economic Center and nonresident senior fellow at Brookings Metro, discussed his work on cohesive economic growth across regions and provided a comprehensive overview of economic development opportunities and best practices from other, similar regions. View this keynote here.
- Andy Berke, special representative for broadband at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration within the U.S. Department of Commerce, provided an update on current federal initiatives related to broadband and offered a look at how municipal leaders can ensure broadband access for unserved and underserved residents. View this keynote here.
Friday morning opened with a presentation from Pittsburgh’s newly elected mayor, Ed Gainey. Mayor Gainey addressed challenges and initiatives from his first year in office and provided an outlook for moving forward. Next, three concurrent sessions aligned with the keynote presentations from Thursday were offered. The morning closed out with a full discussion on potential collective regional action, which is central to the Institute’s mission of bringing together stakeholders who are diverse in their geography, industry sector, and political affiliation.
View the full agenda here.
Coleman Award Winners
The Coleman Award for Excellence in Community Service recognizes individuals who have dedicated their lives to serving the southwestern Pennsylvania region and exhibited the qualities for which the Institute’s founding director, Moe Coleman, was known, particularly the ability to build bridges and make connections across disparate groups or communities.
The 2022 Coleman Award winners were celebrated at a dinner on Thursday, December 8.
John R. McGinley, Jr., Chair, Board of Directors, Eckert Seamans
Karen Farmer White, Education Consultant and Chair of the Seton Hill Board of Trustees