Overview
CLICK HERE (PDF) to view the conference program.
Several sessions at the conference have been approved for AICP CM credits! Click here for a list of sessions.
ATC 2013: Regional Resilience in Action!
What do you get when you mix about 650 people from 42 states (plus America Samoa and the District of Columbia) with 40 learning opportunities (plenary and breakout sessions, learning labs, conversation cafés, and mobile workshops), outstanding presenters, trainers and facilitators, and unlimited networking occasions? An energetic, relevant, and timely conference! Throw in a fantastic location like San Francisco and you have a training event that truly offered something for everyone.
We have received positive feedback about the content and format and, of course, the location. From the outstanding learning labs on Saturday and Sunday that covered a variety of topics (CEDS, roles of policy officials, performance evaluations, the Affordable Care Act, audits and communicating with many audiences) to the closing plenary session on Tuesday afternoon that provided tools and tips for building advocacy skills, attendees had many choices when it came to topics covered.
The fast paced opening plenary seemed to energize attendees, and the luncheon presentation by USDA California State Rural Development Director Glenda Humiston evoked discussion about rural-urban connections. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Matt Erskine updated attendees about EDA’s programs. And the Tuesday morning plenary that delved into the relevancy of regional development organizations in 2013 was cause for much discussion and thought.
The conversation café’s provided format’s for planners, GIS staff, and aging program staff to talk openly about the challenges and opportunities they face. And the mobile workshops to Sonoma County to experience the wine and tourism sectors were hugely popular, as was the visit to NextSpace to learn about innovative options for the self-employed. The exciting Resilientville Game, followed by a tour of Diamond Heights neighborhood to learn about the importance of building community as a means to assure optimal response during and after disasters, offered attendees a fun and meaningful learning experience.
The 2013 Innovation Awards Reception was very popular this year…we feel in part due to the energy still buzzing from the opening plenary earlier in the day where 12 winners shared their projects, but we also know the iPad raffle helped bring people to the reception. No matter what the cause, there was much lively conversation and information exchange!
NADO thanks each and every speaker, facilitator, and moderator for their roles in making the conference a success. As well, we thank all of the attendees for taking the time to travel to San Francisco—we know that in these times of tight budgets and increased demands on staff, it is not easy to be away from the office (and home) for even a few days.
Making appearances for the first time at a NADO ATC: the conference app and Wi-fi for all attendees in the meeting rooms and break areas. Thank you Dale Graver and VC3 for making the Wi-fi possible.
Be sure to visit the Agenda and Presentations page for the speaker presentations.
SAVE THE DATE! NADO's 2014 ATC will occur August 23 - 26 at the Hyatt Regency in Colorado's Mile High City, Denver!
Registration

Registration for the 2013 NADO Annual Training Conference will begin on May 20, 2013
Registration for this event started on May 20, 2013 and is currently
Closed.
Agenda & Presentations
The conference program can be found by clicking here (PDF).
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Remaining Speaker Presentations Coming Soon
Saturday, August 24
Executive Director Learning Lab: Embracing Technology as a Management Tool
- Don Graver, Director of Business Development, VC3
- Jason Schroeder, Accel Online
- Moderator: Eric Senger, Executive Director, NECOG
CEDS: A Primer
- Brian Kelsey, Director of Economic Development, NADO
Executive Director Learning Lab: Affordable Care Act and RDOs
- Jordan Shields, The SSM Group
- Keith McNeil, The SSM Group
Data: The Cause of and Solution to All of Life’s Problems
- Brian Kelsey, Director of Economic Development, NADO
- Lia Bolden, Data Dissemination Specialist, U.S. Census Bureau
Sunday, August 25
Executive Director Learning Lab: Why Audit Quality is Important for Auditees
- Cam Matheny, CPA, CGMA, RCM Consulting
- Moderator: Sharon Hueftle, Executive Director, South Central EDD
Incorporating Disaster Plans into CEDS
- Brian Kelsey, Director of Economic Development, NADO
- Megan McConville, Program Manager, NADO
- Cory Johnson, Senior Economic Development Planner, West Alabama Regional Commission
- Scott Koons, Executive Director, North Central Florida, RPC
Policy Officials Learning Lab: Defining Your Role
- Monica Scamardo, Psy.D., Variate Consulting
- Moderator: Honorable Calvin Newsom, Supervisor District 5, SMPDD
Executive Director Learning Lab: Implementing a Successful and Beneficial Evaluation Process
- Steve Etcher, Vice President, Community Edge
Assessing the Value of a Statewide CEDS
- Brian Kelsey, Director of Economic Development, NADO
- Jeff Kiely, Executive Director, Northwest New Mexico Council of Governments
- Richard Manwaring, Area Director, EDA Seattle Regional Office
- Kathleen Lewis, Executive Director, Southeast Idaho COG
Policy Officials Learning Lab: Communicating with Your Various Audiences
- Brian Anderson, President and CEO, Greater Dalton (GA) Chamber of Commerce
- Moderator: Honorable Jody Jenkins, Union County Judge Executive, Green River ADD Chairman
Monday, August 26
Opening Plenary: Regional Resilience in Action
- Charlie Baker, Chittenden County RPC
- Kevin Byrd, New River Valley PDC
- Tom Bliss, Mo-Kan Regional Council
- Tim Armer, North Central New Mexico COG
- Sarah Lucas, Northwest MI COG
- Susan Reid, First Tennessee Development District
- Susan Thomas, Texoma COG
- Tim Ricard, Sonoma County EDB
- Mike Manis, Centralina COG
- Pamela Marshall, Memphis Area Association of Governments
- Randy Kelley, Three Rivers PDD
- Wayne Strickland, Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission
Engaging Staff During Times of Change
- Monica Scamardo, Psy.D., Variate Consulting
Federal-Local Partnerships to Implement Place-Based Economic Development
- Matt Dalbey, Deputy Director, White House Council on SC2
- Scott Stollman, SC2 Team Lead, U.S. EPA, Region 9
- Robert Tse, Community Planning and Development Specialist, USDA Rural Development, CA
Building Truly Resilient Communities, One Decision at a Time
- Daniel Homsey, City Administrator's Office, City and County of San Francisco
- Moderator: Nicole Griensewic, Executive Director, Region Nine Development Commission
Keynote Luncheon and Presentation
- Honorable Matt Erskine, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development
- Glenda Humiston, Ph.D., CA State Director, USDA Rural Development
- Moderator: John Leonard, NADO President and Southern Georgia Regional Commission, Executive Director
Speaking to Influence and Persuade
- Monica Scamardo, Psy.D., Variate Consulting
- Moderator: Michael Armbrister, Executive Director, Mount Region PDC
Building Partnerships with Academia
- James Stapleton, Ph.D., Executive Director, Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Southeast Missouri State University
- Brian Tapp, Director of Outreach, Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Southeast Missouri State University
- Moderator: Jeannette Tamayo, Regional Director, EDA Chicago Regional Office
Federal Resources for Disaster Recovery and Resilience
- Josh Barnes, Disaster Recovery Coordinator, EDA
- Steve DiBlasio, Federal Disaster Recovery Coordinator, FEMA, Region IX
- Juliette Hayes, Mitigation Planning Program Lead, FEMA, Region IX
- Abby Hall, Policy Analyst, U.S. EPA, Office of Sustainable Communities
Intentional Leadership is the Best Legacy
- Monica Scamardo, Psy.D., Variate Consulting
- Moderator: Karl Elmshaeuser, Executive Director, West Central Nebraska Development District
Making Jobs Accessible: Transit and Workforce
- Patricia Steed, Executive Director, Central Florida Regional Planning Council
- John Egelhaaf, Executive Director, Southwest Michigan Planning Commission
- Moderator: Chris Bickley, Executive Director, Lowcountry COG
Broadening Economic Development to Include New Sectors
- Tim Ricard, Program Manager, Sonoma County Economic Development Board
- Amanda Hoey, Executive Director, Mid-Columbia Economic Development District
- Myron Schuster, Executive Director, Northwest Wisconsin RPC
Tuesday, August 27
RDOs: How Relevant Are We in 2013?
- Peter Gregory, Executive Director, Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission
- Sandeep Dey, Executive Director, Western Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Commission
- Pamela Marshall, Executive Director, Memphis Area Association of Governments
- Kevin Byrd, Executive Director, New River Valley Planning District Commission
- Facilitator: Jim Youngquist, Institute for Economic Advancement, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and SouthEast Regional Directors Institute
Building Enduring Regional Partnerships
- Bridget Jones, Ph.D., Executive Director, Cumberland Region Tomorrow
- Amy Brooks, Senior Transportation Planner, Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization
- Moderator: Joe Barker, Executive Director, Southwest Tennessee Development District
WealthWorks 101
- Deborah Markley, Ph.D., Managing Director and Director of Research, RUPRI Center for Rural Entrepreneurship
- Moderator: Misty Casto, Executive Director, Buckeye Hills-Hacking Valley RDD
Cloud Based Project Management and Information Exchange
- Jeff Pavey, Paladin Data
- Tim Armer, Executive Director, North Central New Mexico COG
- Moderator: Jeff Kiely, Executive Director, Northwest New Mexico COG
Building Back Better: Communities Come to Life After Disasters
- Allison Beasley, Planning Director, Southern Mississippi PDD
- Kevin Belanger, Executive Director, South Central PDC
Effective Executive Director Evaluations
- Steve Etcher, Vice President, Community Edge
Emerging Issues in Workforce Development
- Althea Hairston, Director of Workforce Development, Piedmont Triad Regional Council
- Rodney Kirtley, Executive Director, Barren River ADD
- Moderator: Jenny White, Director of Employment and Economic Services, South Alabama RPC
Case Studies in Downtown Revitalization
- Honorable Chris Brown, Hopkins County Judge, and Treasurer, Ark-Tex COG
- Jason Vincent, Assistant Director, Pennyrile Area Development District
- Linda Grijalva, Director of Community Development, Central Savannah River Area Regional Commission
- Moderator: Chris Fetzer, Executive Director, NACOG
Strengthening Small Businesses
- Randy Imler, Executive Director, Catawba Regional Council of Governments
- Ron Fox, Executive Director, SOREDI
- Moderator: Mike Burress, Deputy Director, Lincoln Trail ADD
Becoming a Better Advocate for Local Approaches to Regional Development
- Susan Howard, Director of Government Relations and Legislative Affairs, NADO
- Ted Stiger, Legislative Associate, NADO
- Geoff Gleason, President, Cyber Security Research Consultants
- Kathy Ruffalo, President, Ruffalo and Associates
Travel & Venue
Hilton San Francisco Union Square
333 O'Farrell Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
1.800.445.8667
Room Rate: $199 single/double
Room block deadline: July 29
Experience the unforgettable in the heart of historic Union Square at a truly treasured downtown San Francisco hotel. Explore the city's most storied and timeless neighborhoods, just steps away from Chinatown and Nob Hill. Indulge in delectable dining, the best shops and boutiques in town, and take in the vibrant energy of this iconic Union Square hotel.
Experience The Perfect Downtown San Francisco Hotel
Treat yourself to the best of everything – ensured by a stellar reputation for excellence - at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square. Among downtown San Francisco hotels, no other destination matches our blend of style, service, and setting. Find yourself within walking distance to famous neighborhoods like Chinatown and Nob Hill, the iconic Cable Cars, fabulous shopping, and dining all located in the heart of the theater district. Our dynamic Hilton San Francisco Union Square hotel features splendid resort-style touches – a heated outdoor pool and whirlpool perched atop the lush 16th floor deck, and delicious dining at the stylish Urban Tavern Restaurant. For corporate guests, we offer over 134,000 square feet of state-of-the-art meeting facilities, where the Bay views are stunning and the service flawless. With its history and grandeur, the Hilton San Francisco Union Square hotel offers everything you need for extraordinary business trips or vacations. •Located in the heart of San Francisco, within walking distance to famous sights like Chinatown, Nob Hill, the Cable Cars, shopping, dining, and much more
•Just blocks from the Powell Street Station on the BART transit line
•Steps to the Theatre District, farmers’ market, AT&T Park, Moscone Center, and museums
•Only 13 miles from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Metropolitan Oakland International Airport (OAK)
See the sights during your San Francisco vacation.
The Prime Location Among Union Square San Francisco Hotels
~ Some or all of this information was provided by the hotel/venue ~
From San Francisco International Airport:
Driving: Take Highway 101 North and exit at 7th Street. Turn right on Folsom Street, then left on 5th Street. Turn left onto Ellis Street past Mason St. Garage entrance is on Ellis Street.
Cab fare (each way): About $40
Super Shuttle (each way): About $17
Subway (each way): About $6
From Metropolitan Oakland International Airport:
Driving: Take Highway 880 North. Take Exit 46* / 80W towards San Francisco/Bay Bridge. Exit at 5th Street in San Francisco. Continue right at Cyril Magnin then left on Ellis st. Hotel garage is 1 block ahead between Mason
and Taylor Streets.
Cab fare (each way): About $60
Super Shuttle (each way): About $27
Subway (each way): About $6
For discounted car rental service with Avis Rent A Car - click here