Overview
Reimagining Regional Development: Building Capacity, Building Regions
October 19 - 22 | Peppermill Resort Hotel | Reno, Nevada
Check out the conference program!
In one week, nearly 600 regional economic development practitioners and policy makers will head to Reno for NADO’s 2019 ATC, Reimagining Regional Development. With just under 40 learning opportunities (plenary and concurrent sessions, learning labs, mobile workshops, two receptions, and other networking opportunities), you will hear from leading subject matter experts on topics of critical importance to your organizations and regions, as well as from your peers who will share their unique experiences with program development and delivery.
Topics will cover human resources, latest trends in CEDS planning, brownfields, data sources and uses, rural jobs creation strategies, resilient communities and regions, ITS, youth and aging programs, federal grants management, indirect cost rate negotiating, opportunity zones, workforce development, broadband, economic diversification, NEPA and permitting, housing, entrepreneurship and much more.
We look forward to seeing you in Reno!
Questions?: Contact Laurie Thompson, Deputy Executive Director at 202-624-5948 or [email protected]
Registration
Registration for the 2019 Annual Training Conference will begin on April 27, 2019
Registration for this event started on April 27, 2019 and is currently Closed.
2019 Annual Training Conference
Reimagining Regional Development: Building Capacity, Building Regions
October 19 - 22 | Peppermill Resort Hotel | Reno, Nevada
Registration fees for the 2019 Annual Training Conference are:
Early bird rate (deadline is Friday, October 4th, 2019; after that rates will increase)
- $620 – Associate and General
- $595 – Sustaining and Sustaining Associate
- $570 – Platinum and Platinum Plus
- $760 – Non-member
- $235 – Spouses
- $100 – Student
Regular rate (register by Friday, October 4th, 2019 and save on your registration fee!)
- $640 – Associate and General
- $615 – Sustaining and Sustaining Associate
- $590 – Platinum and Platinum Plus
- $780 – Non-member
- $255 – Spouses
- $100 – Student
Complimentary Guest Registrations - available only to selected Memberships
- Sustaining Associate Members - 1 free Complimentary Guest Registration
- Sustaining Members - 3 free Complimentary Guest Registrations
- Platinum and Platinum Plus Members - 6 free Complimentary Guest Registrations
Registration cancellation policy: We will refund your registration fees, minus an administrative fee of $50, upon receipt of a written request, up to Friday, October 11, 2019.
If you are already familiar with our Registration process, please click HERE and the link will take you through the step-by-step registration for the event.
If you need some guidance, please click on This Instruction Manual and the guide will assist you with the registration process.
To register online, click HERE
If you have other questions or problems with our new registration page, please contact Vy Dang at [email protected] or 202.624.7841.
If you wish to pay by check, please mail your payment to:
NADO
400 North Capitol St NW Suite 388
Washington, DC 20001
PLEASE NOTE: You must be registered for the conference to attend a mobile workshop or learning lab.
Agenda & Presentations
Check out the conference program! (PDF)
Presentations from many of the conference sessions are posted below.
Saturday, October 19
Learning Lab: Leadership Training for New Executive Directors
- Steve Etcher, Manager, MarksNelson, LLC, Kansas City, MO
Learning Lab: Filling Empty Buildings
- Deb Brown, Co-founder, SaveYour.Town, Webster City, IA
Learning Lab: Moving in the Right Direction: The Latest Trends in CEDS Planning
- Nicole Griensewic Mickelson, Executive Director, Region Nine Development Commission, Mankato, MN
- Mike Manis, Community and Economic Development Director, Centralina COG, Charlotte, NC
- Raul Ramos, Economic Development Specialist, U.S. Economic Development Administration, Seattle, WA
- Brett Schwartz, Associate Director, NADO Research Foundation, Washington, DC
- Robert Venables, Executive Director, Southeast Conference, Juneau, AK
NADO 101: Get to Know Your Organization
Sunday, October 20
Learning Lab: What RDO Directors Get Wrong About HR Practices: 10 Steps to Creating a Better Organization
- Karyn Jensen, MS, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, Founder, HRC, LTD, Reno, NV
Learning Lab: Lights, Camera, Lawsuits: Shining a Spotlight on the Essential Tools for Preventing Harassment
- Karyn Jensen, MS, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, Founder, HRC, LTD, Reno, NV
Learning Lab: Getting the Most Out of StatsAmerica: A Training and Feedback Session
- Carol Rogers, Co-Director, Indiana Business Research Center, Indianapolis, IN
- Timothy Slaper, Co-Director, Indiana Business Research Center, Bloomington, IN
Learning Lab: Rural Jobs Creation Strategies and Innovative Rural Business Models
- Becky McCray, Co-founder, SaveYour.Town, Alva, OK
- Deb Brown, Co-founder, SaveYour.Town, Webster City, IA
Monday, October 21
Opening Plenary: Becoming an Idea Friendly Community
- Becky McCray, Co-founder, SaveYour.Town, Alva, OK
Building Regional Climate Resilience
- Tonya Graham, Executive Director, Geos Institute, Ashland, OR
- Moderator: Denise Bulat, Executive Director, Bi-State Regional Commission, Rock Island, IL
RDOs on a Mission to Support Military Communities and Families
- Diane Rath, Executive Director Alamo Area Council of Governments, San Antonio, TX
- Pat Steed, Executive Director, Central Florida Regional Planning Council, Bartow, FL
- Jason Vincent, Executive Director, Pennyrile Area Development District, Hopkinsville, KY
- Moderator: Brett Schwartz, Associate Director, NADO Research Foundation, Washington, DC
Deploying Technology to Improve Transportation Systems
- Seth Daniels, P.E., Assistant Chief Traffic Operations Engineer, Nevada DOT, Carson City, NV
- Carrie Kissel, Associate Director, NADO Research Foundation, Washington, DC
- Rod Schilling, P.E., Assistant Chief Traffic Operations Engineer, Nevada DOT, Carson City, NV
- Stephanie Sudano, P.E., Multimodal Transportation Special Projects Engineer, North Carolina Department of Transportation, Raleigh, NC
- Moderator: Susan Christensen, Executive Director, Greater Eastern Oregon Development Commission, Pendleton, OR
Conversation Café: Sustaining Our Communities through Programs for Youth and the Elderly
- Facilitator: Sarah Penick Smith, Executive Director, Waccamaw Regional Council of Governments, Georgetown, SC
Plenary Luncheon
- Welcome: Scott Koons, NADO President and Executive Director, North Central Florida Regional Planning Council, Gainesville, FL
- Introduction: A. Leonard Smith, Regional Director, U.S. Economic Development Administration, Seattle, WA
- The Honorable John Fleming, MD, U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development, Washington, DC
Good to Know: Federal Grants Management Fundamentals
- Bob Lloyd, Principal, Robert M. Lloyd Consulting Services, Greenville, SC
- Moderator: Geri Gamber, Executive Director, Southeast Utah Association of Local Governments, Price, UT
Leveraging Opportunity Zones to Support Regional Economic Development
- Scott Dadson, Executive Director, Isothermal Planning and Development Commission, Rutherfordton, NC
- Matt Horton, Associate Director, Center for Regional Economics, Milken Institute, Los Angeles, CA
- Frances Sakaguchi, Economic Development Integrator, U.S. EDA, Seattle, WA
- Moderator: Laura Lewis Marchino, Executive Director, Region 9 EDD Southwest CO, Durango, CO
New Approaches to Workforce Development
- Lauren Cartwright, Events and Communications Coordinator, Sonoma County Economic Development Board, Santa Rosa, CA
- Rick Green, Government Services Director, Upper Savannah Council of Governments, Greenwood, SC
- Robert Hiett, Executive Director, Upper Coastal Plain Council of Governments, Wilson, NC | NC Simulation Station website
- Moderator: Renee Dycus, Executive Director, Southwest Arkansas Planning and Development District, Magnolia, AR
Conversation Café: DHS Infrastructure Resilience Planning Framework
- Steve Cauffman, Section Chief, Infrastructure Development and Recovery, Cyber Security and Infrastructure Security Agency, DHS, Arlington, VA
- Sandra Pinel, Stakeholder Engagement Lead, Infrastructure Development and Recovery, Cyber Security and Infrastructure Security Agency, DHS, Arlington, VA
- Devin Powers, Director of Government Services, RS21, Arlington, VA
Sharpening Your Indirect Cost Recovery Skills
- Bob Lloyd, Principal, Robert M. Lloyd Consulting Services, Greenville, SC
- Moderator: Eric Sexton, Executive Director, Barren River ADD, Bowling Green, KY
Broadband: Connecting Communities
- Arthur Scott, Associate Legislative Director – Political Outreach Manager, National Association of Counties, Washington, DC
- Jonathon Cross, Executive Director, Northern Oklahoma Development Association, Enid, OK
- Moderator: Jiten Shah, Executive Director, Green River Area Development District, Owensboro, KY
Conversation Café: Economic Diversification
- Facilitator: Brett Schwartz, Associate Director, NADO Research Foundation, Washington, DC
Tuesday, October 22
Plenary Session: 13 Ways to Kill Your Community
- Doug Griffiths, President and CEO, 13 Ways, Inc., Ardrossan, Alberta, Canada
- Moderator: Kevin Byrd, Executive Director, New River Valley Regional Commission, Radford, VA
Everything is About to Change
- Doug Griffiths, President and CEO, 13 Ways, Inc., Ardrossan, Alberta, Canada
- Moderator: Mike Brown, Mayor, City of Weatherford, Weatherford, OK
Communicating RDO Impact and Regional Data with Web-based Tools
- Jim Chorney, Executive Director, North Central Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission, Ridgway, PA
- Amy Kessler (PDF), Director of Community Development and Regional Planning, North Central Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission, Ridgway, PA
- Caroline Smith, Economic Development Planner, Apalachee Regional Planning Council, Tallahassee, FL
- Moderator: Lee Worsley, Executive Director, Triangle J Council of Governments, Durham, NC
NEPA and Permitting 101: A Dialogue on the Basics
- Kelsey Owens, Environmental Protection Specialist, USDOT Infrastructure Permitting Improvement Center, Washington, DC
- Rob Hyman, Policy Analyst, USDOT
- Moderator: Virginia Alexander, Assistant Director/Center Hill RPO Coordinator, Upper Cumberland Development District, Cookeville, TN
Conversation Café: Addressing Regional Housing Needs
- Facilitator: Sherry Long, Assistant Executive Director/Community Development Director, Western Piedmont Council of Governments, Hickory, NC
Closing Plenary: ROUTES: USDOT’s New Rural Transportation Initiative
- Jannine Miller, Deputy Assistant Secretary and Senior Advisor to the Secretary, USDOT, Washington, DC
- Morteza Farajian, Executive Director, USDOT Build America Bureau, Washington, DC
- Bruce Robinson, Acting Associate Administrator for Program Management, Federal Transit Administration, Washington, DC
- Moderator: Chris Fetzer, NADO Treasurer and Executive Director, Northern Arizona Council of Governments, Flagstaff, AZ
Annual Business Meeting
NADO Board of Directors Meeting
President’s Award Dinner
To view PDFs, use a viewer such as Adobe Reader.
~ Please note this schedule is subject to change ~
Travel & Venue

Peppermill Resort Hotel
2707 S. Virginia Street
Reno, NV 89502
(775) 826-2121
Room Rate: $129 single/double
Room block deadline: September 20
You can also call the Peppermill directly to make reservations; please use the code ANADO19 to assure you receive our rates.
Explore Reno and Lake Tahoe Area
Located close to the Sierra Nevada mountains, Reno is known for 250 days of sunshine and gorgeous sunsets. Beautiful weather means there are many opportunities to partake in all sorts of outdoor activities from snowboarding to cycling!
Within a 90 minute drive from Reno, you will find several dozen golf courses, almost 20 ski resorts, endless hiking trails, and much more.
Checkout the Reno area events calendar to find out what's going on year-round!
The Peppermill’s Concierge can help you book tours and adventures that will make your visit to the Reno-Lake Tahoe memorable.
~ Some or all of this information was provided by the hotel/venue ~