Alan Barfoot was acclaimed the 2016 Grey County Warden by his fellow councillors on December 1 at the annual inaugural session of council. Barfoot has been a Grey County Councillor since 2004. He was Chair of the Transportation and Public Safety Committee from 2010-2012 and again from 2014-2015 and has sat on multiple committees during his term. He entered municipal government as a Councillor for the former Derby Township in 1991 and was elected Mayor of Georgian Bluffs in the fall of 2006. The Warden is the head of Grey County Council and represents Grey County on the Western Ontario Wardens’ Caucus. The Warden is elected to a one-year term each December.

Andrey is a lifelong technology executive with deep expertise in delivering innovations in both governmental and commercial sectors. Since 2011, Andrey has served as Deputy CIO of Moscow, after he was engaged by Government of Russia to lead Electronic Government initiative in 2010.

Prior to public services, Andrey was improving Project Management Practices in Russia in multiple executive roles, also as VP, Project Management Institute, Moscow Branch. In his current position, Andrey is responsible for implementing informational systems in all spheres of urban life with special focus on Smart City projects.

Susan has worked with libraries and local governments for over twenty years. Her professional career has been dedicated to assisting city and county executives initiate and manage change in their organizations so that citizens and businesses are receiving the strongest possible services. She comes to ULC from her position as Research, Development and Strategic Partners Executive at the International City/County Management Association (ICMA).

As Senior Advisor for Broadband, Joshua Breitbart is responsible for coordinating key aspects of the Administration's work to ensure universal, affordable broadband throughout the five boroughs. Reporting to the Counsel to the Mayor, the Senior Advisor plays a central role in the development and execution of the Administration's broadband strategies. Namely, he identifies opportunities to deploy wired and wireless technologies, develops implementation plans, and coordinates with relevant governmental stakeholders, community leaders and private partners. The Senior Advisor also develops and maintains relationships with individuals and organizations with relevant expertise in order to advance the Administration's broadband access goals.

Gale A. Brewer is the 27th Borough President of Manhattan, with a role in deciding land-use and zoning issues in the borough, appointment of members to the 12 community boards, and the ability to introduce legislation in the City Council.

Since she took office in 2014, her bills to reform the deed restriction process and remove criminal history from initial employment applications have been enacted, and her pre-ULURP ("Uniform Land Use Review Procedure") community planning groups have addressed development issues at the South Street Seaport and in East Midtown.

Brewer previously served on the Council for 12 years, serving as Chair of the Technology Committee and the Government Operations Committee. Her legislation guaranteeing paid sick leave for most hourly employees, requiring all City data be published online, and protecting domestic workers from abusive practices-- the first such law in the nation-- has all been enacted.

Brewer has an MPA from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and did her undergraduate work at Columbia University and Bennington College. Brewer previously served as Chief of Staff to Council Member Ruth Messinger, NYC Deputy Public Advocate, Director of the city's Federal Office, and Executive Director of Mayor Dinkins' Commission on the Status of Women. She also was Project Manager for the NYC Nonprofits Project at CUNY's Graduate Center and manager of an affordable housing project for the Telesis Corporation.

Joep Brouwers is Adjunct Director, Brainport Development. He is a key part of the Brainport leadership and leads several strategic initiatives for the region.

David Brunnen is editor of Groupe Intellex, director of the UK’s Foundation for Information Society Policy and a RSA Fellow.

In a long career with BT he created several new ventures and instigated the UK’s first email service in 1981. In 1993 he founded Business Team - a telecoms channel management agency - and created the UK's eCommerce (later restyled eBusiness) Awards programme.

His consultancy work included major projects in Northern Ireland including digital infrastructure for the Northern Ireland Science Park, a novel mobile broadband service (IEEE802.20) and work for Titanic Quarter.communications.

In 2010 he co-founded Community Study Tours and the NextGen Digital Challenge Awards programme to broaden the experience of municipalities facing the challenges of growth in digitalised economies. He is a strong supporter of the Intelligent Community Foundation (ICF), is a conference speaker and writes for the UK's Computer Weekly and other media outlets.

Carolyn Campbell is the Deputy City Manager of Communications and Engagement at the City of Edmonton; formerly serving as Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism with the Government of Alberta from 2015-2016. Preceding this, she was the Associate Dean of the Alberta School of Business, at the University of Alberta, leading the Executive Education department from 2005 - 2015.

She has previously served on several boards and committees including: Travel Alberta, the Premier's Council on Culture, the Mayor's Business Roundtable, the Edmonton Symphony Society and Winspear Centre Board of Directors, the UNICON Research Committee (International Consortium of Universities), the Edmonton Journal Community Advisory Board, the Festival of Ideas Advisory Board, EEDC's Downtown Vibrancy Taskforce, Make Something Edmonton, the Mayor’s Think Tank for Arts and Culture in Edmonton, the Board of Directors of the Brian Webb Dance Company, the Board of Directors of LeaderCity/LeaderCité Canada, the U of A Teaching Awards Committee (vice-chair), the AASUA and VP Department of Finance and Administration Committee on University Planning and Budgets, the 2001 World Championships Protocol/ Honoured Guests Committee, the Alberta Chamber of Commerce Education Policy Committee, and the Member Relations Committee for the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce (vice-chair).

Carolyn is also a frequently reviewed and professionally represented artist and taught Strategic Arts Management in the MBA program and painting in Fine Arts at the University of Alberta. She has been a panelist and guest speaker, including sessions at The Banff Centre, and University of British Columbia, Okanagan.

Bill helps communities make the connection between telecommunications and economic development. As principal in Community Technology Advisors since 2000, he assists clients develop and implement programs of broadband infrastructure investment and technology promotion and training. 

Prior to forming Community Technology Advisors, Bill managed Onvoy’s (now Zayo) Integrated Community Network (ICN) rural market development efforts. Earlier, Bill staffed the MN Department of Trade and Economic Development Star City and Business Retention and Expansion Programs, working with local community teams to vision, strategize and implement local economic development programs.

Bill is a current board member of PCs for People, a non-profit dedicated to getting computers into the hands of those without.  He is a former board member of the Economic Development Association of Minnesota and the Midwest Institute for Telecommuting Education.

As Program Director, Meghan leads innovation initiatives that build capability in public sector organizations and agencies throughout the world. Through a unique and collaborative process, Meghan works side by side with international, federal, state and local government leaders to produce new knowledge and actionable results. With over 18 years of experience working on public sector innovation efforts, Meghan is considered an expert in digital government transformation.

Meghan has published numerous research and practice articles detailing how organizational capabilities, information policies, management practices, and technology choices intersect to shape government operations and services. She also serves as a reviewer for journals and conferences and presides in many advisory roles. She is a highly sought speaker and facilitator, having delivered over 200 thought-leadership and strategy development sessions for government leaders all over the world.

Michelle currently serves as the Assistant City Manager for the City of Dublin, Ohio. She has been with the City of Dublin for twenty-three years, serving in a variety of roles, including several years as Director of Administrative Services and as a Management Assistant. Michelle is a previous recipient of the Columbus Business First “40 Under Forty” award, recognizing forty central Ohio leaders that have made significant achievements within their organizations as well as in the greater community.

Michelle recently served as an Executive Board Member for the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) 2010 - 2013. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Alliance for Innovation (AFI) and is a member of the ICMA International Committee. She also served as chair for the 2015 ICMA Seattle Conference Planning Committee.

She has a B.A. in Political Science from Wittenberg University and a Master of Public Administration from The Ohio State University. She is certified in MBTI and the Lominger Leadership Architect and has provided strategic planning and facilitation services to numerous organizations.

Nathalie Crutzen, PhD, is Associate Professor in Strategy and Sustainability at HEC-Management School of the University of Liege (HEC Liege). Nathalie Crutzen is also Director of the Smart City Institute.

Nathalie develops scientific activities (research, teaching, training, etc.) in the field of sustainability, strategy and management control. In this context, she has developed, over the last 6 years, several research projects on sustainability, strategy and related management (control); on sustainability innovations as well as on sustainable and smart cities.

Launched in January 2015, the Smart City Institute (SCI) is an academic institute dedicated to the thematic of sustainable and smart cities. It is founded on an original partnership between private companies (Accenture, Belfius, Proximus & Schréder), public actors (Walloon Region, City of Liege) and a University and its Management School (HEC Liege). This academic institute aims at stimulating research, teaching, innovation and entrepreneurship in the field of the ͞smart city͟. The SCI proposes to approach this thematic from a managerial angle (not a technical one) while collaborating with other disciplines (necessary multidisciplinary approach).

Nathaniel Dick is a graduate of North Carolina State University and Taiwan National Chin-Yi University of Technology with extensive experience working in China, Cambodia and Taiwan. He works as a senior specialist at Hair O’right, which is Taiwan’s leading hair care brand with products sold in 34 countries. Committed to sustainability, the company has developed the first shampoo that can grow into a tree and has won numerous awards for design and sustainability.

Elsa Estevez is an Adjunct Professor at National University of the South. Previously, she was a Senior Academic Program Officer at the United Nations University Operating Unit on Policy-Driven Electronic Governance (UNU-EGOV) in Guimarães, Portugal; Academic Program Officer at the UNU International Institute for Software Technology in Macao, China; Assistant Professor at the National University of the South, Argentina; visiting professor in three universities in Argentina; and head of information technology departments in major financial and pharmaceutical organizations in Argentina.

Her research interests include context specific public service delivery, development and operation of the Government Chief Information Officer (GCIO) function, Electronic Governance (EGOV) for Sustainable Development, Smart City for Development, and Citizen Participation; the results are published in many book chapters, journal articles, conference papers and project reports. She has also delivered executive trainings to many groups of national, sectoral and city-level GCIOs around the world; organized conferences and schools to raise EGOV awareness and capacity in many developing countries; and managed research and development projects funded by the Macao Foundation, IDRC and several national governments.

Activist and entrepreneur YALE FOX is the CEO of Rentlogic: a rental search engine that scans government databases to rate landlords and buildings. He works with cities and communities to put power back into the hands of tenants—and to show how open data can serve the public’s interest. Previously, he turned a nightclub into a sociological research lab: a big data analysis earning him a TED Fellowship.

Yale Fox’s Rentlogic works with the City of New York to analyze millions of building inspection records and rank each building based on quality. Their listings include additional information that most renters wouldn’t know about until it’s too late—like mold, heat and hot water problems, rodents, cockroaches, broken elevators, unexpected rent increases, or if the landlord has a tendency to keep the security deposit—all so that renters can be fully informed before signing a lease.

He’s also the director of LandlordWatch: a website that combines citizen-journalism, housing activism and problem solving with social technologies. LandlordWatch uses open government data provided by the City of Toronto respecting building inspections in order to create transparency in the rental housing market.

Roberto Gallardo is an Associate Extension Professor of the Mississippi State University Extension (MSUE). He holds an engineering degree from the University of the Americas in Mexico, a master's in economic development from Southern Miss University, and a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration from Mississippi State University. Gallardo is interested in local & regional rural community economic development, including use of technology. He spearheads the efforts of the MSUE Intelligent Community Institute that helps rural communities transition to, plan for, and prosper in the digital age. He lives in Starkville with his wife and two daughters.

David Gilford leads the Connected Communities practice at Intersection, the largest municipal media company in the United States. He has a background in multiple leadership positions with the City of New York, most recently as vice president for urban innovation & sustainability at the NYC Economic Development Corporation.

Erik K. Grimmelmann is President of the New York Technology Council (NYTECH), a nonprofit industry association dedicated to the furtherance of the technology industry in New York. He is also an adjunct professor in the information systems and data analytics program at the City University of New York and president of Kosmosys LLC.

Prior to joining NYTECH, he was the Chief Technology Officer and Chief Architect of SendWordNow, a multi-channel alert and response service start-up that raised thirty million dollars and which he helped to establish and develop into a global company. Earlier, he was the Chief Technology Officer and Lead Architect at Cometa Network, a provider of enterprise-grade WiFi formed by IBM, AT&T, Intel and the venture firms Apax and 3i. Before Cometa, Erik was a Senior Vice-President at Dun and Bradstreet, where he was responsible for modernizing and deploying its technology Infrastructure worldwide.

Erik started his career at AT&T Bell Labs, where held a number of positions including Supervisor of Nuclear Weapons Effects and Network Survivability and Head of Government Communications Systems; on the business side of AT&T he was Division Manager of Business Orchestration Solutions at AT&T Computer Systems and Vice President for IP Networks and Access of AT&T where, as Chief Internet Strategist, he helped to plan $400 million in annual investments in technology infrastructure.

Erik has served on a panel of the National Academy of Sciences, on the Counter-Terrorism Technology Oversight Panel of the White House Science Office, and on the boards of a number of industry associations. He is a graduate of Haverford College and holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and has attended Executive Program in Business Administration at both Duke and Columbia Universities.

Joost Helms is director of the Eindhoven International Project Office (EIPO), guiding and supporting regions and cities around the world on Triple Helix collaboration, Smart Cities and socio-economic development strategies. He also chairs the Eindhoven Academy, institute for education and training focusing on successful collaboration in the Brainport Eindhoven ecosystem.

With EIPO, Mr. Helms is working closely together with Binh Duong province (Vietnam) on implementing Binh Duong’s new socio-economic development strategy as co-director of the Binh Duong Smart Region project office.

He graduated Eindhoven University of Technology in Chemical Engineering in 1996, gained 10 years of experience as an entrepreneur and has been in politics for another 10 years. He served as Vice Mayor of the City of Eindhoven when his city was awarded ICF Intelligent Community of the Year in 2011. Like no other, he understands the differences in motives, interests and processes of the different partners within Triple Helix collaborative ecosystems.

Currently leading the Queens 20/20 initiative, a partnership between NYSCI and the local community, Andrés Henríquez brings a broad expertise to this position. Andrés worked previously as a program officer at both the National Science Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation of New York, where he launched a national program to develop the field of adolescent literacy. He was a key contributor to the National Research Council’s Framework for K–12 Science Education, and the funding of Achieve Inc. to develop the framework-aligned Next Generation Science Standards.

Earlier in his career at the Center for Children and Technology, he was part of the community transformation in Union City, N.J., where he lead a partnership between Bell Atlantic and the Union City Schools, which received national recognition from President Clinton and Vice President Gore.

Mike Holland coordinates all of the functions and activities of the Director’s Office, as well as advises the Director and other senior CUSP leadership to ensure the effectiveness of day-to-day operations and the optimal use of available resources. His role is also to provide leadership and direction for budget and financial planning, and to manage special projects and strategic planning.

Mike comes to CUSP with a background in research policy and the oversight of federal research programs. He previously worked with Director Koonin as Senior Advisor and Staff Director in the Office of the Under Secretary for Science at the US Department of Energy. Before that, Mike oversaw the Department of Energy’s Office of Science for a decade as a program examiner in the White House Office of Management & Budget; as a policy analyst in the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy; and a Chairman’s Designee for the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Science.

Mike earned his Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and received his B.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering and Chemistry from North Carolina State University.

John B. Horrigan is a senior researcher at Pew Research Center, where he focuses on libraries, technology, and communities as well as open data and open government. Prior to rejoining Pew Research Center in 2015, he served as research director for the development of the National Broadband Plan at the Federal Communications Commission. He is a nationally recognized expert on research into barriers to home broadband adoption and use, expertise cultivated as a consultant and in his first stint at Pew Research Center from 2000-2009. He has a PhD in public policy from the University of Texas at Austin and a B.A. in economics and government from the University of Virginia.

Don Ingle is the City of Boulder's Chief Information Officer, having led the city's Information Technology (IT) department since December 2007. Previously, Ingle was the Information Technology Director for the City of Englewood since 2000 and led the IT efforts at the City of Kirkland, Washington near Seattle for 10 years prior. Ingle received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Fort Lewis College and completed a Master's Degree in Public Administration from the Graduate School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington, with an emphasis in organization and management. He also holds a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.

Don oversees the management of the city's technical environment, including strategic plans, technical standards, policies, the IT infrastructure, and corporate data and information, encompassing approximately 40 employees.

Dr. Norman Jacknis is currently Senior Fellow at the Intelligent Community Forum. His responsibilities include leading ICF’s Rural Imperative, building on the ideas he developed for the US Conference of Mayors on a future-oriented economic growth strategy for cities. Before joining ICF, he was Director, Cisco’s IBSG Public Sector Group (the company’s open innovation and pro-bono strategic advisory group), where he worked extensively with states and local government, the National Association of Counties, the US Conference of Mayors and the staff responsible for the Federal government’s website and citizen engagement. In addition to citizen engagement, his focus was on economic growth, innovation, and the future of technology.

Stu Johnson serves as Vice President of Connected Nation and Executive Director of Connected Ohio.  In those roles, he provides comprehensive strategy and management for two Connected Nation programs – Connect Ohio and Digital Works. His management of the programs include implementation and development, identification and achievement of programmatic goals, government relations, and revenue management. Stu also serves as the primary spokesperson to media nationwide about Digital Works and Connect Ohio. Stu has over 25 years of executive level telecommunications experience and holds a bachelor of science in finance from The Ohio State University.

Mary Lee Kennedy partners with organizations to empower and inspire local and global communities to create and use the knowledge that enhances lives. While digital technology has opened education and economic development opportunities, there is vast untapped potential in how we connect and use information. In her consulting practice and as the former Chief Library Officer at the New York Public Library, Senior Associate Provost at Harvard, and Director of Knowledge Networks at Microsoft, Mary Lee’s career is focused on innovating the way we share credible knowledge.

Gary Klassen is the Deputy City Manager (Sustainable Development) and Senior Executive Team member for the City of Edmonton. The City is the heart of Metro Edmonton (1.3 million people) as well as the Capital City of Alberta, Canada. The municipality currently operates a $3 Billion Canadian budget with 12,000 employees. Gary oversees all planning, housing, environment, economic sustainability and transformational initiatives. As a planning profession, Gary is the past President of the Canadian Institute of Planners (Ottawa), past President of the Alberta Association, Canadian Institute of Planners (Edmonton) and is a Council member of the International Federation of Housing and Planning (Copenhagen). He was also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Calgary in Environmental Design.

Matt Larwood was elected to City Council in 2014. Prospect in the state of South Australia, Australia is a suburban city outside Adelaide, the provincial capital.

He is a member of the ICF Board of Directors.

Chris Lawrence is an experienced non-profit executive who has spent the last decade as a dedicated educator and network builder. He joined Mozilla in 2011. As Vice President, Mozilla Leadership Network, Chris oversees the development and expansion of a global network of leaders who will build the values of the open internet into all aspects of human society.

In his time at Mozilla, Chris has been critical in leading the organization's efforts around network building, as well as bringing web literacy to the forefront of Mozilla's issues agenda. He oversaw the development of the Mozilla Clubs initiative, the expansion of Hive Learning Networks, and the Maker Party campaign, which has become Mozilla's largest celebration of making and learning on the web. These efforts have reached hundreds of thousands of people in over 90 cities across the globe. He was also instrumental in developing multi-year relationships with funders including the John D. and Cathering T. MacArthur Foundation, the National Science Foundation and others.

Wen-Shan (Wendy) Lin has appointed as the director of the Planning Department at Chiayi City Government in 2017. She leads the role for planning the strategies of smart city, information systems and research & development. Before she joined the city government, she was an assistant professor in Management of Information Systems Department at National Chiayi University, Taiwan R.O.C..

She obtained her PhD from the Computation Department at UMIST (UMIST was merged as The University of Manchester U.K.) in 2004. Her research interests include topics of electronic commerce, human-computer interaction, E-learning, and Internet marketing. She has published several journal articles and actively joins international research activities. These journals include International Journal of Human-Computer Studies (which is rated as #3 based on UK ABS 2015 report) and Computers & Education (which is rated as 1st-tier journal in the subject of education based on Thomson Reuters). For the past few years, she has led four national-funded research projects from National Science Council in Taiwan, three funded research projects from a research-development organization and a private industrial development company. In 2015, she also joined a three-year national funded research project, serving as project co-leader. This project should be completed by 2018.

Bruce Lincoln is co-founder and chief technology officer of Silicon Harlem, which is developing a comprehensive strategic technology plan for multicultural America. Prior to this, he was the chief design scientist at The Urban Cyberspace Company, which develops broadband networks for underserved urban and rural markets, and has developed the first smart and green building in Harlem, 1400 on 5th.

Bruce is also a Senior Fellow at Columbia University's Institute for Tele-Information at the Graduate School of Business and former Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Center for Technology, Innovation and Community Engagement (CTICE), Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science. From 1998 through 2001, under the Clinton Administration, he advised the President’s Information Technology Advisory Committee (PITAC) on IT Policy.  He has raised more than $13 million to provide a network for a consortium of 30 schools, 20 community-based cultural organizations and for-profit technology service providers - totaling 136 community technology centers - for the NYC CTC (Citywide Training Center) Bank Project.

Rob McCann is the founder and President of Clearcable Networks. He has been working with advanced broadband service deployments in mid-market and rural cable and telephone systems since 1998 and is responsible for building and maintaining technical, network, and application intelligence.

Rob works closely with several carriers, cable systems, municipalities, and network service providers in Canada and the US providing them with the technology, integration, and business practices required to effectively operate voice, video, and data services in the changing broadband service provider industry. He has contributed to industry development as a former Director of the SCTE Ontario Chapter, a participant in CRTC Working Groups, and specification development efforts.

Rob holds a Bachelor of Mathematics degree from the University of Waterloo and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from McMaster University. By combining his practical experience in both traditional information technology and service provider networks with his formal background, Rob provides a unique perspective on matching emerging technology with sound business principles to establish successful strategies for new product and service deployment.

Gary R. McCarthy has served as Mayor since April 2011, bringing with him more than three decades of experience in government and a reputation as a hands-on, accessible, public servant who believes that government can be a force for positive change in the lives of its residents. He was elected to a second four-year term as Mayor in November 2015.

Mayor McCarthy co-chairs the Center for Economic Growth’s Capital Region Local Government Council (LGC), and serves on the New York State Conference of Mayors’ Executive Committee and the iHeart Media Local Advisory Board. He was one of the first mayors in the nation to sign up for the Mayors Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH).

A 1974 graduate of the former Linton High School, Gary went on to earn his Associates Degree from Schenectady County Community College and then continued his studies at the University at Albany.  He began his professional career taking a job in 1981 as an Investigator in the Schenectady County District Attorney's Office. In his 30 years on the job, Gary partnered with his colleagues and helped to convict hundreds of violent predators and career criminals. Gary served on the Schenectady City Council from 1996 through 1999 and then rejoined the City Council in 2005. Gary was elected Council President in January 2010, a position he held until elected Mayor. Gary has also served on community boards including Metroplex, Schenectady Municipal Housing Authority, Schenectady Industrial Development Agency, and Schenectady Access Cable Council (now Open Stage Media).

Douglas McCollough serves as Dublin’s CIO, where he is responsible for leading the city's IT department that includes network operations, geographic information systems and DubLink, Dublin's 125-mile fiber optic system.

McCollough has previously worked for the Ohio Department of Medicaid/Diversified Systems, Nationwide Insurance and State of Ohio Industrial Commission, boasting 15 years of experience.

Sehl Mellouli is a professor at the department of Information Systems at Laval University, Quebec City, Canada since June 2005. He obtained his PhD in Computer Science from Laval University in 2005. He has an MBA in Management Information Systems from Laval University. He is also an engineer in computer science from the Ecole Nationale des Sciences Informatiques, Tunis, Tunisia.

His main research interests include muti-agent systems software engineering, digital business, semantic web, information systems analysis and design, knowledge management and e-government.

Savanna Myers joined Grey County as the Manager of Economic Development in October 2016. She brought diverse experience in private and public sector marketing and communication to the role. Myers was raised in Grey County and worked previously for the Town of Hanover as the Economic Development and Communications Coordinator. Over this period she was involved with a variety of initiatives including the launch of an Economic Development Strategy, the award-winning Downtown Revitalization Project and the greatly admired LaunchPad Youth Activity & Technology Centre.

Dr. Nguyen is a mathematical engineer and PhD in management sciences, who serves the Director of International Relations & Strategy for Becamex Conglomerate Group, one of the leading Vietnamese developers in industrial parks, infrastructure & urban area. He is also Director of the Smart City Office of Binh Duong province (Vietnam), which coordinates breakthrough strategic projects for the socio-economic development of the province.

Dr. Nguyen is a former member of the Scientific Board of University Paris - Dauphine, and the Academic Assembly of Paris Sciences & Letters. He has been lecturing and conducting research internationally in the U.S., France, Germany, China, Vietnam, etc., particularly in the field of Intercultural Management.

James Oddo was elected Staten Island Borough President in November 2013. Prior to his election, he served as the Council Member representing the 50th Council district (Mid-Island and a small portion of Brooklyn) since 1999. He also served as the City Council’s Minority Leader from 2002 to 2013. In that role, he served as a key member of the Council’s leadership team.

Oddo authored 19 local laws and brought back more than $165 million to improve his community in various ways. After working 15 years to make it a reality, in the final days of his tenure in the Council, Oddo joined EDC to announce an exciting redevelopment plan to turn the abandoned Farm Colony site into a senior citizen community. This project, one that took so long due to the global economic crisis, best personifies Oddo’s persistence and advocacy on behalf of his community.

As Borough President, Oddo is committed to attaining necessary aid for Staten Islanders impacted by Hurricane Sandy. He recognizes the frustration and havoc the situation has caused in their lives and is an advocate for all awaiting resolution from city, state and federal programs.

In addition, Oddo is excited to see the waterfront development project for the North Shore become a reality. The project includes the highest observation wheel in the world, outlet shopping, a boutique hotel and residential communities that will transform the former Stapleton homeport and St. George community.

Oddo is also keenly aware of other issues facing Staten Islanders every day. He wants to meet the challenges of island living by maximizing waterfront real estate with a fast ferry, reducing commute time for many residents. He also recognizes the need for infrastructure changes to meet the needs of the Island’s 500,000 residents.

Theresa A. Pardo serves as director of the Center for Technology in Government (CTG) at the University at Albany. CTG works closely with multi-sector and multi-disciplinary teams from the U.S. and around the world to carry out applied research and problem-solving projects focused on the intersections of policy, management, and technology in the governmental context. With funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the United Nations (UN), the World Bank, the Library of Congress and a host of other private and public organizations, CTG has produced groundbreaking work in the fields of information and knowledge sharing, open government and open data, e-government, social media policy, and mobile technologies and human services delivery.

Pardo serves as Open New York adviser to New York State Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, and was recently appointed expert advisor to the Open Data 500 Project. She serves as international advisor to the E-Government Committee for the China Information Association and is president of the Digital Government Society, a global multi-disciplinary organization of scholars and practitioners interested in the development and impacts of digital government.

Blair Patacairk moved into the position of Managing Director of Investment and Trade in November of 2014. Prior to taking on this role, Blair was engaged as a special advisor to Invest Ottawa in the areas of foreign direct investment and government relations. As such Blair was responsible or the attraction of investment, companies and people to the Ottawa region, the management of Ottawa’s local and global partnerships and the international spokesperson on marketing Ottawa to the world. He also implemented the first ever business, retention and expansion program for Invest Ottawa.

Blair has over twenty years of experience in the public and private sectors, including working directly for the former Mayor of the City of Ottawa, Bob Chiarelli. He brings a wealth of knowledge on strategic partnerships and growing both SMEs and Fortune 500 companies. His previous experience includes roles at: Vayyoo Inc., a mobile solutions tech startup where he was Vice-President; Dell Inc. where he was the Director of Communications, Public Affairs and Business Development; and OCRI as the Director of Investment, Marketing, Media and Government Relations at OCRI, where he used his extensive network of business and media contacts to promote Ottawa-based technologies companies around the world.

A recipient of Ottawa’s Top 40 Under 40 award in 2008, Blair has volunteered his time as a board member with numerous organizations and currently sits as the Chairman of the Rideau Canal Festival. He also shares his experience as a business and marketing/communications mentor in local universities/colleges and high schools.

Mayor Paul Pisasale is celebrating over 25 years in local government, being first elected to Council in March 1991 and appointed Deputy Mayor in April 2000.  He has subsequently been elected four terms as Mayor of the City of Ipswich since 2004 and in the 2012 and 2016 Local Government elections, Paul averaged approximately 85% of the primary vote.

Paul has an active interest in business and youth initiatives, community organisations and employment enterprises and is Patron and Ambassador of over 70 organisations. He strongly believes that caring for the community and working with the youth are vital to a growing community. 

Paul’s leadership and vision for the future have broken down the City’s misconceived perception from both within the city itself and nationally and he continues to create a sense of pride and community involvement.  Under his leadership, Ipswich is the fastest growing region in Queensland and one of the fastest growth regions in the country. At the same time, Paul has made job creation and community care his number one priorities.

Peter Quinn was appointed CIO of the New York City school system in November 2016. He previously served in the same role for the state of Massachusetts. As CIO, he oversees efforts to improve internet access at schools and policies that keep data safe. He also leads IT support for schools as the department rolls out Computer Science for All, an effort to offer computer science classes to every student within the next 10 years.

During his time as Mayor, Tom has worked to maintain strong city services under difficult financial conditions by producing budgets compliant with the state mandated tax cap, maintaining the city’s AA1 credit rating, and improving its financial outlook to one that is stable. He has pioneered the use of new communications technologies in an effort to keep residents informed, particularly during severe weather events. In two years he has pushed through the project to finally cap the city’s landfill, which closed more than 30 years ago. He has spearheaded important environmental initiatives including bike lanes, Zip Cars, and electric vehicle charging stations. 

Under his leadership, the city completed a complex transaction to take control of the dilapidated, privately-held garage on Waller Avenue and replace it with a state of the art city-owned garage which will provide needed parking and an economic boost to the city. 

Tom’s long-term vision for the city is to continually enhance the downtown environment for businesses and residents while at the same time maintaining the strong neighborhoods that have long characterized White Plains.  

Joshua Seidemann is vice president of NTCA's policy division. He focuses on federal telecommunications advocacy on the regulatory side. He has represented small and mid-size carriers in private practice and in trade associations, and was also counsel for a state public advocate office, where he worked on telecom and energy utility issues. Mr. Seidemann holds a Juris Doctor from the Yeshiva University Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.

Suneet Singh Tuli has over 23 years of experience as a serial entrepreneur, having launched two successful companies prior to DataWind. At DataWind and previous ventures, he patented technologies that were created to develop scanning, printing and imaging products that set world records in both price and performance. The products created through these ventures have received numerous awards and accolades, including recognition by the Guinness Book of Records. Mr. Tuli was cited for the development of the Aakash II/UbiSlate tablets, which the Intelligent Community Forum believes will revolutionize access to knowledge for billions of people and stabilize communities in the process. The tablet is the world’s cheapest computer, according to Forbes Magazine. One of his best-known quotes is about his mission. Mr. Tuli said, “I don’t care about creating the iPad killer. I care about the four billion people who can afford this device.” The 2014 Intelligent Community Visionary of the Year has previously been recognized by Forbes Magazine in its 2012 Impact 15 list as a “classroom revolutionary” using innovative technologies to reinvent education globally. He was also named the 2012 Entrepreneur of the Year at the World Sikh Awards.  

Mayor Shiing-Jer Twu was elected as Mayor of Chiayi City in 2014, after serving as Taiwan’s Minister of the Department of Health from 2002 to 2004 and in the national legislature from 2008 to 2017. He has a bachelor’s degree in medicine and master’s degree in public health from National Taiwan University, and received a doctorate from the University of California, Los Angeles in the United States.

Rob van Gijzel served as the mayor of Eindhoven, Netherlands from 2008 to 2016, during which time the region was named an ICF Intelligent Community of the Year. He served in the Dutch Parliament from 1989 until 2001, when he founded a political advisory agency called Politea with his wife Irene van Rijsewijk. He also served as Deputy Chairman of the National Swimming Institute Eindhoven. Rob is a recognized thought leader in the Netherlands and beyond. He was appointed Chairman of the Collaboration Table, a national government body that seeks to improve access to and affordability of housing in the Netherlands. He is also the Chairman of the ICF Board of Directors.

David Weng is an angel investor with a track record of bringing start-up companies to successful IPOs, mergers and acquisitions. He invests in about 80 early stage high technology companies. Some of the more notable successes include the Netscreen Technologies IPO and its acquisition by Juniper Networks for $4 billions in 2004, and Protego Networks’ acquisition by Cisco Systems.

Prior to his investment projects, David served as Software Engineering Director at Cisco Systems and at Hewlett-Packard before that. Mr. Weng has over 20 years of experience in software engineering and Internet Technologies. He is President of the Silicon Valley Taiwan Angels Group, on the board of the San Jose State University Tower Foundation, David received his M.S. in Computer Science Engineering from San Jose State University in 1983.

Asia Silicon Valley Development initiative, which aims to make Taiwan a hub for internet-based innovation and entrepreneurship in Asia, and is a major component of Taiwan's economic reform agenda. Mr. Weng is one of the architects of Asia Silicon Valley Development Initiative and serves as the Chief Investment Officer.

Kim Wingrove serves as the Chief Administrative Officer of the county. In that role, she works closely with the Head of Council and reports to Grey County Council, and is responsible for the overall leadership and management of the day-to-day operations of a full service upper-tier municipal organization that includes 10+ departments, a combined budget of approximately $100 million and 800+ employees.

Prior to joining Grey County, Kim served as CAO of the Township of Guelph-Eramosa and will remain with that municipality until Sept. 18. She has over 20 years of experience in public administration at both the provincial and municipal level, including senior leadership roles within the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing and the Ministry of Economic Development. She has also served as CAO of the Town of Collingwood and has been a part-time resident of Grey County since 2009.