June 19-20, 2019 | Annapolis, MD
NGA Solutions: The Center for Best Practices hosted NGA’s first-ever State Summit on Opportunity Zones. This was a collaborative effort between NGA Solutions, NGA Advocacy and NGA Future. The event featured a range of speakers from all sectors — state agencies, federal agencies, foundations, nonprofits, technical assistance providers and other stakeholders. The Summit was not meant to be a single event, but a starting point for forming a strong network of peers to learn from. As such, this State Summit is an early step toward future regional forums on this topic. It is anticipated that, over time, collective efforts among the stakeholders will work to uplift best practices and help to answer questions posed by governors and their economic policy advisors and economic development leaders as they work to attract private investment to their disinvested communities for a variety of purposes.
June 19
Opening Remarks
Nikki Guilford, Interim Executive Director, National Governors Association
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan
Opportunity Zones Overview, Current Status and Update on the Federal Regs
Alfonso Costa, Deputy Chief of Staff, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Daniel Kowalski, Counselor to the Secretary, U.S. Department of the Treasury
Moderator: Richard Lukas, Legislative Director, NGA Economic Development and Commerce Committee
State Best Practices in OZ Programs, Models for Marketing to Private Investors
Jessica Burke, General Counsel & Executive Director of Legal Services, Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development
Lydia Mihalik, Director, Ohio Development Services Agency
Tai Cooper, Managing Director, Policy, Planning and Advocacy, New Jersey Economic Development Authority
Moderator: Stefan Pryor, Secretary of Commerce, Rhode Island Executive Office of Commerce
State Peer Time – Organized Regionally
Facilitator: Martin Simon, Director, Economic Opportunity, NGA Center for Best Practices
Policy Outcomes: Addressing Issues of Equity, Displacement and Need for Rural Capacity-Building
Christopher Coes, Vice President of Land Use and Development, Smart Growth America
Joel Baxley, Acting Assistant Secretary for Rural Development, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Colin Higgins, Program Director, The Governance Project
Moderator: Chitra Kumar, Director, Federal and State Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Community Revitalization
Breakouts on Opportunity Zone Strategies:
Equitable and Affordable Housing
Rachel Reilly, Director of Impact Strategy, Economic Innovation Group
Kenneth Holt, Secretary, Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development
Moderator: Stockton Williams, Executive Director,National Council of State Housing Agencies
Dan Carol, Director, Center for Financial Markets, Milken Institute and Senior Advisor Georgetown University; former Senior Policy Advisor and OZ State Lead, California Governors Jerry Brown and Gavin Newsom
Moderator: Bevin Buchheister, Esq., Senior Policy Analyst, NGA Energy, Environment and Infrastructure Division
Maegan Moore, Blueprint Local
Elise Liberto, Brown Advisory
Moderator: Tim Blute, Director, NGA Future
June 20
Opening Remarks
Sally Rood, Senior Policy Analyst, Economic Development, NGA Center for Best Practices
Engaging Communities
Honorable Jane Campbell, Senior Advisor, Public Private Strategies and Former Mayor of Cleveland
Tara Rice, Director, Montana Department of Commerce
Patrick Mullen, Director, Opportunity Zones and Financial Incentives, Utah Association of Counties
Moderator: Egils Milbergs, CEO, Center for Accelerating Innovation; Co-Founder, PureBlue; Former Executive Director, Washington Economic Development Commission
Role of Community Foundations, Eds & Meds and other Anchor Institutions
Mary Thomas, Chief Operating Officer, Spartanburg County Foundation, South Carolina
Jason Jolley, Associate Professor of Rural Economic Development, Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs, Ohio University
Moderator: Colin Higgins, Program Director, The Governance Project
Non-Financial Incentives that Help to Attract Investment, Wrap-up Remarks
Michael Myers, Managing Director, Policy, Rockefeller Foundation
Aron Betru, Managing Director, Center for Financial Markets, Milken Institute
Moderator: Maryland Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford
