1:00 - Welcoming Remarks
Mayor Tom Beehan, City of Oak Ridge
Mayor Madeline Rogero, City of Knoxville
Mayor Tom Taylor, City of Maryville

1:10 - State of the East Tennessee Region
Matt Murray, Ph.D., Howard H. Baker, Jr. Center for Public Policy

1:25 - Introduction of Moderator

1:30-1:45 Moderator Opening Remarks
Ted Abernathy, Southern Growth Policies Board

1:45-2:30 - Panel Session 1
Get Ready for a More Prosperous Region: Taking stock of the health, education, housing options and prosperity of the citizens in our region.

• Teri Brahams, Pellissippi State Community College
• Jennifer Evans, Knoxville Chamber
• Mark Field, Knoxville Chamber, Together! Healthy Knox Chair
• David Mansouri, TN SCORE
• Grant Rosenberg, Knoxville Leadership Foundation

2:30-2:40 - Break

2:40-2:45 - Video
The Swing of Things: Job Retraining to Fill Demand for High Tech Workers
Produced by the Center for Rural Strategies
Mark Boody shares his story of how courses at Roane State Community College’s Advanced Materials Training and Education Center (AMTEC) enabled his transition to a new career at the Carbon Fiber Technology Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and filled the need for high-tech workers in the region.

2:45-3:30 - Panel Session 2
Capitalize on the Region’s Assets: How will the environment, transportation and overall infrastructure impact our future?

• Carol Evans, Legacy Parks Foundation
• Bob Martineau, Commissioner, TDEC
• Doug Lawyer, Knoxville-Oak Ridge Innovation Valley
• Jim Evans, Knoxville Airport Authority

3:30-3:35 - Video
Bloom Where You Are Planted:  Oakes Daylilies
Produced by the Center for Rural Strategies
Stewart and Ken Oakes discuss the growth of their daylily business in rural Union County. Although traditional agriculture has historically struggled in this region, through the use of the internet and agritourism, this family-run company with strong East Tennessee roots has grown into a national distrubutor of daylilies.

3:35-4:20 - Panel Session 3
Grow and Sustain our Region’s Competitiveness:  Access to a quality education and a high quality of life will help sustain business growth and innovation for decades to come.

• Kevin Anton, Alcoa, Inc.
• Bob Booker, DENSO Manufacturing TN., Inc.
• Thom Mason, Ph.D., Oak Ridge National Laboratory
• Cindy McConkey, Scripps Networks Interactive
• Matt Murray, Ph.D., Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy
• Ted Wampler, Jr., Wampler’s Farm Sausage Company

4:20-4:25 - Innovation Valley 2.0
Thom Mason, Ph.D., Chair, Innovation Valley Board of Directors

4:25-4:30 - Closing Remarks
Ted Abernathy, Southern Growth Policies Board
Mayor Tom Beehan, City of Oak Ridge

4:30-5:30 - Networking Reception