2011 Regional Summit Keynote Speakers
National Keynote Speaker – The Honorable John Hickenlooper, Governor of Colorado
As Mayor of Denver in 2009, Governor Hickenlooper had a great impact upon Middle Tennessee when he told Nashville Chmaber leaders about the Denver Region’s successful Mayors Caucus that led to Mayor Karl Dean’s call for the formation of the Middle Tennessee Mayors Caucus at the 2009 Regional Summit.
John Hickenlooper ran for Governor of Colorado on a platform to make Colorado the best place for entrepreneurs to grow jobs. He promised a balanced budget plan without raising taxes and a regulatory philosophy that would support economic development while maintaining the highest environmental standards.
Governor Hickenlooper has a track record of bringing people together to solve problems instead of stroking the same old partisan squabbles. Despite shrinking budgets and managing the city through two national recessions, a recent citizen survey found that Denver’s overall community quality rating improved to 86 percent in 2010 from 78 percent in 2002.
Read More about Governor Hickenlooper at www.colorado.gov
Regional Keynote Speaker – Alan Matheson, Executive Director of Envision Utah
The work of Envision Utah has greatly informed our region’s successful Regional Visioning Project, Quality Growth Toolbox Planning and Implementation efforts across Middle Tennessee.
Alan Matheson, Jr. became the Executive Director of Envision Utah in 2004. In that role, he oversees implementation of a publicly developed quality growth strategy designed to keep Utah beautiful, prosperous, healthy, and neighborly for future generations.
Under Matheson’s direction, Envision Utah has developed and managed several local and multi-county visioning processes. The focus of these processes is broad public involvement, advanced technical analysis, and practical implementation strategies. Matheson is a frequent speaker at national conferences and has consulted with several regions around the country seeking to address the challenges of growth.
Read More about Envision Utah at: www.envisionutah.org
