“I was quite simply blown away by the conference: the sessions were relevant, insightful, and thought provoking.” – North Carolina

On April 7-8, EDA brought together over 800 regional and local economic development professionals, non-profit and private partners, and federal, state, tribal and local officials to explore issues related to improving competitiveness, job growth, innovation and overall quality of life in communities at our 2016 National Conference in Washington, D.C.
Conference speakers included: U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker; U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce Bruce Andrews; U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx; Director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget Shaun Donovan; U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown; Jerry Abramson, Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Public Affairs, The White House; Mayor of Detroit, Michigan Mike Dugan, and Victor Hwang, Vice President of Entrepreneurship, The Kauffman Foundation, among others.

“The conference was one of the best conferences I have ever attended in my 30 years working in housing and economic development.” – Glenn (Richmond, VA)

The conference provided a forum for thoughtful and impactful discussions for economic development leaders to share best practices about what has been accomplished in communities and regions and explore plans for future economic growth. The conference also discussed the ongoing role of the Federal government in expanding opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship, creating more public-private partnerships, and ensuring our communities are becoming places that enable families to succeed and thrive through the Administration’s place-based initiatives.

( eda.gov)