Young, Smart and Local

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CONFERENCE

Across the nation, cities are realizing that talent will drive their ability to grow.

Small, mid-size, and large metropolitan areas have developed different strategies for building their talent pipelines: from focusing on college access and completion to engaging and retaining students studying at local institutions.

Young, Smart and Local was a two-day conference designed to inform and engage leaders from higher education, business, government, economic development, and community organizations on best practices around talent growth and attraction.

Campus Philly, the nationally-known talent retention initiative in Philadelphia, and Action Greensboro, national-model for collaborative philanthropic investment in economic development, hosted this conference in Philadelphia on April 9 & 10, 2019.

Keynote addresses and break-out sessions focused on:

City as campus: strategies and tactics to leverage city assets as part of college students’ educational experience
Best practices for connecting college talent to job opportunity in your region
National trends and forecasts regarding talent development, alignment and retention

Benchmarking and measuring the impact of talent retention
Diversity and equity in growing cities
Building partnerships and infrastructure among higher education, employers and economic development organizations to drive talent growth

ATTENDEES

Representatives from cities and metro regions that are committed to talent growth.

The conference attracted:

Human resource and recruiting leads from major employers
Economic development professionals from city, state and local governments and NGOs
Higher education leaders

Chamber of commerce leaders focused on talent and business growth
Destination marketing leaders who focus on attracting new businesses to a region

Cities that attended include:

Baltimore, MD
Chicago, IL
Cleveland, OH
Detroit, MI
Hastings, NE
Indianapolis, IN
Kansas City, MO
Milwaukee, WI

Mobile, AL
Pittsburgh, PA
Quebec City, QC
Richmond, VA
Santa Rosa, CA
Washington, DC
Wichita, KS

AGENDA

Tuesday, April 9, 2019

11:00 am

Optional morning pre-conference walking tour in Philadelphia hosted by CIC

NOON – 2:00 pm

Conference check-in

2:00 – 3:00 pm

Welcome & Steal This Idea

Brief lightning talks from cities showcasing a successful initiative, kicking off the conference with inspiring stories from across the country.

Welcome by: Cecelia Thompson, Action Greensboro and Deborah Diamond, Campus Philly

Confirmed Speakers:

Marshall Anthony, PeopleJoy
Jenna Grasley, J.P. Morgan Chase
Sarah McGuire, Action Greensboro
President Ali Houshmand, Rowan University

3:00 – 3:30 pm

Networking break

3:30 – 4:15 pm

Meet Your Match

Facilitated conversations for cities at different stages of talent initiative development. Talk with others just considering starting a talent retention program; those who are new to launching an initiative; or cities with full-fledged programs underway.

4:45 – 7:00 pm

Mayor’s Reception
presented by Saxbys

Mayor Jim Kenney of Philadelphia joins other mayors including Mayor Nancy Vaughan of Greensboro, NC and Mayor Levar Stoney of Richmond, VA in discussing college student engagement as a growth strategy for their cities. Panel will be moderated by Lucas Grindley, Next City.

7:00 pm

Dinner on your own or with conference guests

A small number of reservations have been made at some of Philadelphia’s best restaurants, close to the conference location and hotel. Conference attendees will be able to sign up for these spots upon arriving at the conference.

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

8:00 am

Breakfast and networking

9:00 – 9:50 am

Breakout Sessions

Measuring and Benchmarking Talent Retention

Moderated by: Jill Bergman, McKinsey
Confirmed Panelists:

Ben Christensen, Handshake
Lee Huang, Econsult Solutions Inc.
Josh Wright, EMSI

Removing Search Friction: How to Connect On-campus Talent With Employers and Opportunity

Moderated by: Lizzy Tahsuda, Campus Greensboro
Confirmed Panelists:

Michelle Ahn, Campus Philly
Amir Badr, Upkey
Casey Welch, Tallo

How Talent Drives Infrastructure Development and Place-making

Moderated by: Natalie Kostelni, Philadelphia Business Journal
Confirmed Panelists:

Ben Donsky, Biederman Redevelopment Group
Bob Geolas, HR&A
George Smith, U3Advisors

10:00 – 10:50 am

Breakout Sessions

Growth and Equity: How Driving Economic Growth Impacts Equity and Inclusion

Moderated by: Andrew Moore, Institute for Youth Education and Families, National League of Cities
Confirmed Panelists:

Alan Berube, Brookings Institution
Lee Nunery II, The ITEM
Ashley Putnam, Federal Reserve of Philadelphia

Workplace Learning and Success Skills Development as a Tool for Upward Economic Mobility

Moderated by: Sarah Miller, CAEL (Council for Adult and Experiential Learning)
Confirmed Panelists:

Shayne Evans, The Academy Group
Kate Mulvey, USLI
Jean Rattigan-Rohr, PhD, Elon University Odyssey Scholars

Falling in Love With Place: What Helps Students Feel Attached

Moderated by: Rachel Burgess, SIR
Confirmed Panelists:

Jenny Jang, Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce
Brittnie Knight, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Sharon Mickens, University of Pittsburgh

10:50 – 11:15 am

Networking break

11:15am – NOON

Breakout Sessions

Cities as Campus: How Educators and Economic Developers Leverage Location for Talent

Moderated by: Rebecca Gehman, Development Counsellors International
Confirmed Panelists:

Jewel Cash, Boston University Summer
Calista Cleary, Tri-College Philly Program
Peter Frosch, GREATER MSP (Minneapolis-Saint Paul Regional Economic Development Partnership)
Evie Poitevent Sanders, Greater New Orleans, Inc.

Organizational Infrastructure for Talent Retention Strategies

Moderated by: Sheila Ireland, Office of Workforce Development, City of Philadelphia
Confirmed Panelists:

Kirsten Brinlee, Collegetown Baltimore
Deborah Diamond, Campus Philly
Cecelia Thompson, Action Greensboro

Internship Programs as Retention Strategies

Moderated by: Matthew Brink, NACE
Confirmed Panelists:

Jamie Stamey, Davidson College
Lizzy Tahsuda, Action Greensboro
Nicole Wormley, Danaher

NOON – 2:00pm

Lunch and Closing Keynote

Melody Warnick, author of This is Where You Belong, Finding Home Wherever You Are

A TALENT CONFERENCE

A TALENT CONFERENCE

CONFERENCE

Across the nation, cities are realizing that talent will drive their ability to grow.

ATTENDEES

Representatives from cities and metro regions that are committed to talent growth.