Yolanda Kodrzycki, PhD has led an analysis of the economic development approaches of many mid-sized manufacturing-oriented cities during the past half century. She is a vice president and the director of the New England Public Policy Center at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. In this role, she is responsible for establishing the center's research and outreach agenda, serving as its public spokesperson, and providing strategic and administrative direction to staff. Prior to assuming this position, Kodrzycki was a senior economist and policy advisor in the Boston Fed's research department. She specializes in regional, labor market, and public sector economics. Her research has examined diverse topics, including economic development strategies for older industrial cities, the long-term implications of job loss, the migration patterns of college graduates, causes of regional differences in educational attainment, privatization of government functions, and corporate tax policy at the national and state levels. She is a senior contributor to "Toward a More Prosperous Springfield," a multi-year commitment by the Boston Fed to support the economic revitalization of Springfield, Massachusetts. Kodrzycki serves as an advisor to numerous organizations with an interest in the New England and national economies. During 1991-92, Kodrzycki took a leave of absence from the Federal Reserve to consult for the U.S. Treasury advisory program in Central and Eastern Europe. Prior to joining the Boston Fed in 1986, she taught economics at Amherst College. A graduate of Radcliffe College (Harvard University), Kodrzycki received her Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Peter M. Gioia is vice president and economist for the Connecticut Business and Industry Association (CBIA), the state's largest business organization with about 10,000 member companies. Gioia oversees CBIA's research department which provides in-depth economic and policy analyses and survey research assistance to CBIA divisions and to member companies. The department provides key support to CBIA’s advocacy efforts on behalf of business. The department also provides association members with international trade information. Gioia is the association expert on state fiscal policy and is a frequent speaker at conferences and seminars. Gioia is quoted over nine hundred times a year and is a frequent guest on media programs concerning business and political issues in the region. Prior to joining CBIA, Gioia was a senior consultant with KPMG Peat Marwick. Gioia joined CBIA in November 1989. Gioia holds a master's degree from the University of Connecticut and a bachelor's degree from Hobart College. Gioia has served on the Economic Advisory Council under former Governor Rell. Gioia was Connecticut Team Captain for USA*NAFTA. He is a past president and member of the Hartford Area Business Economists, a member of the National Association for Business Economics, and a board member of the MetroHartford Alliance’s Economic Development Council and a past board member of the New England Economic Project.

You may have seen him on CBS’s 60 Minutes. Joe Carbone started Platform to Employment (P2E), a boot camp for the long-term jobless. The program teaches job applicants how to look for a job and to respond to inquiries about gaps in their resumes, but even more importantly, it re-instills the dignity and confidence long-term joblessness can rob from people. A key aspect of P2E program is paid internships leading to permanent jobs. Joe Carbone has been President and Chief Executive Officer of The WorkPlace since 1996. During Joe’s tenure, The WorkPlace has evolved into a nationally recognized leader in creating innovative workforce programs. The WorkPlace’s entrepreneurial approach to workforce development has expanded the agency’s capacity to assist underserved populations, including workers with disabilities, at risk youth, veterans, and the LGBT community. Most recently, The WorkPlace launched a unique program for “99ers,” the growing ranks of unemployed persons who have exhausted their state and federal unemployment compensation benefits. Joe has branded The WorkPlace as a competitive business rather than a traditional nonprofit. The WorkPlace’s aggressive pursuit of competitive grants from both government and private foundations enables the organization to provide life-changing assistance to thousands of people each year in Southwestern Connecticut. The WorkPlace functions as a think-tank for workforce solutions. Joe often initiates projects that address developing issues, such as the plight of “99ers,” before they receive national attention. Joe is a seasoned administrator with private-sector experience, having managed government relations for Textron and the Allied Signal Corporations. As a leader, Joe’s style emphasizes entrepreneurship, inclusion, cooperation, and accountability.

Dr. Holz-Clause, PhD is UConn’s first Vice President for Economic Development. Prior to her appointment at UConn, she served as associate vice president for extension and outreach at Iowa State University. Holz-Clause began at UConn on Dec. 2, and plays a pivotal role in coordinating and managing two of UConn’s most important economic development initiatives: BioScience Connecticut and the new Tech Park to be located in Storrs. At Iowa State, Holz-Clause co-managed a staff of 700 Extension faculty and staff and a budget of more than $95 million. She was responsible for outreach and engagement activities on the local, state, national, and international levels to advance economic development opportunities with key partners of ISU. She provided cross-disciplinary academic outreach in economic development, engaged in external fundraising, and assisted firms in business development and technology transfer. Her work has included research surrounding the introduction of new technologies for corporations, including large corporations as well as small start-up entrepreneurs. Prior to her work at ISU, she was research director at the Iowa Department of Economic Development, and served on the governor’s staff. She received a B.S. in agricultural business, Masters of Public Administration, and Ph.D. in agriculture extension and technology transfer, all from Iowa State University.

Julie Daly is the Executive Director of HYPE (Hartford Young Professionals and Entpreneurs), an initiative of the MetroHartford Alliance that was created in 2006 to help young professionals become better engaged in community life, expand professional and social opportunities and become ambassadors for the Hartford Region. The group currently serves over 3,000 members with approximately 75 events each year. To ensure HYPE’s success, Julie works closely with many organizations in the Greater Hartford area and with a group of 80 dedicated volunteers across 7 HYPE Committees. Her responsibilities include volunteer management, event planning, communications and member services.

Dr. Rubenzahl is a creative and dynamic leader with thirteen years of experience in administration of public colleges. He has served as President of Springfield Technical Community College since 2004. Dr. Rubenzahl was President of Capital Community College in Hartford from 1996 until coming to STCC. He has extensive knowledge of academic programming, professional education, distance learning, marketing, educational technology, diversity management, and other skills needed to prepare a competitive technical workforce. Dr. Rubenzahl received the PhD in Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his B.A. in mathematics from Princeton University.

Rick Mullins is the Executive Assistant to the President for Community Business Programs at Central Connecticut State University’s Institute of Technology and Business Development. Rick rejoined CCSU ITBD in November 2002. The Institute is a $2.2 million dollar operation which is not supported by the state’s general fund. ITBD has three centers the Training Center provides training programs in workforce development Community Business Development Center that oversees the Business Incubator program and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program. The Conference Center provides meeting space and a computer lab. From 1999 to 2002 Rick was a Manager with KPMG LLP Risk and Advisory Services. Mr. Mullins has over 25 years of experience in Business Development and Management Systems with a focus on Quality and Process Improvement training. Prior to joining KPMG LLP, Mr. Mullins was the Director of the Technical Training Center at CCSU’s Institute for Industrial and Engineering Technology (CCSU-IIET and now CCSU Institute of Technology and Business Development - ITBD) where he was responsible for planning, faculty selection, and training activities as well as strategic planning initiatives and new business development. In 1995, 1998, 2005 Mr. Mullins submitted successful IIET\ITBD Applications to the CT Quality Improvement Award Partnership and in 2011 CCSU ITBD was inducted in the CT Business Hall of Fame under his leadership. Mr. Mullins also served as an Adjunct Lecturer for the CCSU School of Business and School of Technology. Mr. Mullins was an International Marketing Engineer for United Technologies Corporation, Hamilton Standard Space & Sea Systems. His responsibilities included identifying new business opportunities in Space Habitat and Vehicle Environmental Control, Thermal Control, and Extravehicular Activity Systems. In recognition for his achievements, Mr. Mullins was awarded a 1990 Presidents Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Corporation. He was also recognized in 1991 and 1992 with Senior Management Awards for Outstanding Contribution to the Division. Earlier in his career, Mr. Mullins worked on marketing and business development of engineered products for General Electric Corporation and ConDiesel Mobile Equipment. Mr. Mullins has written several articles for professional journals on Organization Development and Quality. Two recent publications; National Governor’s Association Train the Trainer Implementation Program and A Successful Networked ISO 9000 Implementation Program won the Connecticut Best Practices Winning Applications Innovation Prize in 1999 and 1998 respectively. In 1999, Mr. Mullins received the Hartford Business Journal’s “Forty under 40” award. Mr. Mullins holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Technology Electrical Systems and Industrial Arts Education and a Master of Science degree in Organizational Management from Central Connecticut State University.

James Boyle, PhD is a co-founder and the Director of the Yale Entrepreneurial Institute (YEI), a business/educational unit within Yale University with the mission of mentoring students with new venture ideas. Prior to forming YEI, Boyle was previously responsible within the Office of Cooperative Research (OCR) for the licensing and venture startup of a number of engineering-based technologies. Before joining OCR, he developed and actively managed the University's largest corporate research alliance, managing a large array of both Yale and external scientists in bioimaging-based collaborations. Earlier, Boyle co-founded and grew a predictive analytics consulting practice, providing both technical and pricing guidance on new product development to a wide array of Fortune 1000 companies in the scientific equipment industry. Boyle began his entrepreneurial career while still a Yale graduate student, developing novel instruments for characterizing trace biomolecules with the support of the National Institutes of Health, and later commercializing these devices through a wide array of OEM partnerships as part of a Yale startup.

Christopher "Kip" Bergstrom has 30 years of experience as a strategist, business executive, economic development professional and place-maker. He is a nationally prominent advocate of place-centric economic development. He has participated in the successful repositioning the City of Stamford, the State of Rhode Island and Connecticut’s largest bank. His interests, writings and accomplishments span the full spectrum of economic development, including tourism, education and talent, transportation, entrepreneurship, technology commercialization, real estate development, and the interface of the human network and the natural system. On April 12, 2011, the General Assembly approved Kip as the Executive Director of the Commission on Culture and Tourism. On July 1, 2011, the Commission merged into the Department of Economic and Community Development and Kip became a deputy commissioner of DECD with a portfolio that includes the development of the innovation economy, statewide branding, as well as the arts and culture, historic preservation and tourism functions. From 2008 to 2011, Kip served as Executive Director of the Stamford Urban Redevelopment Commission, the development agency for the City of Stamford, which has been instrumental in transforming Stamford into New York’s principal business satellite for financial services and corporate headquarters. Kip also coordinated Reinventing Stamford, a civic conversation and a strategy in action, enabling Stamford citizens to take a role in their own destiny. As part of that initiative, Kip led a diverse group of 300 business, community, political and education leaders in an in-depth exploration of the emerging conditions that will impact Stamford, and the opportunities in them for long-term economic growth, energy-efficiency, environmental quality, and reduced economic disparity. The goal is a resilient, thriving city that is a magnet for talent, a center for innovation and a model of green values where people want to live and work. For ten years, from 1998-2008, Kip was the Executive Director of the Rhode Island Policy Council, a private/public partnership which included senior leaders of business, labor, government and higher education. In that position, Kip developed an economic strategy for Rhode Island, positioning it as part of the tri-state Boston metro economy. Kip also launched initiatives to improve Rhode Island’s business climate, innovation capacity and quality of life, bringing the state to a position of national leadership across a broad spectrum of economic and community development dimensions. Rhode Island was among the four states that made the greatest improvement in the Kauffman Foundation’s New Economy Index between 2002 and 2007. Historically a regional laggard, from 1998 to 2008, Rhode Island often led New England in job and income growth, increasing its share of the Boston metro’s high wage jobs. From 1993-1998, Kip was Stamford’s first economic development director. He helped create prospect development networks and peer-to-peer selling teams that resulted in a dramatic turn-around of the Stamford economy, outperforming every city in Connecticut and every major business center in the New York metropolitan area. Kip was directly involved in 66 successful business recruitment and retention projects, totaling 6,500 jobs and 2.5 million square feet of space, including the attraction of the 2,200 employee North American headquarters of UBS, the world’s second largest bank. Prior to coming to Stamford in 1993, Kip held senior management positions in the private and public sectors. He has a Masters Degree from the Kennedy School of Government and the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University, where he was the first student to specialize in economic development.

Dr. Robert A. Kennedy, PhD was appointed by Governor Dannel P. Malloy as Interim President of the Connecticut Board of Regents for Higher Education on August 22, 2011, and was recommended for a full appointment by the Board of Regents for Higher Education on January 19, 2012. On February 29, 2012, he was confirmed as President by the Connecticut State Senate. Dr. Kennedy served as the President of the University of Maine from April 2005 to June 2011. He joined the University of Maine in 2000 as Vice President for academic affairs and provost, served as its Executive Vice President from August 2001 to August 2004 and also served as an Interim President from August 2004 to April 2005. One of the hallmarks of his presidency in Maine was inter-institutional collaboration, as well as bringing together academic institutions and companies in various sectors, effectively promoting public-private partnerships. Those collaborations spurred economic development, provided new academic opportunities for students, and improved the efficient use of resources. During his academic career, he held numerous positions at colleges and universities across the country including the University of Iowa, Washington State University, The Ohio State University, the University of Maryland and Texas A&M University. He also served with the U.S. Army. Immediately before coming to UMaine, he served for eight years as Vice President for Research and Associate Provost for Graduate Studies at Texas A&M. While at A&M, Dr. Kennedy was a member of the Government/University/Industry Research Roundtable at the National Academy of Sciences and was a founding director of NASA's National Space Biomedical Research Institute. Dr. Kennedy graduated from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities in 1968 and earned a Ph.D. in Botany from the University of California-Berkeley.

Since joining Battelle in 2004, Steve Andrade has worked on projects involving the development of strategies that engage universities and research institutions in technology commercialization and business growth. He recently served as the day to day project manager for the Innovation Park@Rutgers and West Virginia Regional Technology Park project for the state’s Higher Education Policy Commission. One notable success is setting up and supporting the Small Business Innovation Office of Connecticut Innovations. He has over 25 years of experience in developing and implementing technology-based and other regional economic development initiatives. Steve was a founding member of the management team of the Ben Franklin Technology Center of Southeastern Pennsylvania, which then operated as a unit of the University City Science Center- the nation’s first urban research park. There he led the Center's initial efforts in entrepreneurial development and investments in small technology-based firms, including the Small Business Innovation Office. He was also one of the founders and directors of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership in Massachusetts. Steve is a past Director of NEDA, and Past President of the Massachusetts Economic Development Council and the 2005 MEDC Member of the Year. He has professional degrees in Architecture (Syracuse) and City and Regional Planning (Harvard).

Dr. Gualberto Ruaño, MD, PhD has been an innovator and entrepreneur in the biomedical industry and advocate of personalized medicine for 20 years. He obtained M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from Yale University, where he was a Fellow of the NIH Medical Scientist Training Program and the Ford Foundation. He obtained his B.A. degree from Johns Hopkins University, where he was elected to Phi Betta Kappa. Dr. Ruaño is one of the leading medical experts and executives in personalized healthcare and translational genomics worldwide. He is currently President and Chief Executive of Genomas Inc., which he founded in 2004, and Director of Genetics Research and of the Genetics Research Center at Hartford Hospital. He holds Adjunct Professorships in the medical faculties at George Washington University and the University of Puerto Rico. Dr. Ruaño’s continued record of scholarship and innovation in translational medicine counts 76 publications and 8 patents as of mid-2011. He has been principal investigator of SBIR grants totaling $12M from NIH, NSF and DOE. Previously, Dr. Ruaño served as Chief Executive Officer and Chief Scientific Officer of Genaissance Pharmaceuticals, which he founded in 1997 and led to a $90M NASDAQ public offering in 2000 and to several R&D partnerships in the pharmaceutical and diagnostic industries. At Genaissance, Dr. Ruaño developed fundamental technology for genetic associations based on gene haplotypes. Dr. Ruaño began his biotechnology career at BIOS Laboratories in 1992, where he developed the CAS System (Coupled Amplification and Sequencing), now distributed worldwide by Siemens Medical for clinical manage¬ment of viral infectious diseases. He had invented the CAS System while at Yale (U.S. patent 5,427,911) for the rapid determination of DNA sequence variation. In his research career, he has developed systems for DNA-guided medicine based on genomics and clinical informatics. He has pioneered physiogenomics based on multi-gene DNA markers and medical presentation to the diagnosis of disease and prediction of human physiological responses to a wide array of clinical treatments. He served as founding Senior Editor of the journal Personalized Medicine and was a founding director of the Personalized Medicine Coalition in Washington, D.C. Dr. Ruaño has served on joint FDA and pharmaceutical industry committees for genomic data regulatory review in the drug approval process. Dr. Ruaño is a Fellow of the National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry and of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. He was awarded the 2005 Medical Technology Award by the Biomedical Engineering Alliance of Connecticut for his contributions to personalized medicine and molecular diagnostics. Dr. Ruaño was elected to the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering in 2004 and served as Chairman of the Academy’s Health Care and Medical Technology Board. He also serves on the board of the Connecticut Technology Council. A native of Puerto Rico, he has been spearheading efforts to introduce personalized medicine to improve Hispanic healthcare and serves on the Board of the Hispanic Health Council in Hartford, CT. Dr. Ruaño was appointed in 2011 to the Connecticut Life Sciences Group, to join the Advisory Team of the Governor and the CT Department of Economic and Community Development and help bring scientific discoveries to market and build a vibrant life science industry in CT. A longtime patron of the arts, he is a Trustee of the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art and of the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in Hartford, Connecticut.

Mr. Andrew Timmerman is President - Fairfield Crystal Technology, responsible for Fairfield’s Business Management and Operations. In his previous appointment he was instrumental in commercializing silicon carbide (SiC) wafers helping establish Sterling Semiconductor as the 2nd world supplier of SiC wafers. He directed the operations efforts for both a $5.9-million DARPA and a $3.2-million Title-III contract focused on establishing Merchant Suppliers for silicon carbide wafers. Mr. Timmerman has more than 23 years of management, manufacturing and engineering experience. Prior to starting Fairfield Crystal Technology, LLC, he held various management positions for Dow Corning, Uniroyal Technology/Sterling Semiconductor and Silicon Valley Group. He graduated from Lehigh University with a Bachelor Degree in Mechanical Engineering, earned an MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson University and a Master Degree in Manufacturing Engineering from Polytechnic University.

Fitz G. Walker, Jr. has more than 20 years of experience in the field of electronics and computer science. He has worked at the University of Connecticut as a biological illustrator; he was an Assistant Professor at the University of Massachusetts in Afro-American Studies; at UTC Hamilton Standard as a subcontractor in technical publications and was a graduate of the UTC Small Business Mentor Program; and as Pres/CEO of Bartron Manufacturing Corporation, which is a company he founded to develop and implement bar coding technologies and bar coding labels for the commercial and military market place. Mr. Walker has a diverse and varied background including instructor at Connecticut State Vocational Educational System in the fields of electromechanical and computer aided drafting electronics where he was also the technology coordinator. Mr. Walker is a member of the Quinnipiac University Chapter of Sigma Xi, which is a scientific research society. He was the Minority Vendor of the Year in Connecticut in 1985 and is a member of CURE and IEEE. Mr. Walker is also a member of the Connecticut MIT Forum, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County Multicore Computational Center and the Connecticut Technology Council CEO Roundtable. He is presently the CEO, CTO and product developer for Bartron Medical Imaging, Inc. with operations in both Connecticut and Maryland. In October 2011 Bartron received an award from R & D Magazine in the Imaging Technologies Category: Bartron Medical Imaging’s MED-SEG product using NASA/GSFC Recursive Hierarchical Segmentation Software. The award is given to one of the 100 most innovative technologies, having ‘technological significance.’

Catherine Smith is the Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD), the lead state agency responsible for attracting and retaining businesses and jobs, revitalizing neighborhoods and communities, expanding affordable housing opportunities and fostering appropriate development in Connecticut’s towns and cities. Governor Dannel P. Malloy appointed her to the position in April 2011. Commissioner Smith’s top economic development priorities are to strengthen the state’s efforts to nurture and drive innovation; effectively promote and market the state’s many business advantages within Connecticut and beyond its borders; and place a renewed emphasis on all aspects of customer service in order to make the state more business-friendly and attractive for investment. Her community and housing development priorities include increasing the supply of affordable housing while also preserving the quality and affordability of existing units, improving the state’s ability to redevelop brownfields, and continuing the state’s commitment to responsible growth and transit-oriented development. The commissioner will forge new, closer working relationships with other state agencies and private sector partners to realize these objectives and to maximize the return on state investments. Prior to joining DECD, Commissioner Smith had a distinguished career in the insurance and financial services industry. She began her career at Aetna in 1983 and held various management positions, including chief financial officer for Aetna Financial Services. Later at ING she served in numerous leadership positions including chief operating officer for ING U.S. Financial Services, president of Health, Education and Government Distribution, and CEO of the U.S. Insurance businesses. In 2008 Smith was named CEO of ING U.S. Retirement Services, one of the largest defined contribution plan managers in the United States with more than $280 billion in assets under management and administration. Smith graduated from Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, and received a Master’s degree in public and private management from the Yale School of Management in New Haven, Connecticut. Smith has been a frequent speaker at industry conferences and in the media and has been recognized by U.S. Banker magazine’s “Top 25 Most Powerful Nonbank Women in Finance” and the The 401kWire “100 Most Influential People in Defined Contribution.” Smith is the Vice Chair of Outward Bound, USA.

Dennis J. Donovan is responsible for worldwide site selection services at Wadley Donovan Gutshaw Consulting (WDGC). He is one of the firm’s partners. WDGC has been advising corporations on office and industrial facilities location for 37 years. Its client base captures about 1/3 of the Fortune 500. Additionally, WDGC has consulted with a wide array of middle market companies. Client assignments have spanned an array of industries (e.g., manufacturing, distribution, business services) and functions (e.g., headquarters, back offices, R&D centers, warehouses and production facilities). Among companies that Dennis has advised on site selection are Amerigroup, Amylin, Apria Health, Bank of America, Barclays, BOC/Linde, Covance, Chubb, Gardner Denver, Genentechl/Roche, Harbor Freight Tools, Marriott, Pitney Bowes, and Target. Middle market clientele have included Metalized Carbon (carbon graphite), Plibrico (refractory materials), Grafco (plastics), Indo-Mim (precision metals), and PFERD (brushings). Dennis has assumed a leadership position in the industry’s primary trade association -- CoreNet Global. He created and teaches the organization’s site selection course both for certification and professional development. Additionally, Dennis was a member of CoreNet Global’s 2020 Strategy of Place Task Force, which assessed future trends in the design and execution of global location strategy. Dennis is a frequent CoreNet workshop presenter and earned one of the organization’s luminary awards for the “Around the World in 90 Minutes” sessions. He is also a prominent speaker and author on the subject of corporate site selection. Recent articles written by Dennis have addressed manufacturing location trends, the latest in customer service site selection, aerospace location strategy, and headquarters relocation. A geographer by trade, Dennis earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He was awarded a master’s degree in economic geography from the University of Rhode Island.

Peter Holland brings over 25 years of Fortune 100 and not-for-profit experience in real estate, procurement and sourcing, economic development, and low-income housing to the firm. His real estate experience has included a broad range of property types in both domestic and international locations. He has created and implemented strategies for major-scale residential developments, campus-style corporate headquarters facilities, agricultural, timber and mining properties, industrial and warehouse facilities and office properties. He is skilled at aligning real estate strategies in support of an organization's key mission and operational objectives. For over 20 years, Peter was associated with The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc., one of the nation's largest insurance and investment companies. At The Hartford, he was a Senior Vice President responsible for real estate, procurement, global sourcing, business resiliency, and corporate services such as security, logistics and food services. He recently served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of CoreNet Global, the world's premier association for corporate real estate professionals. Mr. Holland's extensive community involvement has included: Director, CoreNet Global the Atlanta-based international economic development and corporate real estate organization; Vice Chair, Hartford Local Initiative Support Corporation, advancing the housing and economic development mission of regional community development corporations with financial and advisory services; active service in MetroHartford Alliance, the local chamber, and chaired first major site sector tour to the "knowledge corridor" and active in general recruiting of business to the area and downtown Hartford issues; former Board Chair, Loaves and Fishes, a soup kitchen, job training and micro-enterprise development organization; former, Vice President, Alliance Française, a French cultural and language training organization; and former Director, Asylum Hill Inc., a neighborhood improvement organization. Mr. Holland received a B.A. from Ohio Wesleyan University and a Masters in International Business (MIBS) from the University of South Carolina.

ane Orlin brings over 18 years experience representing and advising major corporations on their economic development incentives and optimal location strategies. Ms. Orlin has extensive experience serving as a senior advisor to corporations for all phases of real estate, location analysis and business incentive program initiatives. As a result of this experience, Ms Orlin helps clients look beyond customary business strategies to identify and create public/private partnership opportunities that add value for her client and their bottom line. Before joining ADP, Ms. Orlin developed opportunities nationally and in the Northeast for Stadtmauer Bailkin, specifically working with real estate executives and brokers to develop specific incentives and transactional savings. Prior to Stadtmauer Bailkin she spent 7 years at KPMG, LLP as a Senior Manager and Northeast Practice Leader for the Business Incentives Group. Prior to joining KPMG, she worked with Cushman and Wakefield as a senior project manager, negotiating incentives on clients behalf. She has also served with the New York City Economic Development Corporation, where she was responsible for developing incentive packages to retain specific companies in New York City. Ms. Orlin has worked closely with sponsored business incentives packages for clients, and preparing and negotiating financing tools on their behalf, including bond and tax increment financing. Ms. Orlin has structured hundreds of successful business attraction, retention, expansion and consolidation projects, involving more than several millions in economic incentives. Ms. Orlin has been instrumental in some of the largest corporate incentives transactions in the market, including EMC, Liberty Mutual, The Hartford, Fed Ex Express, and JPMC.

James A. Scannell is senior vice president, administrative services and has had those responsibilities since the company’s April 2004 formation through the merger of The St. Paul Companies, Inc. and Travelers Property Casualty Corporation. Prior to the merger he held a similar position with The St. Paul Companies. He has responsibility for the functions of Corporate Real Estate, Corporate Procurement, Corporate Security, Logistics, and Internal Investigations. He joined The St. Paul in 1998 following their acquisition of USF&G Corporation serving first as the head of corporate real estate, and then taking on the broader role of administrative services in 1999. Prior to joining The St. Paul, he spent eight years with USF&G, primarily working in their real estate investment group and then taking on the role of running their corporate real estate toward the end of his tenure. He began his career serving six years as an officer in the U.S. Navy. He is active volunteering his time both professionally and in the local community to a variety of organizations. Currently he serves in formal roles as board chair of CoreNet Global, the world’s leading professional organization for corporate real estate and workplace executives, service providers and economic developers, as a former board chair and current board member of Metropolitan Economic Development Association (MEDA), a non-profit focused on helping minority entrepreneurs succeed, and as a board member of the non-profit The Friends of The St. Paul Public Library. Scannell earned his bachelors degree from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD, and a masters of business administration from the University of Rhode Island in Kingston, RI. He and his wife, Hope, and two children live in North Oaks, Minnesota.

With over 20 years of experience in Location Strategy, Chris Steele has assisted major clients in national and international demographic, labor, and real estate trends review and analysis. His clients also include Atlas Copco, Biogen IDEC, First Industrial Realty Trust, HCA, Intel, Sanofi Aventis, JP Morgan Chase, and Time Warner Cable. He has also performed significant work for the public sector, assisting on business attraction and economic development programs across the US and Canada. He has been published in Business Expansion Journal and Site Selection Online Insider, served as an editor for Ernst & Young's United States Investment Monitor and writes a monthly column on real estate for Cargo Business News. He also recently headed a project for the Transportation Research Board developing a guide for communities to understand how freight and manufacturing businesses choose communities. Chris received his Bachelor's degree from Rutgers College and has a Master of Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In addition to his consulting practice, he also serves as a visiting professor at the University of Massachusetts - Boston in the areas of Real Estate, Economic Development, and Real Estate Finance.