Agenda
DAY ONE: Thursday, July 6, 2006
8:00-9:45 Welcome
AFN Co-Chairs Albert Kookesh and Tim Towarak
Mark Begich, Mayor, Municipality of Anchorage
Welcome Remarks
U.S. Senate President Pro Tempore Ted Stevens
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski
Congressman Don Young
Suzanne Haik Terrell, Deputy Assistant Secretary for External Affairs and Communications, U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration
9:45-10:10 Overview: Snapshot of the Alaska Economy
Steve Colt, Associate Professor of Economics, Director of Environmental Studies at the Institute of Social & Economic Research, University of Alaska Anchorage
10:15-11:30 Keynote Speaker
Hernando de Soto, Peruvian Economist, Institute for Liberty & Democracy and author of The Mystery of Capital: Why Capitalism Works in the West and Fails Everywhere Else
11:30-11:45 Q & A Session with Hernando de Soto
11:45-12:00 Wrap Up Remarks
Julie Kitka, President, Alaska Federation of Natives
12:00-1:30 Lunch Presentation: Natural Gas Pipeline
Governor Frank Murkowski
1:30-3:00
Strategic Dialogue: Elements of an Inclusive Economy
An inclusive economy provides well-being to Alaskans by ensuring the existence of broad-based opportunities to participate in society and the economy. This dialogue will examine the elements that make up an inclusive economy from different perspectives.
- Thomas R. Case, Dean, School of Business & Public Policy, University of Alaska Anchorage (Moderator)
- Byron Mallott, Board Member, Native American Bank
- George Cannelos, Federal Co-Chair Denali Commission
- Bernice Joseph, Executive Dean, College of Rural & Community Development, University of Alaska Fairbanks
- Paul Applegarth, Senior Transatlantic Fellow, German Marshall Fund of the United States, former President/CEO of the Millennium Challenge Corporation
- Mike Burns, Executive Director, Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation
- Tim Yatsko, Senior Vice President, Transportation for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
3:00-3:30 BREAK
3:30-5:00 Seminars on Elements of an Inclusive Economy
- 8(a) Government Contracting—An Economic Model
What are likely future legislative and regulatory proposals that may impact Native American contractors? What are the federal market trends of Alaska Native corporations with the largest federal customer? What are the social and economic impacts of 8(a) government contracting with Alaska Native corporations? The Native American Contractors Association is exploring these and other questions and will provide preliminary findings during this seminar. Panelists will also highlight how the program has benefited local shareholders and communities.
- Karen Atkinson, Executive Director, Native American Contractors Association (Moderator)
- Matt Krepps, Economist
- Frank M. Ramos, Director, Office of Small Business Programs, U.S. Department of Defense
- Karen Forsland, Director, Alaska District Office, U.S. Small Business Administration
- Poverty Reduction Link to Economic Growth
The panel will explore how locally driven poverty reduction strategies tied to benchmarks and measurable results can lead to sustainable economic growth. Mr. Applegarth will share his experience in starting-up the Millennium Challenge Corporation, a new US government corporation designed to support innovative strategies and to ensure accountability for measurable results in development. The panel will discuss how Alaska’s rural villages can apply lessons learned from over 50 years of international economic development.
- Ralph Andersen, Bristol Bay Native Association (Moderator)
- Paul Applegarth, Senior Transatlantic Fellow, German Marshall Fund of the United States, founding President/CEO of the Millennium Challenge Corporation
- Myron Naneng, Association of Village Council Presidents
- Climate Change: Are Alaska Natives Sentries for the Rest of the World?
Evidence of climate change is undeniable in rural Alaska and has fundamentally forced Alaskans to change the way they relate to their environment. The rest of the world watches in amazement as the homes of our Alaska Native neighbors in Shismaref fall into the Bering Sea and compel village relocation. How can Alaskans move from “sentries,” serving as a warning to the rest of the world, to proactive visionaries who tackle the challenge of climate change with ingenuity and courage? What actions have to be taken now to reverse this livelihood-threatening trend?
- Patricia Cochran, Executive Director, Alaska Native Science Commission (Moderator)
- Jim Berner, Director, Office of Community Health Services, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium
- Alan Parkinson, Director, Arctic Investigations Program, Centers for Disease Control
- Mike Bradley, Program Manager, Traditional Food Safety & Emergency Preparedness, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium
- Deborah Williams, President, Alaska Conservation Solutions
- Current Issues in Energy & Development
Affordable energy is the keystone of real, sustainable economic development in rural Alaska. The panel will provide a variety of perspectives—local, state, national, and international—on energy development issues in Alaska, from the high cost of energy in rural Alaska to the prospect of a natural gas pipeline. The Bureau of Indian Affairs has a revitalized role in energy and economic development—what does that mean for Alaska? What role does energy play in an inclusive economy?
- Nels Anderson, Jr., Chairman, Bristol Bay Alternative Energy Task Force (Moderator)
- Robert W. Middleton, Director, Office of Indian Energy & Economic Development, Department of Interior
- Christof Ruehl, Deputy Chief Economist for BP Group
- Mike Harper, Deputy Director, Rural Energy, Alaska Industrial Development & Export Authority
- Information Systems & Infrastructure: The Backbone for Workforce Development & Continuing Education in a Knowledge Economy
In a globalized world more state and national economies haveare realizeding that their biggest returns on investment over the long run are those made in their people. Modern information infrastructures are integral to economies in transition from old to new. Without the means for effective communication, dissemination, and processing of information and knowledge, how can Alaska keep pace with the rising service and knowledge economies coming “online” year after year? What is being done about public accessibility to this infrastructure, which is predominantly in the hands of the private sector?
- Chris Buchholdt, Executive Director, Alaska Manufacturing Extension Partnership (Moderator)
- Frank Martinez, Intel, Worldwide Director of Digital Inclusion and Government Assisted PC Programs
- Lisa Sutherland, Staff Director, U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science &Transportation (invited)
- Ron Duncan, CEO, GCI
- Fletcher Brown, Vice President Communications, Tamsco
- Investing in Entrepreneurs Beyond Scholarships & Grants: Investments that Yield Lasting Returns
The panel explores how ANCSA corporations can be agents of rural economic growth through their investment choices. New investment approaches such as “Community Investing” and “Social Venture Investing” can be both sound investments and effective models for community development that gives lower-income people, who are underserved by the traditional financial services, a chance to be business owners.
- Kirsten L. Gagnaire, Principal, Social Enterprise Group, LLC (Moderator)
- Sheri D. Buretta, Chairman of the Board, Chugach Alaska Corporation
- David Berge, President and Founder, Underdog Ventures, LLC
- David Hoffman, President/CEO, Alaska Growth Capital
- Terzah Tippin Poe, Owner, MediaVision
- Global Best Practices in Logistics: the Wal-Mart Experience
Wal-Mart is a recognized world leader in logistics. They have developed their own systems and approaches that have worked, and they continue to improve. Alaska has many fine examples of best practices in logistics—whether you are talking the oil and gas sector or air cargo. How can we use the lessons learned and apply it to other sectors in rural Alaska? What kinds of partnerships are possible which could drive down the cost of building rural infrastructure, the cost of supplying rural hospitals and clinics, or even village stores? Is Wal-Mart interested in "mentoring" efforts in Alaska? How we can leverage what we know to make this happen? The panel will discuss these issues and engage the audience in further conversation.
- Oliver Hedgepeth, Associate Professor of Logistics and Chair of the Logistics Department, University of Alaska Anchorage (Moderator)
- Tim Yatsko, Senior Vice President, Transportation for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
- Elisha (Bear) Baker, IV, Professor of Logistics, University of Alaska Anchorage
5:30-7:30 TIME TO NETWORK !
Come get to know your fellow Forum leaders over tasty appetizers and light refreshments. Making contacts, learning about new trends, and sharing your ideas are all essential ingredients to becoming effective leaders, influencers and innovators. A networking consultant will lead you through a proven method of networking that has been adopted by many Fortune 500 companies and conferences nationwide. The exercise is called the Reciprocity Ring™ and it is a fun, non-threatening way to make real and useful connections that will last beyond this two day conference. Visit www.reciprocityring.com for more details about the exercise.*
- Alana Martin, Reciprocity Ring™ Facilitator, Humax Corporation
Seats are limited to the first 70—first come first served.
*This networking workshop is co-hosted by Alaska InvestNet.
DAY TWO: Friday, July 7, 2006
9:00-9:10 Overview of the Day's Agenda
9:10-9:30
Special Speaker: Sheila Watt-Cloutier, Chair, Inuit Circumpolar Conference
9:30-10:30
Keynote Speaker on Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Introduced by David Hoffman, President/CEO, Alaska Growth Capital
Ian Ayres, Yale Law Professor & Co-author of Why Not?: How to Use Everyday Ingenuity to Solve Problems Big and Small
10:30-11:30
Strategic Dialogue - A Look Ahead: Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Our Future
According to Why Not?: How to Use Everyday Ingenuity to Solve Problems Big and Small, the power to innovate is in all of us. Panel members will share their experiences with innovation and entrepreneurship and, along with Ian Ayres, begin to imagine the future.
- Ian Ayres (Moderator)
- Eugene Asicksik, President/CEO, Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation
- Hugh Short, Vice President for Consulting Services, Alaska Growth Capital
- Michelle Sparck, Founder, ArXotic Bath & Beauty Products
- Lori Henry, Owner & President, L. B. Henry & Company
11:30-12:00 Q & A Session with Ian Ayres & Panelists
12:00-1:30 LUNCH
1:30-3:00 Seminars on Innovation & Entrepreneurship
- Social Entrepreneurship for Nonprofit & Tribal Consortiums
The challenge of “Doing More with Less” to a social entrepreneur would be: “What activities yield more with less?” The panel will explore the attributes and characteristics of entrepreneurial thinking in a not for profit setting. Whether an individual manages a large regional non-profit or a dozen people working for the same cause, this seminar will provide ideas for change and offer fresh outlooks and approaches.
- Kirsten L. Gagnaire, Principal, Social Enterprise Group, LLC (Moderator)
- Gloria O’Neill, President/CEO, Cook Inlet Tribal Council Inc.
- David Berge, President/Founder, Underdog Ventures, LLC
- Financing Your Start-Up: Identifying & Overcoming Barriers to Becoming a Business-Owner
Small businesses comprise the backbone of a healthy and thriving economy. For many individuals unexposed to business management training, starting a business can be daunting and the resulting mistakes can be far-reaching. The panel explores the growing network that gives aspiring entrepreneurs the skills and knowledge to turn their dreams into reality without the nightmare of losing their homes and personal property. Predatory lending is discussed along with helpful tips and advice for starting and sustaining a business through smart borrowing.
- Jean Wall, Director, Small Business Development Center, University of Alaska Anchorage (Moderator)
- Larry Snider, CEO, Consumer Credit Counseling of Alaska
- Matt Fitzgerald, Vice President/Manager of the Wells Fargo Anchorage Business Banking Group
- Dean Stewart, Director of Business Programs, USDA
- Tim Melican, Owner, The Magic Bus
- 8(a) Government Contracting— Job Creation in Villages
Creating jobs in rural Alaskan communities is challenging and requires innovative thinking. One approach that combines an intertribal business model with the creative use of the SBA 8(a) program to generate jobs has had demonstrated successes on Indian reservations and in remote Native Alaskan and Hawaiian communities .How can these efforts be replicated and expanded? How can additional communities become involved?
- Dan Press, Van Ness Feldman Law Firm (Moderator)
- Edgar Blatchford, Acting President, Alaska Villages for Employment and Economic Opportunities, LLC
- Allison Nyholm, Associate Director, Alaska Governor’s Office, Washington DC
- Native Internet Empowerment and Rural E-Commerce Strategies
We are raising the first digital generation of youth in an ever-flattening world. Learn how indigenous cultures from Australia, South America, U.S., Canada and Alaska are using the Internet to strengthen cultures and rural economies in a rapidly changing global economy. Exciting new initiatives and resources will be shared regarding Alaska's E-RAVEN Ecommerce project (Rural Alaska Village Ecommerce Network) and the emerging Whole Village project. Alaska Native resources have been created to support Alaska Native villages and include village grant templates, Rural Ecommerce online lessons, and Alaska Native cultural web tours.
- Carrie Irwin Brown, Executive Director, Alaska Native Arts Foundation (Moderator)
- Frank Odasz, indigenous and rural Internet empowerment expert for 15 years
- Eric Downey, Manager, Rural Alaska Village E-commerce Network, Alaska Manufacturing Extension Partnership
- Pandemic Influenza – Planning & Preparedness
What preparations are underway to assist Alaskan families and communities with the possible effects of avian flu in the wild migratory birds that are an integral part of the diet of many Alaska Native families? What is the current status of monitoring wild birds? The panel will discuss the state’s pandemic influenza plan and efforts to ensure that Alaskans across the state have the information they need to deal effectively with this potentially high-impact issue.
- Mike Bradley, Program Manager, Traditional Food Safety & Emergency Preparedness, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (Moderator)
- Patricia Cochran, Executive Director, Alaska Native Science Commission
- Richard Mandsager, Director of Public Health Department of Health & Social Services, State of Alaska
- Culture & Development in a Globalizing World
This panel will offer a frank discussion on how globalization is affecting Native cultures in Alaska. How have other indigenous communities handled this challenge around the world? What are the pros and cons of economic development in an indigenous setting? Can Alaska Natives honor their heritage and be economically successful at the same time?
- Bernice Joseph, Executive Dean, College of Rural & Community Development, University of Alaska Fairbanks (Moderator)
- Steve J. Langdon, Professor of Anthropology, University of Alaska Anchorage
- Eugene Asicksik, President/CEO, Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation
- Rosita Worl,President, Sealaska Heritage Institute
- Alaska Marketplace Partnership Seminar - Building on Success in 2007
This inter-active seminar is designed for anyone interested in learning how AFN ran America’s first marketplace modeled after the World Bank’s Development Marketplace. Businesses and organizations that are considering providing financial and in-kind support in the second Alaska Marketplace are particularly encouraged to attend. For more information refer to www.alaskamarketplace.org
- Linda Nickell, Business Director, Telecommunications Development Fund (Moderator)
- Carla Beam, Director, Community Affairs, BP Exploration (Alaska), Inc.
- Dennis Metrokin, President/CEO, Koniag Inc.
Click Here to Register Online
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