Christian Gibbons, director of the Business/Industry Affairs Department of the city of Littleton, Colo., helped establish The New Economy Project, an economic-gardening approach to economic development. The program has drawn national attention, including the 1998 National League of Cities award for innovation.
C. Vernon Gray is president of the National Association of Counties (NACo) and is in his fifth term as a member of the Howard County Council in Maryland. Gray is a professor of political science at Morgan University, where he served as department chairman for 15 years.
Colleen Landkamer
Valerie Lemmie
Valerie Lemmie is city manager of Dayton, Ohio. She recently finished a four-year term representing the International City/County Management Association on the board of Public Technology Inc.
Paul Patton
Paul Patton became governor of Kentucky in 1995 after serving a term as the commonwealth's lieutenant governor. He was also one of the architects behind Empower Kentucky, which emphasizes economic development.
Joseph Reid
Joseph Reid serves is the executive director of the Atlanta Economic Empowerment Zone
Corporation.
Gene Veeder
Gene Veeder is executive director of the McKenzie County Job Development Authority in North Dakota. One McKenzie County community is Watford City, which has implemented a technology plan that includes telemedicine; countywide GIS; community Internet access and recruitment of information technology businesses.