Agriculture & Rural Development
U. S. Department of Agriculture Strike Force Initiative
Latrice Hill, National Manager, StrikeForce for Rural Growth and Opportunity; Director of Outreach, Farm Service Agency, USDA, Washington, D.C.
Food and Drug Administration and the Food Safety Modernization Act
2014 Farm Bill
Karis T. Gutter, Deputy Under Secretary, Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C.
Michael Sullivan, State Conservationist, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Arkansas
State Rural Policy Initiative
David Terrell, Chair, Rural State Policy Panel, Rural Policy Research Institute, Missouri
Economic Development, Transportation, Cultural Affairs
Leveraging Manufacturing to Expand Economic Growth in Arkansas
Grant Tennille, Executive Director, Arkansas Economic Development Commission
Funding Transportation in the States: Challenges and Strategies
Scott Bennett, Director, Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department
Sherri H. LeBas, Secretary, Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development
Crystal Bridges: Revitalizing Arkansas’s Cultural and Economic Landscape
Rod Bigelow, Executive Director, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Arkansas
Pathways to Prosperity: Southern State Efforts to Prepare A 21st Century Workforce
Senate Majority Leader, Mark Norris, Tennessee
William C. Wampler, Jr., Executive Director, New College Institute, Virginia
Dr. Glen Fenter, President, Mid-South Community College, Arkansas
Advancing Logistics and Supply Chain Efforts in the 21st Century: Strategies for Policymakers to Consider
Russell Gwatney, President, Gwatney Enterprises, Inc., Tennessee
Education
Creating Creative Designs in Education
Gregory D. Bernas, Chief Engineer, Product Development Office, Toyota Technical Center, Michigan
Application of Neuroscience on Education Policy
Early Education Policy
Bruce Atchison, Executive Director of Policy and Operations, Education Commission of the States, Colorado
Energy & Environment
Fueling the Future: Shale Exploration and the SLC States
Lawrence Bengal, Director, Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission
George Sheffer, Vice-President of Operations, Fayetteville Shale, Arkansas
Bright Ideas: Infrastructure Development in the Energy Sector
Carl Handley, Plant Manager, Flint Creek Power Plant, American Electric Power, Arkansas
Duane Highley, Chief Executive Officer, Arkansas Electric Cooperatives
Grid Security: Protecting America’s Power
Curt Hebert, Visiting Scholar, Bipartisan Policy Center, Washington, D.C.
Fiscal Affairs & Government Operations
The Evolving Role of Federalism Issues in State Transportation Policy
Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Rodney E. Slater
C. Kenneth Orski, Editor and Publisher, Innovation Briefs
Role of Incentives in State Economic Development Projects
Patrick McHugh, Ph.D., Fiscal Research Division, General Assembly, North Carolina
Public Pension Funding Trends
Chris Mier, Managing Director, Analytical Services Division, Loop Capital
Human Services & Public Safety
Medicaid Expansion Update
Andrew Allison, Ph.D., Director, Division of Medical Services, Arkansas
Eric Friedlander, Deputy Secretary, Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services
Jeremiah Samples, Deputy Cabinet Secretary, Department of Health and Human Resources, West Virginia
The Rising Cost of Prison Healthcare
Lauren Sheer, Legislative Director, University of Texas Medical Branch
Mental Health Reforms
Sita Diehl, Director of State Policy and Advocacy, National Alliance on Mental Illness, Virginia
Comparative Data Reports
Education: Hank Hager, Legislative Counsel, Senate, West Virginia
Medicaid: Shawn Hotstream, Legislative Fiscal Office, Louisiana
Revenue: Andrea Barksdale, Bureau of Legislative Research, Arkansas
Transportation: John Snyder, Legislative Research Commission, Kentucky
Corrections: Stephanie Blanchard, Legislative Fiscal Office, Louisiana
Legislative Service Agency Directors Group
The Supreme Court and the States: Briefing from the State and Local Legal Center
Lisa Soronen, Executive Director, State Local Legal Center, Washington, D.C.
New Member Orientation
Ann Cornwell, Director, Arkansas Senate
Caroline Dennis, Director of Legislative Operations, Oklahoma Senate
Experiences of New Research Division Directors
Moderator: Aaron Allred, Legislative Auditor, Legislative Manager, West Virginia Legislature
Marty Garrity, Director, Bureau of Legislative Research, Arkansas
Marcia Seiler, Acting Director, Kentucky Legislative Research Commission
Capitol Space Allocation
Debra Myers, Facilities Director, Georgia Building Authority
State Transformation In Action Recognition (STAR) Award Judges Panel
Alabama – School-Located Vaccination Clinics
Oklahoma – Offender Screening Program