Agriculture & Rural Development

Industrial Hemp Cultivation

Dr. Nancy Cox, Dean, University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment

Ryan Quarles, Commissioner of Agriculture, Kentucky

The Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement

Warren Beeler, Executive Director, Governor’s Office of Agricultural Policy, Kentucky

J. Roger Thomas, Chair, SLC Agriculture & Rural Development Committee (2000-2002)

Animal Welfare: Bringing Balance to the Provision of Care 

Senator J. Thomas McElveen III, South Carolina

Dr. Robert Stout, State Veterinarian, Kentucky

Dr. Cia Johnson, Assistant Director, American Veterinary Medical Association’s Animal Welfare Division, Illinois

Economic Development, Transportation, Cultural Affairs

Impact of Federal Surface Transportation Legislation on the SLC States

Senator Steve Gooch, Georgia

Alex Herrgott, Deputy Staff Director, Environment and Public Works Committee, U.S. Senate

Ingredients Necessary to Promote Economic Development

Neal Wade, Director, Economic Development Academy, The University of Alabama

The Arts and Kentucky: Catalyst for Economic Growth

Dr. Everett D. McCorvey, Vice Chair, Kentucky Arts Council

The Equine Industry’s Impact in Kentucky

Dr. Jill Stowe, Associate Professor and Director, UK Equine Programs, University of Kentucky

Education

Effective Teacher Preparation Programs

Rob Rickenbrode, Senior Director, Teacher Preparation Strategies, National Council on Teacher Quality, Washington, D.C.

Ashley LiBetti Mitchel, Senior Analyst, Bellwether Education Partners, Washington, D.C.

Ann Larson, Chair, Advisory Council of State Representatives, American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education; Dean and Professor, Department of Middle and Secondary Education, College of Education and Human Development, University of Louisville

Student Success in Postsecondary Systems

Tristan Denley, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Tennessee Board of Regents

Update on the Every Student Succeeds Act

William Knudsen, Education Policy Advisor, U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, Washington, D.C.

Simone Hardeman-Jones, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs, Office of Legislation and Congressional Affairs, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D.C.

Energy & Environment

Clearing the Air: An Update on the Clean Power Plan

Joel Visser, Associate, Sidley Austin LLP, Washington, D.C. 

Legal Challenges to Waters of the United States

LaJuana S. Wilcher, Partner, English Lucas Priest & Owsley, LLP, Kentucky

Cyber Security and Nuclear Power

William R. Gross, Senior Project Manager, Engineering, Nuclear Energy Institute, Washington, D.C.

Fiscal Affairs & Government Operations

Commuter and Light Rail Systems in the SLC States: Recent Trends

Senator Brandon Beach, Georgia

Delegate Ronald Villanueva, Virginia

Public Pensions: Trends from the SLC States

Representative Barry Ivey, Louisiana

Representative Stephen Ross, North Carolina 

Douglas Offerman, Fitch Ratings, New York

National and Regional Economic Trends

William R. Emmons, Assistant Vice President and Economist, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

Tax Credits, Deductions and Exemptions: Making them Work for States

Josh Goodman, Officer, The Pew Charitable Trusts, Washington, D.C.

Human Services & Public Safety

Prescription Opioid and Heroin Epidemic 

John Tilley, Secretary, Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet

Van Ingram, Executive Director, Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy

Robert Childs, Executive Director, North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition

Domestic Abuse and Violence Against Women

Representative Helena N. Moreno, Louisiana

Dr. Claire M. Renzetti, Judi Conway Patton Endowed Chair for Studies of Violence Against Women, Professor and Chair of Sociology, University of Kentucky

Diabetes in SLC States

Dr. Philip A. Kern, Director, Center for Clinical and Translational Science, University of Kentucky 

Dominique Wilkins, Vice President of Basketball Operations, Atlanta Hawks

Comparative Data Reports

Adult Corrections: Monique Appeaning, Legislative Fiscal Office, Louisiana

Education: Hank Hager, Senate, West Virginia

Medicaid: Zachary M. Rau, Legislative Fiscal Office, Louisiana

Staff Workshop

Supreme Court Update: A Briefing from the State and Local Legal Center

Lisa Soronen, Executive Director, State and Local Legal Center, Washington, D.C.

Handout: Supreme Court Review for States 2017 

How a Repeal of the Affordable Care Act Would Affect State Governments

Mattie Quinn, Health Writer, Governing, Washington, D.C.

Parliamentary Procedure: History and Practice

Kay Allison Crews, President, American Institute of Parliamentarians, Texas

Program Design and Performance Evaluation

Linda Triplett, Director, Performance Accountability Office, Joint Legislative Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review, Mississippi

Kirby Arinder, Ph.D., Research Methodologist, Joint Legislative Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review, Mississippi

State Transformation in Action Recognition (STAR) Award Judges Panel

Arkansas – Amputation Prevention Stand-Down Program

West Virginia – Electronic Application Processing System (Winner)

Tennessee – Prioritizing Student Veterans (Winner)

West Virginia – Sexual Assault Evidence Collection Kit Information System

Louisiana – Integrative Behavioral and Primary Care Model