2021 Annual Conference Presentations

Agriculture & Rural Development

Broadband Internet: Access and Challenges in Rural America

Delegate Daniel Linville, West Virginia

Brent Skorup, Senior Research Fellow, Mercatus Center, George Mason University, Virginia

Handout: Narrowing the Rural Digital Divide with Consumer Vouchers

Michael Romano, Senior Vice President of Industry Affairs & Business Development, NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association, Virginia

Rural Hospital Response to COVID-19

Keith J. Mueller, Ph.D., Director, Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis, Rural Policy Research Institute, University of Iowa

Mark Holmes, Ph.D., Director, Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

COVID-19 and Agriculture: Pandemic Response and Agriculture Forecast

Michael Nepveux, Economist, American Farm Bureau Federation, Washington, D.C.

Economic Development, Transportation, Cultural Affairs

Improving and Expanding Infrastructure in the South

Janey Camp, Ph.D., Research Associate Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Tennessee

Joung Lee, Director, Policy and Government Relations, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Washington, D.C

Utilizing Workshare Programs During Economic Downturns

Keerthi Sugumaran, J.D., Associate, Jackson Lewis P.C., Massachusetts

Emerging Trends in Occupational Licensure Policy

Senator Barrow Peacock, Louisiana

Amy Firestone, Ph.D., Vice President, Apprenticeship Carolina, South Carolina Technical College System

Michelle Feldman, Program Director, Corrections and Reentry, The Council of State Governments Justice Center, New York

Education

COVID-19 and School Governance: Lessons for State and Local Policymakers

Abigail Potts, Director of Strategic Initiatives and Planning, National Association of State Boards of Education, Virginia

Chip Slaven, J.D., Chief Advocacy Officer, National School Boards Association, Virginia

State Strategies to Correct the “COVID Slide”

Beth Tarasawa, Ph.D., Executive Vice President of Research, NWEA, Oregon

Nathaniel Schwartz, Ph.D., Professor of Practice, Annenberg Institute for School Reform, Brown University, Tennessee

Creative Solutions to Address Education Staffing Shortages

Barnett Berry, Ph.D., Research Professor and Founding Director, ALL4SC, College of Education, University of South Carolina

Handout: Five Lessons on Teacher Recruitment and Retention

Jared Bigham, Ed.D., Senior Advisor, Workforce and Rural Initiatives, Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry

Energy & Environment

New Federal Energy Changes

Michael J. Nasi, J.D., Partner, Jackson Walker LLP, Texas

The Impact of COVID-19 on the Energy Sector

Susan Grissom, Chief Industry Analyst, American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, Washington, D.C.

Ensuring the Security and Resiliency of America’s Energy Grid

Jeffrey J. Lyash, President & Chief Executive Officer, Tennessee Valley Authority

Scott Aaronson, Vice President, Security & Preparedness, Edison Electric Institute, Washington, D.C.

Fiscal Affairs & Government Operations

The State of the South: Surveying the Current and Future Fiscal Landscape

Laurel Graefe, Regional Executive, Nashville Branch, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Tennessee

Shelby Kerns, Executive Director, National Association of State Budget Officers, Washington, D.C.

Public Pensions: Resiliency and Reforms

David H. Lillard, Jr., State Treasurer, Tennessee

Greg Mennis, Director, Public Sector Retirement Systems, The Pew Charitable Trusts, Washington, D.C.

Comparative Data Reports

Adult Corrections: Rebecca Robinson, Legislative Fiscal Office, Louisiana

Education: Hank Hager, J.D., Senate Education Committee, West Virginia

Transportation: Justin Perry, Legislative Research Commission, Kentucky

Human Services & Public Safety

Juvenile Collateral Consequences

Senator Wes Climer, South Carolina

Jacob Agus-Kleinman, Senior Policy Analyst, The Council of State Governments Justice Center, Washington, D.C.

Handout: Reducing Structural Barriers to School and Work for People with Juvenile Records

Human Trafficking and Exploitation

Kathryn A. Moorehead, Director, Violence Against Women

The Social and Economic Impact of Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias

Representative John LaHood, Georgia

Jennifer Rosen, Senior Director, State Affairs, Alzheimer’s Association, Washington, D.C.

Government 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 2020-21

COVID-19: A New Operating Model for State Government

Anastasia Campbell, J.D., Director, Office of Legal Services, General Assembly, Tennessee

Demographic Changes in State Governments

Casey Osterkamp, Director, Division of Personnel, Office of Administration, Missouri

Data Protection: Cybersecurity and Unemployment Claims

Mark Weatherford, Chief Strategy Officer, National Cybersecurity Center, Colorado

State Transformation in Action Recognition (STAR) Award Judges Panel

Alabama: Commission on the Evaluation of Services

Oklahoma: Uninsured Vehicle Enforcement Diversion

Tennessee Governor’s Investment in Vocational Education

Virginia: Military Medics and Corpsmen (Winner)

Virginia: Housing Reform for Inmates with Serious Mental Illnesses (Winner)