Press Room
Leaders in academia and journalism will speak at the 2007 National Conference on the Creative Economy
Wheelan, Dale, Kahn and Sesno join lineup at the October 24-25 conference in Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County, Virginia USA, July 2, 2007—Belle Wheelan, former secretary of education for Virginia and current president of the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, will be part of a panel about education, workforce training and creativity at the 2007 National Conference on the Creative Economy set for October 24-25, 2007, at the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner. Jack D. Dale, superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools, and Robert Kahn, the CEO, chairman and president of the Corporation for National Research Initiatives, will be on the panel with Wheelan.
Additionally, Frank Sesno, CNN correspondent and professor of public policy and communication at George Mason University, will lead the Town Hall wrap-up discussion on the last day of the conference ( www.creativeeconomies.org).
Register now to attend. Early Bird rate is in effect!
Wheelan served as secretary of education in Governor Mark Warner's cabinet, the first African-American female to hold that position. She previously served as president of Central Virginia Community College and later as president of Northern Virginia Community College, the second largest community college in the nation.
Dale joined Fairfax County Public Schools—the nation’s 12th largest school system—as superintendent in 2004. From 1996 to 2004, he served as superintendent for Frederick County, Md., Public Schools and was named Maryland’s Superintendent of the Year in 2000. Dale is co-editor and author of Creating Successful School Systems and has conducted workshops on teacher compensation systems for No Child Left Behind Act initiatives.
Declared a “Father of the Internet,” along with Vinton Cerf, Kahn is a leading academic and prolific inventor in the area of information technology. A former MIT professor, he holds honorary degrees from seven universities, along with a master’s degree and doctorate from Princeton University. The Reston, Virginia-based Corporation for National Research Initiatives is a not-for-profit institution providing leadership and funding for research and development of the National Information Infrastructure .
Sesno is an Emmy-award winning journalist, with more then 23 years at CNN where he has served as news anchor, analyst, reporter, D.C. bureau chief and host of Late Edition with Frank Sesno. His recent work has included hosting duties for Sesno Reports for public television, production of a four-part, eight-hour PBS documentary series about weapons of mass destruction and terrorism called Avoiding Armageddon and a 10-part series about global perspectives called Worldtalk.
The conference will address topics such as:
- Attracting and retaining the creative class
- Creating a culture of creativity in the workplace to improve the bottom line
- Using diversity to promote creativity
- Harnessing the power of an aging workforce
- Boosting creativity in defense and homeland security industries
- Improving communities and the economy through creative companies
The conference will feature compelling keynote speakers: George Mason University Professor Richard Florida, author of “The Rise of the Creative Class” and “The Flight of the Creative Class;” Pulitzer Prize winner, New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman, author of “The World is Flat;” and Alvin Toffler, author of “Future Shock,” “The Third Wave” and “Revolutionary Wealth.”
FORTUNE columnist Anne Fisher will moderate two panels: one on the magazine’s annual “Best Companies to Work for” list, and another on competing for creative talent.
To date, sponsors of the 2007 National Conference on the Creative Economy are the Fairfax County government, the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, FORTUNE magazine, The Push Group LLC, Siddall, the International City/County Management Association, and SkillSource. Sponsorship information is available at www.creativeeconomies.org.
The Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (www.FairfaxCountyEDA.org) promotes Fairfax County as a business and technology center. The FCEDA maintains marketing offices in Silicon Valley, Bangalore, Frankfurt, London, Seoul and Tel Aviv.
