The Intelligent Community: Recent Episodes
The Intelligent Community Forum
In the official podcast from the Intelligent Community Forum, we speak with the movers and shakers in the intelligent community movement around the world. Hear how communities are embracing the 21st century for economic prosperity, enriching their cultures, and improving the quality of lives of their citizens.
Fast Company Magazine shocked a lot of people when it published its list of the most Innovative Companies for Economic Development and – whoa! – a city appeared. An Intelligent Community in the USA state of Ohio: Hilliard. The ICF network knows Hilliard as one of the leading cities and a two-time Top7 community. But this was a big-time recognition. How much of it had to do with being an Intelligent Community? The City Manager, Michelle Crandall tells us in this podcast.
The Top7 Communities of 2025 will be announced in Las Rozas de Madrid, Spain – a Smart21 Community and leading community in Spanish intelligent community development. Las Rozas is a city of just under 100,000 people, and is home to nearly 15,000 companies and self-employed workers. Its success has been from a combination of strong mayoral leadership, multi-level workforce development, and an innovation ecosystem largely driven by Las Rozas Innova, the Municipal Company for Innovation, Technological Development, Digital Transformation and Entrepreneurship. This event is being produced in collaboration with the city of Las Rozas de Madrid and Las Rozas Innova. Hear from Executive Director, Matt Owen, about this special, three-day event and from the Mayor of Las Rozas de Madrid Spain, Jose de la Uz. Tune in next week for a special episode featuring the Province of Limburg's, Regional Minister, Stephen Satijn.
Canada has contributed more Intelligent Communities to the ICF global network than any other country. In 2025 Canada once again placed four of its regions and cities on the list of ICF’s Smart21, the first step in the annual Awards program. How does Canada achieve this hard-won annual goal? And what do this year’s communities have to say about sustainability, economic development… and that little dispute with their neighbor, friend and largest trading partner! A great roundtable conversation with four of Canada’s best. Our guests include:
- Savanna Myers, Director of Economic Development, Grey County, Ontario, Canada
- Wendy Dupley, Economic Development Advisor, Langley, BC, Canada
- Donna Gillespie, CEO, Kingston Economic Development Corporation, Kingston, Canada
- Simon Gill, Director of Economic Development & Tourism, Durham, Canada
Canada has contributed more Intelligent Communities to the ICF global network than any other country. In 2025 Canada once again placed four of its regions and cities on the list of ICF’s Smart21, the first step in the annual Awards program. How does Canada achieve this hard-won annual goal? And what do this year’s communities have to say about sustainability, economic development… and that little dispute with their neighbor, friend and largest trading partner! A great roundtable conversation with four of Canada’s best. Our guests include:
- Savanna Myers, Director of Economic Development, Grey County, Ontario, Canada
- Wendy Dupley, Economic Development Advisor, Langley, BC, Canada
- Donna Gillespie, CEO, Kingston Economic Development Corporation, Kingston, Canada
- Simon Gill, Director of Economic Development & Tourism, Durham, Canada
Doug McCollough has been CIO of leading digital cities, including Dublin, Ohio where he helped lead that small city to multiple awards, including ICF’s Top7. He recently took over the role of Executive Director for the ICF Institute, and was recently names the first-ever Executive Director of the Beta District, which spans several cities in the most important industrial corridor of Central Ohio. And he is producing a Future of Mobility Conference in May that will bring new ideas to the life of urban movement. Known for his sharp turns toward innovation and intellectual prowess when it comes to understanding the link between connectivity, economic growth and social development, McCollough has been a leader in ICF’s global intelligent community movement and one of its most popular speakers.
Doug McCollough works to connect people to opportunities, remove barriers, and promote change in initiatives ranging from Smart and Connected Cities, IT Workforce Development, expanding broadband access, Connected and Autonomous Vehicles, and Blockchain. Now serving as the Executive Director of The Beta District in Central Ohio, which organizes innovation, development, and investment in Smart Mobility industry sectors, he speaks as a Subject Matter Expert and advocate on using technology for community development.
Doug is also the CEO of Color Coded Labs, which targets underserved, underrepresented, and marginalized communities, seeking gritty working adults for new, transformative career pathways in the technology industry, and co-founder of The Columbus Rising Project, which fights against the digital divide by sharing basic tech skills in the Columbus, Ohio region.
Prior to his current work, Doug held positions within the State of Ohio Departments of Public Safety, Commerce, Industrial Commission, and Medicaid. He served as the Director of Information Technology for the City of Richmond, Virginia, and as CIO for the City of Dublin, Ohio. He is on the boards of Per Scholas Columbus, TECH CORPS, and Jewish Family Services of Columbus, is a cofounder of Black Tech Columbus, and former Trustee for the Central Ohio Transit Authority.
Doug earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Toledo in Information Systems and Operations Management and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Notre Dame.
Guyana is defined by its dense rainforest. Culturally connected to the Caribbean region, it has become a richer country due to its oil production and GDP per capita. But it has high levels of poverty. Especially in the rural areas. One person with an understanding of connectivity from his years in the satellite and telecommunications industries decided to go back home to tackle this fundamental issue, which is central to ICF’s purpose. Born in one of the poorest regions of Guyana, executive Andre L. Jones started WANSAT Networks to provide connectivity and development to the rural areas where he grew up. The story is a great one. Inspiring. How he approached the project is instructive to any rural district seeking to go on a journey toward Intelligent Community status.
Andre L. Jones co-founded WANSAT Networks, Inc. to provide connectivity to underserved and unserved areas in his birth country of Guyana. Born in one of the poorest regions of the nation, he witnessed firsthand the challenges that rural communities faced due to their isolation. When oil was discovered in Guyana, for example, the nation experienced rapid economic expansion, but the benefits did not reach many rural areas. Andre turned the years of expertise in the satellite communications industry he had developed as a successful businessman in the United States toward the problem, securing vital partnerships with leading companies operating in the region like Intelsat, Viasat and Telefonica. Through these partnerships, WANSAT was able to deliver connectivity to remote regions unreached by fiber and terrestrial networks, providing those isolated communities with access to essential services and communication options.
WANSAT has installed satellite terminals in remote communities throughout Guyana, allowing previously unconnected citizens to access the government’s telemedicine program, including remote consultations and general healthcare access. This connection is a lifeline for remote villages, providing timely diagnoses and medical advice that were previously out of reach. WANSAT connectivity also facilitates distance learning, enabling rural students to participate for the first time in programs such as the government’s GOAL initiative. Students in remote areas now have access to educational resources and opportunities that were once unimaginable, leveling the playing field and fostering a brighter future for these communities. Guyana’s gold mining industry has been another major beneficiary of WANSAT connectivity. Miners, who often face prolonged isolation from their families, now benefit from satellite internet that keeps them connected to their loved ones. This connectivity not only enhances social cohesion, but also improves workplace safety and personal security, mitigating the extreme hardships that come with long separations.
To ensure that WANSAT’s connectivity offerings continue to benefit communities throughout Guyana, Andre has established training programs to equip local youth and former defense personnel with the knowledge of how to install and maintain satellite systems. He actively collaborated with Guyana’s largest telecom provider, GTT (now One Communications), to ensure sustainable development and increased regional participation in the nation’s rapid economic growth. For Andre, WANSAT is not simply about technology, but about ensuring that no one is left behind in Guyana’s economic transformation.
The New York City’s Department of Parks’ first Director of Data Analytics who contributed the key ingredients to the success of the city’s Million Trees Research Conference and knows her way around urban forests discusses her new venture, Helpful Places, and how digital trust can be imbedded in the organization of community governments. It’s a fascinating conversation with one of the world’s most sought-after speakers. Canadian-based Lu, who also discusses what she learned from her work on the highly controversial Sidewalk Labs project in Toronto tells The INTELLIGENT Community audience how it went “sideways” and what she learned
Jacqueline advances technology transparency and legibility for people-centered smart(er) cities. She leads Helpful Places, a social impact enterprise advancing the adoption and stewardship of Digital Trust for Places and Routines (DTPR.io), an open-source visual language and nutrition label standard designed to increase transparency and legibility for urban technology. She is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Data Equity, Council for the Connected World and a working group member and contributor to the G20 Smart Cities Alliance.
Jacqueline’s experience spans public, private and non-profit sectors. As Data Lead at Mozilla Foundation, Jacqueline led the development and implementation of their data strategy. As Director of Digital Integration at Sidewalk Labs, she led incorporating innovation objectives, technology policy and data ethics into the company’s approach to urban development projects.
As the inaugural Director of Data Analytics at the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, she developed the agency’s data strategy, developed the open data program and founded its first data science team. Jacqueline also spearheaded the largest participatory street tree mapping project in U.S. history, culminating in the NYC Tree Map, a digital platform for the collaborative management of NYC’s urban forest.
The New York City’s Department of Parks’ first Director of Data Analytics who contributed the key ingredients to the success of the city’s Million Trees Research Conference and knows her way around urban forests discusses her new venture, Helpful Places, and how digital trust can be imbedded in the organization of community governments. It’s a fascinating conversation with one of the world’s most sought-after speakers. Canadian-based Lu, who also discusses what she learned from her work on the highly controversial Sidewalk Labs project in Toronto tells The INTELLIGENT Community audience how it went “sideways” and what she learned
Jacqueline advances technology transparency and legibility for people-centered smart(er) cities. She leads Helpful Places, a social impact enterprise advancing the adoption and stewardship of Digital Trust for Places and Routines (DTPR.io), an open-source visual language and nutrition label standard designed to increase transparency and legibility for urban technology. She is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Data Equity, Council for the Connected World and a working group member and contributor to the G20 Smart Cities Alliance.
Jacqueline’s experience spans public, private and non-profit sectors. As Data Lead at Mozilla Foundation, Jacqueline led the development and implementation of their data strategy. As Director of Digital Integration at Sidewalk Labs, she led incorporating innovation objectives, technology policy and data ethics into the company’s approach to urban development projects.
As the inaugural Director of Data Analytics at the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, she developed the agency’s data strategy, developed the open data program and founded its first data science team. Jacqueline also spearheaded the largest participatory street tree mapping project in U.S. history, culminating in the NYC Tree Map, a digital platform for the collaborative management of NYC’s urban forest.
A fun, informative and rolling conversation with the three founders of ICF and the movement, along with its Executive Director. The group discusses the holistic approach to economic and social development and explains why cities from Ohio to Taiwan to Brazil share similar approaches on their successful journeys. They conclude by sharing their top seven trends for cities in 2025. Our moderator and guests include:
- Lou Zacharilla, Co-Founder, ICF
- Robert Bell, Co-Founder, ICF
- John Jung, Co-Founder, ICF
- Matt Owen, Executive Director, ICF
A fun, informative and rolling conversation with the three founders of ICF and the movement, along with its Executive Director. The group discusses the holistic approach to economic and social development and explains why cities from Ohio to Taiwan to Brazil share similar approaches on their successful journeys. They conclude by sharing their top seven trends for cities in 2025.
Our moderator and guests include:
- Lou Zacharilla, Co-Founder, ICF
- Robert Bell, Co-Founder, ICF
- John Jung, Co-Founder, ICF
- Matt Owen, Executive Director, ICF
In part one of this conversation, you heard the world's most Intelligent Community of the Year tell you how they have used innovation and planning to evolve into one of the world's elite cities. Today, I want to go deeper to the core of this whole movement and listen as Dario Paixao tells you unequivocally that what is being done in creative can be a model for 398 communities in his state model that will bring democracy closer to people and fulfill a mandate all governments have to listen and to act. Be inspired today on The Intelligent Community.
Curitiba, Brazil. Ever heard of it? Ever been there? Ever seen or read stories about the building of its railroad and its history of innovation? Ever wonder how a city can be sustainable and flourishing? How about Rafael Greca? Ever heard of him? The outgoing Mayor of Curitiba is one of the most amazing people in the intelligent community movement – and a politician who is such an authentic human being – that Pope Francis invited him to the Vatican to discuss Curitiba’s remarkable programs for addressing food insecurity. Curitiba has won so many “smart city” awards that its shelves are full. It got the big one in November 2024 in Barcelona, when it was named Intelligent Community of the Year. What’s going on there? In this episode, we speak with Dario Paixao, the city’s Secretary for Economic Development, Innovation and Artificial Intelligence, in a conversation with a city that has been climbing the smart city & intelligent community mountain for decades. Dario Paixao is the CEO of the Curitiba Agency for Economic Development and Innovation, Curitiba, Brazil. Doctor in Tourism Management (University of Malaga - Spain); Master in International Tourism (Las Palmas University, Canary Islands, Spain); Business Management and Tourism Bachelor (Parana Federal University and Positivo University, Curitiba, Brazil); St. Mary's High School (Vegreville, Alberta, Canada); Business Management Professor (Parana Federal University, Curitiba, Brazil); Business Management Doctorate and MBA Professor (Positivo University, Curitiba, Brazil); Former Director of the Public Management School of Curitiba City Hall; Former President of the Curitiba Convention & Visitors Bureau; Entrepreneur, speaker, and book author about the Future of Work and Employability.
Continuing our look at mistrust of government, doxing and the implications of digital technology on Intelligent Communities, Lou speaks with theformer Mayor of Stratford, Canada, Dan Mathieson. Considered one of Canada’s best mayors, whose tech-savvy insights led is city to three Top7 placements, he is into a new concept, “Immersive Cities.”
Mathieson also talks about his own experience with constituents who sought menace, alienation in society, technology’s role and how Stratford native Justin Beiber once crashed the ICF website! Mr. Mathieson is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal for his exceptional leadership in technology innovation in his community.
Dan Mathieson has dedicated his career to public service, having served 28 years in public office, 20 years-five terms as Mayor and been a member of municipal council since 1995. Throughout his extensive tenure, he has actively participated in a variety of boards and committees across multiple sectors, including the arts, healthcare, municipal affairs, law enforcement, athletics, non-profits, and educational institutions.
Currently, Dan is the Chair, of the Ontario Provincial Land Development Facilitators Agency, the Past Chair of the Ontario Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) and has previously served as the Chair of Kings University College at Western University. He is a Governor with i-Canada, the Founding Director of Darabase North America and serves on the board of a number of public and private corporations.
Dan, is an active entrepreneur with holdings in real estate and a variety of economic sectors.
In recognition of his contributions, he received the Alumni Award of Excellence from the Master of Public Administration, Local Government program at Western University in November 2015. Furthermore, he was honored as the 2016 Distinguished Practitioner in Residence at Western University, where he lectures on governance and innovation in public institutions and he serves as an Executive in Residence at the Ivey School of Business at Western University.
In 2012, the Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance (CATA) awarded Dan the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his exceptional leadership in technology innovation within the community. He was also a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002, acknowledging his dedication to public service.
Continuing our look at mistrust of government, doxing and the implications of digital technology on Intelligent Communities, Lou speaks with theformer Mayor of Stratford, Canada, Dan Mathieson. Considered one of Canada’s best mayors, whose tech-savvy insights led is city to three Top7 placements, he is into a new concept, “Immersive Cities.”
Mathieson also talks about his own experience with constituents who sought menace, alienation in society, technology’s role and how Stratford native Justin Beiber once crashed the ICF website! Mr. Mathieson is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal for his exceptional leadership in technology innovation in his community.
Dan Mathieson has dedicated his career to public service, having served 28 years in public office, 20 years-five terms as Mayor and been a member of municipal council since 1995. Throughout his extensive tenure, he has actively participated in a variety of boards and committees across multiple sectors, including the arts, healthcare, municipal affairs, law enforcement, athletics, non-profits, and educational institutions.
Currently, Dan is the Chair, of the Ontario Provincial Land Development Facilitators Agency, the Past Chair of the Ontario Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) and has previously served as the Chair of Kings University College at Western University. He is a Governor with i-Canada, the Founding Director of Darabase North America and serves on the board of a number of public and private corporations.
Dan, is an active entrepreneur with holdings in real estate and a variety of economic sectors.
In recognition of his contributions, he received the Alumni Award of Excellence from the Master of Public Administration, Local Government program at Western University in November 2015. Furthermore, he was honored as the 2016 Distinguished Practitioner in Residence at Western University, where he lectures on governance and innovation in public institutions and he serves as an Executive in Residence at the Ivey School of Business at Western University.
In 2012, the Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance (CATA) awarded Dan the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his exceptional leadership in technology innovation within the community. He was also a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002, acknowledging his dedication to public service.
What are the corrosive impacts of AI? Are there ways to offset some of the more negative trends in our communities and make technologies instruments of joy rather than menaces?
What causes acted-out anger against mayors, council members, school boards, jurists and journalists? What is at the root of this community fragmentation?
In the second episode of the ICF’s series on doxxing, we continue the conversation with Jacob Ward, author of The Loop. Mr. Ward is best-known to Americansfor his stint as the on-air correspondent for NBC News, covering the intersection of technology, human behavior, and social change for the Nightly News and The TODAY Show. Mr. Ward and Lou discuss the degree to which AI, social anxiety and the isolation of the digital world have exploited peoples’ behavior and eroded a community’s more “wholesome” activities. Is this leading to doxing – while also potentially becoming a tool for positive change? It’s an entirely new way to look at our future.
What are the corrosive impacts of AI? Are there ways to offset some of the more negative trends in our communities and make technologies instruments of joy rather than menaces?
What causes acted-out anger against mayors, council members, school boards, jurists and journalists? What is at the root of this community fragmentation?
In this first episode of the ICF’s series on doxxing, we begin a conversation with Jacob Ward, author of The Loop. Mr. Ward is best-known to Americansfor his stint as the on-air correspondent for NBC News, covering the intersection of technology, human behavior, and social change for the Nightly News and The TODAY Show. Mr. Ward and Lou discuss the degree to which AI, social anxiety and the isolation of the digital world have exploited peoples’ behavior and eroded a community’s more “wholesome” activities. Is this leading to doxing – while also potentially becoming a tool for positive change? It’s an entirely new way to look at our future. Jacob Ward is a prolific technology journalist. He was most recently an on-air correspondent for NBC News, covering the intersection of technology, human behavior, and social change for Nightly News, The TODAY Show, and MSNBC. He is the former editor-in-chief of Popular Science magazine, and was Al Jazeera’s science and technology correspondent from 2013 to 2018. Ward is a lecturer at the Stanford d.school, and was a 2018-2019 Berggruen Fellow at Stanford University’s Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, where he began writing The Loop: How AI is Creating a World without Choices and How to Fight Back, out now from Hachette Book Group. The book explores how artificial intelligence and other decision-shaping technologies will amplify good and bad human instincts. Ward has written for The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Wired, and many other publications. In addition to hosting documentaries for Nat Geo and Discovery, he’s the host of the landmark four-hour PBS television series, “Hacking Your Mind,” about human decision-making and manipulation.
The CEO and Founder of Bable Smart Cities in Germany is on a mission: to accelerate change for a better urban life by helping a city or a region’s stakeholders create sustainable, innovative, and inclusive places. How’s he doing? And why is his company called “Bable??” In this episode we speak with Alexander Schmidt, whose company has been working on process of improvement for cities and which is partnering with ICF for the Barcelona Summit in early November at the Smart City Expo. Schmidt says that by “simplifying innovation” cities can save 80% of money allocated to them by the EU and other sources. He discusses this. Mr. Schmidt, whose company continues to open offices throughout the EU, also tells us why he finds the ICF method for creating better communities everywhere on Earth a compelling proposition.
And he tells us how Bable got its name…. Alexander Schmidt is the Founder/CEO at BABLE Smart Cities with the mission to accelerate the change for a better urban life by supporting urban stakeholders in creating sustainable, innovative, and inclusive cities and towns - providing a knowledge platform that enables collaboration, data-driven decision-making, and the acceleration of smart solutions. His competencies focus on: urban mobility, business models for new (digital) markets, system analysis and development of urban solutions and moderation of partnerships between public and private entities. He has a deep understanding of the goals, processes and background of industrial, scientific and governmental institutions. Mr. Schmidt holds several degrees, incl. a M.Sc. Transport from Imperial College London, Environmental Engineering & Business Studies, was a researcher and project lead at the Fraunhofer Research Society, Morgenstadt and MIT Sensible Cities Lab,. He was also part of the founding and management team of EIT Urban Mobility - an institution of the European Union.
A nation of 23 million people that punches far above its weight is a subject of study and fascination around the world. Its prowess in semi-conductor technology is just the beginning. Much of Taiwan’s success comes from the way it has designed its cities and the way its culture embraces innovation, ideas from everywhere and implements them in a process that continues to modernize its economy, while maintaining the integrity of its history and its robust democracy. In this mini-series we try to open the door to Taiwan for you.
We begin with a conversation with the CEO from a company that is based in an Intelligent Community, Arlington County, Virginia. Arlington County and Taiwan have a strong relationship and in this conversation, Jim Shea, CEO of DeepSig, a software development company that improves the next generation of wireless systems, talks to Lou about doing business in a country where there are 17 Intelligent Communities! Jim Shea is the CEO of DeepSig Inc., a startup that is harnessing the power of AI to radically improve the performance and security of 5G, IoT, and other wireless systems. He has over 30 years of commercial and defense industrial experience having been involved in two previous startups and experience managing large organizations. Jim received a BEE from Georgia Tech and an MSEE from The University of Illinois.
In a year when democracies around the world go to the voting polls to select leaders and representatives in nations and local towns and regions, we see much has changed due to an adoption of the “Intelligent Community” idea and through the evolution of technologies like broadband and AI, which have crept into our daily lives. The COVID Pandemic altered our rhythms and impacted our local economies, especially commercial real estate, healthcare advances and the nature of work.
Can it be very long before we elect a robot for mayor? What is the new normal with AI in our communities? Are the forces too overwhelming or are we managing? Picking up on ICF’s July 2024 webinar “Sharing Public Spaces with Robots” Lou went to the “bullpen” to bring in ICF’s Senior Fellow, Dr. Norman Jacknis to ask him what his research and teaching has revealed. Norm, who leads ICF’s Analysts also shares his views about this year’s Top7 Intelligent Communities, one of which will succeed Binh Duong, Vietnam as Intelligent Community of the Year! Dr. Jacknis has decades of executive and leadership experience in the public and private sectors. He has successfully led organizations to adopt innovations, creatively use technology, and embrace data-driven cultures.
Dr. Jacknis is currently Professor of Practice in the Innovation and Entrepreneurship program of the business school of Northeastern University. Prior to that, for eight years, he was on the full- time faculty of Columbia University, teaching machine learning and artificial intelligence, as well as product design, in its Executive Master’s degree program for technology leaders. He is also Senior Fellow of the global Intelligent Community Forum, where he has worked for years with regional/state and local public officials and businesses on the intelligent use of technology to improve quality of life and the built environment.
Government Technology Magazine selected him as one of the nation’s “Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers who, using technology ... broke bureaucratic inertia to better serve the public”. Under his leadership, Westchester County won numerous awards, including the Center for Digital Government’s top ten digital counties in the country, American City & County's Crown Communities Award for technology and was selected as one of the top seven Intelligent Communities in the world.
Among many activities beyond his work, he is Chairman Emeritus and former President of the regional chapter of the national association of chief information and technology officers (SIM) as well as Vice Chair of the Westchester County Community College Board Of Trustees.
Dr. Jacknis received his Doctorate, Master's and Bachelor's degrees from Princeton University. He also studied for a semester at Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda and has graduated from executive courses at Harvard University.
In a year when democracies around the world go to the voting polls to select leaders and representatives in nations and local towns and regions, we see much has changed due to an adoption of the “Intelligent Community” idea and through the evolution of technologies like broadband and AI, which have crept into our daily lives. The COVID Pandemic altered our rhythms and impacted our local economies, especially commercial real estate, healthcare advances and the nature of work.
Can it be very long before we elect a robot for mayor? What is the new normal with AI in our communities? Are the forces too overwhelming or are we managing? Picking up on ICF’s July 2024 webinar “Sharing Public Spaces with Robots” Lou went to the “bullpen” to bring in ICF’s Senior Fellow, Dr. Norman Jacknis to ask him what his research and teaching has revealed. Norm, who leads ICF’s Analysts also shares his views about this year’s Top7 Intelligent Communities, one of which will succeed Binh Duong, Vietnam as Intelligent Community of the Year! Dr. Jacknis has decades of executive and leadership experience in the public and private sectors. He has successfully led organizations to adopt innovations, creatively use technology, and embrace data-driven cultures.
Dr. Jacknis is currently Professor of Practice in the Innovation and Entrepreneurship program of the business school of Northeastern University. Prior to that, for eight years, he was on the full- time faculty of Columbia University, teaching machine learning and artificial intelligence, as well as product design, in its Executive Master’s degree program for technology leaders. He is also Senior Fellow of the global Intelligent Community Forum, where he has worked for years with regional/state and local public officials and businesses on the intelligent use of technology to improve quality of life and the built environment.
Government Technology Magazine selected him as one of the nation’s “Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers who, using technology ... broke bureaucratic inertia to better serve the public”. Under his leadership, Westchester County won numerous awards, including the Center for Digital Government’s top ten digital counties in the country, American City & County's Crown Communities Award for technology and was selected as one of the top seven Intelligent Communities in the world.
Among many activities beyond his work, he is Chairman Emeritus and former President of the regional chapter of the national association of chief information and technology officers (SIM) as well as Vice Chair of the Westchester County Community College Board Of Trustees.
Dr. Jacknis received his Doctorate, Master's and Bachelor's degrees from Princeton University. He also studied for a semester at Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda and has graduated from executive courses at Harvard University.
The ”Heartland” of the United States is a geographical expanse that is breathtaking in its size and scope. Covering 20 states, from North Dakota to Texas, it is among the most diverse places on the globe. Yet for the past decades it has underperformed the ”Services” economies of America’s coastal states and cities.
But that is changing dramatically thanks to the efforts of groups like Heartland Forward. With entrepreneurial programs and toolkits, this ”Think and DO” tank as they call themselves has been unlocking the intelligence, culture, and capital in places as diverse as Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Oxford, Mississippi, and attempting to drive investment to the heartland of USA. How’s it going?
As the American economy continues to generate prosperity and opportunities, Heartland Forward’s Senior Economist and Chief Research Officer talk to Lou about place-based economic development, the workforce of these 20 states and the linkages between their work and ICF’s.
This one changes the narrative about the ” flyover country” within the United States and gives examples of how every community can seize its destiny (Sound familiar?) https://www.intelligentcommunity.org/seizing_our_destiny
You will enjoy their insights into this continuous rebirth of the American spirit. Julie Trivitt joined Heartland Forward from the University of Arkansas where she was a faculty member in both the Economics and Education Reform departments for eight years and has lived in the heartland her entire life. She leads the research initiatives on labor markets and talent pipelines as they are now and how we need them to adapt so the people of the heartland have opportunities to realize their full potential and employers have the best qualified talent.
She has a PhD and MS in Economics from the University of Arkansas. Her bachelor’s degree is also in Economics and was earned at Missouri State University. She aspires to be an herb gardener, a cruise director, and a librarian.
David Shideler serves as the chief research officer for Heartland Forward’s research team which includes visiting senior fellows Richard Florida and Maryann Feldman. With a mission to help improve the economic performance in the heartland and change the narrative of the middle of the country, the original research efforts focus on four key pillars: innovation and entrepreneurship, human capital, health and wellness and regional competitiveness.
Shideler joined Heartland Forward after more than a decade at Oklahoma State University, serving as a professor and Community and Economic Development Specialist in the Department of Agricultural Economics. In these roles, he oversaw projects in community and rural development and small business development, and published peer-reviewed research articles on the economic impacts of internet access, incentive programs, and local food production.
Shideler holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics and an M.A. in Economics from the Ohio State University, an M.S. in Agricultural Economics from the Pennsylvania State University, and a B.S. in Community and Rural Development from Clemson University.
In this episode of The Intelligent Community, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla speaks with Ambassador Jarmo Sareva, Finland’s Ambassador for Cyber Affairs before being named the country’s first Ambassador for Innovation.
Sareva was Finland’s Ambassador for Cyber Affairs before being named the country’s first Ambassador for Innovation. These two jobs were central to the success of Finland, which is known for its innovation in technology and the development of showcase cities, including ICF’s 2018 Intelligent Community of the Year, Espoo. He also served in directorships at the UN’s Office for Disarmament Affairs and the Institute for Disarmament Research. His advocacy for Finland as it current Consul General in New York and vision for the world’s cities keeps the focus on humanity as the center of the human experience. He discusses what he calls “frugal innovation” methods to continue to improve social quality of life.
Sareva was Finland’s Ambassador for Cyber Affairs before being named the country’s first Ambassador for Innovation. These two jobs were central to the success of Finland, which is known for its innovation in technology and the development of showcase cities, including ICF’s 2018 Intelligent Community of the Year, Espoo. He also served in directorships at the UN’s Office for Disarmament Affairs and the Institute for Disarmament Research. His advocacy for Finland as it current Consul General in New York and vision for the world’s cities keeps the focus on humanity as the center of the human experience. He discusses what he calls “frugal innovation” methods to continue to improve social quality of life.
Ambassador Jarmo Sareva is the Consul General of Finland in New York since September 1, 2022.
The Consulate General in New York promotes Finland’s commercial & cultural interests in the United States, focusing on thirty-five eastern states. It is also responsible for consular services in New York as well as in other states in its jurisdiction.
Mr. Sareva brings a wealth of experience to his position from both multilateral and bilateral diplomacy, especially in the field of arms control. Prior to his appointment in New York, Mr. Sareva served in Helsinki as Finland’s Ambassador for Cyber Affairs from 2021 to 2022 and Finland’s first Ambassador for Innovation from 2018 to 2021. From 2006 to 2018, he served in various positions at the UN in New York and Geneva, including as Director of the Geneva Branch of the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs and Director of the UN Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR).
Mr. Sareva’s previous diplomatic experience includes serving as Director for Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-Proliferation in Helsinki and as Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of Finland to the UN in New York, as well as postings in Moscow, Washington, D.C., and Vienna.
Mr. Sareva is passionate about helping Finnish businesses expand to the U.S. market, promoting Finnish culture, and strengthening Finland’s country brand in the United States. Mr. Sareva holds an M.A. from the School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University in Washington. He is married with two children and two grandchildren.
Many astronauts say that when they initially see the Earth from afar, they look first for their hometowns….Eventually, they realize that their true identity as a human….is ‘with that whole thing.’”
One of the world’s most esteemed authors and Space philosophers, best-selling author Frank White, wrote The Overview Effect nearly 40 years ago while gazing down at Earth. His hundreds of interviews and reporting since have changed the way people view our planet and their lives, and has influenced our outlook on the idea of “community.” After hundreds of interviews with every human being who has left Earth for Space and working with the best minds the human community offers, he narrowed the process of understanding into three words.
In part two of this podcast with his friend, Lou Zacharilla, he shares them as they talk about the cognitive shift that an “overview effect” has had and what it might mean for the future of Intelligent Communities.
Many astronauts say that when they initially see the Earth from afar, they look first for their hometowns….Eventually, they realize that their true identity as a human….is ‘with that whole thing.’”
One of the world’s most esteemed authors and Space philosophers, best-selling author Frank White, wrote The Overview Effect nearly 40 years ago while gazing down at Earth. His hundreds of interviews and reporting since have changed the way people view our planet and their lives, and has influenced our outlook on the idea of “community.” After hundreds of interviews with every human being who has left Earth for Space and working with the best minds the human community offers, he narrowed the process of understanding into three words.
In this remarkable Podcast with his friend, Lou Zacharilla, he shares them as they talk about the cognitive shift that an “overview effect” has had and what it might mean for the future of Intelligent Communities. Frank White is an educator, writer, and communications consultant. He has authored or coauthored numerous books on topics ranging from space exploration to artificial intelligence to Zen Buddhism. His best-known work is The Overview Effect: Space Exploration and Human Evolution. He is the co-founder, president, and board chair of The Human Space Program, Inc.
Lou and Ben Winchester continue their discussion about the changes taking place in rural communities and the misperceptions afoot. You will enjoy the second part of this Podcast. While Lou claims, “The Middle of Nowhere is No More,” Ben adds, “And we live in the middle of Everywhere!”
Ben has been working both in and for small towns across the Midwest for over 25 years. He lives in St. Cloud, Minnesota with his wife and two children. Ben is trained as a Rural Sociologist and works for the University of Minnesota Extension. His conducts applied research on economic, social, and demographic topics surrounding a theme of “rewriting the rural narrative”. He recently received the international Rural Renewal Research Prize in 2021 for this work.
Winchester received his B.A. in Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Minnesota, Morris (1995) and M.S. in Rural Sociology from the University of Missouri, Columbia (2001). He was a founding employee at the Center for Small Towns, an outreach program at the University of Minnesota, Morris and specializes in community development, demographic analysis, data visualization, and moving communities away from anecdata.
“The seeds of success for rural economies have been planted!” So says the controversial champion of the rural narrative, University of Minnesota educator and researcher Dr. Ben Winchester, a demographer at the University of Minnesota’s. Extension Center for Community Vitality.
“If the small town is dying why is there a housing shortage in most parts of rural America!?”
Winchester explodes with enthusiasm and knocks down categorically old notions and stereotypes about rural places including the one about WHY people are moving to rural communities.
“A job is NOT among the top things people look for when choosing a rural lifestyle. Employment opportunities do not bring people in and seeking investment the way it has been done by economic development officials is not an effective way to create brain gain.” Dr. Winchester suggests another way and it is as simple as any common-sense approach can be.
Professor Winchester is a dedicated community-centric advocate, a fresh and original thinker and a great interview.
Says long-time ICF jurist Bill Coleman, “Ben is one of my favorites!”
Now that COVID is no longer a global pandemic, what is it? And what is the lesson communities learned over the past 3 years? In this rebroadcast of the interview with Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, who was just featured in TIMES100 Health, ICF co-founder Lou Zacharilla speaks with Dr. Jetelina, Director of Population Health Analytics, to learn these answers and more.
Dr. Katelyn Jetelina is one of America’s most trusted epidemiologists. She publishes Your Local Epidemiologist, a widely read website and newsletter covering a range of public health issues that translates evolving science into readable language for the general public. In this episode of The Intelligent Community, she discusses information integrity and the politics of COVID in places as diverse as New York and Florida. This episode is the second part of ICF co-founder Lou Zacharilla’s interview with Dr. Jetelina.
Katelyn Jetelina, MPH PhD is an epidemiologist, data scientist and internationally renowned scientific communicator. She is the Director of Population Health Analytics, a nonprofit, non-partisan health policy think tank. She is also a Senior Scientific Advisor to a number of government and non-profit agencies, including the White House, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Resolve to Save Lives and Make-A-Wish Foundation. On the side, Dr. Jetelina is the publisher of Your Local Epidemiologist – a public health newsletter that “translates” ever-evolving science to the general public, which has reached over 300 million views. Dr. Jetelina has received 3 national awards for her work, including National Academies of Science and a medal of honor from the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Emergency Management and Medical Operations, Field Operations, and Response. Katelyn resides in San Diego, California with her husband and two toddlers.
Lou continues The INTELLIGENT Community Podcast with Adrianne Furniss and touches on the subject of HOW small communities develop brain gain and capacity over the long term. They also discuss how broadband can reinforce cultural restoration and its role in enabling democracy to persist in the Digital Age. Adrianne Benton Furniss is Executive Director and Board Member of the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, a 40-year-old nonprofit focused on broadband policy, working to make sure everyone can use and benefit from high quality, affordable broadband. They strengthen local, state, and national leadership by providing the timely information, rigorous evidence, practical guidance, and advocacy needed to articulate and implement a broadband for all agenda. They inform and give policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and advocates information they need to advance a broadband for all agenda. They research and build knowledge by providing a body of research and best practices to guide our field’s work. They partner and engage with communities to develop strategies for ubiquitous, high-speed, reliable, and affordable broadband to meet larger community goals. And they advocate and advance a broadband for all agenda at all levels of government through policymaker education, legal and regulatory filings, and coalition participation.
Our goal is to bring open, affordable, high-performance broadband to all people in the U.S. to ensure a thriving democracy,” says Adrianne Furniss. In a rare interview and her first podcast, the Executive Director of the Benton Institute discusses the current state of rural broadband in the United States and her view of how to build capacity within very small communities that have suffered brain drain and the loss of their economic vibrancy. The work being done by Benton and the research this famed institute relies on continue to launch what many call the “rural renaissance.” https://www.benton.org/. Adrianne Benton Furniss is Executive Director and Board Member of the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, a 40-year-old nonprofit focused on broadband policy, working to make sure everyone can use and benefit from high quality, affordable broadband. They strengthen local, state, and national leadership by providing the timely information, rigorous evidence, practical guidance, and advocacy needed to articulate and implement a broadband for all agenda. They inform and give policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and advocates information they need to advance a broadband for all agenda. They research and build knowledge by providing a body of research and best practices to guide our field’s work. They partner and engage with communities to develop strategies for ubiquitous, high-speed, reliable, and affordable broadband to meet larger community goals. And they advocate and advance a broadband for all agenda at all levels of government through policymaker education, legal and regulatory filings, and coalition participation.
What makes Canadian cities such as Waterloo, Ottawa, and Toronto hubs of high-tech entrepreneurship and successful Intelligent Communities? Since moving to Canada, Professor Darius Ornston, author of When Small States Make Big Leaps, which chronicled how the Nordic countries developed the ability to enter new, tech-based markets, has similarly studied two Intelligent Communities of the Year in Canada and tells us how these Canadian communities represent a collaborative approach which has resulted in Canada having more designated Intelligent Communities than any other nation. Darius Ornston is an Associate Professor at the prestigious Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto where he specializes in innovation policy and the relationship between cooperation and economic change.
What makes Canadian cities such as Waterloo, Ottawa and Toronto hubs of high-tech entrepreneurship and successful Intelligent Communities? Since moving to Canada, Professor Darius Ornston, author of When Small States Make Big Leaps, which chronicled how the Nordic countries developed the ability to enter new, tech-based markets, has similarly studied two Intelligent Communities of the Year in Canada and tells us how these Canadian communities represent a collaborative approach which has resulted in Canada having more designated Intelligent Communities than any other nation. Darius Ornston is an associate professor at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy at the University of Toronto where he specializes in innovation policy, specifically the relationship between cooperation and economic change. His first book, When Small States Make Big Leaps, illustrates how the Nordic countries use cooperation to enter new, high-technology markets. In Good Governance Gone Bad, he demonstrates how the same, tight-knit networks which accelerate reform and restructuring can lead to policy overshooting, overinvestment, and economic crisis. Professor Ornston’s work with Dan Breznitz on the politics of innovation and the design of innovation agencies has been published with multiple outlets, including the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the OECD. Since moving to Canada, Professor Ornston has focused on high-technology entrepreneurship in Ottawa, Waterloo, and Toronto.
This week marks the start of another global awards campaign at ICF. We begin the search for the successor to the current Intelligent Community of the Year, Binh Duong, Vietnam. Who will it be? We begin by naming theSmart21(see the video) on March 20th. This year’s S21 Awards and Conference will be held in Taipei, Taiwan. Taipei was the 2006 Intelligent Community of the Year and this year hosts the Smart City Expo andThe Smart Cities and Intelligent Communities Forum, produced by the Taiwan government and ICF. What will that event be like? What is Taiwan like and why does it have 15 Intelligent Communities!? We hear directly from Tiffany Lin of ICF Taiwan, who is the Acting Deputy Manager for the Industrial Technology Research Institute in Taiwan. In a delightful conversation with Lou, she talks about life in Taiwan, freedom and why the country has embraced the ICF program.
A NY tech exec and mother decides to serve her community by running for office in one of the most high-profile districts in Manhattan. Elizabeth Golluscio looked at her city’s $106 billion budget and found that there was limited transparency on how decisions were being made. She looked at challenges like unlicensed E-bikes (part of the 56,000 deliveries of food in NYC each day!) and met with Police and found a basement in the precinct full of them. She got a sense of what was happening with local crime and safety. Then she did what people who want answers from their local government and know they can do better often do: she ran for office. She used social media against an incumbent whose party dominates the city. (Oh, and in between she attended ICF’s Top7 Reception to find out what Intelligent Communities can teach.) Listen to her talk frankly about the experience.
Elizabeth Golluscio has lived in Carnegie Hill for nearly 15 years, and served on the board of her Coop for a few years after first moving into the neighborhood - on 90th Street between Lex and 3rd Aves. - from the west side. Her two sons attended the La Scuola Italian school on East 96th St, for their early school years. They are now in public high schools (ages 15 and 16).
Ms. Golluscio is not a politician and this would be her first campaign; she’s spent her career in the high tech (software) industry. Most recently, she was a Managing Vice President at Gartner, leading the team of research analysts who advise clients on their software design & development strategies. She started at Gartner as a Research Analyst in 2015, covering application architecture and integration topics.
Prior to that, she held a variety of roles in product management, marketing and sales in early-stage software start-ups, experiencing a wide variety of opportunities and challenges, e.g. helping raise VC funding, launching new products, working abroad to integrate newly acquired businesses, an IPO, etc. She’s lived and worked in Australia, Ireland, and Italy.
Ms. Golluscio’s completed dozens of marathons, half marathons and triathlons, and is now a Crossfit enthusiast, so you’re likely to find her in Central Park or at the gym. She earned her engineering degree from Cornell, and her MBA from MIT Sloan.
ICF announced early this year that it issued a license for its third Institute. The new ICF Institute will be based in Atlantic Canada, in the city of Fredericton, New Brunswick at New Brunswick Community College. The new Canadian institute joins those established in Dublin, Ohio (USA) and Hsinchu, Taiwan to further promote the Intelligent Community Forum’s method for accelerating the growth of regions and states by transforming clusters of cities and towns into economically robust and socially stable “Intelligent Communities.” Dr. Simon Potter, the Director for the College Office of Research Enterprise at New Brunswick Community College discusses the importance of the new Institute, how he hopes it will increase innovation and collaboration throughout the region and why New Brunswick was chosen as the site of Canada’s first ICF Institute. Dr. Simon Potter joined NBCC’s research office with extensive experience in biomaterials, composites, forestry, precision health and genetics applied research. He is responsible for NBCC’s overarching research program which, based on its exceptional strength and depth in ICT, is now expanding into new areas such as agriculture, precision health, and educational and accessibility research. Simon holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology from the University of Edinburgh, a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the University of Bath and has built a global reputation in the implementation of large-scale research initiatives in Canada and Australia.
A NY tech exec and mother decides to serve her community by running for office in one of the most high-profile districts in Manhattan. Elizabeth Golluscio looked at her city’s $106 billion budget and found that there was limited transparency on how decisions were being made. She looked at challenges like unlicensed E-bikes (part of the 56,000 deliveries of food in NYC each day!) and met with Police and found a basement in the precinct full of them. She got a sense of what was happening with local crime and safety. Then she did what people who want answers from their local government and know they can do better often do: she ran for office. She used social media against an incumbent whose party dominates the city. (Oh, and in between she attended ICF’s Top7 Reception to find out what Intelligent Communities can teach.) Listen to her talk frankly about the experience.
Elizabeth Golluscio has lived in Carnegie Hill for nearly 15 years, and served on the board of her Coop for a few years after first moving into the neighborhood - on 90th Street between Lex and 3rd Aves. - from the west side. Her two sons attended the La Scuola Italian school on East 96th St, for their early school years. They are now in public high schools (ages 15 and 16).
Ms. Golluscio is not a politician and this would be her first campaign; she’s spent her career in the high tech (software) industry. Most recently, she was a Managing Vice President at Gartner, leading the team of research analysts who advise clients on their software design & development strategies. She started at Gartner as a Research Analyst in 2015, covering application architecture and integration topics.
Prior to that, she held a variety of roles in product management, marketing and sales in early-stage software start-ups, experiencing a wide variety of opportunities and challenges, e.g. helping raise VC funding, launching new products, working abroad to integrate newly acquired businesses, an IPO, etc. She’s lived and worked in Australia, Ireland, and Italy.
Ms. Golluscio’s completed dozens of marathons, half marathons and triathlons, and is now a Crossfit enthusiast, so you’re likely to find her in Central Park or at the gym. She earned her engineering degree from Cornell, and her MBA from MIT Sloan.
How does a university become a key driver for starting, building and maintaining industry-academic partnerships for the benefit of the local economy? Durham College’s Chris Gillis shares how he develops successful partnerships and overcomes many of the obstacles that keep other communities from moving ahead on this vital piece of the economic puzzle.
In his current role, Chris is the college lead for applied research project development in the areas of electric, connected & autonomous vehicles, advance technologies and craft beer/beverage development.
Chris’ career of 35 years plus started after graduating from Dalhousie University and The Technical University of Nova Scotia with a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering. Chris worked in several manufacturing organizations with every increasing responsibility until leaving to start his own consulting company focusing on operational performance improvement, innovation and customer satisfaction.
For over 35 years he has worked with both private and public sector organizations, covering a wide variety of industries and sectors in Canada, the United States, Mexico and the United Kingdom, developing and implementingcustom solutions.
In this episode of The Intelligent Community, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla speaks with Amy Rowland, Award-Winning Novelist and Lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley.
Amy Rowland’s second novel, Inside the Wolf, was published by Algonquin in July 2023. She is also the author of The Transcriptionist (Algonquin 2014), which received the Addison M. Metcalf Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Amy is the recipient of fellowships and residencies from the National Endowment for the Arts, the MacDowell Colony, the Norman Mailer Center, and the Sewanee Writers Conference. Her work has been published or is forthcoming in The New York Times, The Southern Review, The Iowa Review, Lit Hub, New Letters and elsewhere. Amy is a former editor at The New York Times Book Review and she teaches at UC Berkeley.
In this episode of The Intelligent Community, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla speaks with Amy Rowland, Award-Winning Novelist and Lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley.
Amy Rowland’s second novel, Inside the Wolf, was published by Algonquin in July 2023. She is also the author of The Transcriptionist (Algonquin 2014), which received the Addison M. Metcalf Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Amy is the recipient of fellowships and residencies from the National Endowment for the Arts, the MacDowell Colony, the Norman Mailer Center, and the Sewanee Writers Conference. Her work has been published or is forthcoming in The New York Times, The Southern Review, The Iowa Review, Lit Hub, New Letters and elsewhere. Amy is a former editor at The New York Times Book Review and she teaches at UC Berkeley.
In this episode of The Intelligent Community, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla speaks further with Karl Grossman, Journalist, Host of the Enviro Close-Up TV program and Professor of Journalism at SUNY at Old Westbury. They continue their discussion on the changing landscape of journalism, particularly at the local level.
Karl Grossman has specialized in doing investigative reporting in a variety of media for more than 50 years. He teaches as well as practices journalism. He is a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York Old Westbury, where his courses include Investigative Reporting and also Environmental Journalism. He began teaching at SUNY Old Westbury in 1978.
For over 32 years, he has hosted the nationally aired TV program Enviro Close-Up with Karl Grossman syndicated by Free Speech TV and broadcast in 40 states. He is the author of seven books, including Cover Up: What You Are Not Supposed to Know About Nuclear Power, Power Crazy, The Wrong Stuff: The Space Program’s Nuclear Threat to Our Planet and Weapons in Space.
He is active in doing investigative reporting on the Internet, writing regularly on CounterPunch, NationofChange and OpEd News. And he writes for the local press on Long Island. His weekly column appears in newspapers on Long Island including The Southampton Press, The East Hampton Press, The Shelter Island Reporter, The Sag Harbor Express, Community Journal, the South Shore Press and on Long Island news websites including Smithtown Matters.
Honors he has received for journalism include the George Polk, Generoso Pope, James Aronson, Leo Goodman and John Peter Zenger Awards. His articles have also appeared in publications including The New York Times, USA Today, The Boston Globe, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Christian Science Monitor, Newsday, The Baltimore Sun, Cleveland Plain Dealer, The Progressive, The Orlando Sentinel, Village Voice, Common Cause Magazine, In These Times, The Montreal Mirror, The Boston Phoenix, Space News, The San Francisco Bay Guardian, Columbia Journalism Review, The Globe and Mail and The Miami Herald.
In this episode of The Intelligent Community, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla speaks with Karl Grossman, Journalist, Host of the Enviro Close-Up TV program and Professor of Journalism at SUNY at Old Westbury. They discuss the changing landscape of journalism, particularly at the local level, and what may be in store for news reporting in the future.
Karl Grossman has specialized in doing investigative reporting in a variety of media for more than 50 years. He teaches as well as practices journalism. He is a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York Old Westbury, where his courses include Investigative Reporting and also Environmental Journalism. He began teaching at SUNY Old Westbury in 1978. For over 32 years, he has hosted the nationally aired TV program Enviro Close-Up with Karl Grossman syndicated by Free Speech TV and broadcast in 40 states. He is the author of seven books, including Cover Up: What You Are Not Supposed to Know About Nuclear Power, Power Crazy, The Wrong Stuff: The Space Program’s Nuclear Threat to Our Planet and Weapons in Space. He is active in doing investigative reporting on the Internet, writing regularly on CounterPunch, NationofChange and OpEd News. And he writes for the local press on Long Island. His weekly column appears in newspapers on Long Island including The Southampton Press, The East Hampton Press, The Shelter Island Reporter, The Sag Harbor Express, Community Journal, the South Shore Press and on Long Island news websites including Smithtown Matters. Honors he has received for journalism include the George Polk, Generoso Pope, James Aronson, Leo Goodman and John Peter Zenger Awards. His articles have also appeared in publications including The New York Times, USA Today, The Boston Globe, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Christian Science Monitor, Newsday, The Baltimore Sun, Cleveland Plain Dealer, The Progressive, The Orlando Sentinel, Village Voice, Common Cause Magazine, In These Times, The Montreal Mirror, The Boston Phoenix, Space News, The San Francisco Bay Guardian, Columbia Journalism Review, The Globe and Mail and The Miami Herald.
In this episode of The Intelligent Community, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla speaks further with José Roberto Lagunes Trejo, Research and Strategy Lead at Mexico City’s Fundación Hogares. They discuss trust and how a social index the Fundación has created is helping repair the social fabric in Mexican communities.
José Roberto Lagunes Trejo is an architect and urban designer from Veracruz, Mexico, who works on the intersection between urban design practice and community development. Since 2018, he has worked in Fundación Hogares, a non-profit organization based in Mexico City that promotes participation in social housing territories. Their projects strive for building capacity in communities so that citizens become agents in co-designing strategies for the transformation of their environment. Aside from his work within the foundation, José Roberto teaches Architectural Design and Urban Sociology at Anahuac University Mexico and is an experienced speaker at national and international conferences. He participated in the Urban Future Young Leaders programme in 2022, in Helsingborg, Sweden, and is one of the founding members of the Young Leaders Academy, a value-driven education and consulting collective created for the next generation of change-makers that hosted its first educational programme this June in Stuttgart, Germany. He considers himself a life enthusiast and is interested in reducing inequalities through his work towards a more sustainable future for all.
In this episode of The Intelligent Community, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla speaks with José Roberto Lagunes Trejo, Research and Strategy Lead at Mexico City’s Fundación Hogares. They discuss the method used by José Roberto's organization to reinvigorate rundown neighborhoods and build trust among citizens in places where mistrust and fear have become embedded.
José Roberto Lagunes Trejo is an architect and urban designer from Veracruz, Mexico, who works on the intersection between urban design practice and community development. Since 2018, he has worked in Fundación Hogares, a non-profit organization based in Mexico City that promotes participation in social housing territories. Their projects strive for building capacity in communities so that citizens become agents in co-designing strategies for the transformation of their environment. Aside from his work within the foundation, José Roberto teaches Architectural Design and Urban Sociology at Anahuac University Mexico and is an experienced speaker at national and international conferences. He participated in the Urban Future Young Leaders programme in 2022, in Helsingborg, Sweden, and is one of the founding members of the Young Leaders Academy, a value-driven education and consulting collective created for the next generation of change-makers that hosted its first educational programme this June in Stuttgart, Germany. He considers himself a life enthusiast and is interested in reducing inequalities through his work towards a more sustainable future for all.
When you watch ICF’s videos on Youtube, what you see publicly are representatives from a city celebrating when their city is named Intelligent Community of the Year. Sometimes, as in the case of the mayor of Espoo, Finland, you see tears of joy. Sometimes, you see Eindhoven representatives from The Netherlands donning red shirts in celebration or Columbus representatives from Ohio storming the stage behind their mayor like a football club.
What you do not see is the incredibly hard work done by a group of people from around the world to analyze the information from these cities, assess it and judge them for you, the world’s media and other aspiring places. They are the ICF Analysts and Jurors, the heart and soul – and the brains – of the ICF Awards program.
In Part 2 of this podcast series, ICF co-founder Lou Zacharilla speaks further with 6 of them to collect their memories, thoughts and advice for cities around the world as ICF heads toward naming a successor to New Taipei City as the 2023 Intelligent Community of the Year next week.
You'll hear from:
- Moez Chaabouni, Managing Partner and Chief Revenue Officer at Summit Technologies LLC and Chair of the ICF Jury
- Bill Coleman, Owner of Community Technology Advisors
- Professor Shirley Fenton, Research Associate, CSG at the University of Waterloo, VP of the National Institutes of Health Informatics and Co-Founder of Waterloo MedTech
- Dr. Jay Edwin Gillette, Professor Emeritus of Information and Communication Sciences and Senior Research Fellow at Ball State University's Center for Information and Communication Sciences
- Dr. Norman Jacknis, Professor of Practice, Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Northeastern University and ICF Senior Fellow
- Gordon Kennedy, Director at Clearbluewater 2.0 Ltd.
When you watch ICF’s videos on Youtube, what you see publicly are representatives from a city celebrating when their city is named Intelligent Community of the Year. Sometimes, as in the case of the mayor of Espoo, Finland, you see tears of joy. Sometimes, you see Eindhoven, The Netherlands representatives donning red shirts in celebration or Columbus, Ohio representatives storming the stage behind their mayor like a football club.
What you do not see is the incredibly hard work done by a group of people from around the world to analyze the information from these cities, assess it and judge them for you, the world’s media and other aspiring places. They are the ICF Analysts and Jurors, the heart and soul – and the brains – of the ICF Awards program.
In this podcast, ICF co-founder Lou Zacharilla speaks with some of them to collect their memories, thoughts and advice for cities around the world as ICF heads toward naming a successor to New Taipei City as the 2023 Intelligent Community of the Year this October.
You'll hear from:
- Moez Chaabouni, Managing Partner and Chief Revenue Officer at Summit Technologies LLC and Chair of the ICF Jury
- Bill Coleman, Owner of Community Technology Advisors
- Professor Shirley Fenton, Research Associate, CSG at the University of Waterloo, VP of the National Institutes of Health Informatics and Co-Founder of Waterloo MedTech
- Dr. Jay Edwin Gillette, Professor Emeritus of Information and Communication Sciences and Senior Research Fellow at Ball State University's Center for Information and Communication Sciences
- Dr. Norman Jacknis, Professor of Practice, Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Northeastern University and ICF Senior Fellow
- Gordon Kennedy, Director at Clearbluewater 2.0 Ltd.
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In this episode of The Intelligent Community, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla speaks with Idoia Postigo, Director General at Bilbao Metropoli-30. Idoia shares the story of how Bilbao recovered from industrial decline and revitalized itself into a city that won the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize in 2010.
Since the inception of the Association for the Revitalization of Metropolitan Bilbao (Bilbao Metropoli-30) in 1991, Idoia Postigo has been responsible for promoting and disseminating the revitalization plan and implementing its strategic actions. Making use of her 30 years of international experience in urban planning strategies, Idoia’s work has positioned the Association at the center of the metropolis’ urban development and an influencer of all the main actors responsible for it, especially public institutions and citizens. Idoia’s influence spans widely, as an active member of many local boards, societies and networks, including the Advisory Council of the Urban Agenda at Euskadi-Bultzatu 2050, the Bilbao-Bizkaia Action Group, and the Bilbao Port Community UNIPORT. She is also a published author, graduate in political sciences, international relations, psychology and organizational behaviour and – seeing interpersonal relationships as fundamental in her field – a teacher in training modules for Emotional Intelligence, Social Skills, Team Management and Motivation.
In part 2, Chairman and CEO of Toronto’s Institute Without Boundaries and now the Brookfield Sustainability Institute Luigi Ferrara talks about sustainability, why we are far away from it and what Brookfield is going to do to move it into the consciousness of communities.
Luigi Ferrara, Dean, Centre for Arts, Design and Information Technology, leads program development, partnerships and innovation centres that provide students with challenging and exciting real-world learning opportunities and position George Brown College as a key player on the global stage.
Luigi has also served as the Director of the Institute Without Boundaries, an academic program and studio aimed at solving real-world problems through design research and strategy with goals of social, ecological, and economic innovation. This has now been transformed into the Brookfield Sustainability Institute.
Luigi is the inaugural Chair and CEO of the Brookfield Sustainability Institute, a centre of excellence that will be housed at Limberlost Place, George Brown College’s net-zero carbon emissions mass-timber building that is set to open at Waterfront Campus in 2024. The Institute will focus on aligning the processes of digital transformation and sustainability for the benefit of communities everywhere, becoming a beacon for ‘smart sustainability’.
Luigi has devoted his career to advocating and practicing interdisciplinary design both in Canada and internationally, working on the relationship between architecture, urban design, sustainability, digital transformation, strategy, and design thinking. He continues to take on professional design projects every year and lends his expertise to several boards and associations while showcasing his talent and knowledge through exhibitions, publications, and lectures.
Luigi Ferrara is a graduate with distinction in the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Toronto. He worked for the internationally recognized firm Stirling/Wilford Associates, and locally with Peter Turner Architects, Paul Reuber Architect and Russocki/Zawadzki Architects. Luigi is an Honorary Member of the Association of Chartered Industrial Designers of Ontario and a former president and current senator of the World Design Organization (formerly the International Council of the Societies of Industrial Design), the UN-recognized NGO for Design (formerly the International Council of the Societies of Industrial Design). Luigi is also the Chair of the Board for the McLuhan Foundation on Media Literacy.
Chairman and CEO of Toronto’s Institute Without Boundaries and now the Brookfield Sustainability Institute Luigi Ferrara dives deep into how cities are being rebuilt and redesigned for sustainability and why Europe and Asia lead North American communities in this important area.
In this episode of The Intelligent Community, ICF co-founder Lou Zacharilla speaks with Craig Taylor, best-selling author of Londoners and, most recently, New Yorkers: A City and its People in Our Time. To tell the story of New York City post-9/11 and COVID, Craig lived in New York City for over 5 years and immersed himself in the city's extraordinary soup. New Yorkers is a series of interviews with 200 people from every class, race and corner of the city. Craig came away amazed at The Big Apple and says, "A New York life well lived is an accomplishment like no other."
Craig Taylor is a Canadian-born author of four books: New Yorkers, Londoners, One Million Tiny Plays About Britain and Return to Akenfield. He has written multiple reviews for the New York Times Book Review and also serves as an editor for Five Dials, a magazine published by Hamish Hamilton, an imprint of Penguin Books. Five Dials features new fiction, poetry, illustrations, reportage, long interviews, very short interviews, dispatches from London and abroad, ads, ads that don’t look like ads, and archival work culled from the Hamish Hamilton backlist and, sometimes, the deep Penguin archives. You can learn more about Craig and his work at https://craigdtaylor.com.
In this episode of The Intelligent Community, ICF co-founder Lou Zacharilla speaks with Krista Nightengale, Executive Director at the Better Block Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to showing communities how to build a more walkable, bikeable, liveable innovation district to attract talent.
Krista Nightengale is the Executive Director of the Better Block Foundation. She began her career at the city magazine in Dallas where she served as Managing Editor, Executive Director of a leadership group aimed at empowering citizens to take action, and Executive Director of a literacy nonprofit that united the city in reading together. She then served as Chief of Staff of the Coalition for a New Dallas, an advocacy organization aimed at reconnecting neighborhoods. Krista then helped launch Dallas Innovates, a news site that promotes Dallas-Fort Worth as a hub of innovation. While covering the city, Krista became intrigued by the built environment. She joined the Better Block Foundation to help with its growth, spread its story, and make the world a little better by showing communities how wonderful walkable/bikeable districts are. So far, she has worked with 75 cities around the world.
Krista was named to the Dallas Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 2022, is an AIA Dallas and TxA Honorary Member, a graduate of 2016 Leadership Texas and was a core team member working with United Way on #GivingTuesday. She writes pieces for various outlets including D Magazine, the Dallas Morning News, Dallas Innovates, and others. She is appointed to the Comprehensive Land Use Plan Committee for Dallas, is a steering committee member for Big D Reads 2022, board member of Philanthropy Kids, past president of the Dallas Center for Architecture, former AIA board member, City Lab High School Foundation board member, a member of the Communities Foundation of Texas Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy, a former TEDxSMU steering committee member, former Dallas Police Department Community Advisory Board, former executive board member of the New Leaders Council, and former member of the Dallas Commission on Homelessness. She often appears as a panelist or moderator discussing urban design, politics, housing issues, and activism. She was named to DCEO's 500 in 2022 and 2023.
Dr. Katelyn Jetelina is one of America’s most trusted epidemiologists. She publishes Your Local Epidemiologist, a widely read website and newsletter covering a range of public health issues that translates evolving science into readable language for the general public. In this episode of The Intelligent Community, she discusses information integrity and the politics of COVID in places as diverse as New York and Florida.
Katelyn Jetelina, MPH PhD is an epidemiologist, data scientist and internationally renowned scientific communicator. She is the Director of Population Health Analytics, a nonprofit, non-partisan health policy think tank. She is also a Senior Scientific Advisor to a number of government and non-profit agencies, including the White House, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Resolve to Save Lives and Make-A-Wish Foundation. On the side, Dr. Jetelina is the publisher of Your Local Epidemiologist – a public health newsletter that “translates” ever-evolving science to the general public, which has reached over 300 million views. Dr. Jetelina has received 3 national awards for her work, including National Academies of Science and a medal of honor from the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Emergency Management and Medical Operations, Field Operations, and Response. Katelyn resides in San Diego, California with her husband and two toddlers.
Now that COVID is no longer a global pandemic, what is it? And what is the lesson communities learned over the past 3 years? In this episode of The Intelligent Community, ICF co-founder Lou Zacharilla speaks with Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, Director of Population Health Analytics, to learn these answers and more.
Katelyn Jetelina, MPH PhD is an epidemiologist, data scientist and internationally renowned scientific communicator. She is the Director of Population Health Analytics, a nonprofit, non-partisan health policy think tank. She is also a Senior Scientific Advisor to a number of government and non-profit agencies, including the White House, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Resolve to Save Lives and Make-A-Wish Foundation. On the side, Dr. Jetelina is the publisher of Your Local Epidemiologist – a public health newsletter that “translates” ever-evolving science to the general public, which has reached over 300 million views. Dr. Jetelina has received 3 national awards for her work, including National Academies of Science and a medal of honor from the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Emergency Management and Medical Operations, Field Operations, and Response. Katelyn resides in San Diego, California with her husband and two toddlers.
Connectivity by itself adds little value – it is what people do with it that counts. Learn from communities that have leveraged their broadband assets for business retention and attraction, market differentiation, talent attraction for remote work and regional partnerships.
Speakers Include:
- Tiffany Bower, Project Officer, Economic Development - Future Industries, Sunshine Coast, QLD, Australia
- Ron Gaudet, President, Gaudet & Associates
- Rose Klukas, Economic Development Officer, City of Campbell, BC, Canada
- Sindy Yeh, Senior Business Ambassador, Arlington Economic Development (Virginia, USA)
- John Jung, Co-Founder, Intelligent Community Forum (Moderator)
ICF Co-Founders Robert Bell, John Jung and Lou Zacharilla discuss current issues relating to broadband connectivity in our communities.
In this special edition of The Intelligent Community, Lou Zacharilla is joined by ICF Co-Founder John G. Jung, to discuss Jung's book "Black Rock."
Black Rock is available now and can be purchased here: https://www.amazon.com/Black-Rock-John-G-Jung-ebook/dp/B0B75GJMKY
Part 2 of 2.
In this special edition of The Intelligent Community, Lou Zacharilla is joined by ICF Co-Founder John G. Jung, to discuss Jung's book "Black Rock." Black Rock is available now and can be purchased here: https://www.amazon.com/Black-Rock-John-G-Jung-ebook/dp/B0B75GJMKY Part 1 of 2.
In this episode, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla looks ahead to the upcoming ICF Summit, and we look at a community in Southwest Florida that withstood Hurricane Ian's wrath.
Alex Pang is the global programs and research manager for 4 Day Week Global, a nonprofit devoted to advancing the 4-day week. He also offers keynotes about deliberate rest through my own company, Strategy and Rest. His work has been written about in the New York Times, the New Yorker, the Financial Times, the Guardian, and other venues.
Alex Pang is the global programs and research manager for 4 Day Week Global, a nonprofit devoted to advancing the 4-day week. He also offers keynotes about deliberate rest through my own company, Strategy and Rest. His work has been written about in the New York Times, the New Yorker, the Financial Times, the Guardian, and other venues.
Mel Horwitch is a Visiting Scholar at the MIT Sloan School of Management. He was formerly University Professor at Central European University, Dean of CEU Business School, and Director of CEUBS’ Innovation and Entrepreneurship Project, all located in Budapest, Hungary. He has published and taught extensively on technology strategy, global innovation, and modern entrepreneurship, most recently with regard to the analytics/data science and emerging-economy opportunities. He served as a US Peace Corps Volunteer in Thailand.
ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla gives a keynote address on the Intelligent Community movement. Recorded at the Top7 Conference in Binh Duong, Vietnam.
We continue our Leadership series by looking at an issue facing many communities, particularly in the US - Policing. First, we speak with an LA Times crime reporter about some of the issues that face the large city, and then we speak with representatives from two intelligent communities to learn their solutions.
Continuing in our Leadership in Unconventional Times series, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla is joined by Dr. Peter Williams.
Dr. Williams is Chair of ARISE-US, part of ARISE Global Network, the UN DRR's vehicle for public-private collaboration in disaster risk reduction. He was also the lead author of the UN City Disaster Resilience Scorecard, now used by over 330 cities globally, and a further Scorecard for the resilience of industrial and commercial buildings. He retired from IBM as a Distinguished Engineer in 2018.
In this episode, we speak with Dan Circelli of Windsor about the trucker convoy protests that took place in early 2022 in Canada, as well as US Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton about the events of January 6, 2021 and Washington DC's movement towards statehood.
The City of Kyiv’s IT Department has reconfigured its city apps to provide citizens with a range of services, including finding bomb shelters and medicines, to a quality of life despite the threat of bombardment and terror. In this episode, city leaders join together to discuss this extraordinary approach.
Speakers for this episode include: Vera Bergengruen, Washington Correspondent at Time Magazine; Martin Männil, Chief Information Officer, City of Tallinn, Estonia; Moez Chaabouni, ICF Juror Chairman and former CIO of Columbus, Ohio; and Tyler Gooch, Director of Innovation & Technology, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
The pandemic revealed the essential role of broadband today. It also exposed as never before the dire consequences of the digital divide and the explosive impact of social media in spreading misinformation, fear and outrage. Panelists discuss what the pandemic has taught them about making broadband access more equitable and managing its downsides.
Leaders of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg and the Carter Center in Atlanta share lessons about how parties locked in conflicts can find a path to reconciliation and a new future. * Stacia George, M.A., Director, Conflict Resolution Program, The Carter Center * Isha Khan, CEO, Canadian Museum of Human Rights * Lou Zacharilla, Co-Founder, Intelligent Community Forum (Moderator)
Taoyuan has kicked off an exciting initiative “She smart Taoyuan”, further in collaborating with gender perspective into city and policy design and celebrating what women have accomplished in this field.
Learn more in this conversation with Director Karen Yu of the Taoyuan City Department of Information Technology.
A discussion on education, healthcare, and the idea of what a “community” will be in 2031 - and how these changes have been accelerated during the time of COVID-19. With guests Joost Helms, Director, Eindhoven International Project Office and Dr. Rick Huijbregts, Vice-President, Strategy & Innovation, George Brown College.
What do Intelligent Communities know that others do not? Intelligent Communities like Espoo (Finland), Dublin (Ohio, USA), Eindhoven (The Netherlands), Tallinn (Estonia) and the current Intelligent Community of the Year, Winnipeg (Manitoba, Canada) are no longer just “smart cities.” They have gone at least one level higher. In our Moment of Truth podcast series, we ask them when they realized that they had gone from “smart city” to Intelligent Community, and what exactly it means to them. We also ask how they managed to get there.
Dan Mathieson is in his fifth term as Mayor and has sat on municipal council since 1995. During his tenure Dan has been a member on numerous boards and committees in healthcare, municipal affairs, law enforcement, athletics, not-for-profits, universities and colleges.
In his new book, Me and Telecommunications, Mr. Sangin, who before 9/11 had been living outside of Afghanistan (courtesy of the Taliban) and is once again in 2021 living outside it, has chronicled his life and the struggles of his nation. He played a key role in that nation’s advances, having returned in 2002 to build a telecommunications infrastructure that connected the nation, enabled rare democratic elections and made it so that women and kids could surf the Web and learn about the world around them. He also made it possible for every Afghanistan resident to have a cell phone (there are multiple carriers today in Afghanistan) and ended forever the embarrassing situation which found Afghans having to go to Pakistan to make a phone call!
He has much to say about the Taliban and the current situation. Some positive and some negative; all of it fascinating and honest. He is a genuine patriot who loves his country and is insistent that someday, if the new government allows it, he will go back. He says without hesitation that, right now, the telecommunications system, which had continued to grow and digitize when he was there, has become stagnant. “No new fiber is planned or being run.” It is stagnant and the $1.5B in investment revenue his ministry brought to the nation is a memory. Investment has stopped. “But the war is over,” he says. And that is good for Afghans.
Mr. Sangin sat for an exclusive interview with ICF in late 2020, and you can hear it now.
In his new book, Me and Telecommunications, Mr. Sangin, who before 9/11 had been living outside of Afghanistan (courtesy of the Taliban) and is once again in 2021 living outside it, has chronicled his life and the struggles of his nation. He played a key role in that nation’s advances, having returned in 2002 to build a telecommunications infrastructure that connected the nation, enabled rare democratic elections and made it so that women and kids could surf the Web and learn about the world around them. He also made it possible for every Afghanistan resident to have a cell phone (there are multiple carriers today in Afghanistan) and ended forever the embarrassing situation which found Afghans having to go to Pakistan to make a phone call!
He has much to say about the Taliban and the current situation. Some positive and some negative; all of it fascinating and honest. He is a genuine patriot who loves his country and is insistent that someday, if the new government allows it, he will go back. He says without hesitation that, right now, the telecommunications system, which had continued to grow and digitize when he was there, has become stagnant. “No new fiber is planned or being run.” It is stagnant and the $1.5B in investment revenue his ministry brought to the nation is a memory. Investment has stopped. “But the war is over,” he says. And that is good for Afghans.
Mr. Sangin sat for an exclusive interview with ICF in late 2020, and you can hear it now.
Economic developers from municipalities and counties discuss the changing nature of investment attraction, business stimulation and support, and the collaboration with other agencies and sectors needed to develop the economy of an Intelligent Community in a world being restructured by digital technologies.
Speakers include:
- Jason Bechtold, Assistant City Manager, City of Westerville, Ohio, USA
- Joost Helms, Co-Director, Binh Doung Smart City Office; Director, Eindhoven International Projects Office
- Dayna Spiring, President and CEO, Economic Development Winnipeg
- Jim Stifler, Chief Economic Officer, Hudson, Ohio, USA
- John Jung, Co-Founder, Intelligent Community Forum (Moderator)
In this freewheeling conversation, municipal CIOs and IT experts discuss the challenges of deploying reliable and secure information technology systems to support operations, deliver services and improve decision-making – within the limits of municipal budgets. They explore the opportunities to expand capabilities and reduce costs provided by the latest technology developments.
Speakers include:
- Paul Leedham, CIO, City of Hudson, Ohio, USA
- Doug McCollough, CEO, Color Coded Labs and CIO, City of Dublin, Ohio, USA
- Moez Chaabouni, Managing Partner and Chief Revenue Officer, Summit Technologies LLC (Moderator)
Winnipeg is the capital of the Canadian province of Manitoba, located in the center of the North American continent. Winnipeg’s economy is dominated by agriculture, energy, manufacturing and a growing tech scene. Over the past decade, the city has built a new economic foundation by connecting industry, education and a rising technology sector. Winnipeg’s digital transformation began when local business leaders, frustrated by poor broadband service, established the Manitoba Internet Exchange to attract internet service providers and reduce their operating costs. Today, it has seen major investments in greater connectivity by private sector companies including a $400 million investment by Bell MTS for all-fiber connections across Winnipeg. Strong collaborations with universities, community colleges and major employers have created everything from large fabrication labs to digital equipment upgrades and micro-credential workshops that generate new products, new companies, and new jobs. Innovation centers conduct joint research and development projects with global impact across major industries from agriculture and life sciences to transportation and distribution. Digital inclusion begins with the public library system and continues through valuable community programs that use digital technology to provide economic opportunities for Indigenous communities and foster greater understanding. Balancing tradition and ambition, Winnipeg keeps building a high-potential future for its people.
Peter Torrellas is the vice president and partner for Digital Cities and Infrastructure at Siemens Advanta, the digital transformation consultancy and professional services arm of the global technology powerhouse. In this role, he leads a team of diverse innovators and visionaries in consulting, professional services, solutions, and software development to enable the vision of our public and private sector clients on their digital journeys.
In this episode of The Intelligent Community, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla speaks with Dublin, Ohio CIO Doug McCollough about how social media can be used not only to communicate with citizens, but to measure sentiment and learn about current demeanor in your communities.
ICF Co-Founder Robert Bell speaks with Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger about the challenges of leading his community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Featuring clips of mayors from Canada, the United States, and Australia. Learn more at www.intelligentcommunity.org
Lisa Wolf MSW, LCSW is a practicing psychotherapist with offices in Bridgehampton, NY & Manhattan, additionally she sees patients from all over the world via Zoom. She has worked extensively with anxiety and depressive disorders, couples’ issues, addiction and recovery. Her experience includes work on hospital inpatient psychiatry units as well as inpatient and outpatient addiction rehab centers. Lisa is the author of a monthly column Thoughts From a Therapist that appears in The Southampton Press, East Hampton Press, Sag Harbor Express and online at 27east.com. Her website is lisawolftherapy.com
In this episode of The Intelligent Community, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla speaks with Professor Jennifer Sherman of Washington State University about rural inequality, what the American Dream now looks like, social interactions and how they've changed over the past 18 months, and more.
Professor Sherman's research looks at the interactions of economic conditions, cultural norms, gender, and family outcomes, particularly in rural areas. She has a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.
In this special edition of The Intelligent Community, co-founder John Jung reflects on his time meeting Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.
In this series with mayors, police chiefs and other leading thinkers on the topic of policing and collaborative leadership, we ask how Intelligent Communities are responding to the issue and what advantages and best practices they might offer others. We continue our series with a discussion with two representatives from Surrey, BC, Canada: Terry Waterhouse, General Manager of Public Safety and Sean Simpson, Director of Information Technology.
For more information on Surrey, click here: https://www.intelligentcommunity.org/surrey_british_columbia
In this series with mayors, police chiefs and other leading thinkers on the topic of policing and collaborative leadership, we ask how Intelligent Communities are responding to the issue and what advantages and best practices they might offer others.
We begin with an overview of the topic through a discussion with Mayor Dan Mathieson, of Stratford, Canada, a multi-time Top7 Intelligent Community. He discusses how his award-winning community tackles the issue and uses technology to further enhance policing.
Innovation. It’s a popular, misunderstood and kind of squishy term that nonetheless plays a big role in today’s world. A Google search on it will earn you 1.65 billion hits.
There’s a reason for that. Economist Robert Solow won the Nobel Prize more than 30 years ago for proving, for the first time, that 80% of all growth in the economy comes from the introduction or use of new technology. So, if you are engaged in creating or putting to use a new way of doing things, you have a shot at your share of 80% of growth. If you are devoted to doing the same old things, you can hope for a share of the 20%. Which would you rather have?
The biggest things in the world started small. Today, all the attention goes to the big, “superstar” cities where most technology jobs are being created. But in the digital age, “big” is no longer the requirement. The real need is for connection and skills, strategy and talent, a great quality of life in a place where people put down deep roots. A neighborhood, town or modest-size city with the right strategy and leadership can thrive and grow in ways that were impossible two decades ago. In the digital age, they can grow their economies, societies and culture in connection with the rest of the world for generations to come. Speakers offer examples of successful strategies and share their best development practices.
Speakers Include:
- Roberto Gallardo, Assistant Director, Purdue Center for Regional Development
- Mayor Allan Thompson, Caledon, Ontario, Canada
- Jim Yount, Co-Owner, Small Town Tech
- Bill Coleman, Principal, Community Technology Advisors (Moderator)
Tiit Terik has been Chairman of the Tallinn City Council since 2019, having first been elected to the Council in 2009. Previously a member of the Estonian Parliament and a City District Governor of two legislative districts, he serves as Chairman of the Board of the Association of Estonian Cities and Municipalities, Vice President of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions, and is a member of the European Committee of the Regions.
In this video, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla discusses COVID-19 and Taiwan with Ema Hsieh, Director of the ICF Institute in Taiwan. Beginning in 1989, Li Wen (Ema) Hsieh has worked for the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI); one of Taiwan’s most important research organizations. She held several significant positions during her career here, including Head of PR, Project Manager in Latin America, and the New Business Director of the Technology Center for Service Industries. After her retirement from ITRI in 2013, she was invited to be an advisor to the Joint Innovation Center of the Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Industry Association to assist the Taiwanese industry with expanding its sales to Latin America. In 2018, she joined the ICF Institute in Taiwan and is responsible for business development and marketing. She also has an extensive network with the smart city solution providers in Taiwan. Li Wen (Ema) Hsieh holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Chung Hua University, Taiwan.
In this video, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla discusses COVID-19 and rural China with expert Giulio Verdini Giulio Verdini is Reader at the School of Architecture and Cities of the University of Westminster and Course Leader of the BA Designing Cities: Planning and Architecture. He has spent six years in China as Lecturer and then Associate Professor in Urban Planning and Design at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU). Founder Co-Director of the XJTLU Research Institute of Urbanisation (2013 – 2016), he has been actively involved in research and action-research, mainly focused on urban governance and sustainable local development. In particular he has published on urban-rural linkages, urban regeneration and community involvement, urbanisation in China.
In this video, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla discusses COVID-19 with Tallinn, Estonia Head of City Office Toomas Sepp. Toomas Sepp, born in 1959 in Tartu, has worked as the administrative leader of Tallinn City Office since 1992 and has been actively involved in the process of administrative reform of local government in both in Estonia and Tallinn since then. Being graduated as a lawyer from Tartu State University, Mr Sepp started his public service career in the Ministry of Housing and Engineering of Estonia. Parallel to his present employment as a City Secretary of Tallinn, Mr Sepp has studied civil law and participated in a number of seminars on local government issues in Finland, Sweden, Denmark, U. K. and Canada. As a City Secretary Mr Sepp is the highest civil servant in Administration of Tallinn and his responsibilities cover management of Tallinn City Office and coordination of City’s human resource development, IT, finance, strategic development policy and legal affairs. Mr Sepp is actively involved in local government training programmes, lecturing both at home and abroad on public administration reform and new ICT solutions incl implementing e-services in local governance.
In this video, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla discusses COVID-19 with Dublin, Ohio City Manager Dana McDaniel. City Manager Dana McDaniel is the chief administrative and law enforcement officer of the City of Dublin, responsible to City Council for the day-to-day operations for the City. Other responsibilities include advising Council regarding the financial status and future needs of the City, reporting to Council on the general operating of City departments, divisions, offices, boards, commissions, bureaus and agencies, as well as exercising leadership in the development of City projects.
In this video, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla discusses COVID-19 with Dublin, Ohio CIO Doug McCollough. Doug is the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the City of Dublin, Ohio, where he leads initiatives in IT Innovation, Digital Experience, Smart City, Broadband, Intelligent Communities, and Blockchain. Dublin, Ohio has a growing reputation as a haven for technology oriented businesses interested in the collaboration opportunities between Smart Cities and the Private Sector. The City is innovating in the areas of Artificial Intelligence, Broadband, Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality, Connected and Autonomous Vehicles, Smart Mobility, Intelligent Transportation Systems, IoT, UAVs, and Automation. Through the Global Institute for the Study of the Intelligent Community and the Intelligent Communities Forum, Dublin reaches out to communities throughout the State of Ohio in an effort to establish the first Intelligent State with the Intelligent Communities Forum. The City partners with the 33 Innovation Corridor Council of Governments in the establishment of the 33 Smart Mobility Corridor for the testing of Connected and Autonomous Vehicles. Doug supports the Smart Columbus project (SMRT CBUS) through sitting on the Data Policy Workgroup of the Smart Columbus Operating System (SCOS). Is is a member of the National Advisory Board of Tech Corps, and the Advisory Board of Per Scholas Columbus. As a motivated advocate for extending the opportunities of the IT industry to the widest possible community of talent, Doug has spoken on the priorities of diversity, inclusion, workforce development, and opportunity with Columbus Women In Technology, and is Chair of the Planning Committee for the 2018 CIO Tomorrow Conference. He was honored with a C-Suite Award in 2017, and has spoken on numerous technical topics in Colorado, California, New York, Toronto, and Ohio.
Celeste Headlee is an award-winning journalist who has appeared on NPR, PBS World, PRI, CNN, BBC and other international networks. She was formerly a host at National Public Radio, anchoring shows including Tell Me More, Talk of the Nation, All Things Considered and Weekend Edition. For many years, Celeste has been a mentor and managing editor for NPR’s Next Generation Radio Project, training young reporters and editors in broadcasting.
Enactus Lambton was established on January 6th, 2012 by two faculty advisors, Jon Milos and Carly Vandenende, and Rob Kardas, then dean of Lambton College's School of Business. Since our inception, over 400 student members have collectively contributed more than 53,000 hours of volunteer time across 30 projects.
Our team's success can be attributed to forming early partnerships with various local social organizations and identifying unfulfilled needs in our community and communities abroad. The Enactus Lambton movement has become dedicated to creating renewed energy and revitalization in our community, inspiring a new passion for sustainable change.
In this episode of The Intelligent Community, Lou Zacharilla speaks with Hunter Newby of Newby Ventures and Chris Moon, Managing Director, Technology and Telecom Banking, for ING about financing a Smart City Neutral Network.
In this episode of The Intelligent Community, Lou Zacharilla discusses Eindhoven and The Smartest Neighborhood in the World with Peter Portheine of the Eindhoven International Project Office (EIPO).
In this episode of The Intelligent Community, Lou Zacharilla discusses Binh Duong Vietnam with Peter Portheine of the Eindhoven International Project Office (EIPO).
In this episode of The Intelligent Community, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla talks with Ema Hsieh about the upcoming Top7 Announcement in Taoyuan, Taiwan in February. Then, we go to last year's Summit to learn more about Taoyuan, the 2019 Intelligent Community of the Year.
Westerville is a northeastern suburb of Columbus, capital of the state of Ohio, and home to nearly 40,000 people. In 2007, the city began planning expansion of an existing government fiber network to support smart-grid applications. (Like many smaller US cities, it owns its own electric utility.) The planning process revealed a lack of affordable choices for broadband and data center services. That ultimately led City Council to found WeConnect: an underground fiber network connected to a community-owned data center and delivering 100 Gbps connectivity to municipal service providers, businesses, schools, the local university and research institutes.
On this episode of The Intelligent Community, ICF Director of Operations Matthew Owen speaks with Syd Kitson about Babcock Ranch, a Florida master-planned community built with sustainability and technology in mind.
In this episode of The Intelligent Community, Lou Zacharilla speaks with Dr. Guilio Verdini about a recent UNESCO report about culture and Chinese communities. Part 2 of a conversation with Dr. Verdini.
In this episode of The Intelligent Community, Lou Zacharilla speaks with Dr. Guilio Verdini about China, Calabria and the links between urban and rural communities. Part 1 of 2.
Mark Buckley is the current interim CIO for the City of Rochester, New York. He has worked in Information Technology for all of his 36-year career, including private industry with large companies like Eastman Kodak and United Technologies Corporation.
Meghan Cook is the Program Director for the Center for Technology in Government. She leads innovation initiatives that build capability in public sector organizations and agencies throughout the world. Through a unique and collaborative process, Meghan works side by side with international, federal, state and local government leaders to produce new knowledge and actionable results.
In this episode if The Intelligent Community, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla interviews Kevin Cohen of Viasat about satellites and how satellite and broadband connectivity provide rural citizens with opportunities to participate in the global economy without leaving the place they call home.
This is the last of a three-part series co-produced with Space & Satellite Professionals International and sponsored by ViaSat.
In this episode if The Intelligent Community, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla interviews Farmers Edge™ CEO Wade Barnes about satellites and how satellite and data-driven technologies help farmers run efficient operations while producing more food for a rapidly growing global population.
This is the second of a three-part series co-produced with Space & Satellite Professionals International and sponsored by ViaSat.
In this episode if The Intelligent Community, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla interviews Richard Baldridge, Dr. Norman Jacknis and Professor Roberto Gallardo about satellites and how satellite and broadband connectivity provide rural citizens with opportunities to participate in the global economy without leaving the place they call home.
This is the first of a three-part series co-produced with Space & Satellite Professionals International and sponsored by ViaSat.
Peter A. Baynes is Executive Director of the New York StateConference of Mayors and Municipal Officials (NYCOM), the membership association representing New York’s city and village governments. NYCOM has been in existence since 1910.
Mr. Baynes has been employed by NYCOM since 1985, having previously served as Legislative Analyst, Director of Intergovernmental Finance, and Deputy Director. He received a B.A.in History from Siena College and has taken Masters-level courses inHistory and Public Policy from the State University of New York at Albany.
The Sunshine Coast is located 100km north of Brisbane, and features commercial, residential and industrial precincts, as well as diverse landscapes from open coastline to green belts and pristine hinterland communities covering 2,291 square kilometers. The region continues to evolve into a modern, smart economy based on sound growth across numerous high value and knowledge-based industries including professional business services, innovative manufacturing and numerous high-tech start-ups. The Sunshine Coast is one of the largest local government areas in Australia and has averaged 2.5% annual growth over the last decade, making it one of the fastest growing areas in the country; with the population expected to grow to more than 500,000 people by 2041.
In this interview, ICF Co-Founder John Jung speaks with Sunshine Coast Mayor Mark Jamieson, Sunshine Coast Innovation Centre CEO Mark Paddenburg and Helimods Head of Strategic Engagement, Sandra Arico.
Sarnia is the largest city in Lambton County, which extends from the shores of Lake Huron in the north to the Lake St. Clair in the south. Nearly 60% of the county’s population is concentrated there, with the remaining 40% distributed across 2,800 square kilometers (695 sq mi) of the rest of the county. The sparsely populated county was, however, the site of North America’s first commercially drilled oil well. Petrochemical and refining industries are still its largest manufacturing and employment sector, and Sarnia-Lambton considers itself the center of the Great Lakes Industrial Corridor. The other mainstays of the economy are agriculture and tourism.
In this interview, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla speaks with Chris Gould of Bluewater Regional Network, Ron Van Horne, Chief Administrative Officer, Lambton County and Bill Weber, Warden, Lambton County Council.
The 22,000 people of Hudson live in a green stretch of the state of Ohio midway between the cities of Cleveland and Akron. Despite the major industrial disruptions of the last 40 years, the region is relatively prosperous. Its economy rests on a mix of manufacturing (polymers, automotive, fabricated metals, electrical and electronic parts and aerospace) and services (transportation, health, insurance, banking, finance and retail). Such name-brand companies as Goodyear, Bridgestone, FedEx, Lockheed Martin, Allstate Insurance and JP Morgan Chase have headquarters or major facilities there.
In this interview, ICF Co-Founder John Jung speaks with Hudson City Manager Jane Howington and Chief Economic Officer Jim Stifler.
Chicago, on the shores of Lake Michigan, is a global city of 2.7 million. It is the center of America’s third largest metro economy, which produces more than US$690 billion in gross regional product. Almost one-quarter of households had earnings exceeding US$100,000 in 2016, according to the US Census. Chicago companies employ over four million people, many of them at the more than 400 major corporations that have their headquarters there. In March 2018, its unemployment rate was an enviable 5.3 percent, nearly the lowest since the government started tracking it.
In this interview, ICF Co-Founder Robert Bell speaks with Chicago Chief Technology Officer and First Deputy Commissioner, Carleton Nolan.
Abbotsford is the largest city, outside Vancouver, in the province of British Columbia and is among the most diverse in Canada. The city borders the United States to the south and is part of the Vancouver metroplex, which has gifted it with both an independent economy and participation in the economic sphere of western Canada’s gateway city.
In this interview, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla speaks with Abbotsford Mayor Henry Braun and Abbotsford Economic Development Executive Director, Wendy Dupley.
Alex Pang, Ph.D., is the author of three books, including Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less and The Distraction Addiction. He has a Ph.D. in the history of science from the University of Pennsylvania. His work has appeared in Scientific American, The Atlantic Monthly, American Scholar, the Los Angeles Times, and many scholarly journals.
Melissa manages the Arts Programme at KWMC, which includes developing exhibitions, installations and artist residencies. Her work includes producing a wide range of digital, photographic and film projects, and exploring the role that the arts can play in business development, social action and regeneration.
Sébastien Gagnon, Vice President of Sales & Public Affairs at bciti is a recognized leader in the municipal world in municipal management and intergovernmental relations. He has more than 20 years of experience in intergovernmental relations, and has worked both in the public and private sectors. He has a Master’s Degree in Marketing, a Postgraduate Degree in Commerce and a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science with a concentration in International Relations.
Since joining IBM, Jean-François Barsoum has provided strategy advice to a diverse set of clients: financial institutions, higher education, professional associations, pharmaceutical companies and telecoms. He has also been invited to speak at conferences on the subjects of innovation, smarter transportation and climate change on four continents.
For the past decade, Jean-François has participated in numerous conferences on water and environmental management, led IBM's ties with some related research organisations and NGOs. He helped develop some core smarter cities concepts and has deepened IBM's involvement with several North American cities as a result.
He is among the few Canadians trained by Nobel Peace Prize Winner Al Gore, and regularly presents the material seen in the movie An Inconvenient Truth -- and subsequent scientific updates -- to audiences across Canada. He is on the board of the Climate Reality Project and of the Canadian Water Network, and is a member of the David Suzuki Foundation's steering committee. He is also a member of the Intelligent Transportation Experts' Committee, a forum initiated by the Quebec Association of Transportation (AQTr).
Wayne founded OurCalling in 2009 and serves as OurCalling’s Executive Director and Pastor. He has his master’s degree in Cross Cultural Ministry from Dallas Theological Seminary. As the founder and visionary for OurCalling, he champions and models its core cause, invites dialog and cooperates with other homeless-oriented service partners, and plans the organization’s programs and strategies for the present and future. Learn more about OurCalling at www.OurCalling.org
Sehl Mellouli is a professor at the department of Information Systems at Université Laval, Quebec City, Canada since June 2005. He obtained his Phd in Computer Science from Université Laval in 2005. He has an MBA in Management Information Systems from Université Laval. He is also an engineer in computer science from the Ecole Nationale des Sciences Informatiques, Tunis, Tunisia.
Danielle is CIO and Commissioner of the City of Chicago's Department of Innovation and Technology, where she is working to improve how residents interact with government by creating more responsive and accessible digital services.
Danielle brings over ten years experience in government tech, having served as the City’s CTO and leading data, digital inclusion, and other strategic initiatives. In 2016, Danielle and her team were recognized by the Chicago chapters of SIM and AITP as the Most Effective IT Team in a large company.
Prior to joining government, Danielle developed educational technology products at the McGraw-Hill Companies. She also worked in the Library and Archives field—serving educational and non-profit organizations to promote equitable access to and preservation of information resources.
Danielle holds a Master of Library and Information Science degree from the University of Maryland, College Park and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She lives in Chicago with her husband and daughter.
Rob McCann is the founder and President of Clearcable Networks. He has been working with advanced broadband service deployments in mid-market and rural cable and telephone systems since 1998 and is responsible for building and maintaining technical, network, and application intelligence.
Rob works closely with several carriers, cable systems, municipalities, and network service providers in Canada and the US providing them with the technology, integration, and business practices required to effectively operate voice, video, and data services in the changing broadband service provider industry. He has contributed to industry development as a former Director of the SCTE Ontario Chapter, a participant in CRTC Working Groups, and specification development efforts.
Rob holds a Bachelor of Mathematics degree from the University of Waterloo and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from McMaster University. By combining his practical experience in both traditional information technology and service provider networks with his formal background, Rob provides a unique perspective on matching emerging technology with sound business principles to establish successful strategies for new product and service deployment.
In this episode of The Intelligent Community, ICF Co-Founder speaks with Harout Chitilian, who served as a city councillor of Montreal when the city won the Intelligent Community of the Year Award in 2016.
On October 25, ICF will be announcing the Smart21 Communities of 2019 during an event taking place in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. ICF co-founder John Jung sits down with Lou Zacharilla to discuss the event, in this week's Intelligent Community podcast.
Also on the podcast, we feature an interview with Hamilton, to give you a sense of the community that is hosting the Smart21 announcement later this month.
The FutureScapes project is the brainchild of Rohit Talwar – a global futurist and founder of Fast Future Research. Rohit works with global business to help them understand and create the future, and is an award winning speaker noted for his provocative content. He advises global firms, industries and governments on how to survive, thrive, spot and manage emerging risks and develop innovative growth strategies in the decade ahead. His interests include the evolving role of technology in business and society, emerging markets, the future of education, sustainability and embedding foresight in organisations. Rohit helps clients understand how mega trends, emerging ideas, new business models, and disruptive developments in science and technology could impact individuals, society, business, industries and government. He currently leads studies on transformative drivers of change for the next decade, science and technology developments over the next forty years, impacts of emerging technologies on the legal sector, human enhancement and the Shadow Economy.
Margot James MP was appointed Minister of State for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in January 2018. Margot was previously Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy from July 2016 to January 2018. She was elected Conservative MP for Stourbridge in May 2010.
Today, we continue our series of episodes recorded at the 2018 ICF Global Summit, which took place in London. Our discussion was one with mayors of UK communities about the opportunities, obstacles, and processes of rising local sovereignty in the industrialized world's most centralized economy.
Moderated by Derek Wyatt, founder of Amber Digital Consultancy and one of the individuals most instrumental in bringing the Summit to the UK, the panel featured Mayor Peter Soulsby of Leicester and Mayor Tim Bowles of West of England.
A panel discussion exploring how the "datafication" of business and institutions is creating wholesale change in business economics, practices and employment, and how communities should prepare to respond.
Speakers Include:
- Marianne Archibald, CEO, Whanganui Chamber of Commerce
- Anders Broberg, Senior Advisor, Smart Cities, Stokab
- Juha Ala Mursula, Director of Economic Development, City of Oulu / BusinessOulu
- William Priest, Chief Executive, Geospatial Commission
- Rohit Talwar, CEO, Fast Future
A panel of government, university and technology experts debate the impact, potential and perils of Big Data and Open Data to introduce the theme of the Summit.
Speakers Include:
- Andrew Carter, CEO, Centre for Cities
- Roberto Gallardo, Assistant Director, Purdue Center for Regional Development
- Dr. Norman Jacknis, Senior Fellow, Intelligent Community Forum (Moderator)
- Michael Mulquin, President, Smart Cities Association; Acting Chair, IEC Smart Cities Systems Committee
- Liz Zeidler, CEO, Happy Cities
As a 25-year resident of Hudson, Jim Stifler has chosen to perform his encore career as the City of Hudson’s Chief Economic Officer. After a successful 33-year career as a Wall Street executive, Jim is able to showcase his extensive private sector experiences and use his strong ties in the community to move the City forward. In addition to attraction and retention, Jim provides strategic oversight to Hudson’s rapidly growing, city - owned, fiber-optic broadband business. Jim’s most gratifying work as Chief Economic Officer has been in conjunction with Hudson’s Chief Innovation Officer by leading the charge to become an Intelligent Community, and to expand and capitalize on the innovation bias Hudson is blessed to have. It was a tremendous boost to be named to the ICF’s Smart21 Intelligent Communities for 2018. To compliment all of these efforts Jim works with innovative start-ups and scale-ups that have qualified for mentoring support at JumpStart Inc. JumpStart is a public /private business acceleration program in Northeast Ohio, that is now 2 decades strong.
Kari Aina Eik is the Secretary General of the OiER – Organization for International Economic Relations, www.oier.pro , an international NGO and multi-stakeholder platform based in Vienna, Austria.
Ms. Eik is the Executive Director of the the USC (United Smart Cities) Program www.unitedsmartcities.org (lead by UNECE and OiER) and currently one of the leaders of the U4SSC United for Smart Sustainable Cities, https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-T/ssc/united/Pages/default.aspx focusing on the finance guideline deliverables.
Currently she is also working to develop the SDG Cities Leadership Platform https://www.ungsii.org/sdg-cities , a new global city initiative with the aim to bring 25+5 cities SDG aligned by 2025.
Kari Aina Eik is the Secretary General of the OiER – Organization for International Economic Relations, www.oier.pro , an international NGO and multi-stakeholder platform based in Vienna, Austria.
Ms. Eik is the Executive Director of the the USC (United Smart Cities) Program www.unitedsmartcities.org (lead by UNECE and OiER) and currently one of the leaders of the U4SSC United for Smart Sustainable Cities, https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-T/ssc/united/Pages/default.aspx focusing on the finance guideline deliverables.
Currently she is also working to develop the SDG Cities Leadership Platform https://www.ungsii.org/sdg-cities , a new global city initiative with the aim to bring 25+5 cities SDG aligned by 2025.
As COO for economic development and marketing, Ben Pole drives the strategic and operational direction of Economic Development, Smart Digital City, Marketing and Communications, Tourism and Events, and Media staff and resources for Queensland’s fastest growing city. He leads integrated programs and performance for one of Australia’s most successful destination marketing organisations to achieve key market advantage and new market success, with a particular focus on developing industry leading digital networks, multi-channel content marketing, and systematic change management. Previously, he served as Director of Strategy, Marketing and Communications at Gold Coast Tourism Corporation.
Ben holds a Master of Business Administration from RMIT University, Master of International Relations from Griffith University and Bachelor of Communications from Griffith University.
Juha Ala-Mursula is an experienced Economic Development Director with a demonstrated history of managing large organizations engaged in change in the public sector. With skills in product lifecycle management, embedded and open-source software, innovation management and mobile technologies, he oversees economic development in one of Finland’s leading technology centers. A graduate of the University of Oulu, he holds an MBA in international business from the Helsinki School of Economics.
On June 6, Espoo was named as the 2018 Intelligent Community of the Year. Prior to the Summit, and before knowing his community would be named Intelligent Community of the Year, Mayor Jukka Mäkelä spoke with Lou Zacharilla about Espoo.
Jukka Mäkelä was born in Espoo, Finland in 1960. In 2007 Mäkelä was elected as a Member of Parliament for the National Coalition Party. Mäkelä has been the Mayor of Espoo since the start of 2011. He has been involved in the local politics of Espoo as a City Counsellor since 1997, as Chair of the City Board years 2005–2008, and as Chair of the City Council 2009–2010. He gained a degree of Master of Science in Technology from the Helsinki University of Technology.
Roberto Gallardo is Assistant Director of the Purdue Center for Regional Development and a Purdue Extension Community & Regional Economics Specialist. He holds an electronics engineering undergraduate degree, a master's in economic development, and a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration. Gallardo has worked with rural communities over the past decade conducting local & regional community economic development, including use of technology for development.
He has authored more than 70 articles including peer-reviewed and news-related regarding rural trends, socioeconomic analysis, industrial clusters, the digital divide, and leveraging broadband applications for community economic development. He is also the author of the book “Responsive Countryside: The Digital Age & Rural Communities”, which highlights a 21st century community development model that helps rural communities transition to, plan for, and prosper in the digital age. Dr. Gallardo is a TEDx speaker and his work has been featured in a WIRED magazine article, a MIC.com documentary, and a RFDTV documentary. He lives in West Lafayette with his wife and two daughters.
Greg excels at relationship building, facilitating strategic partnerships, coordinating industry and sector initiatives, and forging substantive collaborations between the public and private sectors. Greg has been tasked with the development of strategic partnerships and alliances between communities and business sectors and is responsible for guiding the development of economic development strategies reflective of Winnipeg’s broad and diversified economy and manages north/south trade activities related to the Mid-Continent Trade Corridor. Greg holds director positions on a variety of bi-national and tri-national business development boards including the Canadian/American Border Trade Alliance (CAN/AM BTA) and NASCO (North American Strategy for Competitiveness). Greg has a Master’s Degree in City Planning from the University of Manitoba and has his Economic Development certification through the University of Waterloo.
Mayor Fred Eisenberger was born in Amsterdam and came to Canada with his family when he was eight years old, settling in Hamilton.
Fred is currently serving his second four-year term as mayor. Previously he served as a member of Hamilton council, as chair of the Hamilton Port Authority, and as president and chief executive of the Canadian Urban Institute, where he was involved in the development of leading-edge, progressive urban policy.
During Fred’s tenure as mayor, Hamilton was named by the Conference Board of Canada for having Canada’s most-diversified economy. In 2016 the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) named Hamilton as one of the World’s 21Smart communities, and in 2018 ICF named Hamilton one of the world’s Top7 Intelligent Communities. Hamilton’s transformation has been notable. A national advanced manufacturing hub, with burgeoning life sciences and food processing sectors; strong education and research institutions; and creative industries that are attracting new economic investment and vitality to the city.
Fred is focused on achieving continued growth and prosperity as well as protecting our environment. He was instrumental in landing a $1-billion Light Rail Transit initiative for Hamilton, for ensuring Syrian refugees were welcomed and settled in the city, and for putting forward a $50-million proposal to improve affordable housing and reduce poverty. Recently he was elected Chair of Intelligent Community Form Canada.
Dr. Norman Jacknis is currently Senior Fellow at the Intelligent Community Forum. His responsibilities include leading ICF’s Rural Imperative, building on the ideas he developed for the US Conference of Mayors on a future-oriented economic growth strategy for cities.
Before joining ICF, he was Director, Cisco’s IBSG Public Sector Group (the company’s open innovation and pro-bono strategic advisory group), where he worked extensively with states and local government, the National Association of Counties, the US Conference of Mayors and the staff responsible for the Federal government’s website and citizen engagement. In addition to citizen engagement, his focus was on economic growth, innovation, and the future of technology. Before Cisco, he was technology commissioner for Westchester County, New York, when it was one of ICF’s Top 7.
Dr. Norman Jacknis is currently Senior Fellow at the Intelligent Community Forum. His responsibilities include leading ICF’s Rural Imperative, building on the ideas he developed for the US Conference of Mayors on a future-oriented economic growth strategy for cities.
Before joining ICF, he was Director, Cisco’s IBSG Public Sector Group (the company’s open innovation and pro-bono strategic advisory group), where he worked extensively with states and local government, the National Association of Counties, the US Conference of Mayors and the staff responsible for the Federal government’s website and citizen engagement. In addition to citizen engagement, his focus was on economic growth, innovation, and the future of technology. Before Cisco, he was technology commissioner for Westchester County, New York, when it was one of ICF’s Top 7.
ICF Director of Operations Matthew Owen sits down with ICF Co-Founder John Jung for part 3 in this special series discussing 2018's Top7 Intelligent Communities of the Year. This week, Matt and John focus on Espoo, Finland and Tainan City, Taiwan.
John Jung will be visiting these two communities as part of the process to determine the 2018 Intelligent Community of the Year. The 2018 Intelligent Community of the Year will be named on June 6 at the ICF Global Summit in London. To learn more or to register for the Summit, visit www.icfsummit.com
ICF Director of Operations Matthew Owen sits down with ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla for part 2 in this special series discussing 2018's Top7 Intelligent Communities of the Year. This week, Matt and Lou focus on Ipswich, Queensland, Australia and Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Lou Zacharilla will be visiting these two communities as part of the process to determine the 2018 Intelligent Community of the Year. The 2018 Intelligent Community of the Year will be named on June 6 at the ICF Global Summit in London. To learn more or to register for the Summit, visit www.icfsummit.com
ICF Director of Operations Matthew Owen sits down with ICF Co-Founder Robert Bell to discuss three of 2018's Top7 Intelligent Communities of the Year: Chiayi City, Taiwan; Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; and Taoyuan, Taiwan.
Robert Bell will be visiting these three communities as part of the process to determine the 2018 Intelligent Community of the Year. The 2018 Intelligent Community of the Year will be named on June 6 at the ICF Global Summit in London. To learn more or to register for the Summit, visit www.icfsummit.com
Suneet Singh Tuli has over 25 years of experience as a serial entrepreneur, having launched two successful companies prior to DataWind. At DataWind and previous ventures, he patented technologies that were created to develop scanning, printing and imaging products that set world records in both price and performance. The products created through these ventures have received numerous awards and accolades, including recognition by the Guinness Book of Records.
Mr. Tuli was cited for the development of the Aakash II/UbiSlate tablets, which the Intelligent Community Forum believes will revolutionize access to knowledge for billions of people and stabilize communities in the process. The tablet is the world’s cheapest computer, according to Forbes Magazine. One of his best-known quotes is about his mission. Mr. Tuli said, “I don’t care about creating the iPad killer. I care about the four billion people who can afford this device.”
The 2014 Intelligent Community Visionary of the Year has previously been recognized by Forbes Magazine in its 2012 Impact 15 list as a “classroom revolutionary” using innovative technologies to reinvent education globally. He was also named the 2012 Entrepreneur of the Year at the World Sikh Awards.
Anne works with people across the City to figure out how we can make broadband work better for everyone. She believes Boston needs to be a place where everyone has options for affordable and fast broadband.
Anne's background is in city planning. She uses these skills to figure out how we can bring affordable broadband to residents.
“Not everything you want to get done requires new resources,” she says. Anne works with others to plan how the City can use existing resources to help more people get Internet access.
Anne believes that a city's best opportunities and innovations should benefit all who live in it. Before coming to Boston, she worked to build university-community partnerships in Philadelphia.
Anne's favorite thing about working for the City is working with so many different groups. This July, Boston participated in the Net Neutrality Day of Action, which involved a lot of collaboration across teams.
“I love the people I get to work with," Anne said. “It’s a joy coming to work.”
Anne is a city planner at heart. When asked what her favorite thing about Boston is, she said it was the City's walkability. “I love walking around cities," she said. "It’s my preferred way of seeing things.”
Anne works with people across the City to figure out how we can make broadband work better for everyone. She believes Boston needs to be a place where everyone has options for affordable and fast broadband.
Anne's background is in city planning. She uses these skills to figure out how we can bring affordable broadband to residents.
“Not everything you want to get done requires new resources,” she says. Anne works with others to plan how the City can use existing resources to help more people get Internet access.
Anne believes that a city's best opportunities and innovations should benefit all who live in it. Before coming to Boston, she worked to build university-community partnerships in Philadelphia.
Anne's favorite thing about working for the City is working with so many different groups. This July, Boston participated in the Net Neutrality Day of Action, which involved a lot of collaboration across teams.
“I love the people I get to work with," Anne said. “It’s a joy coming to work.”
Anne is a city planner at heart. When asked what her favorite thing about Boston is, she said it was the City's walkability. “I love walking around cities," she said. "It’s my preferred way of seeing things.”
Father Walter Wagner is the Pastor of the Parish of St. Vincent Ferrer & St. Catherine of Sienna in Manhattan where he serves as the Prior for Dominican priests and brothers serving the community and the healthcare ministry. The Order has been in NY for 150 years. Part 3 of 3.
Father Walter Wagner is the Pastor of the Parish of St. Vincent Ferrer & St. Catherine of Sienna in Manhattan where he serves as the Prior for Dominican priests and brothers serving the community and the healthcare ministry. The Order has been in NY for 150 years. Part 2 of 3.
Father Walter Wagner is the Pastor of the Parish of St. Vincent Ferrer & St. Catherine of Sienna in Manhattan where he serves as the Prior for Dominican priests and brothers serving the community and the healthcare ministry. The Order has been in NY for 150 years. Part 1 of 3.
Clayton Banks is the Co-Founder and CEO of Silicon Harlem. The mission of Silicon Harlem is to transform Harlem and other urban markets into Innovation and Technology Hubs. Under his leadership, Silicon Harlem has been able to partner with the Department of Education for New York City to establish an after school STEM based startup accelerator, collaborate with the NYC Mayor’s office to assess wireless broadband in upper Manhattan and coordinate a virtual startup incubator for tech based entrepreneurs. Banks has established and produces the only comprehensive technology conference in Harlem, the Silicon Harlem tech conference is focused on next generation internet and its impact on urban markets economic development.
Clayton Banks is the Co-Founder and CEO of Silicon Harlem. The mission of Silicon Harlem is to transform Harlem and other urban markets into Innovation and Technology Hubs. Under his leadership, Silicon Harlem has been able to partner with the Department of Education for New York City to establish an after school STEM based startup accelerator, collaborate with the NYC Mayor’s office to assess wireless broadband in upper Manhattan and coordinate a virtual startup incubator for tech based entrepreneurs. Banks has established and produces the only comprehensive technology conference in Harlem, the Silicon Harlem tech conference is focused on next generation internet and its impact on urban markets economic development.
In November, the city of Fort Collins passed measure 2B to potentially allow for bonding to build their own municipal fiber network. ICF's Robert Bell spoke with Glen Akins and Colin Garfield from the Fort Collins Citizens Broadband Committee about what's next for this Colorado city.
Glen Akins is a twenty-year veteran of the cable television industry. He used to write the security software and design the chips that make cable television set-top boxes, cable modems, and cable modem headend gear work. He has 18 patents and currently designs chips used in enterprise-class wireless access points. Outside of work, he advocates for municipal broadband and rides mountain bikes.
Colin Garfield is a Colorado native and currently lives in Fort Collins, CO. He is a former 12-year GIS cartographer, founder of Broadband & Beers, and campaign lead for the Fort Collins Citizens Broadband Committee. Since June 2016, Colin has been deeply involved with bringing municipal broadband to Fort Collins. He helps connect and educate citizens and policy makers by hosting public events, performing speaking engagements, and managing content over digital platforms. With the historic passing of Broadband Ballot 2B in Fort Collins, Colin is elated by the prospects of municipal broadband across the nation.
In November, the city of Fort Collins, Colorado passed measure 2B to potentially allow for bonding to build their own municipal fiber network. ICF's Robert Bell spoke with Glen Akins and Colin Garfield from the Fort Collins Citizens Broadband Committee about what this means.
Glen Akins is a twenty-year veteran of the cable television industry. He used to write the security software and design the chips that make cable television set-top boxes, cable modems, and cable modem headend gear work. He has 18 patents and currently designs chips used in enterprise-class wireless access points. Outside of work, he advocates for municipal broadband and rides mountain bikes.
Colin Garfield is a Colorado native and currently lives in Fort Collins, CO. He is a former 12-year GIS cartographer, founder of Broadband & Beers, and campaign lead for the Fort Collins Citizens Broadband Committee. Since June 2016, Colin has been deeply involved with bringing municipal broadband to Fort Collins. He helps connect and educate citizens and policy makers by hosting public events, performing speaking engagements, and managing content over digital platforms. With the historic passing of Broadband Ballot 2B in Fort Collins, Colin is elated by the prospects of municipal broadband across the nation.
Both National Geographic and the "Today" show recently recognized Boulder as "The Happiest City in the U.S... but what are Boulder's Intelligent community aspirations? ICF co-founder Lou Zacharilla sits down with Boulder's Julia Richman to discuss Boulder's plan for the future.
Julia is the Chief Innovation and Analytics Officer for the City of Boulder. She is responsible for the City’s data, performance management, and innovation programs. Prior to working for the City, she spent nearly a decade at Deloitte Consulting, leading projects that advanced service and business operations strategies in the public sector. Mrs. Richman has worked with states, universities, non-profits, and the federal government on large scale, enterprise-wide transformation efforts including restructuring, cost reduction, business processes improvement, operations improvement, enterprise governance, portfolio management, innovation, and organizational design. Julia is a Colorado native. She is a graduate of Leadership Denver and the Colorado Institute for Leadership Training. She is a mentor for Colorado Based Greenhouse Scholars and also sits on the Colfax Marathon board of directors. She has an MPP from the University of Chicago and an AB from Dartmouth College.
Both National Geographic and the "Today" show recently recognized Boulder as "The Happiest City in the U.S... but what does that mean? ICF co-founder Lou Zacharilla sits down with Boulder's Julia Richman to discuss the award and Boulder's unique characteristics that make it one of the happiest places to live.
Julia is the Chief Innovation and Analytics Officer for the City of Boulder. She is responsible for the City’s data, performance management, and innovation programs. Prior to working for the City, she spent nearly a decade at Deloitte Consulting, leading projects that advanced service and business operations strategies in the public sector. Mrs. Richman has worked with states, universities, non-profits, and the federal government on large scale, enterprise-wide transformation efforts including restructuring, cost reduction, business processes improvement, operations improvement, enterprise governance, portfolio management, innovation, and organizational design. Julia is a Colorado native. She is a graduate of Leadership Denver and the Colorado Institute for Leadership Training. She is a mentor for Colorado Based Greenhouse Scholars and also sits on the Colfax Marathon board of directors. She has an MPP from the University of Chicago and an AB from Dartmouth College.
Rui Barros joined WeWork in April 2016 as SVP of Global Operations, utilizing his nearly three decades of hospitality experience to serve as a center of excellence and introduce best practices for WeWork’s space, community and services globally. In his current role as Head of Tri-State, Barros oversees all aspects of the company’s fast-growing business for WeWork’s largest market – including management, sales, operations, marketing, and more for WeWork’s 40 buildings and tens of thousands of members across New York City.
Dr. Jack Chu comes from Taiwan as a participant in the Robert M. Immerman Professional Fellows program as a fellow at the Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University in the City of New York. He is a graduate of National Taiwan University (NTU), where he majored in civil engineering; he also earned an Master of C.E. and Eng. Doctor from NTU. Currently he is also employed at the Taipei Water Department of the Taipei City Government of Taiwan (R.O.C).
Brad Ferguson is the President & CEO of Edmonton Economic Development Corporation, responsible for ensuring Edmonton and the Capital Region consistently outperform every economic jurisdiction in North America for the next 20 years.
Brad has built his career designing and implementing growth strategies for some of Canada’s most respected organizations, and repeatedly tests the resiliency of those strategies against various economic and political scenarios. He is considered one of the most passionate evangelists for increased competitiveness in business, and provides thought leadership on economic, innovation and international investment policy. His experience draws from leading practices around the globe, and his facilitative approach to problem solving is welcomed across the public, private and non-profit sectors.
In today’s episode, we’re going to be hearing from Andy Lee, Technology Investment Director with the state of Victoria, Australia. ICF's Lou Zacharilla spoke with Andy at Silicon Harlem’s 4th Annual Next Gen Tech Conference in New York City during a panel discussion also featuring Brad Ferguson from the Edmonton Economic Development Corporation, Dr. Jack Chu from the Weatherhead East Asian Instutute, and Rui Barros of WeWork. We'll be featuring each of them in coming episodes, but we wanted to start with Andy Lee, as much of our discussion surrounds Melbourne, our current reigning Intelligent Community of the Year for 2017. We'll be hearing from him why collaboration really is key in developing an intelligent community.