College Hosts 3rd Regional Economic Summit

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE: February 26, 2008

CONTACT: Lisa Saunders

(845) 574-4244

SUNY Rockland Community College Hosts 3rd Regional Economic Summit

Keynote speaker:  Rodney E. Slater, former U.S. Secretary of Transportation

Please note new room location

Suffern, NY--The third annual Hudson Valley Regional Economic Summit will be held this year at SUNY Rockland Community College and will focus on transportation in the region.

Date of event: March 18

Name of event: Hudson Valley Regional Economic Summit

Time of event: 8:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Place of event: Technology Center, Room 8180 (Ellipse) Rockland Community College

Address: 145 College Road Suffern, NY 10901

Cost of event: $45 per person includes a continental breakfast and lunch

For more information: If you have any questions, please contact Alice Chin, Dean, Center for Personal and Professional Development, at 845-574-4324 or Doreen Zarcone, Assistant Director, Campus Communications, at 845-574-4323.

A link to the registration form can be found at  http://www.sunyrockland.edu/about/office-of-the-president/hudson-valley-regional-summit/

The Summit is an annual seven-county effort designed to explore local, national and global economic issues as a region. Keynote speaker is Rodney E. Slater, who served as U.S. Secretary of Transportation under President Bill Clinton, and the opening speaker is Jonathan Drapkin, President/CEO of Pattern for Progress, a regional planning organization that has for more than four decades shaped public policy initiatives to improve life in the Hudson Valley.

Other distinguished speakers/panelists include:

• Ms. Astrid Glynn, Commissioner, NYS Department of Transportation
• Mr. Peter Cannito, President, MTA Metro-North Railroad
• Mr. Michael Fleischer, Executive Director, NYS Thruway Authority
• Ms. Diannae Ehler, General Manager, Stewart International Airport, Port Authority of New York/New Jersey

The Summit focuses on the current state of the region’s infrastructure and identifies strategies to address the challenges. The intent is that the strategies will be adopted as priorities by lawmakers and other public policy officials and by leaders in the business and education communities. Participating counties include Columbia, Dutchess, Greene, Orange, Rockland, Sullivan and Ulster. The previous two summits were hosted by Orange County Community College and Ulster County Community College.

Rodney E. Slater is a partner at Patton Boggs, LLP where he currently helps clients integrate an overall vision for the transportation system of the 21^st Century--a vision he set as United States Secretary of Transportation under President Bill Clinton, to promote a safer, more efficient, environmentally sound and sustainable worldwide transportation infrastructure.As Secretary, Mr. Slater passed several legislative initiatives, including the Transportation Equity Act for the 21^st Century and the Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment Reform Act for the 21^st Century.He also served as former Federal Highway Administration Director.Mr. Slater has contributed to numerous publications, including two DOT reports on transportation challenges and accomplishments issued under Mr. Slater’s leadership:The Changing Face of Transportation and Transportation Decision Making: A Policy Architecture for the 21^st Century.

Jonathan Drapkin is President and CEO of Pattern for Progress, the regional public policy, research and planning not-for-profit serving the nine counties of the Hudson Valley.He also served as Executive Director of the Gerry Foundation, County Manager of Sullivan County, and Chair of the Sullivan County Partnership for Economic Development.Currently a member of Governor Spitzer’s Commission on Local Government Efficiency and Competitiveness, Mr. Drapkin has lectured for the Executive MPA Program at Baruch College.He is also a member of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Commission on Sustainability

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Rockland Community College, a unit of the State University of New York, is located 25 miles northwest of NYC. The majority of its students transfer to four-year colleges, and many find immediate employment upon earning their associate’s degree or certificate. The College also offers others, from preschoolers to senior citizens, the opportunity to simply learn something new. Quality education...at a price you can afford.