We Get What We Plan For:
How Smart Growth Creates Community
Monday, October 21, 2024
Downtown Waterville
Housing, transportation and utilities, food systems, cultural and natural spaces are interconnected and essential community infrastructure. Learn how integration of these assets builds a sustainable community
As in built and natural ecosystems, resilient and thriving communities welcome diversity. Explore how public places and infrastructure define a community, convening with local, regional, and statewide leaders, conservationists, developers, and planners.
Join us in Waterville, our host community again this year. The Summit will be held at the beautiful Waterville Opera House and in the adjacent Paul J. Schupf Art Center. Local walking tours and the location of the post-Summit reception will be announced soon.
The day will feature a national keynote speaker Dr. Basil Gooden, USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development (Invited) and our state keynote speaker, Honorable Hannah Pingree, Director, Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future. Presentations and discussion will be followed by Community Spotlights to demonstrate how building and conserving infrastructure and public places defines their community.
Maine Smart Growth Awards video, GrowSmart Annual Meeting, and City Experience Walking Tours round out the program before a Networking Reception.
More about our Keynote Speakers:
Dr. Basil Gooden was confirmed by the United State Senate to serve as Under Secretary for Rural Development on Monday, February 26, 2024.
Prior to his confirmation as Under Secretary, Gooden served as Director of State Operations for Rural Development. In this role, he led and supported USDA’s team of 47 Rural Development State Directors who extend USDA’s state-level leadership and help ensure the department’s investments reach all rural communities. From 2016-2018, he served as the 3rd Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Prior to that, Dr. Gooden served as the Virginia State Director for Rural Development at USDA. He has previously held roles as the Chief Deputy Director of the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, as a Cooperative Extension Specialist at Virginia Tech, and as a Farm Service Agency County Committee member. Dr. Gooden holds a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech, a master’s degree in social work from Syracuse University, and a master’s degree in Public Health and a Ph.D. in Social Work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a native of Buckingham County, Virginia, where he and his family still own and operate a cattle farm.
Hannah Pingree was appointed as director of Governor Mills’ Office of Policy Innovation and the Future (GOPIF) in 2019. As director, Hannah leads cross-agency efforts to develop innovative policy solutions that address pressing long-term challenges for Maine, such as climate change, energy, housing, workforce and economic development, coordinating federal infrastructure investments, and supporting children and older Maine people. She was also appointed by Governor Mills in 2019 to co-chair the Maine Climate Council, which leads climate planning for the state. Hannah served four terms in the Maine Legislature from 2003 to 2010, and served as both Speaker of House of Representatives and House Majority Leader.
Moderator: Kate Cough is editor of The Maine Monitor. She previously served as enterprise editor for The Monitor while also covering energy and the environment and writing the weekly Climate Monitor newsletter. Before joining The Monitor, Kate was a beat reporter for The Ellsworth American and digital media strategist for The Ellsworth American and Mount Desert Islander. Kate graduated with honors from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and Magna Cum Laude from Bryn Mawr College. Kate is an eighth generation Mainer, who lives on Mount Desert Island with her husband, daughter, and dogs.
We are currently in the planning stages for the 2024 Annual Summit. If you’re interested in becoming a sponsor for our event, please feel free to reach out to Amanda Vermillion.
Your support is welcomed for the success of the 2024 Annual Summit!