Northeast Indiana Leaders Selected to Speak at National League of Cities Conference

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
November 26, 2012

Northeast Indiana Leaders Selected to Speak at National League of Cities Conference

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Were headed to the east coast! John Sampson, president and CEO of the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership and Kathleen Randolph, president and CEO of WorkOne Northeast have been invited to speak at the 2012 National League of Cities (NLC) Congress of Cities and Exposition. The annual conference brings thousands of city officials together from across the country to share resources, learn new innovations and explore the challenges and opportunities facing cities today. This year's conference is being held November 28 - December 1 in Boston, MA.

Northeast Indiana is hard at work developing a regional strategy for a pipeline of 21st century talent through the collaboration of regional organizations such as the Partnership and WorkOne Northeast. Sampson and Randolph will be presenting as experts at the 2012 NLC on how economic development and workforce organizations can work together effectively.

"It's an honor to be a part of such a large effort for the betterment of other communities across the nation," says Sampson. "Our work with Kathleen and WorkOne Northeast has been beneficial to our community and we look forward to sharing Northeast Indiana's story with the rest of the country."

The NLC will focus on three overarching strategies for cities:

• Promote Strong Local Economies by learning how to promote 21st century workforce skills and to spur, support, attract and retain businesses.

• Build Sustainable Communities by learning how to develop the partnerships and strategies to go beyond standalone investments in a city's built environment and move toward integrated approaches that facilitate connected, intelligent and sustainable communities.

• Strengthen Neighborhoods and Families by fostering supportive families, homes and neighborhoods, to provide critical opportunities for individuals to grow, learn and prosper.

Each of the strategies will be explored through keynote addresses, workshops, peer networking sessions, mobile workshops, leadership training seminars, the City Showcase and the Exhibit Hall.

"It is inspiring to see Northeast Indiana be selected to tell its story at the National League of Cities Conference," said Bluffton Mayor Ted Ellis who is serving as president of the National League of Cities this year. "Northeast Indiana is on the leading edge when it comes to uniting the efforts of economic and workforce development, and those efforts are now being recognized on a national level as a best practice."

For additional conference information and a detailed schedule visit: www.nlccongressofcities.org.
The National League of Cities is dedicated to helping city leaders build better communities. NLC is a resource and advocate for 19,000 cities, towns and villages, representing more than 218 million Americans.

The Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership was formed in 2006 to help build a globally competitive economy in Northeast Indiana. It is a public-private partnership focused on generating business leads and building regional capacity through product development and effective regional collaboration. In 2010, the Partnership launched Vision 2020 to bring the region together around five key areas (the five pillars) for economic growth: 21st Century Talent, Competitive Business Climate, Entrepreneurship, Infrastructure and Quality of Life. Through its combined efforts in business development and capacity building, the Partnership supports its 10 member counties: Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Huntington, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben, Wabash, Wells and Whitley. For more information, visit www.NEIndiana.com.

The Region 3 Workforce Investment Board provides public and private financial and employment resources to businesses and individuals for education and skills training to meet the needs of regional industries. The Board sets policy for how public and private funds will be utilized to support talent development and it operates and staffs the county-based WorkOne Career centers in the region. Individuals and companies may access recourses and services by visiting or calling WorkOne in their county: http://www.workonenortheast.org/.

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MEDIA CONTACT:
Courtney Tritch
Director of Marketing
Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership
260.469.3460
courtney@NEIndiana.com

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