For the Bridge & Tunnel Crowd - Infrastructure & Economic Development

Federal Economic Development Forum
March 23-25, 2014
Alexandria, VA
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Until the science fiction of Star Trek becomes reality and we can instantly teleport solid objects through space and time, we're going to need to keep investing in such earthly things as roads and bridges. Congress has recently been debating federal investments in ports, canals, roads, and rails. Two major pieces of legislation, the Water Resources Development Act, and the Surface Transportation Reauthorization, should have economic developers' attention as they will determine how much federal money is available to invest in projects for years to come. Our panel of speakers for this Federal Economic Development Forum session will focus on the federal role in infrastructure development, how much (or little) money should be put toward projects, and how you can play a role in building your future community. 

Expert Speakers Include:

Dan Carol
Director of Multi-State and Strategic Initiatives
Office of Governor John Kitzhaber
Salem, OR 

Dan Carol is the Director of the Office of Strategic Initiatives for Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber, focused on advancing innovative performance and community-based partnerships in areas such as job creation, infrastructure, and health. Previously, he held a Senior Fellowship at NDN and The New Policy Institute, where he served as a strategic adviser to NDN’s Next Economy Partnership Project, focusing on bottom-up and regional innovation. Before that, Carol served as the Content & Issues Director for the Obama for President Campaign, where he guided the launches of Obama's NewEnergyforAmerica.com plan and Clean Tech Business Leaders for Obama (CT40).

Jorianne Jernberg
Credit and Budget Team Leader
TIFIA Joint Program Office
U.S. Department of Transportation
Washington, D.C. 

Jorianne Jernberg is the Team Lead for Credit Analysis and Budgeting at the Department of Transportation’s TIFIA Credit Program. TIFIA stands for Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act, and through this lending program, the Department provides credit assistance to surface transportation projects of regional and national significance. Ms. Jernberg’s primary duties include leading the team performing credit analysis for the purposes of quantifying the government’s risk in providing credit assistance. Ms. Jernberg also manages the TIFIA Program’s budget, assists with the review of letters of interest from projects seeking TIFIA assistance, and supports the Department of Transportation’s Credit Council. During her nearly six years with the TIFIA Credit Program, Ms. Jernberg has assisted in the closing of 27 transactions totaling more than $11 billion in TIFIA credit assistance that will support almost $40 billion in infrastructure investment across the U.S. 

Kerry E. O'Hare
Vice President
Director of Policy
Building America's Future Educational Fund
Washington, D.C. 

Kerry has over 25 years of expertise in policy development and implementation, management, Congressional, state and local governmental relations, coalition building and issue advocacy. She most recently served as Deputy Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Previously she served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Governmental Affairs at the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). While at DOT, Kerry was part of a select team that worked to educate state and local leaders as well as the business community in targeted states about how to develop public-private partnerships and innovative ways to address traffic congestion.