March 8 Event: Export Nation 2012 How U.S. Metros Are Driving National Growth

From Brookings and the Next American City:

"Thursday, March 8, 2012, 9:30 am — 12:30 pm
The Brookings Institution, Falk Auditorium, 1775 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, DC

To RSVP for this event, please call the Office of Communications at 202.797.6105 or click here.

Amid a sluggish economic recovery, a growing number of U.S. business, civic and economic leaders are calling for the nation to tap into global markets as a destination for exports. To that end, the federal government should establish basic policy supports for export-driven growth while capitalizing on the role and assets of metropolitan areas as the key engines of state and national exporting.

On March 8, the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings will release “Export Nation 2012,” which analyzes the evolution of the export landscape across the country and the changes in the export sector of the largest 100 U.S. metropolitan areas. The report provides a series of policy recommendations on how to better connect the national export agenda with the Metropolitan Export Initiative, a ground-up collaborative effort to help regional civic, business and political leaders create and implement customized metropolitan export plans in partnership with their states. Bruce Katz, vice president and director of the Metropolitan Policy Program, will present the findings of the report, followed by a panel of business, civic and government leaders involved in helping their metro areas better engage in global trade. The event will conclude with a discussion on how the federal government can create a national platform for export growth while empowering the growth of exports from the ground up.

After each panel, participants will take audience questions. Participants may join the discussion on Twitter using the hashtag #ExportNation.

Welcoming Remarks
Antoine van Agtmael
Trustee, The Brookings Institution
Chairman and Co-CIO, Ashmore EMM, LLC

Presentation
Bruce Katz
Vice President and Co-Director, Metropolitan Policy Program
The Brookings Institution

Panel Discussion
Moderator: Mary Jordan
Editor
Washington Post Live

The Honorable Sam Adams
Mayor
City of Portland, Oregon

Alan Fink
Vice President - International
ConMed Corporation

Katie Clark
Executive Director
Minnesota Trade Office

Carlos Valderrama
Senior Vice President for Global Initiatives
Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce

Dialogue: The Federal Role
Moderator: Amy Liu
Senior Fellow and Co-Director, Metropolitan Policy Program
The Brookings Institution

Fred Hochberg
President and Chairman
Export-Import Bank

Karen Mills
Administrator
Small Business Administration"