Kip Bergstrom, CT DECD Deputy Commissioner, has 30 years of experience as a strategist, business executive, economic development professional and place-maker. He is a nationally prominent advocate of place-centric economic development. His interests, writings and accomplishments span the full spectrum of economic development, including tourism, education and talent, transportation, entrepreneurship, technology commercialization, real estate development, and the interface of the human network and the natural system. Kip will provide us with insight into Connecticut’s initiatives for promoting historic preservation and tourism.

George W. Curry, FASLA, Distinguished Teaching Professor Emeritus at the State University of New York, Syracuse, is the Chair of the Center for Cultural Landscape Preservation at SUNY’s College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF). The Center brings together interdisciplinary expertise from across ESF, the National Park Service, state parks, and other partners to address challenges in preserving our landscape heritage. Professor Curry will provide us with insight into the preservation and stewardship of cultural landscapes.

James O’Connell is a Community Planner at the Boston Office of the Northeast Region of the National Park Service, where he specializes in planning for historic sites and heritage areas. Jim has written many articles and four books on planning and New England history. Jim will provide an overview of the planning and outreach efforts required to facilitate implementation of a cultural landscape trail or the preservation of an historic site.

As the founder and president of the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, Bob Billington has transformed the mill towns of Rhode Island’s Blackstone RIver Valley, once the center of the Industrial Revolution, into vibrant centers of commerce, tourism and the arts. Bob will provide insight into the many variables necessary for a successful cultural tourism program.