Janna King, President of Economic Development Services, Inc. in Minneapolis works with communities, non-profits, and utilities on community and economic development related issues including strategic planning; development area planning; marketing; workforce development; business retention; and commercial/industrial corridor revitalization issues. She has worked with clients in 10 states. Janna has been active in economic development since 1979. Prior to starting her own business in 1994, she served as the president/CEO of the 1,600 member Chamber of Commerce in Midland, Texas. She served as the executive director of the St. Cloud (MN) Downtown Development Corporation, the first president of the St. Cloud Area Economic Development Partnership and also worked in the more rural “lakes area” of northern Minnesota. Janna has prepared more than 35 economic development strategic plans for cities, counties, economic development non-profits, and chambers of commerce. She has served as an instructor at Hamline University, University of St. Thomas, the University of Minnesota, Oklahoma University (Economic Development Institute) and IEDC addressing economic development strategic planning and other development topics. Janna has been active in the International Economic Development Council for 20 years; she served the founding president of the statewide SBA 504 company in Texas. She served on the board for the Economic Development Association of Minnesota and the Texas Marketing Team. Janna’s success in economic development marketing was recognized by the Wall Street Journal. She is also the recipient of numerous economic development marketing awards including the prestigious IEDC “Best of Show” award.

Jon Roberts is the Principal of TIP Strategies, Inc. (TIP), in Austin, Texas. He is an international leader in economic development and has overseen projects throughout the U.S., as well as in Europe and Asia. Mr. Roberts is currently involved in a variety of development and recruitment projects. In addition to being a practitioner in the field, he has prepared policy papers on national economic development strategy, published articles on economic development marketing, and has written editorials for major newspapers. Mr. Roberts is a sought-after speaker on economic development issues nationally and internationally. Mr. Roberts was formerly the Director of Business Development both for the State of Washington and then for the State of Texas. In these positions, he directed recruitment and investment and led international trade missions. Prior to working for the Washington Department of Trade, Mr. Roberts was with the Oregon Technology Fund, where he was responsible for venture capital investments. He also managed two start-up technology companies: Fiberlite Composites and LifePort Inc., and worked with the Center for Entrepreneurial Ventures. Mr. Roberts was elected to the board of KMFA radio in Austin, Texas, and is active in the technology community. He maintains his ties to the Northwest and is a Fellow of the Washington World Affairs Council in Seattle. He has served on the boards of several start-up technology companies and on state task forces and gubernatorial committees. He has lectured in business at the University of Washington, the University of Texas, and was on the faculty at Marylhurst College in Portland, Oregon. Mr. Roberts has also proven to be a successful entrepreneur. He is the founder of a mountain bike company in Portland, Oregon. Born and raised in Germany, Mr. Roberts has traveled extensively throughout Europe and Asia. He lived in the Pacific Northwest for over twenty years before making Texas his home.

Anne Roise is a strategic planning and program development consultant based in Savannah, Georgia. She holds a Masters Degree in City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and is a Certified Economic Developer. After graduating from MIT, Ms. Roise worked as a planner for the City of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and was later employed as the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Supreme Court’s Commission on Racial and Ethnic Bias in the Courts. For several years, she was employed as an administrator with the City of Savannah where she served as the director for two crime prevention and suppression programs, the Crime Collaborative and the Weed and Seed program, as well the Director of Economic Development. In the latter role, she was responsible for implementing programs related to poverty reduction and asset building, small business development and neighborhood corridor revitalization. Her diverse work experience included careers in the United States and Canada in the fields of cultural diversity awareness; professional development training; juvenile delinquency and youth development and cultural arts programming. Ms. Roise has also taught as an adjunct professor of Urban Studies and Planning at Savannah State University.