Previous Symposia

Symposium Themes and Keynote Speakers

2003 - Going Local:  Capitalizing on our Resources in St. Lawrence County
  Michael Shuman, Attorney, Economist, and Author
  Karen St. Hilaire, Executive Director, St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce

2004 - Our Community, Our Future:  Building on Local Assets in St. Lawrence County
  Stephen Blackmer, President, Northern Forest Center
  Michael Shuman, Attorney, Economist, and Author

2005 - Strengthening Local Economies Through Collaboration Among Community and Educational Institutions
  Jill Tiefenthaler, Eve Ann Shwartz, & James Leach, Colgate University
 Anthony Collins, President, Clarkson University
 Joseph Kennedy, President, SUNY Canton
  Daniel Sullivan, President, St. Lawrence University
 John Fallon III, President, SUNY Potsdam

2006 - Seizing the Initiative: Applying North Country Symposium Ideas to St. Lawrence County Projects
 Daniel Sullivan, President, St. Lawrence University
 Shannon Brown, Coordinator for Community Development, St. Lawrence University
 Karen St. Hilaire, Executive Director, St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce
 Anthony Collins, President, Clarkson University
William Vitek, Director, Clarkson University Ethics Initiative
  Judy Aldrich, Chair, SLC Agricultural & Farmland Protection Board

2007 - North Country First – Creating Opportunities for Sustainable Growth
 Ed Murphy, Executive Director, New York State AFL-CIO Workforce Development Institute
 And Co-founder of the New York State ApollReso Alliance

2008 - Resources for North Country Sustainability
 Charles Fluharty, Director of Policy Programs, Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI)
 University of Missouri-Columbia

2009 - Opportunities for Sustainable Growth in Today’s Economy
  Jeff Yost, President and CEO, Nebraska Community Foundation

2010 - Our North Country Future, Starting Now!
 David Brown, Co-Director, Community and Rural Development Institute (CaRDI)
 Cornell University

2011 - Growing Our Own Way:  Strengthening Our Identity for the North Country’s Future
 Ben Hewitt, farmer, journalist, and author of
 The Town That Food Saved: How One Community Found Vitality in Local Food (2009)

2012 - Working with the North Country Regional Economic Development Council
 Anthony Collins, President, Clarkson University, Co-chair, North Country Regional Economic Development Council

2013 - Education and the North Country's Future: Our Challenges and Opportunities, John Sipple, Director. New York State Center for Rural Schools, Cornell University

2014 - Education, Community, and Economic Development
 Dr. Douglas Huntley, Superintendent of Schools, Queensbury, New York

2015 - Opportunities for Strategic Business Development in the North Country
Michael Shuman, economist, lawyer, author

2016 - The Many Faces of Entrepreneurship:  Creating a Supportive Environment
Dr. Deborah Markley, Co-Founder and Managing Director of the Center for Rural Entrepreneurship

2017 - Exploring Sectors That Drive the North Country's Economy:  Mapping Systems...Identifying Gaps
Dr. Deborah Markley, Co-Founder and Managing Director of the Center for Rural Entrepreneurship