SPEAKERS

TERRANCE BILBO

Terrance Bilbo is vice president of CSC’s (formerly Computer Sciences Corporation) Corporate Administrative Services. With more than 20 years of experience in planning, communicating and executing initiatives to address corporate organizational and technical problems, his expertise lies in the design and implementation of programs that enhance and re-engineer corporate infrastructure to improve the company’s competitive posture.

Mr. Bilbo has direct experience in business process outsourcing and all phases of internal business services. These services include real estate, facilities management, critical environments management, travel management, fleet management, security, logistics, safety and health, and briefing center management.

Mr. Bilbo holds a bachelor of science degree in geology from the University of Southern Mississippi where he has done graduate work in public administration.

MATTHEW T. CROSSON

Matthew T. Crosson is president of the Long Island Association, Inc. It is the Long Island (N.Y.) region’s principal business and civic organization, with a membership of 5,500 companies and organizations.

In addition to his role with the association, Mr. Crosson is president of the LIA Health Alliance, Inc., a regional health insurance purchasing plan for small businesses. He also is a director or trustee of many not-for-profit corporations and institutions.

Mr. Crosson hosts two award-winning weekly news programs broadcast on public television stations throughout the New York City area. He also is co-publisher of the award-winning monthly magazine, Long Island.

Mr. Crosson served as Chief Administrator of the New York State Unified Court System from 1989 to 1993. He was an assistant district attorney in the New York County District Attorney’s Office from 1974 to 1984. In 1983, Mr. Crosson became assistant counsel to Gov. Mario M. Cuomo.

Mr. Crosson has a bachelor of arts degree from Georgetown University and a law degree from the Fordham University School of Law. He holds honorary doctor of laws degrees from Dowling College and St. Joseph’s College.

ANTHONY DOWNS

Anthony Downs is a senior fellow at the Washington, D.C.-based Brookings Institution, a private, non-profit research organization specializing in public policy studies, where he has been since 1977.

Dr. Downs has served as a consultant to many of the nation’s largest corporations, major developers, dozens of government agencies at local, state, and national levels (including the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the White House), and many private foundations. In 1967, President Lyndon Johnson appointed him to the National Commission on Urban Problems. In 1989, HUD Secretary Jack Kemp appointed him to the Advisory Commission on Regulatory Barriers to Affordable Housing. He is a director or trustee of General Growth Properties and the NAACP Legal and Educational Defense Fund. Among myriad other leadership positions, Dr. Downs has served as director of the MassMutual Life Insurance Company, the Urban Land Institute and the National Housing Partnership Foundation.

Dr. Downs received a Ph.D. in economics from Stanford University, and is the author or co-author of 24 books and more than 500 articles. Of note are An Economic Theory of Democracy (1957) and Inside Bureaucracy (1967), both still in print. His most recent books are Real Estate and the Financial Crisis (2009), Still Stuck in Traffic (2004) and Growth Management and Affordable Housing: Do They Conflict? (Editor, 2004).

DAVID GEANACOPOULOS

David Geanacopoulos, executive vice president for public affairs and general counsel of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., joined the company in 2003. As the company’s chief legal officer, Mr. Geanacopoulos is responsible for the company’s legal affairs in the United States, government relations and public affairs. Previously, he served as the company’s director of industry–government relations and, later, as vice president for public policy.

Prior to joining Volkswagen of America, Mr. Geanacopoulos was a partner in the Washington, D.C.-based law firm Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld. He served as a legislative assistant to U.S. Rep. Edward P. Boland from 1977 to 1983.

Mr. Geanacopoulos serves on the board of directors of the Center for National Policy and the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, and is on the advisory board of VSA Arts, Inc., an affiliate of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Mr. Geanacopoulos received a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University in 1977 and a juris doctor from Georgetown University Law Center in 1983.

GERALD L. GORDON, PH.D.

Dr. Gerald L. Gordon is the president and chief executive officer of the Economic Development Authority in Fairfax County, Virginia, one of the largest office space markets in the United States. He has been with the FCEDA since late 1983. In that time, office space in the county grew from 32 million square feet to more than 111 million square feet and jobs in the county grew from 243,000 to nearly 600,000.

Dr. Gordon worked for Arlington County, Virginia and the United States Department of Labor. In 2005, the FCEDA was named by Site Selection magazine as one of the top ten economic development organizations in North America. In 2007, Time magazine called Fairfax County “one of the great economic success stories of our time.”

Dr. Gordon has taught at many regional institutions, among them the University of Maryland, George Mason University and The Catholic University of America. He has served as a consultant to city and state governments worldwide and to various government agencies, businesses, non-profit organizations and the United Nations.

Dr. Gordon holds a bachelor’s degree from The Citadel, a master’s from The George Washington University and a doctorate in international economics from The Catholic University. He is a Fulbright senior scholar and the author of nine books and numerous articles on strategic planning, economic development and management. In 2006, he became the first American to address the All-Parliamentary Exports Group in the British House of Commons. In 2007, Dr. Gordon was named a Fellow of the International Economic Development Council.

THE HON. WILLIAM H. HUDNUT III

Four-term mayor of Indianapolis (Ind.) and congressman, William Hudnut is currently senior fellow emeritus at The Urban Land Institute (ULI) in Washington, D.C., and principal of his own consulting firm, Bill Hudnut Consultants, LLC.

Probably best known for his tenure as mayor of Indianapolis from1976 to 1991, Mr. Hudnut spearheaded the formation of a public-private sector partnership that led to Indianapolis’s emergence during the 1980s as a major American city. After leaving the mayor’s office, Mr. Hudnut held posts at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and other organizations before assuming his position with ULI in 1996.

Prior to his entry into public life, he served as a clergyman at churches in Buffalo, N.Y., Annapolis, Md., and Indianapolis, Ind.

Mr. Hudnut is the author of Changing Metropolitan America: Planning for a More Sustainable Future (2008), Cities on the Rebound (1998) and The Hudnut Years in Indianapolis, 1976-1991 (1995). He is the recipient of Princeton University’s highest alumni honor, the Woodrow Wilson Award for public service (1986); City and State magazine’s “Nation’s Most Valuable Public Official” designation (1988) and the Rosa Parks Award from the American Association for Affirmative Action (1992), among others.

Mr. Hudnut has degrees from Princeton University and Union Theological Seminary in New York City.

KEVIN J. JACOBS

Kevin Jacobs joined Hilton Hotels Corporation as senior vice president, corporate strategy in June 2008.
Previously he was senior vice president, mergers and acquisitions, and treasurer of Fairmont Raffles Hotels International. As senior vice president, he was responsible for sourcing, evaluating and executing potential mergers, acquisitions and other strategic corporate transactions, as well as leading the company’s corporate strategic and business planning efforts. As treasurer, he oversaw the company’s corporate finance, capital markets, worldwide treasury and cash management activities.

Prior to joining Fairmont Raffles, Mr. Jacobs held positions with Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc., most recently as vice president, corporate finance and investor relations, leading the company’s strategic planning and investor relations functions.

Before joining Host, Mr. Jacobs worked in various capacities in the hospitality consulting practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.

Mr. Jacobs is a graduate of the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration.

DEBORAH KNUTSON

Deborah Knutson joined the Economic Development Council (EDC) of Snohomish County (Wash.) as President in November 1998 with overall responsibility for economic development and economic policy development, business attraction and retention.

Before joining the Snohomish County EDC, Ms. Knutson served as vice president of the Economic Development Council of King County with primary responsibility for promoting and assisting domestic and international high-technology business investment in King County.

From 1987-1993, Ms. Knutson worked at the Washington State Department of Trade and Economic Development as a senior manager responsible for domestic and international business recruitment, resort development and rural economic development.

Ms. Knutson spent two years as the coastal affairs advisor to the governor of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, serving as the primary government negotiator for development projects.

Ms. Knutson received a master’s degree in urban planning and economics from the University of Washington and attended the University of Oslo (Norway) for postgraduate study.

DAVID J. ROBERTSON

David J. Robertson is the executive director of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG), appointed by the COG Board of Directors in 2003. COG is the association of 21 local governments in the Washington area that provides a focus for action and regional responses to issues such as the environment, affordable housing, economic development and transportation.

Mr. Robertson served as director of COG’s Department of Human Services, Planning and Public Safety from 1990 to 2002 and was responsible for fostering partnerships with area businesses, non-profits and philanthropic organizations.

Mr. Robertson received his master’s in urban planning from The George Washington University and holds a bachelor’s degree from Wayne State University in Michigan.

Mr. Robertson is a member of many professional associations and serves on the boards of several organizations, including the American Planning Association, the National Association of Regional Councils, the International City/County Management Association, the Greater Washington Board of Trade and others.

RICHARD W. STORY

Chief Executive Officer of the Howard County (Md.) Economic Development Authority since September 1993, Richard Story holds the Certified Economic Developer designation and holds the distinction as a Fellow Member of the International Economic Development Council for long-term service to the profession of economic development.

Mr. Story served the public sector as executive director of the Carroll County Economic Development Commission from 1979 to 1983 and executive director of the Baltimore County Economic Development Commission from 1989 to 1991. He also has held leadership positions on the Greater Baltimore Committee, the Washington/Baltimore Regional Association and Maryland Economic Growth Associates.

Active on several boards and commissions, Mr. Story is a former chair of the BWI Airport Development Council and a past chair of the Advisory Committee of the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore. He chairs the Membership Committee of Maryland Economic Development Association, and is on the board of directors of the Baltimore Area Council/Boy Scouts of America and the Howard County Chamber of Commerce, among many others.

In addition to his work in economic development, Mr. Story has an extensive background in media and marketing. He was news director of Carroll County Broadcasting Corporation and senior manager of business development for Atlantic Builders Group, Inc.