As I’m writing this, I’m about to celebrate my third anniversary as President and CEO of the Alliance for Regional Stewardship -- that would be third anniversary in weeks, not years.  In that three weeks, have I got it all figured out?  Not hardly.  But I’m very excited about the opportunity we have in front of us, and I’m fortunate that because of the work of our founders, particularly Becky Morgan and Doug Henton, and my predecessor, John Parr, the Alliance for Regional Stewardship is in a great position to do great things.

I really believe that there’s a spot on the map for the Alliance .  Why?  Because From Grand Rapids to Central Florida to Chicago to the Silicon Valley, across America more and more communities are coming to two important conclusions: many of their toughest challenges and biggest opportunities are regional in that they cross political and geographic boundaries -- and that solving these kinds of tough problems will require leaders working together across boundaries as well.

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A group of leaders representing an array of interests and expertise from nine counties in New York ’s Hudson Valley last month signed a formal agreement, , to work together for the good of the region as a whole.

Over 175 regional leaders from the public, private and civic sectors attended the Hudson Valley Convention organized and held on May 17th by the Newburgh, NY-based Pattern for Progress, a nonprofit public policy research institute dedicated to enhancing the economic competitiveness of the Hudson Valley/Catskills region.  Many issues for collaboration were discussed at the convention, including affordable housing, tourism promotion, environmental quality and job creation. 

The Hudson Valley Convention represents a milestone in Pattern for Progress’s Global Hudson Valley Initiative (GHVI), which was launched in 2005.  The GHVI is a collaboration of 21 leaders representing the four spheres of regional stewardship: social inclusion, collaborative governance, livable communities and innovative economy. Since February the GHVI speakers' bureau has spoken to more than 50 organizations throughout the region about what can be achieved in the Hudson River Valley if its residents work together in new ways.

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The Alliance for Regional Stewardship’s 8th National Forum will be held from November 15th-17th, 2006 in sunny Ft. Lauderdale at the Riverside Hotel. This will be a terrific opportunity to surf the leading edges of regional stewardship.  With its theme, Regional Stewardship from the Top Down AND the Bottom Up, the conference will explore how state government like Florida , Kentucky , Michigan and California are embracing regional approaches to problem solving.  At the same time, Forum participants will learn from each other and from national experts how to advance their own regional agendas by putting cutting edge communications, research, and organizing tools to work.   And what better place for diverse and dynamic leaders to gather than in South Florida, one of America’s most energetic, diverse and dynamic regions?  Stay tuned for further details.

Riverside Hotel: Make your lodging reservations early:

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