LINK Forward Pre-Trip Briefing

Posted on: May 03, 2018

San Diego Region: Past, Present, and Future

Dr. Mary Walshok is a well-known researcher and writer on the concept of regional economies. She will speak to us about the issues shaping the San Diego region now – from affordable housing and transit expansion, to workforce collaboration and the connected U.S.-Mexico economy.

Rethinking America’s Talent Crisis, video (TEDxSanDiego)
Mary Walshok: Revising San Diego (San Diego Tribune)
Invention & Reinvention: The Evolution of San Diego’s Regional Economy

Immediately following this session, we will travel to the Cross Border Xpress for a tour and lunch.

U.S./Mexico Relations in a Shifting Political Climate

At the Cross Border Xpress, we will hear a panel discussion with

Mexican Consul General Marcela Celorio,
UCSD Professor and Director of the Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies Rafael Fernandez de Castro,
and Executive Director of the World Trade Center San Diego Nikia Clarke.

This group of seasoned leaders will discuss ongoing policy issues that provide the U.S. and Mexico opportunities to collaborate and grow the larger CaliBaja region. Topics of immigration, international trade, cross-border investments, and the upcoming Mexican election will be addressed, among others.

UCSD Center for US-Mexican Studies: Global Trade and Investment
San Diego EDC/World Trade Center: San Diego One of the World’s Smart Cities
UCSD: NAFTA and the Future of the U.S.-Mexico Relationship

Leadership in the San Diego Region

This session will feature Dwayne Crenshaw, CEO of RISE San Diego, and a conversation about his organization’s work to foster and empower younger leaders from across the region to spark change and address challenges in their communities. Knowing that our Atlanta region faces many of the same obstacles to broad-based prosperity and growth, Crenshaw will also help us explore ways leaders of all ages can help one another move regions forward.

Economic Inclusion: Building a Stronger Region

The last session of the program will be a discussion on the concept of inclusive economic development, a new focus area for the San Diego Economic Development Corporation. Janice Brown, the incoming EDC chair, will unpack this idea and why San Diego is going all-in on this now.