Ky. Biz Leaders to Learn From Peers in Pittsburgh
LEXINGTON, KY. (May 10, 2010) - University of Kentucky President Dr. Lee T. Todd, Jr. is one of more than 300 business and community leaders from Lexington and Louisville who are traveling to Pittsburgh to gain insight and study best practices on how to strengthen population centers in the state.
The members of the 2010 Leadership Expedition will explore the city of Pittsburgh's transformation into one of the most vibrant economic regions in the nation, taking the leap forward from a steel town with a bleak future to status as the "No. 1 Most Livable City in America" by Forbes Magazine. The purpose of the trip is to study new ideas, strategic partnerships and innovative initiatives that can enhance Kentucky cities, in order to foster and encourage statewide thinking, breakthrough ideas, regional networking and business collaboration
As part of the trip, Todd will also be one of four leaders in on a one-hour panel discussion on higher education, joining Carnegie Mellon University President Dr. Jared Cohon, University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Mark Nordenberg, and University of Louisville President Dr. Jim Ramsey.
“I’m excited to sit on a panel alongside these three impressive colleagues,” said UK President Lee T. Todd, Jr. “Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh, thanks to the collaborative spirit championed by their impressive leaders, have helped transform Pittsburgh from a thriving steel town to a global city that recently hosted the World G20 Summit. I look forward to learning how these respective universities engaged in that process.”
As part of the visit, attendees will visit with top civic leaders and business executives from Pittsburgh to discover more about the success in not only the realm of higher education, but also in areas such as innovation, arts and philanthropy, civic engagement, regional success, and entertainment technology.
Bob Quick, president & CEO of Commerce Lexington Inc., added, “While we are encouraged by what Pittsburgh has to offer and the strides it has taken to reinvent itself, we recognize that this particular trip is very much about our communities and how we can use our common strengths to our advantage.”
Among the sessions included in this trip are visits with James Rohr, CEO of PNC Financial Services Group; Bill Strickland, author of Make the Impossible Possible; and Don Marinelli, executive producer of the Entertainment Technology Center at Carnegie Mellon.
The trip will also utilize a variety of social media opportunities to keep the community connected to the information, speakers and discoveries of the trip. Interested citizens and the media can follow the latest news from the 2010 Leadership Expedition on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/CommerceLex, and can track activities through Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PittsburghExpedition. A special iPhone app will be released soon to allow attendees and those interested in the trip to access information about Pittsburgh, commonalities between the community and Louisville, background on speakers and venues, and other trip details.
The 2010 trip is co-chaired by Evelyn Strange, President of Advanced Electrical Systems, Inc. (GLI), and Kim Menke, Manager for Community Service and Outreach at Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing North America, Inc. (Commerce Lexington).