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