A UNM Rainforest Forum featuring five members from the Advanced Economic Development Leadership (AEDL) Program, an executive education program, took place at the Lobo Rainforest Building on January 16. The speakers from AEDL included Shannon Campbell from The University of Southern Mississippi, Nan Johnston from Clemson Center for Corporate Learning, Lisa Kuuttila from The University of New Mexico (STC.UNM), Jim Roach from Texas Christian University, and Neal Wade, AEDL Managing Partner. Cindy McGill, STC.UNM Board Member and CEO and Founder of McGill Executive Consulting, LLC, was the moderator of the panel.
The UNM Rainforest Forum was created by the STC.UNM Board of Directors to provide support to the University of New Mexico (UNM) on economic development matters and consists of speakers with interest in increasing the economic impact of UNM on the New Mexico Economy.
During the forum, members from AEDL discussed the goals of the program and how it strives to expand the skills of today’s leaders in the field of economic development. Neal Wade, AEDL Managing Partner, commented that “the concept is 8 – 10 years old… [and] based in part on the simple question: Can we take mid- to senior- level training to another level?”
Presently, AEDL is nationwide alliance of four major universities offering an advanced economic development leadership course for mid- and senior-level economic development professionals. Participants receive advanced training in leadership, innovation, project management, negotiation, and other areas to prepare for the challenges and opportunities of contemporary economic development. The approach recognizes the importance of training with real-world applicability and incorporates collaboration with experienced faculty of economic development professionals from public and private sector industries and from academia.
Other topics addressed by the panel included:
- The importance of collaboration and partnerships between universities.
- The challenges economic development professionals must face in a university setting and innovating within a bureaucracy.
- How key partnerships are critical for universities, especially partnerships aimed on developing utilities and training for the future, telecommunications, and business development.
To read more about the program, visit the AEDL website.
Registration is now open for AEDL 4.0 beginning fall 2020!
Week 1: November 2-6, 2020 at Kauffman Conference Center, Kansas City, MO
Week 2: May 17-21, 2021 at University of Southern Mississippi-Gulf Park Campus, Long Beach, MS
Apply online at: https://advancedeconomicdevelopmentleadership.com/apply/.
