As issues such as transportation, NAFTA and border security between Eastern Canadian provinces and Northeastern states become increasingly challenging, more Canadian leaders must develop solid leadership skills. The Council of State Governments’ Eastern Regional Conference (CSG/ERC)’s Robert J. Thompson Eastern Leadership Academy (ELA) helps them do just that.
MLA Paula Biggar, Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island, is among a select group of 31 Northeastern regional and Eastern Canadian leaders chosen this year for the ELA. The annual program, located in the University of Pennsylvania campus, helps the region’s leaders develop leadership skills and examine major policy issues facing the Northeast and Eastern Canada.
“As a Canadian official, it is a great honour to be asked to participate in this program,” Ms. Biggar said. “I expect to share the insights I gain with my colleagues so that we all develop a better understanding of the issues facing Prince Edward Island in a changing world.”
Ms. Biggar will meet with fellow legislators and state officials from all branches of government from the Northeastern region, as well as Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Eastern Canada, for the program from September 14 - 18, in Pennsylvania.
This year’s program will focus on leadership lessons from senior elected officials, consensus building and conflict resolution among other topics.
Distinguished experts who will address the attendees include:
- Professor Michael Useem, Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania
- Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director, Annenberg Public Policy Center
- Professor Alan Rosenthal, Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers University
- David Landis, retired State Senator, Nebraska
- Leadership trainer Dr. Daniel J. Miller, Jr., Lt. Col., U.S. Air Force
- Arch Lustberg, renowned media trainer
- Pam Vacarro, president, Designs on Time
- Benjamin Franklin, spokesman for America’s Constitutional Bicentennial Celebration
- William Rosenberg, founder and director of the Drexel University Survey Research
“Sharing ideas and strategies in different policy areas and building skills with colleagues from around the world is a great opportunity, and one to which I am looking forward,” Ms. Biggar said.
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The Eastern Regional Conference was established in 1937 and includes Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland & Labrador, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Québec, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Vermont and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The mission of CSG/ERC is to provide a forum for new ideas; promote successful state policy innovations; advocate multi-jurisdictional problem solving; offer leadership training and technical assistance; serve as a catalyst for public/private dialog; forecast policy trends affecting the region; and represent regional interests at the federal level.