White House announces major rural investment conference next week
July 18, 2014 | 07:21 PM
The White House Rural Council will host a conference on Wednesday and Thursday to promote potential investment opportunities in rural America, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today.
In announcing plans earlier to hold a Rural Opportunity Investment Conference, Vilsack has said he hopes to attract investors to rural America by presenting a wide range of administration officials and business leaders as speakers.
“Top leaders from the business community and financial institutions, senior government officials, economic development experts and others from across the country will come together to discuss potential investments in rural business and infrastructure projects in rural communities,” USDA said in a news release late today.
“Opportunities for private investment exists in energy, biofuels, biobased product manufacturing, transportation, water systems, telecommunications, health care, manufacturing, local and regional food systems, and other sectors in rural America.”
Matthew McKenna
The Wednesday session will be held at the White House and will not be open to journalists. Participants will be welcomed by Matthew McKenna, a senior adviser to Vilsack who has had no public visibility until now.
According to a biography released in conjunction with the conference, McKenna “works to leverage federal resources with public and private partners to foster job creation, business development and economic growth in rural America.”
Before joining USDA in 2013, he served as the president and chief executive officer of Keep America Beautiful, Inc., a nonprofit, and before that as senior vice president for finance at PepsiCo, where he also served as treasurer and senior vice president for tax.
Earlier, he was a partner with the law firm of Winthrop, Stimson, Putnam & Roberts in New York.
A graduate of Georgetown Law School, McKenna is a director of Foot Locker, Inc. and chairman of the board of the Ignatian Volunteer Corps. He has served on the board of trustees of several other for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, including PepsiAmericas, Inc. and Hamilton College, where he graduated in 1972, in the same class as Vilsack.
He has also served on the boards of Manhattanville College, the Foundation for Purchase College of the State University of New York and the Manhattan Theatre Club. He has been an adjunct professor at Fordham University Law School since 1984.
In addition to Vilsack, the speakers at the White House session will include:
Closing remarks will be delivered by Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Jason Furman.
The Thursday session will be held at the Washington Hilton and will feature:
Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear, a Democrat, will deliver a luncheon address, and there will be breakout sessions on a range of topics.
Vilsack, Engel, Beshear and American Farm Bureau President Bob Stallman will participate in news conferences.
▪ Rural Opportunity Investment Conference Agenda
▪ White House Rural Council
In announcing plans earlier to hold a Rural Opportunity Investment Conference, Vilsack has said he hopes to attract investors to rural America by presenting a wide range of administration officials and business leaders as speakers.
“Top leaders from the business community and financial institutions, senior government officials, economic development experts and others from across the country will come together to discuss potential investments in rural business and infrastructure projects in rural communities,” USDA said in a news release late today.
“Opportunities for private investment exists in energy, biofuels, biobased product manufacturing, transportation, water systems, telecommunications, health care, manufacturing, local and regional food systems, and other sectors in rural America.”
The Wednesday session will be held at the White House and will not be open to journalists. Participants will be welcomed by Matthew McKenna, a senior adviser to Vilsack who has had no public visibility until now.
According to a biography released in conjunction with the conference, McKenna “works to leverage federal resources with public and private partners to foster job creation, business development and economic growth in rural America.”
Before joining USDA in 2013, he served as the president and chief executive officer of Keep America Beautiful, Inc., a nonprofit, and before that as senior vice president for finance at PepsiCo, where he also served as treasurer and senior vice president for tax.
Earlier, he was a partner with the law firm of Winthrop, Stimson, Putnam & Roberts in New York.
A graduate of Georgetown Law School, McKenna is a director of Foot Locker, Inc. and chairman of the board of the Ignatian Volunteer Corps. He has served on the board of trustees of several other for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, including PepsiAmericas, Inc. and Hamilton College, where he graduated in 1972, in the same class as Vilsack.
He has also served on the boards of Manhattanville College, the Foundation for Purchase College of the State University of New York and the Manhattan Theatre Club. He has been an adjunct professor at Fordham University Law School since 1984.
In addition to Vilsack, the speakers at the White House session will include:
- McKinsey & Co. CEO Dominic Barton
- 32 Advisors CEO Robert Wolf,
- National Economic Council Director Jeff Zients, who also serves as assistant to the president for economic policy.
- Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx
- Citigroup executive Julie Monaco
- American Bankers Association President Jeff Plagge
- New York City Chief Investment Officer Seema Hingorani.
Closing remarks will be delivered by Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Jason Furman.
The Thursday session will be held at the Washington Hilton and will feature:
- Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew
- BlackRock Vice Chairman Ken Wilson
- CoBank CEO Robert Engel
- Trade Representative Michael Froman
Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear, a Democrat, will deliver a luncheon address, and there will be breakout sessions on a range of topics.
Vilsack, Engel, Beshear and American Farm Bureau President Bob Stallman will participate in news conferences.
▪ Rural Opportunity Investment Conference Agenda
▪ White House Rural Council
