Conversations with Leadership: Economic Development in DC Featuring Councilmember Kwame R. Brown

In late February, The Washington, DC Economic Partnership featured Mayor Adrian Fenty and Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Neil Albert for the inaugural 2007 Business Initiatives Breakfast. Audience members were briefed on the programs and initiatives of the Fenty Administration and presented questions to the mayor and his economic development staff. As Mayor Fenty has moved forward with his agenda, the DC Council has held a number of hearings on topics ranging from District agency budget oversight to mayoral control of DC Public Schools to the fate of the National Capital Revitalization Corporation and the Anacostia Waterfront Corporation. Notable among the hearings have been those held by the Committee on Economic Development under the leadership of its new chair. The Washington, DC Economic Partnership welcomed Councilmember Kwame R. Brown on Thursday, April 19, for an examination of the priorities and policies that are likely to shape economic development legislation by the DC Council in 2007 and beyond.

New Leadership, New Vision: A Conversation with the Honorable Kwame R. Brown, Councilmember At-Large and Chair of the Committee on Economic Development was the second Business Initiatives Breakfast of 2007. We discussed the Councilmember’s passion for small and local businesses and the pressing issues facing his leadership of the DC Council’s Committee on Economic Development. The program is part of an ongoing series of conversations with leading figures in government, business and the not-for-profit sector on the leading business issues facing the District of Columbia.

The next Business Initiatives Breakfast will take place on Thursday, June 21, and will feature a panel discussion on sustainable development. Stay tuned for further details on this program. For more information on the Washington, DC Economic Partnership’s upcoming events and publications, visit us online at www.wdcep.com.