Speakers

Sam Adams has worked as a mayor, city commissioner, mayoral chief of staff, nonprofit leader, entrepreneur, and consultant. He has more than 35 years of hands-on experience leading and collaborating with diverse teams to create, develop and implement policies, plans and strategies that have helped Portland, Oregon be one of the best cities (Bloomberg Businessweek 2012) and the most sustainable large city (Mother Nature Network 2009) in the nation. Adams was the founding director of the World Resources Institute's (WRI) US program, expanding WRI's work with American states and cities, and creating new research partnerships with think tanks in Mexico, Canada, and the United States. He served as the Executive Director of the 100-year-old civic improvement nonprofit, the City Club of Portland. Adams has also worked as a consultant and columnist on similar issues on a national basis. He is now the Director of Strategic Innovations Group, in the Mayor’s Office, for the City of Portland.

Tim Rahschulte, PhD is the chief executive officer at The Professional Development Academy and chief architect of the NACo High Performance Leadership Program. Dr. Rahschulte has over twenty years of professional management experience and started his career in corporate finance for a multibillion-dollar company. Most recently before his CEO role at the Academy, he served as a principal executive for 14 years in state government; serving as chief learning officer in Oregon government until 2014. Tim is the co-author of Projects Without Boundaries: Successfully Leading Teams and Managing Projects in a Virtual World (Wiley, 2017); Program Management for Improved Business Results (Wiley, 2007); Leading Global Project Teams (Wiley, 2010); Distributed Team Collaboration in Organizations (Wiley, 2011), and My Best Advice: Proven Rules For Effective Leadership (IntelliPress Media).

Phil Bailey is Director of Advocacy at Push Digital, overseeing issue advocacy campaigns at the state and national level. He is a campaign and public policy veteran with leadership experience in local and statewide campaigns. A former Legislative Caucus director and a graduate of Leadership South Carolina, Phil handles the implementation of digital strategies for trade groups, corporations and non-profit organizations.