The Power of Place conference explores how the major forces reshaping the American economy—technology, trade, finance, demography, and policy—are playing out across local landscapes. Each panel zooms in on a key pillar of this transformation, offering a place-based lens on the challenges and opportunities ahead. Together, these conversations aim to surface practical insights for building a more resilient, inclusive, and dynamic economic future.

Event Speakers

John Lettieri

President & CEO

Economic Innovation Group

Angie Cooper

President

Heartland Forward

Donna Gambrell

President & CEO

Appalachian Community Capital

Gonzalo Schwarz

President & CEO

Archbridge Institute

Rohan Sandhu

Co-Founder

Reimagining the Economy Initiative, Harvard Kennedy School

Derek Kilmer

Senior Vice President

US Program and Policy, The Rockefeller Foundation

Adam Ozimek

Chief Economist

Economic Innovation Group

Reihan Salam

President

Manhattan Institute

Andrew Van Dam

Columnist, Department of Data

The Washington Post

Gary Winslett

Associate Professor & Director of the International Politics and Economics Program

Middlebury College

Glenn Barklie

Head of Economic Analysis and Insights

FT Locations

Mark DiPlacido

Policy Advisor

American Compass

Nikia Clarke

Chief Strategy Officer

Regional Economic Development Corp.

Joseph Briggs

Managing Director

Goldman Sachs

Mark Muro

Senior Fellow

Brookings Metro

Nathan Goldschlag

Director of Research

Economic Innovation Group

Jason Furman

Aetna Professor of the Practice of Economic Policy

Harvard Kennedy School and Dept. of Economics, Harvard University

Abi Olvera

Research Director

Golden Gate Institute for AI

Kenan Fikri

Senior Fellow

Economic Innovation Group

Matthew Yglesias

Founder and Author

Slow Boring

Cardiff Garcia

Editorial Director

Economic Innovation Group

Neil Irwin

Chief Economist Correspondent

Axios Media Inc.

Ben Miller

Co-Founder & CEO

Fundrise