The Intelligent Community

Fast Company Magazine shocked a lot of people when it published its list of the most Innovative Companies for Economic Development and – whoa! – a city appeared. An Intelligent Community in the USA state of Ohio: Hilliard. The ICF network knows Hilliard as one of the leading cities and a two-time Top7 community. But this was a big-time recognition. How much of it had to do with being an Intelligent Community? The City Manager, Michelle Crandall tells us in this podcast.

The Top7 Communities of 2025 will be announced in Las Rozas de Madrid, Spain – a Smart21 Community and leading community in Spanish intelligent community development. Las Rozas is a city of just under 100,000 people, and is home to nearly 15,000 companies and self-employed workers. Its success has been from a combination of strong mayoral leadership, multi-level workforce development, and an innovation ecosystem largely driven by Las Rozas Innova, the Municipal Company for Innovation, Technological Development, Digital Transformation and Entrepreneurship. This event is being produced in collaboration with the city of Las Rozas de Madrid and Las Rozas Innova. Hear from Executive Director, Matt Owen, about this special, three-day event and from the Mayor of Las Rozas de Madrid Spain, Jose de la Uz.  Tune in next week for a special episode featuring the Province of Limburg's, Regional Minister, Stephen Satijn.

Canada has contributed more Intelligent Communities to the ICF global network than any other country. In 2025 Canada once again placed four of its regions and cities on the list of ICF's Smart21, the first step in the annual Awards program. How does Canada achieve this hard-won annual goal? And what do this year's communities have to say about sustainability, economic development… and that little dispute with their neighbor, friend and largest trading partner! A great roundtable conversation with four of Canada's best. Our guests include: Savanna Myers, Director of Economic Development, Grey County, Ontario, Canada Wendy Dupley, Economic Development Advisor, Langley, BC, Canada Donna Gillespie, CEO, Kingston Economic Development Corporation, Kingston, Canada Simon Gill, Director of Economic Development & Tourism, Durham, Canada

Canada has contributed more Intelligent Communities to the ICF global network than any other country. In 2025 Canada once again placed four of its regions and cities on the list of ICF's Smart21, the first step in the annual Awards program. How does Canada achieve this hard-won annual goal? And what do this year's communities have to say about sustainability, economic development… and that little dispute with their neighbor, friend and largest trading partner! A great roundtable conversation with four of Canada's best. Our guests include: Savanna Myers, Director of Economic Development, Grey County, Ontario, Canada Wendy Dupley, Economic Development Advisor, Langley, BC, Canada Donna Gillespie, CEO, Kingston Economic Development Corporation, Kingston, Canada Simon Gill, Director of Economic Development & Tourism, Durham, Canada

Doug McCollough has been CIO of leading digital cities, including Dublin, Ohio where he helped lead that small city to multiple awards, including ICF's Top7. He recently took over the role of Executive Director for the ICF Institute, and was recently names the first-ever Executive Director of the Beta District, which spans several cities in the most important industrial corridor of Central Ohio. And he is producing a Future of Mobility Conference in May that will bring new ideas to the life of urban movement. Known for his sharp turns toward innovation and intellectual prowess when it comes to understanding the link between connectivity, economic growth and social development, McCollough has been a leader in ICF's global intelligent community movement and one of its most popular speakers. Doug McCollough works to connect people to opportunities, remove barriers, and promote change in initiatives ranging from Smart and Connected Cities, IT Workforce Development, expanding broadband access, Connected and Autonomous Vehicles, and Blockchain. Now serving as the Executive Director of The Beta District in Central Ohio, which organizes innovation, development, and investment in Smart Mobility industry sectors, he speaks as a Subject Matter Expert and advocate on using technology for community development. Doug is also the CEO of Color Coded Labs, which targets underserved, underrepresented, and marginalized communities, seeking gritty working adults for new, transformative career pathways in the technology industry, and co-founder of The Columbus Rising Project, which fights against the digital divide by sharing basic tech skills in the Columbus, Ohio region. Prior to his current work, Doug held positions within the State of Ohio Departments of Public Safety, Commerce, Industrial Commission, and Medicaid. He served as the Director of  Information Technology for the City of Richmond, Virginia, and as CIO for the City of Dublin, Ohio. He is on the boards of Per Scholas Columbus, TECH CORPS, and Jewish Family Services of Columbus, is a cofounder of Black Tech Columbus, and former Trustee for the Central Ohio Transit Authority. Doug earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Toledo in Information Systems and Operations Management and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Notre Dame.

Guyana is defined by its dense rainforest. Culturally connected to the Caribbean region, it has become a richer country due to its oil production and GDP per capita. But it has high levels of poverty. Especially in the rural areas. One person with an understanding of connectivity from his years in the satellite and telecommunications industries decided to go back home to tackle this fundamental issue, which is central to ICF's purpose. Born in one of the poorest regions of Guyana, executive Andre L. Jones started WANSAT Networks to provide connectivity and development to the rural areas where he grew up. The story is a great one. Inspiring. How he approached the project is instructive to any rural district seeking to go on a journey toward Intelligent Community status. Andre L. Jones co-founded WANSAT Networks, Inc. to provide connectivity to underserved and unserved areas in his birth country of Guyana. Born in one of the poorest regions of the nation, he witnessed firsthand the challenges that rural communities faced due to their isolation. When oil was discovered in Guyana, for example, the nation experienced rapid economic expansion, but the benefits did not reach many rural areas. Andre turned the years of expertise in the satellite communications industry he had developed as a successful businessman in the United States toward the problem, securing vital partnerships with leading companies operating in the region like Intelsat, Viasat and Telefonica. Through these partnerships, WANSAT was able to deliver connectivity to remote regions unreached by fiber and terrestrial networks, providing those isolated communities with access to essential services and communication options. WANSAT has installed satellite terminals in remote communities throughout Guyana, allowing previously unconnected citizens to access the government's telemedicine program, including remote consultations and general healthcare access. This connection is a lifeline for remote villages, providing timely diagnoses and medical advice that were previously out of reach. WANSAT connectivity also facilitates distance learning, enabling rural students to participate for the first time in programs such as the government's GOAL initiative. Students in remote areas now have access to educational resources and opportunities that were once unimaginable, leveling the playing field and fostering a brighter future for these communities. Guyana's gold mining industry has been another major beneficiary of WANSAT connectivity. Miners, who often face prolonged isolation from their families, now benefit from satellite internet that keeps them connected to their loved ones. This connectivity not only enhances social cohesion, but also improves workplace safety and personal security, mitigating the extreme hardships that come with long separations. To ensure that WANSAT's connectivity offerings continue to benefit communities throughout Guyana, Andre has established training programs to equip local youth and former defense personnel with the knowledge of how to install and maintain satellite systems. He actively collaborated with Guyana's largest telecom provider, GTT (now One Communications), to ensure sustainable development and increased regional participation in the nation's rapid economic growth. For Andre, WANSAT is not simply about technology, but about ensuring that no one is left behind in Guyana's economic transformation.

The New York City's Department of Parks' first Director of Data Analytics who contributed the key ingredients to the success of the city's Million Trees Research Conference and knows her way around urban forests discusses her new venture, Helpful Places, and how digital trust can be imbedded in the organization of community governments.  It's a fascinating conversation with one of the world's most sought-after speakers. Canadian-based Lu, who also discusses what she learned from her work on the highly controversial Sidewalk Labs project in Toronto tells The INTELLIGENT Community audience how it went “sideways” and what she learned Jacqueline advances technology transparency and legibility for people-centered smart(er) cities. She leads Helpful Places, a social impact enterprise advancing the adoption and stewardship of Digital Trust for Places and Routines (DTPR.io), an open-source visual language and nutrition label standard designed to increase transparency and legibility for urban technology. She is a member of the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on Data Equity, Council for the Connected World and a working group member and contributor to the G20 Smart Cities Alliance. Jacqueline's experience spans public, private and non-profit sectors. As Data Lead at Mozilla Foundation, Jacqueline led the development and implementation of their data strategy. As Director of Digital Integration at Sidewalk Labs, she led incorporating innovation objectives, technology policy and data ethics into the company's approach to urban development projects. As the inaugural Director of Data Analytics at the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, she developed the agency's data strategy, developed the open data program and founded its first data science team. Jacqueline also spearheaded the largest participatory street tree mapping project in U.S. history, culminating in the NYC Tree Map, a digital platform for the collaborative management of NYC's urban forest.

The New York City's Department of Parks' first Director of Data Analytics who contributed the key ingredients to the success of the city's Million Trees Research Conference and knows her way around urban forests discusses her new venture, Helpful Places, and how digital trust can be imbedded in the organization of community governments.  It's a fascinating conversation with one of the world's most sought-after speakers. Canadian-based Lu, who also discusses what she learned from her work on the highly controversial Sidewalk Labs project in Toronto tells The INTELLIGENT Community audience how it went “sideways” and what she learned Jacqueline advances technology transparency and legibility for people-centered smart(er) cities. She leads Helpful Places, a social impact enterprise advancing the adoption and stewardship of Digital Trust for Places and Routines (DTPR.io), an open-source visual language and nutrition label standard designed to increase transparency and legibility for urban technology. She is a member of the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on Data Equity, Council for the Connected World and a working group member and contributor to the G20 Smart Cities Alliance. Jacqueline's experience spans public, private and non-profit sectors. As Data Lead at Mozilla Foundation, Jacqueline led the development and implementation of their data strategy. As Director of Digital Integration at Sidewalk Labs, she led incorporating innovation objectives, technology policy and data ethics into the company's approach to urban development projects. As the inaugural Director of Data Analytics at the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, she developed the agency's data strategy, developed the open data program and founded its first data science team. Jacqueline also spearheaded the largest participatory street tree mapping project in U.S. history, culminating in the NYC Tree Map, a digital platform for the collaborative management of NYC's urban forest.

A fun, informative and rolling conversation with the three founders of ICF and the movement, along with its Executive Director. The group discusses the holistic approach to economic and social development and explains why cities from Ohio to Taiwan to Brazil share similar approaches on their successful journeys. They conclude by sharing their top seven trends for cities in 2025. Our moderator and guests include: Lou Zacharilla, Co-Founder, ICF Robert Bell, Co-Founder, ICF John Jung, Co-Founder, ICF Matt Owen, Executive Director, ICF

A fun, informative and rolling conversation with the three founders of ICF and the movement, along with its Executive Director. The group discusses the holistic approach to economic and social development and explains why cities from Ohio to Taiwan to Brazil share similar approaches on their successful journeys. They conclude by sharing their top seven trends for cities in 2025. Our moderator and guests include: Lou Zacharilla, Co-Founder, ICF Robert Bell, Co-Founder, ICF John Jung, Co-Founder, ICF Matt Owen, Executive Director, ICF

In part one of this conversation, you heard the world's most Intelligent Community of the Year tell you how they have used innovation and planning to evolve into one of the world's elite cities. Today, I want to go deeper to the core of this whole movement and listen as Dario Paixao tells you unequivocally that what is being done in creative can be a model for 398 communities in his state model that will bring democracy closer to people and fulfill a mandate all governments have to listen and to act. Be inspired today on The Intelligent Community.

Curitiba, Brazil. Ever heard of it? Ever been there? Ever seen or read stories about the building of its railroad and its history of innovation? Ever wonder how a city can be sustainable and flourishing? How about Rafael Greca? Ever heard of him? The outgoing Mayor of Curitiba is one of the most amazing people in the intelligent community movement – and a politician who is such an authentic human being – that Pope Francis invited him to the Vatican to discuss Curitiba's remarkable programs for addressing food insecurity. Curitiba has won so many “smart city” awards that its shelves are full. It got the big one in November 2024 in Barcelona, when it was named Intelligent Community of the Year. What's going on there? In this episode, we speak with Dario Paixao, the city's Secretary for Economic Development, Innovation and Artificial Intelligence, in a conversation with a city that has been climbing the smart city & intelligent community mountain for decades. Dario Paixao is the CEO of the Curitiba Agency for Economic Development and Innovation, Curitiba, Brazil. Doctor in Tourism Management (University of Malaga - Spain); Master in International Tourism (Las Palmas University, Canary Islands, Spain); Business Management and Tourism Bachelor (Parana Federal University and Positivo University, Curitiba, Brazil); St. Mary's High School (Vegreville, Alberta, Canada); Business Management Professor (Parana Federal University, Curitiba, Brazil); Business Management Doctorate and MBA Professor (Positivo University, Curitiba, Brazil); Former Director of the Public Management School of Curitiba City Hall; Former President of the Curitiba Convention & Visitors Bureau; Entrepreneur, speaker, and book author about the Future of Work and Employability.

Continuing our look at mistrust of government, doxing and the implications of digital technology on Intelligent Communities, Lou speaks with theformer Mayor of Stratford, Canada, Dan Mathieson.  Considered one of Canada's best mayors, whose tech-savvy insights led is city to three Top7 placements, he is into a new concept, “Immersive Cities.” Mathieson also talks about his own experience with constituents who sought menace, alienation in society, technology's role and how Stratford native Justin Beiber once crashed the ICF website!  Mr. Mathieson is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal for his exceptional leadership in technology innovation in his community. Dan Mathieson has dedicated his career to public service, having served 28 years in public office, 20 years-five terms as Mayor and been a member of municipal council since 1995. Throughout his extensive tenure, he has actively participated in a variety of boards and committees across multiple sectors, including the arts, healthcare, municipal affairs, law enforcement, athletics, non-profits, and educational institutions. Currently, Dan is the Chair, of the Ontario Provincial Land Development Facilitators Agency, the Past Chair of the Ontario Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) and has previously served as the Chair of Kings University College at Western University. He is a Governor with i-Canada, the Founding Director of Darabase North America and serves on the board of a number of public and private corporations.  Dan, is an active entrepreneur with holdings in real estate and a variety of economic sectors. In recognition of his contributions, he received the Alumni Award of Excellence from the Master of Public Administration, Local Government program at Western University in November 2015. Furthermore, he was honored as the 2016 Distinguished Practitioner in Residence at Western University, where he lectures on governance and innovation in public institutions and he serves as an Executive in Residence at the Ivey School of Business at Western University. In 2012, the Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance (CATA) awarded Dan the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his exceptional leadership in technology innovation within the community. He was also a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002, acknowledging his dedication to public service.

Continuing our look at mistrust of government, doxing and the implications of digital technology on Intelligent Communities, Lou speaks with theformer Mayor of Stratford, Canada, Dan Mathieson.  Considered one of Canada's best mayors, whose tech-savvy insights led is city to three Top7 placements, he is into a new concept, “Immersive Cities.” Mathieson also talks about his own experience with constituents who sought menace, alienation in society, technology's role and how Stratford native Justin Beiber once crashed the ICF website!  Mr. Mathieson is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal for his exceptional leadership in technology innovation in his community. Dan Mathieson has dedicated his career to public service, having served 28 years in public office, 20 years-five terms as Mayor and been a member of municipal council since 1995. Throughout his extensive tenure, he has actively participated in a variety of boards and committees across multiple sectors, including the arts, healthcare, municipal affairs, law enforcement, athletics, non-profits, and educational institutions. Currently, Dan is the Chair, of the Ontario Provincial Land Development Facilitators Agency, the Past Chair of the Ontario Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) and has previously served as the Chair of Kings University College at Western University. He is a Governor with i-Canada, the Founding Director of Darabase North America and serves on the board of a number of public and private corporations.  Dan, is an active entrepreneur with holdings in real estate and a variety of economic sectors. In recognition of his contributions, he received the Alumni Award of Excellence from the Master of Public Administration, Local Government program at Western University in November 2015. Furthermore, he was honored as the 2016 Distinguished Practitioner in Residence at Western University, where he lectures on governance and innovation in public institutions and he serves as an Executive in Residence at the Ivey School of Business at Western University. In 2012, the Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance (CATA) awarded Dan the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his exceptional leadership in technology innovation within the community. He was also a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002, acknowledging his dedication to public service.

What are the corrosive impacts of AI? Are there ways to offset some of the more negative trends in our communities and make technologies instruments of joy rather than menaces? What causes acted-out anger against mayors, council members, school boards, jurists and journalists? What is at the root of this community fragmentation?   In the second episode of the ICF's series on doxxing, we continue the conversation with Jacob Ward, author of The Loop.  Mr. Ward is best-known to Americans for his stint as the on-air correspondent for NBC News, covering the intersection of technology, human behavior, and social change for the Nightly News and The TODAY Show.  Mr. Ward and Lou discuss the degree to which AI, social anxiety and the isolation of the digital world have exploited peoples' behavior and eroded a community's more “wholesome” activities. Is this leading to doxing – while also potentially becoming a tool for positive change? It's an entirely new way to look at our future. 

What are the corrosive impacts of AI? Are there ways to offset some of the more negative trends in our communities and make technologies instruments of joy rather than menaces? What causes acted-out anger against mayors, council members, school boards, jurists and journalists? What is at the root of this community fragmentation?   In this first episode of the ICF's series on doxxing, we begin a conversation with Jacob Ward, author of The Loop.  Mr. Ward is best-known to Americans for his stint as the on-air correspondent for NBC News, covering the intersection of technology, human behavior, and social change for the Nightly News and The TODAY Show.  Mr. Ward and Lou discuss the degree to which AI, social anxiety and the isolation of the digital world have exploited peoples' behavior and eroded a community's more “wholesome” activities. Is this leading to doxing – while also potentially becoming a tool for positive change? It's an entirely new way to look at our future.  Jacob Ward is a prolific technology journalist. He was most recently an on-air correspondent for NBC News, covering the intersection of technology, human behavior, and social change for Nightly News, The TODAY Show, and MSNBC. He is the former editor-in-chief of Popular Science magazine, and was Al Jazeera's science and technology correspondent from 2013 to 2018. Ward is a lecturer at the Stanford d.school, and was a 2018-2019 Berggruen Fellow at Stanford University's Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, where he began writing The Loop: How AI is Creating a World without Choices and How to Fight Back, out now from Hachette Book Group. The book explores how artificial intelligence and other decision-shaping technologies will amplify good and bad human instincts. Ward has written for The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Wired, and many other publications. In addition to hosting documentaries for Nat Geo and Discovery, he's the host of the landmark four-hour PBS television series, “Hacking Your Mind,” about human decision-making and manipulation.

The CEO and Founder of Bable Smart Cities in Germany is on a mission: to accelerate change for a better urban life by helping a city or a region's stakeholders create sustainable, innovative, and inclusive places. How's he doing?  And why is his company called “Bable??” In this episode we speak with Alexander Schmidt, whose company has been working on process of improvement for cities and which is partnering with ICF for the Barcelona Summit in early November at the Smart City Expo. Schmidt says that by “simplifying innovation” cities can save 80% of money allocated to them by the EU and other sources. He discusses this. Mr. Schmidt, whose company continues to open offices throughout the EU, also tells us why he finds the ICF method for creating better communities everywhere on Earth a compelling proposition. And he tells us how Bable got its name…. Alexander Schmidt is the Founder/CEO at BABLE Smart Cities with the mission to accelerate the change for a better urban life by supporting urban stakeholders in creating sustainable, innovative, and inclusive cities and towns - providing a knowledge platform that enables collaboration, data-driven decision-making, and the acceleration of smart solutions. His competencies focus on: urban mobility, business models for new (digital) markets, system analysis and development of urban solutions and moderation of partnerships between public and private entities. He has a deep understanding of the goals, processes and background of industrial, scientific and governmental institutions. Mr. Schmidt holds several degrees, incl. a M.Sc. Transport from Imperial College London, Environmental Engineering & Business Studies, was a researcher and project lead at the Fraunhofer Research Society, Morgenstadt and MIT Sensible Cities Lab,. He was also part of the founding and management team of EIT Urban Mobility - an institution of the European Union.

 A nation of 23 million people that punches far above its weight is a subject of study and fascination around the world. Its prowess in semi-conductor technology is just the beginning.  Much of Taiwan's success comes from the way it has designed its cities and the way its culture embraces innovation, ideas from everywhere and implements them in a process that continues to modernize its economy, while maintaining the integrity of its history and its robust democracy.  In this mini-series we try to open the door to Taiwan for you.  We begin with a conversation with the CEO from a company that is based in an Intelligent Community, Arlington County, Virginia.  Arlington County and Taiwan have a strong relationship and in this conversation, Jim Shea, CEO of DeepSig, a software development company that improves the next generation of wireless systems, talks to Lou about doing business in a country where there are 17 Intelligent Communities! Jim Shea is the CEO of DeepSig Inc., a startup that is harnessing the power of AI to radically improve the performance and security of 5G, IoT, and other wireless systems.  He has over 30 years of commercial and defense industrial experience having been involved in two previous startups and experience managing large organizations.  Jim received a BEE from Georgia Tech and an MSEE from The University of Illinois.

In a year when democracies around the world go to the voting polls to select leaders and representatives in nations and local towns and regions, we see much has changed due to an adoption of the “Intelligent Community” idea and through the evolution of technologies like broadband and AI, which have crept into our daily lives.  The COVID Pandemic altered our rhythms and impacted our local economies, especially commercial real estate, healthcare advances and the nature of work.   Can it be very long before we elect a robot for mayor? What is the new normal with AI in our communities?  Are the forces too overwhelming or are we managing? Picking up on ICF's July 2024 webinar “Sharing Public Spaces with Robots” Lou went to the “bullpen” to bring in ICF's Senior Fellow, Dr. Norman Jacknis to ask him what his research and teaching has revealed. Norm, who leads ICF's Analysts also shares his views about this year's Top7 Intelligent Communities, one of which will succeed Binh Duong, Vietnam as Intelligent Community of the Year! Dr. Jacknis has decades of executive and leadership experience in the public and private sectors. He has successfully led organizations to adopt innovations, creatively use technology, and embrace data-driven cultures. Dr. Jacknis is currently Professor of Practice in the Innovation and Entrepreneurship program of the business school of Northeastern University. Prior to that, for eight years, he was on the full- time faculty of Columbia University, teaching machine learning and artificial intelligence, as well as product design, in its Executive Master's degree program for technology leaders. He is also Senior Fellow of the global Intelligent Community Forum, where he has worked for years with regional/state and local public officials and businesses on the intelligent use of technology to improve quality of life and the built environment. Government Technology Magazine selected him as one of the nation's “Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers who, using technology ... broke bureaucratic inertia to better serve the public”. Under his leadership, Westchester County won numerous awards, including the Center for Digital Government's top ten digital counties in the country, American City & County's Crown Communities Award for technology and was selected as one of the top seven Intelligent Communities in the world. Among many activities beyond his work, he is Chairman Emeritus and former President of the regional chapter of the national association of chief information and technology officers (SIM) as well as Vice Chair of the Westchester County Community College Board Of Trustees. Dr. Jacknis received his Doctorate, Master's and Bachelor's degrees from Princeton University. He also studied for a semester at Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda and has graduated from executive courses at Harvard University.

In a year when democracies around the world go to the voting polls to select leaders and representatives in nations and local towns and regions, we see much has changed due to an adoption of the “Intelligent Community” idea and through the evolution of technologies like broadband and AI, which have crept into our daily lives.  The COVID Pandemic altered our rhythms and impacted our local economies, especially commercial real estate, healthcare advances and the nature of work.   Can it be very long before we elect a robot for mayor? What is the new normal with AI in our communities?  Are the forces too overwhelming or are we managing? Picking up on ICF's July 2024 webinar “Sharing Public Spaces with Robots” Lou went to the “bullpen” to bring in ICF's Senior Fellow, Dr. Norman Jacknis to ask him what his research and teaching has revealed. Norm, who leads ICF's Analysts also shares his views about this year's Top7 Intelligent Communities, one of which will succeed Binh Duong, Vietnam as Intelligent Community of the Year! Dr. Jacknis has decades of executive and leadership experience in the public and private sectors. He has successfully led organizations to adopt innovations, creatively use technology, and embrace data-driven cultures. Dr. Jacknis is currently Professor of Practice in the Innovation and Entrepreneurship program of the business school of Northeastern University. Prior to that, for eight years, he was on the full- time faculty of Columbia University, teaching machine learning and artificial intelligence, as well as product design, in its Executive Master's degree program for technology leaders. He is also Senior Fellow of the global Intelligent Community Forum, where he has worked for years with regional/state and local public officials and businesses on the intelligent use of technology to improve quality of life and the built environment. Government Technology Magazine selected him as one of the nation's “Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers who, using technology ... broke bureaucratic inertia to better serve the public”. Under his leadership, Westchester County won numerous awards, including the Center for Digital Government's top ten digital counties in the country, American City & County's Crown Communities Award for technology and was selected as one of the top seven Intelligent Communities in the world. Among many activities beyond his work, he is Chairman Emeritus and former President of the regional chapter of the national association of chief information and technology officers (SIM) as well as Vice Chair of the Westchester County Community College Board Of Trustees. Dr. Jacknis received his Doctorate, Master's and Bachelor's degrees from Princeton University. He also studied for a semester at Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda and has graduated from executive courses at Harvard University.

The ”Heartland” of the United States is a geographical expanse that is breathtaking in its size and scope.  Covering 20 states, from North Dakota to Texas, it is among the most diverse places on the globe. Yet for the past decades it has underperformed the ”Services” economies of America's coastal states and cities.  But that is changing dramatically thanks to the efforts of groups like Heartland Forward.  With entrepreneurial programs and toolkits, this ”Think and DO” tank as they call themselves has been unlocking the intelligence, culture, and capital in places as diverse as Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Oxford, Mississippi, and attempting to drive investment to the heartland of USA. How's it going? As the American economy continues to generate prosperity and opportunities, Heartland Forward's Senior Economist and Chief Research Officer talk to Lou about place-based economic development, the workforce of these 20 states and the linkages between their work and ICF's. This one changes the narrative about the ” flyover country” within the United States and gives examples of how every community can seize its destiny (Sound familiar?) https://www.intelligentcommunity.org/seizing_our_destiny You will enjoy their insights into this continuous rebirth of the American spirit. Julie Trivitt joined Heartland Forward from the University of Arkansas where she was a faculty member in both the Economics and Education Reform departments for eight years and has lived in the heartland her entire life. She leads the research initiatives on labor markets and talent pipelines as they are now and how we need them to adapt so the people of the heartland have opportunities to realize their full potential and employers have the best qualified talent. She has a PhD and MS in Economics from the University of Arkansas. Her bachelor's degree is also in Economics and was earned at Missouri State University. She aspires to be an herb gardener, a cruise director, and a librarian. David Shideler serves as the chief research officer for Heartland Forward's research team which includes visiting senior fellows Richard Florida and Maryann Feldman. With a mission to help improve the economic performance in the heartland and change the narrative of the middle of the country, the original research efforts focus on four key pillars: innovation and entrepreneurship, human capital, health and wellness and regional competitiveness. Shideler joined Heartland Forward after more than a decade at Oklahoma State University, serving as a professor and Community and Economic Development Specialist in the Department of Agricultural Economics. In these roles, he oversaw projects in community and rural development and small business development, and published peer-reviewed research articles on the economic impacts of internet access, incentive programs, and local food production. Shideler holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics and an M.A. in Economics from the Ohio State University, an M.S. in Agricultural Economics from the Pennsylvania State University, and a B.S. in Community and Rural Development from Clemson University.

In this episode of The Intelligent Community, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla speaks with Ambassador Jarmo Sareva, Finland's Ambassador for Cyber Affairs before being named the country's first Ambassador for Innovation. Sareva was Finland's Ambassador for Cyber Affairs before being named the country's first Ambassador for Innovation.  These two jobs were central to the success of Finland, which is known for its innovation in technology and the development of showcase cities, including ICF's 2018 Intelligent Community of the Year, Espoo. He also served in directorships at the UN's Office for Disarmament Affairs and the Institute for Disarmament Research. His advocacy for Finland as it current Consul General in New York and vision for the world's cities keeps the focus on humanity as the center of the human experience.  He discusses what he calls “frugal innovation” methods to continue to improve social quality of life. 

Sareva was Finland's Ambassador for Cyber Affairs before being named the country's first Ambassador for Innovation.  These two jobs were central to the success of Finland, which is known for its innovation in technology and the development of showcase cities, including ICF's 2018 Intelligent Community of the Year, Espoo. He also served in directorships at the UN's Office for Disarmament Affairs and the Institute for Disarmament Research. His advocacy for Finland as it current Consul General in New York and vision for the world's cities keeps the focus on humanity as the center of the human experience.  He discusses what he calls “frugal innovation” methods to continue to improve social quality of life.  Ambassador Jarmo Sareva is the Consul General of Finland in New York since September 1, 2022. The Consulate General in New York promotes Finland's commercial & cultural interests in the United States, focusing on thirty-five eastern states. It is also responsible for consular services in New York as well as in other states in its jurisdiction. Mr. Sareva brings a wealth of experience to his position from both multilateral and bilateral diplomacy, especially in the field of arms control. Prior to his appointment in New York, Mr. Sareva served in Helsinki as Finland's Ambassador for Cyber Affairs from 2021 to 2022 and Finland's first Ambassador for Innovation from 2018 to 2021. From 2006 to 2018, he served in various positions at the UN in New York and Geneva, including as Director of the Geneva Branch of the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs and Director of the UN Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR). Mr. Sareva's previous diplomatic experience includes serving as Director for Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-Proliferation in Helsinki and as Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of Finland to the UN in New York, as well as postings in Moscow, Washington, D.C., and Vienna. Mr. Sareva is passionate about helping Finnish businesses expand to the U.S. market, promoting Finnish culture, and strengthening Finland's country brand in the United States. Mr. Sareva holds an M.A. from the School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University in Washington. He is married with two children and two grandchildren.

Many astronauts say that when they initially see the Earth from afar, they look first for their hometowns….Eventually, they realize that their true identity as a human….is ‘with that whole thing.'” One of the world's most esteemed authors and Space philosophers, best-selling author Frank White, wrote The Overview Effect nearly 40 years ago while gazing down at Earth. His hundreds of interviews and reporting since have changed the way people view our planet and their lives, and has influenced our outlook on the idea of “community.”  After hundreds of interviews with every human being who has left Earth for Space and working with the best minds the human community offers, he narrowed the process of understanding into three words.  In part two of this podcast with his friend, Lou Zacharilla, he shares them as they talk about the cognitive shift that an “overview effect” has had and what it might mean for the future of Intelligent Communities.

Many astronauts say that when they initially see the Earth from afar, they look first for their hometowns….Eventually, they realize that their true identity as a human….is ‘with that whole thing.'” One of the world's most esteemed authors and Space philosophers, best-selling author Frank White, wrote The Overview Effect nearly 40 years ago while gazing down at Earth. His hundreds of interviews and reporting since have changed the way people view our planet and their lives, and has influenced our outlook on the idea of “community.”  After hundreds of interviews with every human being who has left Earth for Space and working with the best minds the human community offers, he narrowed the process of understanding into three words.  In this remarkable Podcast with his friend, Lou Zacharilla, he shares them as they talk about the cognitive shift that an “overview effect” has had and what it might mean for the future of Intelligent Communities. Frank White is an educator, writer, and communications consultant. He has authored or coauthored numerous books on topics ranging from space exploration to artificial intelligence to Zen Buddhism. His best-known work is The Overview Effect: Space Exploration and Human Evolution. He is the co-founder, president, and board chair of The Human Space Program, Inc.

Lou and Ben Winchester continue their discussion about the changes taking place in rural communities and the misperceptions afoot. You will enjoy the second part of this Podcast. While Lou claims, “The Middle of Nowhere is No More,” Ben adds, “And we live in the middle of Everywhere!” Ben has been working both in and for small towns across the Midwest for over 25 years. He lives in St. Cloud, Minnesota with his wife and two children. Ben is trained as a Rural Sociologist and works for the University of Minnesota Extension. His conducts applied research on economic, social, and demographic topics surrounding a theme of “rewriting the rural narrative”. He recently received the international Rural Renewal Research Prize in 2021 for this work.   Winchester received his B.A. in Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Minnesota, Morris (1995) and M.S. in Rural Sociology from the University of Missouri, Columbia (2001). He was a founding employee at the Center for Small Towns, an outreach program at the University of Minnesota, Morris and specializes in community development, demographic analysis, data visualization, and moving communities away from anecdata.

“The seeds of success for rural economies have been planted!” So says the controversial champion of the rural narrative, University of Minnesota educator and researcher Dr. Ben Winchester, a demographer at the University of Minnesota's. Extension Center for Community Vitality. “If the small town is dying why is there a housing shortage in most parts of rural America!?” Winchester explodes with enthusiasm and knocks down categorically old notions and stereotypes about rural places including the one about WHY people are moving to rural communities.  “A job is NOT among the top things people look for when choosing a rural lifestyle. Employment opportunities do not bring people in and seeking investment the way it has been done by economic development officials is not an effective way to create brain gain.”  Dr. Winchester suggests another way and it is as simple as any common-sense approach can be. Professor Winchester is a dedicated community-centric advocate, a fresh and original thinker and a great interview.   Says long-time ICF jurist Bill Coleman, “Ben is one of my favorites!”

Now that COVID is no longer a global pandemic, what is it? And what is the lesson communities learned over the past 3 years? In this rebroadcast of the interview with Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, who was just featured in TIMES100 Health, ICF co-founder Lou Zacharilla speaks with Dr. Jetelina, Director of Population Health Analytics, to learn these answers and more. Dr. Katelyn Jetelina is one of America's most trusted epidemiologists. She publishes Your Local Epidemiologist, a widely read website and newsletter covering a range of public health issues that translates evolving science into readable language for the general public. In this episode of The Intelligent Community, she discusses information integrity and the politics of COVID in places as diverse as New York and Florida. This episode is the second part of ICF co-founder Lou Zacharilla's interview with Dr. Jetelina.  Katelyn Jetelina, MPH PhD is an epidemiologist, data scientist and internationally renowned scientific communicator. She is the Director of Population Health Analytics, a nonprofit, non-partisan health policy think tank. She is also a Senior Scientific Advisor to a number of government and non-profit agencies, including the White House, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Resolve to Save Lives and Make-A-Wish Foundation. On the side, Dr. Jetelina is the publisher of Your Local Epidemiologist – a public health newsletter that “translates” ever-evolving science to the general public, which has reached over 300 million views. Dr. Jetelina has received 3 national awards for her work, including National Academies of Science and a medal of honor from the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Emergency Management and Medical Operations, Field Operations, and Response. Katelyn resides in San Diego, California with her husband and two toddlers.

Lou continues The INTELLIGENT Community Podcast with Adrianne Furniss and touches on the subject of HOW small communities develop brain gain and capacity over the long term.  They also discuss how broadband can reinforce cultural restoration and its role in enabling democracy to persist in the Digital Age. Adrianne Benton Furniss is Executive Director and Board Member of the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, a 40-year-old nonprofit focused on broadband policy, working to make sure everyone can use and benefit from high quality, affordable broadband. They strengthen local, state, and national leadership by providing the timely information, rigorous evidence, practical guidance, and advocacy needed to articulate and implement a broadband for all agenda. They inform and give policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and advocates information they need to advance a broadband for all agenda. They research and build knowledge by providing a body of research and best practices to guide our field's work. They partner and engage with communities to develop strategies for ubiquitous, high-speed, reliable, and affordable broadband to meet larger community goals. And they advocate and advance a broadband for all agenda at all levels of government through policymaker education, legal and regulatory filings, and coalition participation.

Our goal is to bring open, affordable, high-performance broadband to all people in the U.S. to ensure a thriving democracy,” says Adrianne Furniss. In a rare interview and her first podcast, the Executive Director of the Benton Institute discusses the current state of rural broadband in the United States and her view of how to build capacity within very small communities that have suffered brain drain and the loss of their economic vibrancy. The work being done by Benton and the research this famed institute relies on continue to launch what many call the “rural renaissance.” https://www.benton.org/. Adrianne Benton Furniss is Executive Director and Board Member of the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, a 40-year-old nonprofit focused on broadband policy, working to make sure everyone can use and benefit from high quality, affordable broadband. They strengthen local, state, and national leadership by providing the timely information, rigorous evidence, practical guidance, and advocacy needed to articulate and implement a broadband for all agenda. They inform and give policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and advocates information they need to advance a broadband for all agenda. They research and build knowledge by providing a body of research and best practices to guide our field's work. They partner and engage with communities to develop strategies for ubiquitous, high-speed, reliable, and affordable broadband to meet larger community goals. And they advocate and advance a broadband for all agenda at all levels of government through policymaker education, legal and regulatory filings, and coalition participation.

What makes Canadian cities such as Waterloo, Ottawa, and Toronto hubs of high-tech entrepreneurship and successful Intelligent Communities? Since moving to Canada, Professor Darius Ornston, author of When Small States Make Big Leaps, which chronicled how the Nordic countries developed the ability to enter new, tech-based markets, has similarly studied two Intelligent Communities of the Year in Canada and tells us how these Canadian communities represent a collaborative approach which has resulted in Canada having more designated Intelligent Communities than any other nation. Darius Ornston is an Associate Professor at the prestigious Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto where he specializes in innovation policy and the relationship between cooperation and economic change.

What makes Canadian cities such as Waterloo, Ottawa and Toronto hubs of high-tech entrepreneurship and successful Intelligent Communities? Since moving to Canada, Professor Darius Ornston, author of When Small States Make Big Leaps, which chronicled how the Nordic countries developed the ability to enter new, tech-based markets, has similarly studied two Intelligent Communities of the Year in Canada and tells us how these Canadian communities represent a collaborative approach which has resulted in Canada having more designated Intelligent Communities than any other nation. Darius Ornston is an associate professor at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy at the University of Toronto where he specializes in innovation policy, specifically the relationship between cooperation and economic change. His first book, When Small States Make Big Leaps, illustrates how the Nordic countries use cooperation to enter new, high-technology markets. In Good Governance Gone Bad, he demonstrates how the same, tight-knit networks which accelerate reform and restructuring can lead to policy overshooting, overinvestment, and economic crisis. Professor Ornston's work with Dan Breznitz on the politics of innovation and the design of innovation agencies has been published with multiple outlets, including the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the OECD. Since moving to Canada, Professor Ornston has focused on high-technology entrepreneurship in Ottawa, Waterloo, and Toronto. 

This week marks the start of another global awards campaign at ICF. We begin the search for the successor to the current Intelligent Community of the Year, Binh Duong, Vietnam. Who will it be? We begin by naming theSmart21(see the video) on March 20th.  This year's S21 Awards and Conference will be held in Taipei, Taiwan. Taipei was the 2006 Intelligent Community of the Year and this year hosts the Smart City Expo andThe Smart Cities and Intelligent Communities Forum, produced by the Taiwan government and ICF. What will that event be like? What is Taiwan like and why does it have 15 Intelligent Communities!? We hear directly from Tiffany Lin of ICF Taiwan, who is the Acting Deputy Manager for the Industrial Technology Research Institute in Taiwan. In a delightful conversation with Lou, she talks about life in Taiwan, freedom and why the country has embraced the ICF program. 

A NY tech exec and mother decides to serve her community by running for office in one of the most high-profile districts in Manhattan.  Elizabeth Golluscio looked at her city's $106 billion budget and found that there was limited transparency on how decisions were being made.  She looked at challenges like unlicensed E-bikes (part of the 56,000 deliveries of food in NYC each day!) and met with Police and found a basement in the precinct full of them.  She got a sense of what was happening with local crime and safety. Then she did what people who want answers from their local government and know they can do better often do: she ran for office. She used social media against an incumbent whose party dominates the city. (Oh, and in between she attended ICF's Top7 Reception to find out what Intelligent Communities can teach.) Listen to her talk frankly about the experience. Elizabeth Golluscio has lived in Carnegie Hill for nearly 15 years, and served on the board of her Coop for a few years after first moving into the neighborhood - on 90th Street between Lex and 3rd Aves. - from the west side.  Her two sons attended the La Scuola Italian school on East 96th St, for their early school years.  They are now in public high schools (ages 15 and 16). Ms. Golluscio is not a politician and this would be her first campaign; she's spent her career in the high tech (software) industry.  Most recently, she was a Managing Vice President at Gartner, leading the team of research analysts who advise clients on their software design & development strategies.  She started at Gartner as a Research Analyst in 2015, covering application architecture and integration topics. Prior to that, she held a variety of roles in product management, marketing and sales in early-stage software start-ups, experiencing a wide variety of opportunities and challenges, e.g. helping raise VC funding, launching new products, working abroad to integrate newly acquired businesses, an IPO, etc.   She's lived and worked in Australia, Ireland, and Italy. Ms. Golluscio's completed dozens of marathons, half marathons and triathlons, and is now a Crossfit enthusiast, so you're likely to find her in Central Park or at the gym.  She earned her engineering degree from Cornell, and her MBA from MIT Sloan.

ICF announced early this year that it issued a license for its third Institute. The new ICF Institute will be based in Atlantic Canada, in the city of Fredericton, New Brunswick at New Brunswick Community College. The new Canadian institute joins those established in Dublin, Ohio (USA) and Hsinchu, Taiwan to further promote the Intelligent Community Forum's method for accelerating the growth of regions and states by transforming clusters of cities and towns into economically robust and socially stable “Intelligent Communities.” Dr. Simon Potter, the Director for the College Office of Research Enterprise at New Brunswick Community College discusses the importance of the new Institute, how he hopes it will increase innovation and collaboration throughout the region and why New Brunswick was chosen as the site of Canada's first ICF Institute. Dr. Simon Potter joined NBCC's research office with extensive experience in biomaterials, composites, forestry, precision health and genetics applied research. He is responsible for NBCC's overarching research program which, based on its exceptional strength and depth in ICT, is now expanding into new areas such as agriculture, precision health, and educational and accessibility research. Simon holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology from the University of Edinburgh, a bachelor's degree in biochemistry from the University of Bath and has built a global reputation in the implementation of large-scale research initiatives in Canada and Australia.

A NY tech exec and mother decides to serve her community by running for office in one of the most high-profile districts in Manhattan.  Elizabeth Golluscio looked at her city's $106 billion budget and found that there was limited transparency on how decisions were being made.  She looked at challenges like unlicensed E-bikes (part of the 56,000 deliveries of food in NYC each day!) and met with Police and found a basement in the precinct full of them.  She got a sense of what was happening with local crime and safety. Then she did what people who want answers from their local government and know they can do better often do: she ran for office. She used social media against an incumbent whose party dominates the city. (Oh, and in between she attended ICF's Top7 Reception to find out what Intelligent Communities can teach.) Listen to her talk frankly about the experience. Elizabeth Golluscio has lived in Carnegie Hill for nearly 15 years, and served on the board of her Coop for a few years after first moving into the neighborhood - on 90th Street between Lex and 3rd Aves. - from the west side.  Her two sons attended the La Scuola Italian school on East 96th St, for their early school years.  They are now in public high schools (ages 15 and 16). Ms. Golluscio is not a politician and this would be her first campaign; she's spent her career in the high tech (software) industry.  Most recently, she was a Managing Vice President at Gartner, leading the team of research analysts who advise clients on their software design & development strategies.  She started at Gartner as a Research Analyst in 2015, covering application architecture and integration topics. Prior to that, she held a variety of roles in product management, marketing and sales in early-stage software start-ups, experiencing a wide variety of opportunities and challenges, e.g. helping raise VC funding, launching new products, working abroad to integrate newly acquired businesses, an IPO, etc.   She's lived and worked in Australia, Ireland, and Italy. Ms. Golluscio's completed dozens of marathons, half marathons and triathlons, and is now a Crossfit enthusiast, so you're likely to find her in Central Park or at the gym.  She earned her engineering degree from Cornell, and her MBA from MIT Sloan.

How does a university become a key driver for starting, building and maintaining industry-academic partnerships for the benefit of the local economy?  Durham College's Chris Gillis shares how he develops successful partnerships and overcomes many of the obstacles that keep other communities from moving ahead on this vital piece of the economic puzzle. In his current role, Chris is the college lead for applied research project development in the areas of electric, connected & autonomous vehicles, advance technologies and craft beer/beverage development. Chris' career of 35 years plus started after graduating from Dalhousie University and The Technical University of Nova Scotia with a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering. Chris worked in several manufacturing organizations with every increasing responsibility until leaving to start his own consulting company focusing on operational performance improvement, innovation and customer satisfaction. For over 35 years he has worked with both private and public sector organizations, covering a wide variety of industries and sectors in Canada, the United States, Mexico and the United Kingdom, developing and implementingcustom solutions.

  In this episode of The Intelligent Community, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla speaks with Amy Rowland, Award-Winning Novelist and Lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley.   Amy Rowland's second novel, Inside the Wolf, was published by Algonquin in July 2023. She is also the author of The Transcriptionist (Algonquin 2014), which received the Addison M. Metcalf Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Amy is the recipient of fellowships and residencies from the National Endowment for the Arts, the MacDowell Colony, the Norman Mailer Center, and the Sewanee Writers Conference. Her work has been published or is forthcoming in The New York Times, The Southern Review, The Iowa Review, Lit Hub, New Letters and elsewhere. Amy is a former editor at The New York Times Book Review and she teaches at UC Berkeley.

In this episode of The Intelligent Community, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla speaks with Amy Rowland, Award-Winning Novelist and Lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley.   Amy Rowland's second novel, Inside the Wolf, was published by Algonquin in July 2023. She is also the author of The Transcriptionist (Algonquin 2014), which received the Addison M. Metcalf Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Amy is the recipient of fellowships and residencies from the National Endowment for the Arts, the MacDowell Colony, the Norman Mailer Center, and the Sewanee Writers Conference. Her work has been published or is forthcoming in The New York Times, The Southern Review, The Iowa Review, Lit Hub, New Letters and elsewhere. Amy is a former editor at The New York Times Book Review and she teaches at UC Berkeley.

In this episode of The Intelligent Community, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla speaks further with Karl Grossman, Journalist, Host of the Enviro Close-Up TV program and Professor of Journalism at SUNY at Old Westbury. They continue their discussion on the changing landscape of journalism, particularly at the local level. Karl Grossman has specialized in doing investigative reporting in a variety of media for more than 50 years. He teaches as well as practices journalism. He is a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York Old Westbury, where his courses include Investigative Reporting and also Environmental Journalism. He began teaching at SUNY Old Westbury in 1978. For over 32 years, he has hosted the nationally aired TV program Enviro Close-Up with Karl Grossman syndicated by Free Speech TV and broadcast in 40 states. He is the author of seven books, including Cover Up: What You Are Not Supposed to Know About Nuclear Power, Power Crazy, The Wrong Stuff: The Space Program's Nuclear Threat to Our Planet and Weapons in Space. He is active in doing investigative reporting on the Internet, writing regularly on CounterPunch, NationofChange and OpEd News. And he writes for the local press on Long Island. His weekly column appears in newspapers on Long Island including The Southampton Press, The East Hampton Press, The Shelter Island Reporter, The Sag Harbor Express, Community Journal, the South Shore Press and on Long Island news websites including Smithtown Matters. Honors he has received for journalism include the George Polk, Generoso Pope, James Aronson, Leo Goodman and John Peter Zenger Awards. His articles have also appeared in publications including The New York Times, USA Today, The Boston Globe, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Christian Science Monitor, Newsday, The Baltimore Sun, Cleveland Plain Dealer, The Progressive, The Orlando Sentinel, Village Voice, Common Cause Magazine, In These Times, The Montreal Mirror, The Boston Phoenix, Space News, The San Francisco Bay Guardian, Columbia Journalism Review, The Globe and Mail and The Miami Herald.

In this episode of The Intelligent Community, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla speaks with Karl Grossman, Journalist, Host of the Enviro Close-Up TV program and Professor of Journalism at SUNY at Old Westbury. They discuss the changing landscape of journalism, particularly at the local level, and what may be in store for news reporting in the future.   Karl Grossman has specialized in doing investigative reporting in a variety of media for more than 50 years. He teaches as well as practices journalism. He is a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York Old Westbury, where his courses include Investigative Reporting and also Environmental Journalism. He began teaching at SUNY Old Westbury in 1978. For over 32 years, he has hosted the nationally aired TV program Enviro Close-Up with Karl Grossman syndicated by Free Speech TV and broadcast in 40 states. He is the author of seven books, including Cover Up: What You Are Not Supposed to Know About Nuclear Power, Power Crazy, The Wrong Stuff: The Space Program's Nuclear Threat to Our Planet and Weapons in Space. He is active in doing investigative reporting on the Internet, writing regularly on CounterPunch, NationofChange and OpEd News. And he writes for the local press on Long Island. His weekly column appears in newspapers on Long Island including The Southampton Press, The East Hampton Press, The Shelter Island Reporter, The Sag Harbor Express, Community Journal, the South Shore Press and on Long Island news websites including Smithtown Matters. Honors he has received for journalism include the George Polk, Generoso Pope, James Aronson, Leo Goodman and John Peter Zenger Awards. His articles have also appeared in publications including The New York Times, USA Today, The Boston Globe, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Christian Science Monitor, Newsday, The Baltimore Sun, Cleveland Plain Dealer, The Progressive, The Orlando Sentinel, Village Voice, Common Cause Magazine, In These Times, The Montreal Mirror, The Boston Phoenix, Space News, The San Francisco Bay Guardian, Columbia Journalism Review, The Globe and Mail and The Miami Herald.

In this episode of The Intelligent Community, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla speaks further with José Roberto Lagunes Trejo, Research and Strategy Lead at Mexico City's Fundación Hogares. They discuss trust and how a social index the Fundación has created is helping repair the social fabric in Mexican communities.   José Roberto Lagunes Trejo is an architect and urban designer from Veracruz, Mexico, who works on the intersection between urban design practice and community development. Since 2018, he has worked in Fundación Hogares, a non-profit organization based in Mexico City that promotes participation in social housing territories. Their projects strive for building capacity in communities so that citizens become agents in co-designing strategies for the transformation of their environment. Aside from his work within the foundation, José Roberto teaches Architectural Design and Urban Sociology at Anahuac University Mexico and is an experienced speaker at national and international conferences. He participated in the Urban Future Young Leaders programme in 2022, in Helsingborg, Sweden, and is one of the founding members of the Young Leaders Academy, a value-driven education and consulting collective created for the next generation of change-makers that hosted its first educational programme this June in Stuttgart, Germany. He considers himself a life enthusiast and is interested in reducing inequalities through his work towards a more sustainable future for all.

In this episode of The Intelligent Community, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla speaks with José Roberto Lagunes Trejo, Research and Strategy Lead at Mexico City's Fundación Hogares. They discuss the method used by José Roberto's organization to reinvigorate rundown neighborhoods and build trust among citizens in places where mistrust and fear have become embedded.   José Roberto Lagunes Trejo is an architect and urban designer from Veracruz, Mexico, who works on the intersection between urban design practice and community development. Since 2018, he has worked in Fundación Hogares, a non-profit organization based in Mexico City that promotes participation in social housing territories. Their projects strive for building capacity in communities so that citizens become agents in co-designing strategies for the transformation of their environment. Aside from his work within the foundation, José Roberto teaches Architectural Design and Urban Sociology at Anahuac University Mexico and is an experienced speaker at national and international conferences. He participated in the Urban Future Young Leaders programme in 2022, in Helsingborg, Sweden, and is one of the founding members of the Young Leaders Academy, a value-driven education and consulting collective created for the next generation of change-makers that hosted its first educational programme this June in Stuttgart, Germany. He considers himself a life enthusiast and is interested in reducing inequalities through his work towards a more sustainable future for all.

When you watch ICF's videos on Youtube, what you see publicly are representatives from a city celebrating when their city is named Intelligent Community of the Year. Sometimes, as in the case of the mayor of Espoo, Finland, you see tears of joy. Sometimes, you see Eindhoven representatives from The Netherlands donning red shirts in celebration or Columbus representatives from Ohio storming the stage behind their mayor like a football club. What you do not see is the incredibly hard work done by a group of people from around the world to analyze the information from these cities, assess it and judge them for you, the world's media and other aspiring places. They are the ICF Analysts and Jurors, the heart and soul – and the brains – of the ICF Awards program. In Part 2 of this podcast series, ICF co-founder Lou Zacharilla speaks further with 6 of them to collect their memories, thoughts and advice for cities around the world as ICF heads toward naming a successor to New Taipei City as the 2023 Intelligent Community of the Year next week. You'll hear from: Moez Chaabouni, Managing Partner and Chief Revenue Officer at Summit Technologies LLC and Chair of the ICF Jury Bill Coleman, Owner of Community Technology Advisors Professor Shirley Fenton, Research Associate, CSG at the University of Waterloo, VP of the National Institutes of Health Informatics and Co-Founder of Waterloo MedTech Dr. Jay Edwin Gillette, Professor Emeritus of Information and Communication Sciences and Senior Research Fellow at Ball State University's Center for Information and Communication Sciences Dr. Norman Jacknis, Professor of Practice, Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Northeastern University and ICF Senior Fellow Gordon Kennedy, Director at Clearbluewater 2.0 Ltd.

When you watch ICF's videos on Youtube, what you see publicly are representatives from a city celebrating when their city is named Intelligent Community of the Year. Sometimes, as in the case of the mayor of Espoo, Finland, you see tears of joy. Sometimes, you see Eindhoven, The Netherlands representatives donning red shirts in celebration or Columbus, Ohio representatives storming the stage behind their mayor like a football club. What you do not see is the incredibly hard work done by a group of people from around the world to analyze the information from these cities, assess it and judge them for you, the world's media and other aspiring places. They are the ICF Analysts and Jurors, the heart and soul – and the brains – of the ICF Awards program. In this podcast, ICF co-founder Lou Zacharilla speaks with some of them to collect their memories, thoughts and advice for cities around the world as ICF heads toward naming a successor to New Taipei City as the 2023 Intelligent Community of the Year this October. You'll hear from: Moez Chaabouni, Managing Partner and Chief Revenue Officer at Summit Technologies LLC and Chair of the ICF Jury Bill Coleman, Owner of Community Technology Advisors Professor Shirley Fenton, Research Associate, CSG at the University of Waterloo, VP of the National Institutes of Health Informatics and Co-Founder of Waterloo MedTech Dr. Jay Edwin Gillette, Professor Emeritus of Information and Communication Sciences and Senior Research Fellow at Ball State University's Center for Information and Communication Sciences Dr. Norman Jacknis, Professor of Practice, Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Northeastern University and ICF Senior Fellow Gordon Kennedy, Director at Clearbluewater 2.0 Ltd. has context menuComposeParagraph

In this episode of The Intelligent Community, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla speaks with Idoia Postigo, Director General at Bilbao Metropoli-30. Idoia shares the story of how Bilbao recovered from industrial decline and revitalized itself into a city that won the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize in 2010. Since the inception of the Association for the Revitalization of Metropolitan Bilbao (Bilbao Metropoli-30) in 1991, Idoia Postigo has been responsible for promoting and disseminating the revitalization plan and implementing its strategic actions. Making use of her 30 years of international experience in urban planning strategies, Idoia's work has positioned the Association at the center of the metropolis' urban development and an influencer of all the main actors responsible for it, especially public institutions and citizens. Idoia's influence spans widely, as an active member of many local boards, societies and networks, including the Advisory Council of the Urban Agenda at Euskadi-Bultzatu 2050, the Bilbao-Bizkaia Action Group, and the Bilbao Port Community UNIPORT. She is also a published author, graduate in political sciences, international relations, psychology and organizational behaviour and – seeing interpersonal relationships as fundamental in her field – a teacher in training modules for Emotional Intelligence, Social Skills, Team Management and Motivation.

In part 2, Chairman and CEO of Toronto's Institute Without Boundaries and now the Brookfield Sustainability Institute Luigi Ferrara talks about sustainability, why we are far away from it and what Brookfield is going to do to move it into the consciousness of communities.   Luigi Ferrara, Dean, Centre for Arts, Design and Information Technology, leads program development, partnerships and innovation centres that provide students with challenging and exciting real-world learning opportunities and position George Brown College as a key player on the global stage.   Luigi has also served as the Director of the Institute Without Boundaries, an academic program and studio aimed at solving real-world problems through design research and strategy with goals of social, ecological, and economic innovation. This has now been transformed into the Brookfield Sustainability Institute.   Luigi is the inaugural Chair and CEO of the Brookfield Sustainability Institute, a centre of excellence that will be housed at Limberlost Place, George Brown College's net-zero carbon emissions mass-timber building that is set to open at Waterfront Campus in 2024. The Institute will focus on aligning the processes of digital transformation and sustainability for the benefit of communities everywhere, becoming a beacon for ‘smart sustainability'.   Luigi has devoted his career to advocating and practicing interdisciplinary design both in Canada and internationally, working on the relationship between architecture, urban design, sustainability, digital transformation, strategy, and design thinking. He continues to take on professional design projects every year and lends his expertise to several boards and associations while showcasing his talent and knowledge through exhibitions, publications, and lectures.   Luigi Ferrara is a graduate with distinction in the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Toronto. He worked for the internationally recognized firm Stirling/Wilford Associates, and locally with Peter Turner Architects, Paul Reuber Architect and Russocki/Zawadzki Architects. Luigi is an Honorary Member of the Association of Chartered Industrial Designers of Ontario and a former president and current senator of the World Design Organization (formerly the International Council of the Societies of Industrial Design), the UN-recognized NGO for Design (formerly the International Council of the Societies of Industrial Design). Luigi is also the Chair of the Board for the McLuhan Foundation on Media Literacy.

Chairman and CEO of Toronto's Institute Without Boundaries and now the Brookfield Sustainability Institute Luigi Ferrara dives deep into how cities are being rebuilt and redesigned for sustainability and why Europe and Asia lead North American communities in this important area.

In this episode of The Intelligent Community, ICF co-founder Lou Zacharilla speaks with Craig Taylor, best-selling author of Londoners and, most recently, New Yorkers: A City and its People in Our Time. To tell the story of New York City post-9/11 and COVID, Craig lived in New York City for over 5 years and immersed himself in the city's extraordinary soup. New Yorkers is a series of interviews with 200 people from every class, race and corner of the city. Craig came away amazed at The Big Apple and says, "A New York life well lived is an accomplishment like no other."   Craig Taylor is a Canadian-born author of four books: New Yorkers, Londoners, One Million Tiny Plays About Britain and Return to Akenfield. He has written multiple reviews for the New York Times Book Review and also serves as an editor for Five Dials, a magazine published by Hamish Hamilton, an imprint of Penguin Books. Five Dials features new fiction, poetry, illustrations, reportage, long interviews, very short interviews, dispatches from London and abroad, ads, ads that don't look like ads, and archival work culled from the Hamish Hamilton backlist and, sometimes, the deep Penguin archives. You can learn more about Craig and his work at https://craigdtaylor.com.

In this episode of The Intelligent Community, ICF co-founder Lou Zacharilla speaks with Krista Nightengale, Executive Director at the Better Block Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to showing communities how to build a more walkable, bikeable, liveable neighborhood to improve quality of life and attract talent. Krista Nightengale is the Executive Director of the Better Block Foundation. She began her career at the city magazine in Dallas where she served as Managing Editor, Executive Director of a leadership group aimed at empowering citizens to take action, and Executive Director of a literacy nonprofit that united the city in reading together. She then served as Chief of Staff of the Coalition for a New Dallas, an advocacy organization aimed at reconnecting neighborhoods. Krista then helped launch Dallas Innovates, a news site that promotes Dallas-Fort Worth as a hub of innovation. While covering the city, Krista became intrigued by the built environment. She joined the Better Block Foundation to help with its growth, spread its story, and make the world a little better by showing communities how wonderful walkable/bikeable districts are. So far, she has worked with 75 cities around the world. Krista was named to the Dallas Business Journal's 40 Under 40 2022, is an AIA Dallas and TxA Honorary Member, a graduate of 2016 Leadership Texas and was a core team member working with United Way on #GivingTuesday. She writes pieces for various outlets including D Magazine, the Dallas Morning News, Dallas Innovates, and others. She is appointed to the Comprehensive Land Use Plan Committee for Dallas, is a steering committee member for Big D Reads 2022, board member of Philanthropy Kids, past president of the Dallas Center for Architecture, former AIA board member, City Lab High School Foundation board member, a member of the Communities Foundation of Texas Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy, a former TEDxSMU steering committee member, former Dallas Police Department Community Advisory Board, former executive board member of the New Leaders Council, and former member of the Dallas Commission on Homelessness. She often appears as a panelist or moderator discussing urban design, politics, housing issues, and activism. She was named to DCEO's 500 in 2022 and 2023.

Dr. Katelyn Jetelina is one of America's most trusted epidemiologists. She publishes Your Local Epidemiologist, a widely read website and newsletter covering a range of public health issues that translates evolving science into readable language for the general public. In this episode of The Intelligent Community, she discusses information integrity and the politics of COVID in places as diverse as New York and Florida.   Katelyn Jetelina, MPH PhD is an epidemiologist, data scientist and internationally renowned scientific communicator. She is the Director of Population Health Analytics, a nonprofit, non-partisan health policy think tank. She is also a Senior Scientific Advisor to a number of government and non-profit agencies, including the White House, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Resolve to Save Lives and Make-A-Wish Foundation. On the side, Dr. Jetelina is the publisher of Your Local Epidemiologist – a public health newsletter that “translates” ever-evolving science to the general public, which has reached over 300 million views. Dr. Jetelina has received 3 national awards for her work, including National Academies of Science and a medal of honor from the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Emergency Management and Medical Operations, Field Operations, and Response. Katelyn resides in San Diego, California with her husband and two toddlers.