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PA Greenways & Trails Summit Set For Sept. 24-26 In Reading

Walkable, bike-friendly neighborhoods, and social justice are among the topics on deck for the 2017 PA Greenways and Trails Summit, set for September 24-26 at the DoubleTree in Reading.

From Oregon to Vermont, and closer to home, here in Pennsylvania- speakers at this year’s Summit include a consultant who worked for the White House through the Clinton-Gore administration, a community organizer and pedestrian advocate, PennDOT’s statewide bicycle and pedestrian coordinator, and the state secretary of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

Keynote speakers include—

-- Aaron Brown, Former Board President, Oregon Walks. Hear him speak: Tuesday, Sept. 26th, 1:15-2:15 p.m.

A Portland-based community organizer, nonprofiteer, advocate, campaign consultant and self-proclaimed “bike geek,” Aaron Brown has worked on political campaigns that have raised just shy of $1 billion for public schools, sidewalks and regional trails in the Portland metropolitan region.

Formerly the board president for Oregon Walks- the state’s pedestrian advocacy organization- his leadership and stewardship of the organization led to numerous government policy victories.

“As past Board President of Oregon Walks, Aaron has worked to enact specific legislation supporting sidewalk and traffic safety in underserved communities,” Pennsylvania Recreation & Park Society’s Emily Gates said. “The hurdles and achievements of Oregon Walks in working to create environments that are truly equitable are exemplary.”

-- Angela Park, Founder and Director, Mission Critical. Hear her speak: Monday, Sept. 25th: 8:45-9:45 a.m.

As the founder of Mission Critical, Vermont-based Angela Park works to make social justice and equity hallmarks of progressive advocacy and policy making.

An independent consultant, researcher and writer, she’s researched and written Equity in Sustainability (2014), and Everybody’s Movement: Environmental Justice and Climate Change (2009).

She worked in The White House through both terms of the Clinton-Gore administration, managing sustainable communities policy and constituency engagement at the President’s Council on Sustainable Development.

Among other accomplishments, Park co-founded and served as deputy director of the Environmental Leadership Program, and is currently an advisor to the Kresge Foundation’s Climate Resilience and Urban Opportunity Initiative.

-- Roy Gothie, Statewide Bicycle & Pedestrian Coordinator, Multimodal Division, PennDOT. Hear him speak: Monday, Sept. 25th, 10-11 a.m.

As PennDOT’s statewide bicycle and pedestrian coordinator, Roy Gothie has broad experience with multi-modal transportation planning and bicycle and pedestrian safety, developed while working with federal, regional and local partners at the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA).

In Maryland, he worked in the regional and intermodal planning division, and served on the SHA’s 2015 Bicycle Policy and Design Guidelines, in addition to assisting with public outreach and education efforts.

-- Cindy Adams Dunn, Secretary, Dept. of Conservation & Natural Resources. Hear her speak: Monday, Sept. 25th, 10-11 a.m.

Cindy Adams Dunn’s appointment by Gov. Tom Wolf to serve as the sixth secretary of the DCNR, saw her return to the agency where she worked under three governors in multiple positions over the last two decades. Since 2013, she’s served as the president and chief executive officer of PennFuture, a statewide environmental advocacy organization.

Prior to that, she served as DCNR’s Deputy Secretary of Conservation and Technical Services, where she led DCNR’s conservation landscape program and oversaw the community conservation partnerships grant program, which provides $30-60 million annually for conservation and recreation throughout the Commonwealth.

Among her other leadership roles, Adams Dunn has served as DCNR’s director of the Bureau of Recreation and Conservation, as well as the director of the Office of Education, Communications and Partnerships, as the executive director of Audubon Pennsylvania, and the Pennsylvania program director for the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay.

-- Dennis M. Davin, Secretary, Dept. of Community and Economic Development. Hear him speak: Monday, Sept. 25th, 10-11 a.m.

Prior to his appointment in January 2015 by Gov. Tom Wolf, Dennis Davin served for more than a decade as Director of the Allegheny County Department of Economic Development (ACED).

There, he was responsible for establishing and executing the economic development strategy for Allegheny County, managing funding from local, state and federal sources to implement economic development activities- including site development, new job creation initiatives, community development and affordable housing for approximately 1.25 million citizens in 130 municipalities.

Davin has previously served as director of the Allegheny County Redevelopment Authority, and executive director of the Industrial Development Authority, Hospital Development Authority, Higher Education Building Authority and Residential Finance Authority.

The hosts for this special event are the Schuylkill River National and State Heritage Area, Berks Nature, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, PA Recreation and Park Society.

For more information and to register, visit the 2017 PA Greenways and Trails Summit webpage.

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