BINGHAMTON, NY - The Binghamton University SUNY Business and Education Cooperative of the Southern Tier (SUNY BEST) will host an event featuring two speakers from Purdue University Center for Regional Development at 10 a.m. Thursday, April 7, in Room 220 at the Binghamton University Downtown Center, 67 Washington St., Binghamton. This presentation is free and open to the public.

Ed Morrison and Liz Nilsen of Purdue University's Center for Regional Development (PCRD) will discuss ideas and strategies their center uses internationally to help communities survive and revive economic challenges. PCRD helps strengthen collaborative leadership, promote regional strategy and planning, and advance economic development and business growth strategies.  Learn how they assisted in the revitalization of places like Oklahoma City and Milwaukee. 

Morrison has conducted strategy projects with economic and workforce developers all over the U.S. His work emphasizes the strategic value of focused regional collaborations and open innovation, network-based models in today's global economy. He developed a new discipline called Strategic Doing to accelerate these collaborations that is now widely used across the U.S. and gaining attention internationally. His work won the first Arthur D. Little Award for excellence in economic development presented by the American Economic Development Council.

Nilsen helps guide and coach individuals and groups in through the Strategic Doing process by teaching how to form collaborations quickly, move them toward measurable outcomes and make adjustments along the way. This process enables leaders to design and guide new networks that generate innovative solutions.

Pre-registration for this discussion is required through the SUNY BEST website at http://sunybest.binghamton.edu. For additional information, e-mail sunybest@binghamton.edu. 

There will be directional signage to the meeting room from Washington Street. Free parking will be available on the south side of Susquehanna Street behind the Floyd L. Maines Memeorial Arena as well as the covered meters on Washington and Susquehanna Streets surrounding the Downtown Center.