For Immediate Release: April 14, 2005
DBEDT Release News 05-11

Honolulu – U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez today announced the Department of Commerce’s selection of 17 national and regional experts to serve on the Secretarial Advisory Committee that will provide comprehensive advice and recommendations on the implementation of the President’s Strengthening America’s Communities Initiative.

Included in the select committee is the State of Hawaii’s Director of Business, Economic Development & Tourism Theodore E. Liu.

Mark Drabenstott, Vice President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and Director of the Center for the Study of Rural America will chair the committee. Dr. Drabenstott is a highly respected thought leader on how American communities can prosper in today’s globalizing economy.

Deborah L. Wince-Smith, President of the Council on Competitiveness in Washington, D.C., will serve as Vice Chair of the Committee. Ms. Wince-Smith is an internationally recognized expert on science and technology policy, innovation strategy, technology commercialization and global competition.

“The Bush Administration is strengthening the voices of our rural and urban communities in order to reduce the barriers to community and economic development and help communities transition to a 21st century economy,” said Gutierrez. “The newly appointed members of the Advisory Committee will give us their insight and recommendations to help develop a comprehensive plan to meet the President’s goal of strengthening America’s communities most in need.”

The Secretarial Advisory Committee will hold its first meeting on Friday, April 15, 2005, in the City Council Chamber Room of Fresno City Hall, 2600 Fresno Street, Fresno, California. The meeting will be open to the public from 8:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. The Secretarial Advisory Committee’s written report of recommendations is expected to be received by the Commerce Department by May 31, 2005.

In his Fiscal Year 2006 budget, President Bush proposed the reforming and restructuring of 18 existing Federal development programs. The new $3.71 billion unified grant-making program will better target assistance and achieve greater results for low-income individuals and families, and economically-distressed areas.

For additional information on the President’s Strengthening America’s Communities Initiative, visit the Department of Commerce’s website at the following link: http://www.commerce.gov/SACI/index.htm.

The Members of the Secretarial Advisory Committee are:

Brian J. Aungst, Sr. (Fla.)
Regional Director of Public Affairs
Bright House Networks (formerly Time Warner)

Mayor Alan Autry (Calif.)
Mayor of Fresno, Calif.

Wanetta Ayers (Alaska)
Executive Director, Southwest Alaska Municipal Conference, Anchorage, Alaska

Rosa Bruce (Ariz.)
Director, Housing & Revitalization, Casa Grande

Linda Butts (N.D.)
Director, Economic Development and Finance Division, North Dakota Department of Commerce

Mark R. Drabenstott (Mo.)
Director, Center for Study of Rural America and V.P. Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank

Robert Michael (Mike) Duncan, Sr. (Ky.)
Chairman, Inez Deposit Bank, FSB and Big Sandy
Regional Development Authority

Richard C. Hoffman (Texas)
Deputy Attorney General of Texas for Families and Children

Matt Kramer (Minn.)
Commission of the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED)

Theodore E. Liu (Hawaii)
Director, Hawaii State Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism

James T. Martin (Tenn.)
Executive Director, United South and Eastern Tribes, Inc.

Mayor Paul D. Pate (Iowa)
Mayor of Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Phillip A. Singerman (Md.)
Executive Director, Maryland Technology Development Corporation

Dorothy A. Terrell (Mass.)
President and CEO, Initiative for a Competitive Inner City

Mayor James West (Wash.)
Mayor of Spokane, Wash.

Deborah L. Wince-Smith (D.C.)
President, Council on Competitiveness

Mayor Bob Young (Ga.)
Mayor of Augusta, Ga.

For more information, contact:
Dave Young
Communications
Phone: (808) 587-1212
Email: dyoung@dbedt.hawaii.gov