James Billmaier has devoted his professional life to predicting how emerging technologies will impact our lives in the future. To his credit, he has been astonishingly accurate.

He is a founding partner of Charge Northwest, an electric vehicle infrastructure advisory and software integration company. Most recently, Billmaier served as chairman and CEO of Melodeo, Inc., the leading cloud-based media platform company, which was acquired in June 2010 by Hewlett-Packard. A 30-year technology veteran and inventor, he holds more than 80 granted and pending patents.

Billmaier has served as chairman and CEO of three companies, including Asymetrix, which he led to a successful IPO in 1998, and Digeo, Inc., which he started with Microsoft legend, Paul Allen.  While CEO of Digeo, Billmaier became the only entrepreneur to win back-to-back EMMY awards for technical achievement. Prior to moving to the Pacific Northwest, Billmaier was vice president and general manager of Sun Microsystems’ Networking Software Division, where he led the development and marketing teams behind Sun’s first Internet offerings.

Billmaier has made a lifelong career out of studying American ingenuity and innovation. All that he has learned about technology’s effect on our lives and society informs this important and timely book.

 Joe Cortright, President, Impresa

Joe Cortright is President and principal economist with Impresa, a Portland consulting firm specializing in regional economic analysis, innovation and industry clusters. Joe is senior policy advisor for CEOs for Cities, a national organization of urban leaders, and is a non-resident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution. He is also the chief economic analyst for the Oregon Business Plan. He has served as an advisor to state and local governments, private businesses, foundations and advocacy groups in more than a dozen states, Canada and Europe.

Joe's work casts a light on the role of knowledge-based industries in shaping regional economies. Joe's latest report is City Vitals--a tool for benchmarking urban economic health--published by the national organization CEOs for Cities. Cortright is the author of three publications on industry clusters published by the Brookings Institution: Making Sense of Clusters (2006) -- a review of academic literature on industry agglomeration -- Signs of Life (2002) -- a benchmark analysis of the clustering of the U.S. biotechnology industry and High Tech Specialization (2001). Cortright has also written extensively on the migration of talented young workers among metropolitan areas in a series of studies entitled The Young and Restless for cities around the nation. His work is quoted regularly in the media, in publications ranging from the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times to The Economist, Business Week and USA Today.

Joe is currently Chair of the Oregon Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors, has served on the editorial board of Economic Development Quarterly, and is co-founder and editor of EconData.Net, the web’s leading guide to regional economic data.

Prior to starting Impresa, Joe served for 12 years as the Executive Officer of the Oregon Legislature’s Trade and Economic Development Committee. Joe is a graduate of Lewis and Clark College and holds a Master’s degree in public policy from the University of California at Berkeley.

Gary Doer, Ambassador of Canada to the United States of America

In October, 2009, Gary Doer assumed his responsibilities as Canada’s 23^rd representative to the United States of America.

Prior to taking up his current position in Washington, Ambassador Doer served as Premier of Manitoba for ten years. During that time, he worked extensively with U.S. Governors to enhance Canada-U.S. cooperation on trade, agriculture, water protection, climate change and renewable energy.

Ambassador Doer won three consecutive elections as Premier of Manitoba with successive increased majorities. In 2005, he was named by Business Week magazine as one of the top 20 international leaders on climate change. His government introduced balanced budgets during each of his ten years in office while reducing many taxes, including a plan to eliminate small business tax. As Premier, he led strategic investments in health care, education, and training and infrastructure.

Ambassador Doer hails from Winnipeg. He is married with two daughters.

Kimberly Harris, President and CEO, Puget Sound Energy

Kimberly Harris, president and CEO of Puget Sound Energy, is a member of the boards of Puget Sound Energy and Puget Energy.  She has deep industry experience in energy resources, energy efficiency and the multiple facets of energy regulation. Harris also serves on the Washington state Clean Energy Leadership Council, the Energy Strategy Advisory Committee, and is a member of the board of directors of the American Red Cross of King and Kitsap counties.

Governor John Kitzhaber, Oregon

John Kitzhaber was born in Colfax, Washington, on March 5, 1947. He moved with his family to Oregon at age 11, and graduated from South Eugene High School in 1965. After earning his Bachelor's degree at Dartmouth College, he returned to Oregon to study medicine at the University of Oregon Medical School (now OHSU). Upon becoming a doctor, he practiced emergency room medicine in Roseburg, Oregon, from 1974 to 1988.

John Kitzhaber's interest in health care public policy, together with a deep concern for the livelihoods of rural Oregonians and a deep love for Oregon's natural heritage, compelled him to seek public service. He first won election to the Oregon Legislature in 1978, and served a term in the Oregon House of Representatives. In 1980, he won election to the Oregon State Senate, and served three terms, leading to his election to the office of Senate President in 1985, a post he held until 1993.

He accomplished much as a legislator, but his most memorable achievement was to bring lawmakers and interest groups together to enact the ground-breaking Oregon Health Plan. Tens of thousands of low and moderate-income Oregon families and their children still have access to health care because of this work.

In 1994, and again in 1998, Oregonians elected John Kitzhaber as their governor. While leading state government, Governor Kitzhaber presided over eight years of significant economic growth. The Governor won acclaim for his pioneering work on the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds, a collaborative effort that brought together government and private landowners to protect clean water and native salmon runs. And before he left office, Governor Kitzhaber helped launch the Oregon Business Plan, a bipartisan strategic framework developed collaboratively among business leaders, community leaders and elected officials. Until this time, Oregon had lacked a comprehensive plan to create jobs and grow its economy.

After two terms, John Kitzhaber continued his work to improve access to cost-effective health care, becoming one of the nation's most respected voices on health care reform. Concerned about the impact of the fiscal crisis on Oregonians, and seeing the opportunity through that crisis to create true systemic change, Kitzhaber ran for Governor again in 2010 and won election to an unprecedented third term

Hon. Brad Wall, Premier, Saskatchewan

Brad Wall was elected Premier of Saskatchewan in the November 2007 provincial election.

Since that election, the Wall government can point to a remarkable list of achievements, including: Three balanced budgets; The largest tax cuts in the history of Saskatchewan; Cutting the province's debt by almost 40 per cent; Record infrastructure spending to improve roads, schools and senior's facilities all across Saskatchewan and providing more affordable housing for those with lower incomes.

Prior to his career in politics, Premier Wall was active in his local business community and was involved in service work spanning local events, economic development and health care recruitment.

One of his earliest forays into politics was in the late 1980's as a founding member and western co-chair of the Alliance for the Future of Young Canadians. This was an organization dedicated to promoting free trade.

Brad Wall was born and raised in Swift Current, which is in Saskatchewan's south-west.  He still lives there with his wife, Tami as well as their three children: Megan, Colter and Faith.  And because of them, he tries to get home most nights, even though it's a two hour drive from Saskatchewan's capital-Regina.  He also enjoys coaching minor football in his hometown.

Since his election in the fall of 2007, Brad Wall has garnered much positive attention on the provincial and national media scene.

Calgary Herald columnist Don Braid described Premier Wall as "...inspiration wrapped up in clarity, humour and eloquence".  (July 8, 2008)

Martha Wyrsch, President, Vestas-American Wind Technology, Inc.

Martha B. Wyrsch is President of Vestas-American Wind Technology, Inc., the North American arm of Vestas Wind Systems, the world’s largest manufacturer of wind turbines. Wyrsch joined Vestas in June 2009.

She serves on the Executive Committee for Vestas Wind Systems A/S—based in Randers, Denmark—the parents company for Vestas’ North American operations. In addition, Wyrsch is a member of the Nation Infrastructure Advisory Council, a White House Advisory Board through the U.S. Secretary of Energy. She is a member of the Board of Directors and Leadership Council of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) and serves on the Board of Directors of SPX Corporation, a Fortune 500 company based in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Prior to Vestas, Wyrsch was CEO for Spectra Energy Transmission and a member of the Spectra Energy Board of Directors. Prior to that, she was CEO of Duke Energy Gas Transmission. In both roles, she was responsible for the natural gas transmission, storage, and distribution business in the United States and Canada, as well as natural-gas gathering, processing, and liquid sales businesses in Canada. Wyrsch also served as the Group Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary for the Duke Energy Corporation.

A native of Laramie, Wyoming. Wyrsch earned a law degree from George Washington University and bachelor’s degree from the University of Wyoming. She also completed the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program.

The Working Group was established by Prime Minister Harper and President Barack Obama on February 4, 2011, when they issued a joint Declaration on a Shared Vision for Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness.  The Declaration establishes a new long-term partnership that will accelerate the legitimate flows of people and goods between both countries, while strengthening security and economic competitiveness. 

In addition to his responsibilities on the Beyond the Border Working Group, Mr. Kennedy is the Senior Associate Deputy Minister of Industry Canada, a position to which he was appointed on September 1, 2010.  In this role, he is responsible for co-management of this federal government department, overseeing policies and programs of importance to Canada’s national competitiveness.

Prior to joining Industry Canada, he served in a number of senior roles at the Privy Council Office, Canada’s cabinet office, including as Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet (Plans and Consultation) and Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet (Operations).  Earlier in his career, he held posts at Agriculture Canada, Transport Canada and the Canadian Coast Guard.

Mr. Kennedy holds a bachelor's degree in public relations from Mount Saint Vincent University in Nova Scotia, Canada, and a master's degree in communications from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School. He is a graduate of INSEAD’s Advanced Management Program. 


Francisco Sanchez, Undersecretary for International Trade, Department of Commerce

 Francisco J. Sánchez was appointed by President Obama and unanimously confirmed by the United State Senate to serve as Under Secretary for International Trade at the U.S. Department of Commerce. As Under Secretary, Sánchez leads the International Trade Administration which assists in the development of U.S. trade policy in the global economy; creates jobs and economic growth by promoting U.S. companies; strengthens American competitiveness across all industries; addresses market access and compliance issues; administers U.S. trade laws; and undertakes a range of trade promotion and trade advocacy efforts.

As a senior policy advisor to President Obama during the 2008 campaign, Sánchez served as the Chairman of the National Hispanic Leadership Council and also provided policy support on issues pertaining to Latin America. Sánchez now brings his wide range of experience in both federal and state government as well as in the private sector to his leadership position at ITA.

Sánchez served as the Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs at the U.S. Department of Transportation during the Clinton administration, where he developed aviation policy and oversaw international negotiations. Sánchez had previously served in the White House as a Special Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to the Special Envoy to the Americas, Kenneth MacKay, where he focused on economic integration and democracy issues throughout the Western Hemisphere. He began his career in government working as Director of Florida’s Caribbean Basin Initiative Program for then-Governor Bob Graham.

In addition to his public service, Sánchez spent more than 15 years working with several leading consulting companies on projects involving negotiation strategy, alliance management, labor-management negotiations, litigation settlement, facilitation, and training, most recently as a partner with CMPartners. Among his private-sector achievements, Sánchez directed a team in Medellín, Colombia, as part of the “Teaching Tolerance” program, an initiative designed to break the cycle of violence then threatening the country. Sánchez also served as a consultant to the President of Ecuador in negotiations that led to the resolution of a long-running border dispute with Peru. He began his career in complex negotiations as an attorney, specializing in corporate and administrative law at Steel, Hector, and Davis in Miami, Florida.

Sánchez was named one of the 100 Most Influential Hispanics by Hispanic Business Magazine and also one of the top Hispanics nationwide by Poder Magazine. Sánchez is on the board of directors for the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) and is a member of the board for the Council of Foreign Relations. He has been awarded the National Point of Light Award and the Governor’s Point of Light Award for Outstanding Community Service. In 2010, he was named to the National Hall of Fame for the Boys and Girls Club of America.

A native of Florida, Sánchez obtained his B.A. and J.D. from Florida State University. He also received a Masters in Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Sánchez has published articles and taught negotiation and conflict resolution at the Program of Instruction at Harvard Law School as well as other institutions.