Tuesday, July 17
8:00 am - 8:30 amRegistration and breakfast
8:30 am - 8:45 amIntroductions: Melissa Cragin, Executive Director of the Midwest Big Data Hub;
Grant McGimpsey, Vice President for Research and Economic Development, University of North Dakota
8:45 am - 9:30 amMorning Keynote - Secretary Mary Wakefield - Former Acting Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
9:30 am - 9:45 amBreak and Networking
9:45 am - 10:15 amKeynote - Brent Sanford: Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota
10:15 am - 10:30 amBreak and Networking
10:30 am - 10:45 amBill Gropp, Director, National Center for Supercomputing Applications
P.I. on the Midwest Big Data Hub
10:45 am - noonPanel 1 - "Building Capacity to Address Substance Use Disorders in Rural Communities"
Moderator: Thomasine Heitkamp, UND CNPD Professor
- Marvis Doster, Technology Transfer Specialist, CARN
- Mark Koppnen, Associate Professor, UND
- Joseph C. Miller, Associate Professor, UND
- Debbie Swanson, Director, Grand Forks Public Health Department
- Lisa Schock, Chief Resident, UND
- Emily Sargent, Ph.D Candidate, UND
noon - 1:00 pmLunch
1:00 pm - 1:30 pmEd Schafer - Former President of UND, 30th Governor of North Dakota and Former United States Secretary of Agriculture
1:30 pm - 2:30 pmAfternoon Keynote - Dr. Roberto Gallardo, Assistant Director of the Purdue Center for Regional Development and Purdue Extension Community & Regional Economics Specialist, Purdue University, "The Digital Age & Rural Communities"
2:30 pm - 3:00 pmBreak and Networking
3:00 pm - 4:00 pmPanel 2 - "Economic Development & Community Resilience: opportunities for smart rural communities"
Digital transformations are likely to change life and work across small towns and rural communities. What are the next challenges to be prepared for? What can research tell us about community resilience? How can communities take advantage of data-related technologies to build a strong and resilient development framework?
Moderator: Christopher Larrison, Associate Professor, UIUC
- David Flynn, Professor and Department Chair, UND
- Wes Shover, Grand Forks Region Economic Development Corporation
- Kimberly Zarecor, Associate Professor, ISU
4:00 pm - 6:00 pmNetworking Reception and Poster Session
Wednesday, July 18
8:30 am - 9:00 amMorning Networking and breakfast
9:00 am - 10:00 amPanel 3 - "Connecting rural areas: challenges and solutions"
What are the benefits, challenges and solutions to increase access to broadband? What are models or approaches communities can take to develop or increase broadband access?
Moderator: Tony Rimovsky, IT Architect, UIUC
- Karl Blake, Chief Executive Officer, Polar Communications
- Bruce Patterson, Technology Director, City of Ammon, ID
- Danae Wilson, Director of Technology Services, Nez Perce Tribe
10:00 am - 10:30 amBreak and Networking
10:30 am - 11:45 amPanel 4 - "Best Practices and successful partnerships"
This panel will present case studies to demonstrate best practices and successful partnerships between universities and small communities —Reflecting on what worked and what did not, the panelists will share their experience in building relationships to maximize impact and using data for small communities.

Moderator: A.J. Million, University of Michigan
- Thomasine Heitkamp, Professor, UND
- Tracy Smith, Director of IT Infrastructure, UIUC
- Kara Wettersten, UND
- Community Violence Intervention Center
11:45 am - 1:00 pmLunch / Closing Remarks