Civic Innovation Summit set for February 22 – State, national disruptive idea leaders to converge in Mission
MISSION, TX – January 9, 2018 — The Mission EDC Civic Innovation Summit will bring together forward-thinking minds of the Rio Grande Valley with the expertise of social innovators, entrepreneurs, educators and policymakers from across Texas and country.
Through workshops, panels and presentations, attendees will learn from real-time solutions to the challenges affecting cities. City leaders, social innovators, nonprofit directors, educators and others interested in shaping the region’s future through technology will attend and exchange ideas.
The February 22 Civic Innovation Summit event will take place at the Mission EDC’s CEED Building (801 N. Bryan Road) and is being spearheaded by Mission EDC and its Expert-in-Residence, City Flag, a social innovation firm.
“Providing a forum for new civic ideas and discussing technology-based solutions is exactly the kind of pioneering conference the Mission EDC wants to be involved in,” said CEO Alex Meade.
“Technology has claimed a position in almost every corner of society, and we would be remised not to include it in our approach to solve civic challenges and improve our lives,” said Meade. “We need conferences like these to bring people and ideas together, and we are happy to team up with Cityflag to offer the RGV a unique conference that will have something for everyone.”
A number of impressive leaders have already committed to the all-day conference including Cityflag’s CEO, Alberto Altamirano, who was recently named to Forbes’ “30 Under 30” Social Entrepreneurs’ list. Also among the dozens of speakers and panelist committed to the event are:
- Chelsea Collier, Founder of Digi.City, a smart city technology policy platform
- Lorenzo Gomez, chairman of Geekdom, a successful, innovative coworking space in San Antonio
- Michael Henderson, City of Austin Innovation Office
- Daniel Lucio, Community Impact Manager Google Fiber
- Natalie Campos Goodman, Co-founder Green Money Search, firm that helps organizations and governments find funding for green projects through its databases
Cityflag’s Altamirano said a civic innovation revolution is taking place in Texas cities and elsewhere.
“That means using new technologies and design methods to bring efficiency to government and power to citizens,” said Altamirano, a Mission native and Sharyland High alum. “The Mission EDC Civic Innovation Summit is about bringing together forward thinkers and creative minds to discuss solutions to the 21st century challenges. Cityflag is excited to participate as a collaborator of the event.”
Schedule and registration information for the all-day Civic Innovation Summit can be found at http://www.civicinnovationsummit.com. Early bird registration is $125 until Wednesday January 31. After that, the rate is $175. The last day to register is Friday February 16. For more information contact Cristina Garza at 956.585.0040 or cgarza@missionedc.com.
