Session #22

Assisting Governments to Target Economic Development in a COVID-19 Environment
12:00 – 12:50 p.m.    
CPE Field of Study: Economics

PPT Presentation

Vibrant and productive state, local counties and cities function as critical pivots to identify and enable economic corridors. They are the hubs that attract and retain businesses, people and resources to their region. This session will show how relevant data should inform and drive economic decisions, and that objective data can take out the guess work in where economic investments should be made, or what areas are up-and-coming to attract even more specific investments. Speakers will demonstrate how massive volumes of aggregated big data can be used to deliver deep and timely insights. 

 

	Greg Hamilton joined the MasterCard Worldwide team in 2012 after more than 25 years as a leader in this market segment working directly for several large issuers and technology partners. As director of public sector sales for large market commercial payments in the U.S., he and his bank issuing partners are actively involved in assisting with RFP development, program design, implementation and overall sales and service strategy for State and Local Government, Higher Education and Not for Profit Organizations. Greg’s responsibilities include Commercial Credit Products including Virtual Payments, Purchasing Card,Travel Card and Fleet applications. Greg has lived in the Denver area since 1988 and has in-depth experience in sales and sales management, e-procurement technology, data integration, implementation, training, merchant acquisition, relationship management, program expansion and process consulting. Greg has successfully partnered with hundreds of clients in both the public and private sector, helping them to realize significant cost savings and increasing internal efficiencies associated with implementing electronic payment solutions.
	Steve Wysmuller currently serves as Mastercard’s vice president for data and services, Government & Public Sector. Previously, he spent 15 years at IBM as a member of IBM’s corporate staff, smarter cities sales leader, and as a member of the cognitive solutions team responsible for sustainability and emergency management, globally.   Steve is very active in his local community and has held numerous board of director seats, including board president.  As evidence of his passion for local service, in 2016 he received the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award from President Barack Obama for 4,000 hours of volunteer service.   Steve received his M.S. in environmental engineering degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder and his dual B.S. in meteorology and environmental science from North Carolina State University.
	Mohamed Abdelhameid’s professional experience includes technology consulting, particularly in the realm of Smart Cities and IoT, management systems engineering, and business process improvement. Mohamed’s educational experience includes earning a B.S. in industrial and systems engineering (ISE) in May 2010 and an M.S., also in ISE, but with a concentration in management systems engineering in December 2011 from Virginia Tech. Following graduation, Mohamed started his career at IBM Global Business Services, where he spent six years working in the Public Sector’s Watson IoT and Supply Chain Management practice. Mohamed supported numerous federal clients including but not limited to the U.S. Navy’s Center for Cost Analysis, the Veteran’s Affairs Office, and Army ITA, in various roles including project management, data analysis, and business process improvement. During the latter stages of his time at IBM, Mohamed focused on Smart Cities, IoT, and A.I. related projects, including the City of Seat Pleasant’s Smart City Transformation project. In December of 2017, Mohamed left IBM and started a consultancy (PoleStar Solutions LLC) focused on digital transformation as well as web design and development. Mohamed and his team helped deploy Smart City technologies in order to improve government services at the City of Seat Pleasant.
	Eugene W. Grant’s professional experience includes municipal leadership, non-profit management, strategic planning and event concept development. He is a forward thinking and visionary leader, who has spearheaded the efforts to transform Seat Pleasant, into the World’s First Authentic Small Smart City! Grant’s vision for an innovative Smart City program first came to fruition in 2017, when Grant traveled to Silicon Valley and signed an agreement with IBM for a multi-year digital transformation.   Under his guidance, the city has deployed Smart City technologies that have drastically improved government operations and services. As mayor of Seat Pleasant, Grant’s guiding principal that the citizen is the most important stakeholder, as well as the strategic partnerships he helped forge with private, educational and public institutions, have been the catalyst behind the city’s successful and historic transformation.   As the principal promoter for Seat Pleasant, a Smart City of Excellence, and a recognized thought leader in the Smart City space, Grant has presented his vision for a center of innovation, information and investment in front of some of the world’s leading tech companies, universities, public institutions, social impact investors, and angel investors.   Additionally, Eugene W. Grant travels extensively throughout the world lecturing and advising government officials, business leaders and NGO’s on developing partnerships that address democratic principles, humanitarian issues and economic development. Through this form of servant leadership, Eugene W. Grant, is able to foster and leverage relationships with world renowned leaders and organizations, for the benefit of Seat Pleasant, A Smart City of Excellence!