8:00 a.m. | Welcome by Diana Bowman

• Diana Bowman, Assoc Dean (ACD) & Professor, Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes, Arizona State University

A light continental breakfast will be available. 

8:15 a.m. | Act locally, think globally: Elected officials championing digital equity across the world

How do smart cities truly impact their community, state, region and – even broader – the world? We’ll kick off the Smart Region Summit by shining a spotlight on the exemplary digital equity and inclusion work being led by a group of international elected officials. 

From enacting change through new policies to championing local initiatives, discover the change that can be made with smarter, more connected cities around the globe – all centered on innovation and inclusion. 

In this panel discussion, hear from: 

• Raquel Bernal, President Universidad de los Andes ,Colombia
• Mayor Kate Gallego, Phoenix
• Discussion moderated by Dr. Sanjeev Khagram, Director General and Dean of the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University

9:00 a.m. | Global showcase: Digital equity and inclusion around the world

While we’ve made great strides in digital equity since the first-ever Smart Region Summit in 2019, access and inclusion to high-speed internet has risen to the national (and international) agenda — so how can we continue to work together to close the digital divide? 

Our panel of experts gives us a glimpse into the realities of under- and unconnected communities and shares advice on how to better connect rural and urban global citizens to the internet while improving digital literacy for more meaningful application.

In this panel discussion, hear from: 

• Jochai Ben-Avie  - Co-Founder and CEO, Connecting Humanity
• Daniel Gutwein, Sr. Director, Education Vertical, Network & Edge Solutions Group, Intel 
• Nicol Turner Lee, Senior Fellow, Center for Technology Innovation, The Brookings Institution

Discussion moderated by Diana Bowman, Assoc Dean (ACD) & Professor, Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes, Arizona State University

10 min Humanity Break 

10: 00 a.m. | Lighting the spark: Igniting change to create a smart city

When it comes to innovation and inclusion, smart cities ignite the spark that advances change throughout the world. What are the actions that cities can take to make smarter, more connected communities? Attendees will leave this session with examples of the work that smart cities from across the corners of the U.S. are currently executing to fuel innovation and advice on how to be a spark in their local community.

In this panel discussion, hear from:

• Erin Carr Jordan, Executive Director of Digital Equity and Social Impact, ASU
• Joshua Edmonds, DigitalC, Cleveland
• Catherine Nicoleau, Broadband Program Manager, City of Albuquerque
• Deb Socia, President/CEO, The Enterprise Center, Chattanooga

Discussion moderated by Diana Bowman, Assoc Dean (ACD) & Professor, Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes, Arizona State University

10:50 a.m. | Lunch Break

11:30 a.m. | Keynote: Digital inclusion for all: How to advance efforts for tribal nations

As we set out to close the digital divide for everyone, it is critical to dedicate discussions, research and funding to our communities most affected. In Arizona, this includes tribal nations – which experience greater disparities in access to broadband, lack of infrastructure, and high cost for the internet. 

In this session, hear from experts Matthew Rantanen of the Southern California Tribal Chairman's Association and Traci Morris of American Indian Policy Institute at ASU will share the work being done to strengthen tribal nations and bring digital equity and access to tribal lands across the country.

In this session, hear from:

• Matthew Rantanen, Southern California Tribal Chairman's Association 

12:25 p.m. - 2.40 p.m. | Accelerating change by building community connections  

Energized and informed by the discussions from our expert panelists, we’ll jump into a series of workshops for dedicated discussions that explore how we can partner together to create smarter cities, regions, countries and the world – grounded in conversations around innovation and inclusion. 

12:25 p.m. | Roundtable Discussions #1 (60 mins)

• Digital Navigation Programs with Lo Smith, Senior Program Manager at National Digital Inclusion Alliance & Alexa Tarvid, Digital Navigator Supervisor, Enterprise Technology, ASU
• Technical Solutions for Digital Equity Connectivity with Derek Masseth, Executive Director at Sun Corridor Network & Glenn Ricart, Founder and CTO, US Ignite
• Why Broadband Maps Matter to Digital Equity with Jordana Barton- Garcia, Senior Fellow, Connecting Humanity

10 min Humanity Break 

1:35 p.m. | Roundtable Discussions #2 (60 mins)

• Sharing Best Practices of Smart Cities with Lee Davenport, Director, Community Development, US Ignite & Catherine Nicoleau, Broadband Program Manager, City of Albuquerque
• The Role of Non-Profits in Digital Equity Efforts with Erin Carr-Jordan, Executive Director of Digital Equity and Social Impact, Office of the CIO, ASU,  Joshua Edmonds, CEO, DigitalC & Deb Socia, President/CEO, The Enterprise Center, Chattanooga
• Corporate and Vendor Partnership for Digital Equity with Daniel Gutwein, Sr. Director, Education Vertical, Network & Edge Solutions Group, Intel , Michael Kubit, Higher Education Industry Segment Advisor, TMobile, Grace O'Sullivan, Vice President, Knowledge Enterprise, ASU & Dominic Papa, US Leader, Cloud Innovation Centers, Amazon Web Services