Making the Grade: Benchmarks of Excellence

Governor Jim Doyle (Invited)

Wisconsin Governor

Jim Doyle was sworn in as the 44th Governor of Wisconsin on January 6, 2003, and was elected to his second term in November. He is the first Democratic Governor of Wisconsin in more than 16 years. Governor Doyle has proven to be a strong leader, working in a bipartisan way to get Wisconsin back on track.

When he took office, Governor Doyle inherited a $3.2 billion deficit — the largest deficit in Wisconsin’s history. Governor Doyle faced the challenge head on and balanced the budget while holding the line on taxes. As a result, state taxes as a percentage of income are now the lowest in 35 years.

Now Governor Doyle is working to move Wisconsin forward — creating jobs, expanding access to health care, and most importantly, investing in Wisconsin’s future, our kids.

Ed Barlow

Business Executive, Management Consultant and Futurist

No one is more passionate about, nor more actively engaged in assisting people, organizations, and professions anticipate and prepare for the world of tomorrow. Ed Barlow's professional experience includes executive positions in healthcare, business, higher education, and a Washington D.C. based management consulting firm. Ed’s keen insights into the process of change and expert facilitation skills have been used to design and implement special corporate, association, and community meetings, think-tanks and strategic planning activities.

Barlow is one of a few great speakers able to deliver meaningful information about the future in a dynamic and entertaining manner. He captivates audiences with his intuitive and well-studied perspective. His well-organized, thought-provoking, and media-supported presentations affirm his reputation as a top futurist. You will long remember his power-packed message!

Scott R. Dickson

Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer

Scott R. Dickson joined Midwest Airlines as senior vice president and chief marketing officer in January 2005. He is responsible for all aspects of marketing for the airline, including route planning, pricing and scheduling; e-business and distribution; industry partnerships; and customer loyalty, sales and advertising programs.

Prior to joining Midwest Airlines, Mr. Dickson was president of Airline Partner Services, a Miami-based firm that provides marketing and management services to airlines that serve the Americas. He also served as chairman, president and chief executive of Vanguard Airlines and was largely responsible for transitioning the airline into a hub-and-spoke low-fare carrier. He served as vice president of planning and revenue management for Grupo TACA, one of the leading airlines of the Americas, and held positions with several AMR Corporation units, including American Airlines, AMR Consulting and Sabre Group. During his time with AMR Consulting, he was involved with airline, airport and tourism projects on six continents. His background also includes extensive work in strategic planning and operations for rail, bus and highway programs.

Mr. Dickson earned bachelor's and master's degrees in urban and transport geography from the University of Minnesota and he is a member of the Institute of Transportation Engineers. He has also published a book on management principles called “Never Give Up.”

Mr. Dickson and his wife have three grown sons.

George Erickcek

Senior Regional Analyst, W.E. Upjohn Institute

George A. Erickcek is the Senior Regional Analyst for the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. His responsibilities include conducting research and analysis on regional economic and employment issues, preparing regional economic impact studies, evaluating local development efforts, and editing Business Outlook for West Michigan, the Institute's quarterly report that examines the economic conditions and performance of metropolitan areas in West Michigan.

His more recent studies include Dashboard Indicators for the Northeast Ohio Economy 2006, Arts and Cultural Activities and the Michigan Economy 2005 and Preparing a Local Fiscal Benefit-Cost Analysis (ICMA 2005). Currently, Mr. Erickcek is looking at the factors influencing the growth of small metropolitan areas.

Dr. Jerry Paytas

Director of Research, GSP Consulting Corporation

Dr. Jerry Paytas is the Director of Research at GSP Consulting, a full service government affairs and economic development consulting firm. He has held positions in private planning and consulting firms, the Ben Franklin Technology Center of Western Pennsylvania (BFTC/WP), and was formerly the Director of the Center for Economic Development at Carnegie Mellon University. Jerry has initiated several multi-organizational, collaborative efforts to provide economic development and business services throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania. He also teaches Urban and Regional Economic Development at the Heinz School of Public Policy and Management. Jerry was the principal investigator in the EDA’s 2004 study, Universities and the Development of Industry Clusters. He developed the new standard definition of technology industries for use with the new NAICS coding system for the State Science and Technology Institute.

Richard Overmoyer

Director of GSP Economic Architecture, GSP Consulting Corporation

Richard Overmoyer serves as the Director of GSP Economic Architecture and a principal of GSP Consulting. Rich joined GSP in 2005 after serving the state of Pennsylvania for several years, most recently as the Deputy Secretary for the Technology Investment Office in the Commonwealth's Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED). The Technology Investment Office is the Commonwealth's center for funding and support for Pennsylvania's technology industry and community technology-related activities.

Joseph D. Kearney

Dean and Professor of Law, Marquette University Law School

On July 1, 2003, Joseph D. Kearney became the ninth dean of Marquette University Law School. Dean Kearney has been a member of the Marquette faculty since 1997. Prior to coming to Marquette Law School, Dean Kearney practiced for six years at Sidley & Austin, Chicago’s largest law firm. He served as well as a law clerk to the Honorable Antonin Scalia, Justice of the United States Supreme Court, and to the Honorable Diarmuid F. O’Scannlain of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

His teaching focuses on civil litigation, including courses in Civil Procedure and Advanced Civil Procedure. His background as a practitioner is in appellate and telecommunications litigation, and he has argued cases before the Wisconsin and Illinois Supreme Courts and the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and has been the primary draftsman of winning briefs on the merits in the United States Supreme Court.

Curt Mercadante

Consultant, U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform

Curt Mercadante serves as a consultant in the area of political and state affairs for the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform (ILR). Founded in 1998 as a separately incorporated affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, ILR is the nation’s leading legal reform advocacy organization. The mission of ILR is simple: to make America’s legal system simpler, fairer and faster for everyone. ILR’s multifaceted program seeks to promote civil justice reform through legislative, political, judicial and educational activities at the national, state and local levels. In 2006, he relocated to the Chicago area and founded M&S Strategies, LLC, a full-service public affairs advocacy firm, where he consults for ILR, as well as a variety of advocacy and corporate clients throughout the country.