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Reconnecting America President and CEO John Robert Smith will be attending the National League of Cities' Congressional City Conference in Washington, D.C., March 10-14.  The conference offers local officials opportunities to hear from respected national figures, network with other city leaders, participate in innovative workshops, learn new skills and lobby on Capitol Hill.

Reconnecting America President and CEO John Robert Smith will be attending the "Smaller Places Summit: Creating Prosperous & Sustainable Rural Communities," March 5-7, in Knoxville, Tenn. The Smaller Places Summit is a unique training opportunity that will bring together teams from 15 smaller, rural places that currently have grants through the US Housing and Urban Development Sustainable Community Initiative. The event is designed to accelerate the efforts of these grantees to build more economically vibrant, resilient, and sustainable communities across the United States.

Jeff Wood, Reconnecting America New Media Director and Chief Cartographer, will address the Urban Planning Coalition Speaker Series at San Jose State University on Feb. 28. Speaking about a "Holistic Approach to TOD," Wood's presentation will touch on parcel, district, corridor, and regional scales; why TODs matter to regional development and transportation coordination; and policy implications of TODs. More information is available here.

Reconnecting America President and CEO John Robert Smith will be attending the 2012 High Speed Rail Summit in Washington, DC, Feb. 28-29.

Reconnecting America President and CEO John Robert Smith moderated a discussion of pending federal transportation legislation with North Carolina Department of Transportation Secretary Gene Conti; Steve Heminger, Executive Director of Bay Area Metro Transportation Commission, and member of the congressionally chartered National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission; and Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett.

Reconnecting America Program Director Catherine Cox Blair will be participating in Enterprise Green Communities in Dallas on Feb. 27-28. The 2012 Enterprise Green Communities National Summit focuses on bringing the benefits of green to all affordable housing. The goal is to have participants leave the Summit with a shared understanding of what is working, what is needed and the role we each play in making green and affordable housing one and the same. More information.

Reconnecting America Program Director Catherine Cox Blair will be in Minneapolis on Feb. 22, for a meeting of the Central Corridor working group.

Policy Associate G. Sasha Forbes was invited Feb. 22 to address a Transforming Communities class at American Univeristy in Washington, DC, on topic of transportation equity and affordable housing. The class is part of the university's Washington Semester Program. The Transforming Communities track focuses on community and urban social change.