Join us for the 2024 Innovation Summit!

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Organized by the Juneau Economic Development Council (JEDC), the Innovation Summit is Alaska’s premier innovation event, bringing together entrepreneurs, business and industry experts, policymakers, researchers, and influential change agents from around Alaska and beyond. Experience popular components of this national award-winning event like the Alaska Airlines Pitch Contest, Alaska Innovators Hall of Fame Ceremony, Innovation Tours, Deep Dives, Innovation Shorts and more!

In 2024, we will discover the power of Scenario Thinking and explore effective tools and strategies for navigating the future. Attendees will have the opportunity to choose from various perspectives to consider future Scenarios that will impact people and businesses in Alaska. We are going to consider various drivers of future change, with an intentional focus on recreation, including the exploration of cruise industry impact research; the role of outdoor recreation in Alaska’s economy; and the upcoming Tongass Forest Plan Revision.

Join your fellow Innovators in Charting a Course for the Future We Want!

2024 Mainstage Speakers At-A-Glance

Dr. E. Jamie Trammell is an Associate Professor of Environmental Science, Policy, and Sustainability at Southern Oregon University and an expert in Scenario Thinking, the overarching theme of this year’s Innovation Summit. Businesses, agencies, and communities need better tools to prepare for the future. Dr. Trammell will introduce Summit attendees to Scenario Thinking and explore plausible future scenarios for local, regional, and state-wide economies, communities, and industries.

Chad VanOrmer is the Deputy Regional Forester for the Alaska Region of the U.S. Forest Service. He will provide an overview of the Tongass Forest Plan Revision, including critical questions on what a plan revision is, why it is important, how it governs activities on the forest, and how you can be engaged in the process.

Dr. Peter Newman is the Head of the Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism Management at Penn State University and an expert in capacity. He co-leads the Protected Areas Research Collaborative (PARC), and trains MS and PhD students focused on informing visitor management on soundscapes, visitor flow, and integrated transportation. He has active studies in Acadia, Great Smokeys, Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Denali, and Wrangell St. Elias National Parks. 

Rear Admiral Megan Dean assumed the duties of Commander, 17th Coast Guard District in June 2023. She is responsible for Coast Guard operations throughout Alaska, the North Pacific Ocean, Arctic Ocean and Bering Sea.  Rear Admiral Dean is a 1993 graduate of the Coast Guard Academy. She holds a Master of Public Administration from The George Washington University and she completed the National Security Fellowship at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. Her personal awards include the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal, Coast Guard Commendation Medal and Coast Guard Achievement Medal.

Zachary Schulman has been a USCG civilian employee since 2013, most recently serving as Strategic Analyst in CG-DCO-X and director of Project Evergreen, the Service’s oldest strategic foresight initiative chartered to “infuse the Service with strategic intent.” Mr. Schulman earned his Juris Doctorate from Pace University School of Law, as well as a MA in Geography and BA cum laude in International Affairs and Geography from The George Washington University.

Are you attending the Summit? We want your thoughts on the future!

JEDC is seeking perspectives from all Innovation Summit attendees to provide input that will help develop informed decisions about economic development in our communities and our state. Survey results will be used to inform discussions and content at the upcoming event. We will send you a final survey just before the Summit to provide further input for our planning team.

Your responses are confidential, and your feedback will be summarized with other responses.

Take the Juneau Survey!Take the Alaska Survey!

What is Scenario Thinking, and why is it important now?

Scenario Thinking is a tool to envision and anticipate possible futures. This tool has been used by corporations, nations, regions, and communities for decades, but it is not well-known or often used in Alaska.

The U.S. Coast Guard Evergreen team explains: “As humans, we have an innate inclination to imagine and predict what lies ahead. However, history has shown us that our predictions are not always accurate, as exemplified by our ongoing wait for hoverboards and flying cars promised by the movie Back to the Future II. While it may be daunting to prepare for unpredictable or uncertain situations, it is imperative for us to proactively address the needs of the future. By doing so, we can shape our own destiny rather than being at the mercy of unforeseen circumstances.”

Scenario Thinking helps us navigate the uncertain future by asking better questions.

Instead of asking what will happen, we need to ask:

  • What changes might occur?

  • What could these changes look like on the landscape?

  • What alternatives to our understanding (and mental models) might exist?

  • What actions might we suggest to improve or guide?

The Tongass Forest Plan Revision will begin SOON!

Our nation’s largest national forest is managed under the Tongass Forest Plan. This plan was last revised in 1997. In the 2024, a process to revise the plan will begin. Learn from the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) what a plan revision is, why it is important, how it governs activities on the forest, and how you can be engaged in the process. The American People are looking more and more to our national forests for recreation opportunities.

What role should recreation play in the Tongass Forest Plan Revision? There will be several representatives of the USFS at the Innovation Summit this year and there will be several opportunities to learn more from them as well as other advocates for both commercial and non-commercial use of the forest.

Engage around original ideas and forward-thinking topics!

Don’t miss this opportunity to share your innovative project, work, or idea with Innovation Shorts, 10-minute presentations similar to a Ted Talk.

Hear from aspiring Alaskan entrepreneurs!

Co-hosted with the Juneau Chamber of Commerce, the Alaska Airlines Pitch Contest brings together aspiring entrepreneurs who will pitch their business venture to a panel of experts, as well as the ultimate panel – Innovation Summit attendees!

PROMOTE your business!
EXCHANGE information!
BUILD relationships!

Each sponsorship package includes impactful benefits that enhance your exposure throughout the event.

JEDC sincerely appreciates our sponsors for their dedication and contributions to the Innovation Summit! Their funding plays an integral role in igniting discovery and making new connections among our attendees.

Please take a moment to learn more about this year’s sponsors and the great work they are doing in 2024!

Check out recordings of last year’s Summit!