National Expert Speakers

Thomas Cooke, Ph.D. is a Professor Emeritus within the Department of Geography, Sustainability, Community, and Urban Studies at the University of Connecticut. He is a Fulbright Scholar (spent at the University of Groningen) and the recipient of the Research Excellence Award in Population Geography by the American Association of Geographers. He has held visiting positions at Queen’s University in the UK, the University of St Andrews, and the University of Amsterdam.

At UConn, he directed the University’s Urban Studies program, the Center for Population Research, and Connecticut’s US Census Data Center. Before arriving at UConn in 1994, he spent two years at the Polis Center in Indianapolis as an applied demographer. At Polis, he played a vital role in developing SAVI, now the nation’s largest and most comprehensive community information system. More recently, he was the Interim Executive Director of A Better Connecticut Institute.

Thomas completed his Ph.D. in Geography at Indiana University in 1993 with a minor in Economics and specializations in Demography, Econometrics, Spatial Analysis, Migration, and Urban Studies. His MA (Indiana University, Geography, 1988) and BA (The Ohio State University, Geography, 1986) degrees focused on Russian and Soviet Studies.

Dr. Cooke regularly consults with a variety of organizations such as the MacArthur Foundation, Rand, Brookings, the City of Indianapolis, the Lilly Endowment, and the Connecticut Department of Education and is frequently interviewed in the media including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, and Hartford Courant. He also works as a demographic consultant advising state agencies, municipalities, corporations, and research institutes on US migration trends, population change and projections, quality of life rankings, workforce demographics, and the advanced analysis of Census data.

Keynote Preview:

Dr. Cooke will focus on shaping an informed dialogue around migration by delivering precise, evidence-based insights that challenge misconceptions and clarify complex demographic trends. He will emphasize how migration both responds to and influences policy, economic opportunity, and community well-being—making it especially relevant for regions experiencing sustained population change.

Don’t miss Thomas’s presentation on Day 1 (Wednesday) of the Summit!

Melody Warnick is the author of two books about thriving where you live: This Is Where You Belong: Finding Home Wherever You Are, an exploration of the groundbreaking concept of place attachment, and If You Could Live Anywhere: The Surprising Power of Place in a Work-from-Anywhere World, a guide to how location-independent people choose where to live and how communities can attract and retain them.

Melody has written for the Washington Post, New York Times, Slate, Reader’s Digest, The Guardian, and many others, while her books have been featured in the likes of the New York Times, Time magazine, Fast Company, and Psychology Today. She’s also been a guest on many radio shows and podcasts, including NPR’s Life Kit and ABC Radio Australia.

A regular speaker about how residents can find and create happier communities, Melody lives with her family in Blacksburg, Virginia, where she currently serves as the Assistant Director of Communications for Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering.

Keynote Preview:

Why do some places inspire people to stay while others struggle to hold on? Melody will take a human-centered look at relocation and place attachment, exploring who is moving, why they choose certain communities, and what turns a location into a lasting home. Drawing on trends, case studies, and storytelling, she will examine efforts to attract and retain talent, from place-based marketing campaigns like Choose Juneau and Choose Anchorage to investments in community livability. She’ll also consider how temporary residents and workers can develop deeper ties, transforming time spent in Alaska into long-term commitment and stronger, more resilient communities.

Don’t miss Melody’s keynote on the morning of Day 2 (Thursday)!

Molly Pyle is the Chief Program Officer at the Center for Rural Innovation (CORI), where she supports rural communities as they develop and grow strong entrepreneurial ecosystems, creating scalable tech startups in rural America.

Prior to joining CORI, she worked with social impact startups at MIT Solve, worked with international women leaders in STEM and entrepreneurship with the State Department, led the Incubator and Accelerator programming at Singularity University. She also co-created and led Singularity’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts and contributed to the design and execution of International Summits for executive and startup audiences of 2,000-plus attendees per event across 15 countries.

Molly holds an M.S. in social work from Columbia University focusing on social enterprise administration, international social welfare, and services to immigrants and refugees, along with B.S. degrees in social work and international affairs from Florida State University. She grew up in the historic small town of Saint Augustine, Florida.

Keynote Preview:

Drawing on real-world examples and practical frameworks, Molly will show how tech jobs and startups punch above their weight in rural economies—fueling job creation, keeping talent local, and unlocking new streams of investment. She’ll introduce CORI’s approach to building thriving rural tech ecosystems, from broadband and infrastructure to talent development and founder support and share on-the-ground stories from communities across CORI’s Rural Innovation Network.

Don’t miss Molly’s keynote during our luncheon on Day 2 (Thursday)!

Shane Phillips is a researcher, writer, and consultant committed to improving public understanding of housing markets and policy. He manages the Randall Lewis Housing Initiative at the UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies, where he and his colleagues study how different policies impact housing affordability, availability, and stability. He also produces and hosts the UCLA Housing Voice Podcast, a biweekly show that discusses housing research in clear, accessible language, covering topics ranging from homelessness to building codes, and including examples from the US and around the world. 
 
In his book, The Affordable City, Shane advocates for prioritizing Supply, Stability, and Subsidies — a message he has shared on panels and in keynote presentations across North America. He has also consulted for various cities and institutions on strategies for improving affordability and balancing competing priorities. Originally from Washington state, Shane earned his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the University of Washington and masters degrees in public administration and urban planning from USC. He now lives in Los Angeles. 

Solutions Lab Preview:

Alaska’s housing challenges are no longer abstract—they are shaping who can stay, who must leave, and what growth is possible. In this Solutions Lab, join Shane Phillips, housing policy expert and author, for a candid exploration of supply constraints, regulatory barriers, and the practical tradeoffs communities face when trying to build enough homes. This interactive deep dive gives meaningful perspective to how leaders can use policy, design, and political will to move the needle in high-cost, high-constraint markets like ours.

Don’t miss Shane’s Innovation Short on Day 1 (Wednesday) and Solutions Lab on Day 2 (Thursday)!