2025 Regional Conference & General Assembly
May 1-2, 2025
JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa
The 2025 Regional Conference and General Assembly celebrated SCAG’s 60th anniversary with panels featuring regional leaders from government, business, advocacy, and academia discussing pressing topics for Southern California’s future.
Conference attendees gathered with other local and regional leaders to collaborate on fundamental issues, such as mobility, housing and communities, the environment, the economy, and the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Many thanks to all who could join us and to the esteemed speakers, panelists, members partners and sponsors who contributed to the success of this event.
Agenda
TIME | AGENDA |
|---|---|
APRIL 30 | WEDNESDAY | |
| 3 p.m. | EXECUTIVE/ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE MEETING |
| 6 p.m. | PRESIDENT’S RECEPTION (Invitation Only) |
May 1 | Thursday | |
8 a.m. 8 a.m. | REGISTRATION NETWORKING AND CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST |
| 9 a.m. | REGIONAL COUNCIL MEETING |
| 10 a.m. | WELCOME AND OPENING REMARKS |
| 11 a.m. | GENERAL ASSEMBLY MEETING |
| 12:15 p.m. | SUSTAINABILITY AWARDS LUNCHEON |
| 2:15 p.m. | BREAKOUT SESSIONS I
FROM SMART CITIES TO A SMART REGION: ADVANCING MOBILITY STRATEGIES AND TECHNOLOGY INNOVATIONS Sponsored by WSP USA, Inc. Innovative mobility solutions like real-time data analytics, connected infrastructure, and digital platforms help cities enhance services for constituents. How can implementation of these initiatives achieve shared goals such as reduced traffic congestion, improved air quality through decreased vehicle miles traveled and greenhouse gas emissions, and enhanced accessibility for all residents? This panel will showcase successful initiatives that demonstrate how mobility and technology can collectively contribute to a more sustainable, efficient, and equitable future for the region.
Moderator: Kameale Terry, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, ChargerHelp
Panelists:
STRONG FOUNDATIONS: HOUSING SOLUTIONS IN THE WAKE OF DISASTER Sponsored by National Core Southern California already faced a housing crisis before the devastation caused by the recent L.A. County fires, which exacerbated the issue. Although the fires primarily burned in L.A. County, the impacts on the housing market are felt throughout the region. This panel will explore success stories, innovative strategies, and critical concerns to help those working in the housing space nimbly respond to ongoing housing availability and affordability constraints in a changing market. Panelists will also discuss best practices, emerging opportunities, and complex realities of community development from a range of perspectives, with practical takeaways for building stronger, more sustainable housing solutions that respond to the urgent circumstances facing the region.
Moderator: Jenna Hornstock, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Hornstock Strategies
Panelists:
|
| 2:15 p.m. | STUDENT SHOWCASE Sponsored by Sares Regis Group |
| 3:15 p.m. | BREAK AND NETWORKING |
| 3:45 p.m. | BREAKOUT SESSIONS II
FOSTERING A HEALTHY LOCAL ECONOMY FOR ALL Sponsored by Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco Southern California is at a turning point. Southern California’s population growth is expected to slow in the decades ahead and local cities and agencies must rethink economic growth and resilience. Meanwhile, climate change and other crises are presenting more immediate disruptions that demand action. How can cities stay financially strong while preparing for an uncertain future? This panel will dive into the fiscal impacts for jurisdictions of both immediate disasters and long-term shifts. Hear firsthand insights from communities that have navigated various disruptions and explore ideas for strengthening economic resilience.
Moderator: Stephen Cheung, President and Chief Executive Officer, Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation
Panelists:
SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR RESILIENT GROWTH Sponsored by I-REN As Southern California faces increasing climate hazards like wildfires, ensuring that the region’s infrastructure can support sustainability and housing affordability is more critical than ever. This panel will explore how investments in resilient backbone infrastructure, such as utilities, green infrastructure, and electrification, can enable sustainable growth while reducing vulnerabilities to natural and man-made disasters. Experts from utilities, real estate development, and finance will discuss challenges and opportunities in creating infrastructure that mitigates climate impacts while expanding housing capacity and affordability.
Moderator: Nurit Katz, Chief Sustainability Officer, UCLA
Panelists:
|
| 3:45 p.m. | STUDENT SHOWCASE Sponsored by Sares Regis Group |
| 5:30 p.m. | EVENING RECEPTION |
May 2 | Friday | |
| 8 a.m. | REGISTRATION |
| 8:30 a.m. | BREAKFAST |
| 9 a.m. | WELCOME |
| 9:10 a.m. | STUDENT SHOWCASE AWARDS |
| 9:30 a.m. | KEYNOTE ADDRESS TUCKER BRYANT |
| 10 a.m. | PLENARY PANEL SESSION
CREATING A REGIONAL LEGACY FOR THE 2028 SUMMER OLYMPICS AND PARALYMPICS Sponsored by HNTB Corporation In just three years, Los Angeles will host the 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. As a complex and populous region hosting a mega-event, the LA28 Games represent a challenge and an opportunity for the region’s local economy and transportation system, which must facilitate travel for visitors and the region’s nearly 19 million residents while also continuing to service the demand for goods from the ports across the nation. The LA28 Games is a call to action to create lasting innovations for the region. This panel will explore how infrastructure, programs, policies, and culture change can create the actions to realize this vision
Moderator: Bill Hanway, Executive Vice President and Global Sports Leader, AECOM
Panelists:
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| 11:15 a.m. | CONFERENCE WRAP-UP |
Highlights
- Outgoing SCAG Regional Council President Hagman closed out his term by sharing the “2024-25 President’s Report,” a detailed report of SCAG’s accomplishments since May 2024, which were also highlighted in the 2024-25 Year in Review video.
- SCAG also welcomed the new Regional Council Officers for 2025-26: Hon. Cindy Allen (City of Long Beach) Regional Council president; Hon. Ray Marquez (City of Chino Hills) Regional Council first vice president; Hon. Jenny Crosswhite (City of Santa Paula) Regional Council second vice president.
- SCAG announced the awardees of its 15th annual Scholarship Program, supporting the next generation of public servants. SCAG received a record total of 165 applications from throughout the SCAG region.
- SCAG honored seven innovative projects across the six-county region at the 2025 Sustainability Awards ceremonies. These projects are integral to accomplishing the goals of the Connect SoCal Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy and promoting a more mobile, sustainable, and prosperous region.
- SCAG announced two Jury Awards and two Audience Awards for the Student Showcase poster and StoryMap contest.
Keynote Speaker
Tucker Bryant
Poet & Innovation Keynote Speaker
What Tucker Bryant learned during a decade spent between Stanford and Google surprised him: even people on the cutting edge of innovation often struggle to take risks. The truth is that we all want to step out of our comfort zones, but we also have comforts so deep-seated that we aren’t aware they even exist. And our instinct to protect that unconscious comfort suffocates our creativity, disengages us from our work, and stunts our ability to lead.
Tucker Bryant is an entrepreneur, innovation strategist, and nationally renowned poet. After nurturing his craft at Stanford University, Tucker spent a decade in Silicon Valley as a lead Product Marketing Manager at Google where he discovered the potential of the creative tools poets have used for millennia to drive innovation in the corporate world. His performances have been featured by TEDx, The New York Times, and dozens of other organizations across the globe. He has shared stages with Mark Cuban, Bill Belichick, Gary Vaynerchuk, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, and Mel Robbins, as well as governors and executives from scores of Fortune 500 companies.
In this signature keynote address, Tucker will reveal how The Poet’s Keys™ can empower leaders to unlock the doors to enhanced creativity, collaboration, and competitive advantage in the areas of our work that matter most. The audience will learn tools to build a culture of creative disruption and bold exploration in their organizations, and shape business landscapes as industry leaders and abandon models of thinking bound for obsolescence.