2008 Workforce Conference
Susan Pareigis, president of the Florida Council of 100 and former director of the Agency for Workforce Innovation, gave the first keynote address, in which she emphasized that economic development requires diversification, connectivity, and workforce education. Only through growth and diversification can we stop the talent drain resulting from young people leaving to find better wages and greater opportunity in other parts of the country. Further, she stated that we must measure our growth by establishing new metrics based on these goals, including patents awarded, products produced, new businesses, first to market, retention, jobs, market shifts, and students in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) programs.