Senator Ed Markey spoke to some 150 New England Council members at a Congressional Roundtable at the Seaport Hotel in Boston on May 3.  The luncheon was sponsored by NEC member American Tower Corporation.  Senator Markey is pictured here (L) with Andrew Friendly of AutoDesk. 

On May 15, Representative Niki Tsongas spoke at her final Congressional Roundtable before she retires from Congress at the end of the year.  NEC member The Hampshire House sponsored the breakfast in Boston.  Congresswoman Tsongas is pictured here (L) with Julie Lammers of American Student Assistance.

Representative Katherine Clark updated Council members on her recent work in Congress at a May 22 Capital Conversations breakfast, hosted by NEC member Nelson Mullins in Washington, DC.  The Congresswoman is pictured here with Evan Lewin of The Boeing Company.

Bill Kristol, Founder of The Weekly Standard, was the featured speaker at the latest installment of Politics & Eggs on May 23 at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College.  Kristol is pictured here (L) with John Mercier of Bar Harbor Bank & Trust. 

On May 9 and 10, some 200 NEC members gathered in Washington, DC, for the Council's 2018 Annual Spring Event.  The event kicked off on the afternoon Wednesday, May 9, with a Federal Policy briefing at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel, where members heard from a variety of Administration officials and federal agency leaders, including Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson, Under Secretary of Commerce Gilbert Kaplan, Assistant Secretary of Treasury Tony Sayegh, FCC Commissioner Michael O'Rielly, and Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Education Diane Jones.

On Wednesday evening, members gathered in the historic Kennedy Caucus Room for our Annual Capitol HIll reception, which was attended by many members of the New England delegation. On THursday, May 10, the day began with a COngressional Breakfast where members heard from Senator Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), Representative Charlie Dent (R-PA), and Representative Richard Neal (D-MA).  Following the breakfast, members participated in a variety of policy committee meetings with Congressional and federal agency staff. 

On May 24, 2018, The New England Council and the New England-Canada Business Council presented a special event, "NAFTA & the New England Economy."  The event was hosted by NEC member McDermott Will & Emery at their downtown Boston office.  Canadian Consul General David Alward and Mexican Consul General Dr. Emilio Rabasa Gamboa each delivered opening remarks sharing their nation's view on the importance of renewing the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).  Following the opening remarks, a panel of NEC members discussed the critical importance of NAFTA for various aspects of the New England economy.  The panel was moderated by Mike Nikitas, former longtime NECN anchor and founder of Nikitas Communications.  Panelists included:

• Matthew Bock, Parnter, Middleton & Shrull, LLC
• Marie-Claude Francoeur, Quebec Delegate to Boston
• Matthew Reisman, Director, Trade Policy, Microsoft
• Tom Samoluk, Vice President & Counsel, External Affairs & Investigative Services, John Hancock

Over 80 Council members attended the event and engaged in a thoughtful and informative discussion with the panel.   

On June 4, The New England Council will present a special event, "Tax Reform in New England: Regional Impact & Next Steps."  The luncheon forum, hosted by NEC member PwC at their Boston office, will feature keynote remarks from Representative Richard Neal (D-MA), Ranking Member of the House Ways & Means Committee.  Following the Congressman's remarks, a panel of NEC members will discuss how the sweeping tax reform legislation passed late last year is having an impact in their respective industries, and what changes could be made to promote economic growth.  The panel will be moderated by Barry Okun, a partner at PwC, and will include the following panelists:

• Mark Colabella, Vice President, Enterprise Tax Planning, Compliance, & Defense, Dell
• Daniel Egan, President, Association of Independent Colleges & Universities of Rhode Island
• Daniel Forte, President, Massachusetts Bankers Association
• Kristin Lewis, Senior Vice President, Chief Public Affairs Officer
  Tufts Health Plan
• Susan Olson, Vice President Government Relations, Natixis Investment Managers  

The event will begin with Registration & Lunch at 11:30 a.m. and the program will run from 12:00 - 2:00 p.m.   Please contact Griffin Doherty if you have any questions.   

On June 5, The New England Council will present the next event in its "New England Innovates" series, this time exploring the challenges and opportunities presented by autonomous vehicle technology.  The breakfast forum, hosted by NEC member Nelson Mullins at their Boston office, will feature keynote remarks from Representative Michael Capuano (D-MA), a senior member of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee.  Following the Congressman's remarks, a panel of NEC members will discuss how New England is leading the way in developing and implementing autonomous vehicle technology, and the challenges and opportunities this rapidly evolving technology presents.  The panel will be moderated by Greg May, a partner at Nelson Mullins, and will include the following panelists:

• Lloyd Albert, Senior Vice President, Public/Government Affairs, AAA Northeast
• Justin Holmes, Director, Corporate Communications and Public Policy, Zipcar
• Chris Lowell, Principal, Corporate Strategy & Research, Liberty Mutual Insurance
• Charlene Stokes-Schwartz, Director of the Human-Machine Social Systems Lab, MITRE Corporation

The latest episode of DC Dialogue aired on NECN on Sunday, May 27, 2018.  In the first segment, Jim Brett and Eileen Curran are joined by Peter Sherlock, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at MITRE, for a look at MITRE's mission and its work on cybersecurity issues. Later in the show, 2017 New Englander of the Year Navyn Salem, Founder of Edesia, joins us to discuss her organization's incredible work to treat and prevent malnutrition around the globe.

On May 12, 2018, New England Council President & CEO James T. Brett was presented with an honorary degree by the University of Saint Joseph.  The university honored Jim in recognition of his lifelong advocacy for people with disabilities at its commencement exercises in West Hartford, CT.  The University also honored architect Peter G. Kelly and health advocate Mandy LaFleur.  Jim is pictured here with NEC Board Member Beth Barton of Day Pitney, a member of the university's Board of Trustees.  Please join us in congratulating Jim on this great honor!