Sixth Annual Eccles Family Rural West Conference

In a departure from previous gatherings, the 2018 Eccles Family Rural West Conference took the form of an academic workshop focused on collaborative governance. Panels explored how collaboration in rural communities can foster greater environmental sustainability and better health outcomes.
Agenda
Friday, March 23, 2018
Welcome and Conference Introduction
Bruce E. Cain, PhD
Spence and Cleone Eccles Family Director, The Bill Lane Center for the American West
David M. Kennedy, PhD
Founding Co-Director, Bill Lane Center for the American West
Donald J. McLachlan Professor of History Emeritus, Stanford University
Panel 1: Challenges and Possibilities in Wildfire Management
As devastating wildfires have become a new reality in the American West, this panel will discuss the challenges and new possibilities of managing both their impact and our response.
Patrick Shea, JD
University of Utah
Rebecca Miller
PhD Student, Stanford University
Alissa Cordner
Associate Professor of Sociology and Paul Garrett Fellow, Whitman College
John Giller
US Forest Service
David Brady, PhD
Stanford University
Facilitator
Panel 2: Towards a Healthier Rural West
Building upon the 2017 Rural West conference, this panel will brainstorm the next steps in improving health care and access in the rural West.
Kevin Harris, MPA, MBA
The William D. Ruckelshaus Center
Bidisha Mandal, PhD
Washington State University
Tom Scandalis, DO
Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences
Mike Maples, MD
Community Health of Central Washington
John F. McCarthy, MD
University of Washington School of Medicine
Gabriel Garcia, MD
Stanford University School of Medicine
Phillip Polakoff, MD
Stanford School of Medicine
Bill Lane Center for the American West
Facilitator
Panel 3: Perspectives on the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan
The Yakima Basin Integrated Plan has been praised for making the Yakima Basin a great place for families, fish, and farms. This panel will discuss the background, implementation, and opposition to the YBIP.
Peter Dykstra, JD
Plauche & Carr LLP
Tom Ring
Yakama Nation
Urban Eberhart
Kittitas Reclamation District
Bob Tuck
Natural resources consultant
Craig Thomas, PhD
University of Washington
Facilitator
Panel 4: Models for University-Based Collaborative Governance
This panel will highlight best practices in university-based collaborative governance for addressing environmental, economic and health issues in the rural West.
Michael Kern, MPA
The William D. Ruckelshaus Center
Craig Thomas, PhD
University of Washington
Nicola Ulibarri, PhD
University of California, Irvine
Gabriela Muñoz-Melendez, PhD
El Colegio de la Frontera Norte
Bruce E. Cain, PhD
Facilitator
Dinner and Keynote
Hilary Franz
Washington Commissioner of Public Lands
Keynote