Preamble: Invigorating Communities Through Democracy

Citizens today often feel disconnected, disenfranchised, and out of touch with what is
happening around them. Being far removed from the decision-making of their
government and business leaders, many opt-out of working toward changing old
models into more productive new models. Strategic Doing Forums are designed to
create an opportunity to reverse this trend so citizens become an integral part of
redesigning public policy to effectively reflect a 21st century global economy.

In the recent article, "How Web 2.0 Can Reinvent Government," Paula Klein of CIO,
Insight Magazine writes:
"Traditionally slow to change, bureaucratic in decision-making and constantly
under public scrutiny, governments are ripe for new collaborative technologies,
says Anthony Williams, co-author with Don Tapscott of the groundbreaking
book Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything (Portfolio,
2007). That book detailed how Web 2.0 technologies such as blogs, wikis and
social networking would radically transform business models and alter the way
organizations think about collaborative relationships."
Read the article:
http://www.cioinsight.com/c/a/Expert-Voices/Web-20-Reinventing-Democracy/

Williams says the Web offers the public sector huge opportunities to collaborate with
citizens. He foresees Web 2.0 technologies being employed to transform service
delivery, make smarter policies, flatten silos and, most importantly, reinvigorate
democracy.

In a support economy, all members of a community's talent and assets can be used to
move toward prosperity. The I-Open process accelerates and transforms
communities and regions through education, economic, and workforce development.

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Institute for Open Economic Networks 4415 Euclid Avenue Cleveland, Ohio 44103 www.i-open.org
We believe the above excerpts show how our partnership with you and your
organization will reinvigorate democracy and give hope to our citizens by showing
them that they can shape the future by helping themselves prosper through new
models of behavior and strategically doing what needs to be done to create wealth.

We look forward to working with you to achieve this.

I-OPEN TEAM:

Susan Altshuler, Director

Development, Finance & Grants Administration
Email: susanaltshuler@gmail.com

Susan, a co-founder of the Institute for Open Economic Networks (I-Open), brings
over 25 years of office and financial management experience in both the corporate
and nonprofit environments. From 1998 – 2005, as Special Assistant to the Director
of the Center for Regional Economic Issues, at Case Western Reserve University,
Susan managed special projects, programs and events; assisted in fundraising efforts
with the director to develop funding proposals; managed donor relationships;
supervised department researchers; assisted director in grant report writing;
responsible for grant and contract administration for the Center; and assisted in the
hiring and evaluation of staff and students.

As a member of the I-Open team, Susan is responsible for the financial management
and grants administration of the Institute, leads fundraising efforts with the team to
develop proposals; manages donor relationships; develops budgets for grant and
sponsorship requests, programs, workshops and seminars; participates, with her
colleagues, in the areas of program development and design, workshop and seminar
planning and scheduling.

Betsey Merkel, Director

Network Development & Program Design
Email: betseymerkel@gmail.com

Betsey, a co-founder of the Institute for Open Economic Networks (I-Open), brings
25 years of business development experience, where she designed community
residencies and managed projects in the non-profit sector. Her areas of focus include
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©Copyright2008
Institute for Open Economic Networks 4415 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, Ohio 44103 www.i-open.org
the creative industries, land conservation and water management, the performing arts
industry, and architectural restoration.

Working with the I-Open team, her approach to network design has created I-Open
Civic Forums, catalyzing many diverse projects, proposals and businesses. She designs
process to support community engagement and entrepreneurial innovation initiatives.
Betsey co-authored "Artist to Artist", a business development seminar supported by
the State of Ohio Office of the Governor and the Ohio Arts Council. Betsey earned a
Master of Music from the Cleveland Institute of Music and Case Western Reserve
University.

Gloria Ferris,
Managing Partner, Meet the Bloggers
gloriaferris@gmail.com

Meet.the.bloggers’ managing partner Gloria Ferris, the newest member of the I-Open
team is an educator, business owner, community activist, wife, and mother. Years of
working in schools, neighborhoods and communities has given Mrs. Ferris a unique
perspective on the role of the citizen and the value of social network analysis in
forming public policy and in guiding government officials.

Gloria, in her own words believes, “Grassroots efforts are imperative for the success
of new government initiatives and public policy changes. If citizen engagement is at
the heart of all initiatives, the chance of succeeding is far greater. When an individual
believes that he or she is a part of the process, that person commits to the success of
that initiative.”

Mrs. Ferris’ unique blend of oral and written communication skills, her knowledge of
group dynamics, her mission to make civic engagement an integral part of changing
public policy and guiding our government officials fit well with the I-Open principles
and values.

Ed Morrison, Regional Director and National Strategist

Policy Analyst, Center for Regional Development, Purdue University
Economic Development Practitioner
Email: edmorrison@i-open.org

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©Copyright2008
Institute for Open Economic Networks 4415 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, Ohio 44103 www.i-open.org
Ed Morrison is a co-founder of the Institute for Open Economic Networks (I-Open),
based in Northeast Ohio. From 20002 - 2005, he was Executive Director of the
Center for Regional Economic Issues (REI) at the Weatherhead School of
Management, Case Western Reserve University. He holds a BA degree from Yale
University and MBA and JD degrees from the University of Virginia.

For over thirty years, Ed has been conducting strategy projects with economic
developers in the U.S. His work won the first Arthur D. Little Award for excellence in
economic development presented by the American Economic Development Council.
Ed is the architect of the strategic economic development plan for Oklahoma City,
and he served as an economic development consultant to the city’s Chamber of
Commerce from 1994 to 2002.

Ed serves as the Economic Policy Analyst at the Center for Regional Development,
Purdue University, leading the WIRED initiative, a three-year $15 million grant
awarded to the Center by the Department of Labor in Washington, DC.

Dennis Coughlin, Director

Administration & Operations
Email: denniscoughlin@I-OPEN.org

Dennis, a co-founder of the Institute for Open Economic Networks (I-Open), has
significant experience in operations management with non-profit organizations
creating budget proposals, managing staff, developing programs, and analyzing
systems. In his previous positions, he was accountable for all financial operations,
including preparing budgets, approving purchases, general accounting, preparation,
analyzing and presenting financial statements. He previously worked as a consultant at
the Center for Regional Economic Issues (REI) at Case Western Reserve University,
under Ed Morrison’s stewardship.

Dennis is responsible for all the administrative functions and day-to-day operations of
the Institute. He is the primary person responsible for the Institute’s network
mapping activity at civic forums, workshops and training programs. Using Inflow
software, Dennis maps groups, individuals and organizations to show visual
connectivity, where the strengths and weaknesses of networks are and the ability to
identify gaps.

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©Copyright2008
Institute for Open Economic Networks 4415 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, Ohio 44103 www.i-open.org
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©Copyright2008
Institute for Open Economic Networks 4415 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, Ohio 44103 www.i-open.org