NW Reports -- Winter 2014 | Page 7

2014 EXPO & CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS Continued from page 6 - EXPO » SPEAKERS & ENTERTAINMENT Centennial Celebration Dinner Entertainment Sunday, January 12 | 9:00 pm – 9:45 pm The Capitol Steps began as a group of Senate staffers who set out to satirize the very people and places that employed them. The group was born in December 1981 when some staffers for Senator Charles Percy were planning entertainment for a Christmas party. Their first idea was to stage a nativity play, but couldn’t find three wise men or a virgin in all of congress! They decided to dig into the headlines of the day, and created song parodies and skits which conveyed a special brand of satirical humor. Although not all of the current members of the Steps are former Capitol Hill staffers, taken together the performers have worked 18 Congressional offices and represent 62 years of collective House and Senate staff experience. Since they began, The Capitol Steps have recorded over 30 albums, including their latest, “Fiscal Shades of Gray”. They’ve been featured on NBC, CBS, ABC, and PBS, and can be heard four times a year on National Public Radio stations nationwide during their Politics Takes a Holiday radio specials. A Look at the Obama Administration, Congress and the Future of the Republican Party Monday, January 13 | 7:30 am to 9:30 am | General Session with Breakfast Tucker Carlson is a veteran journalist and political commentator. He is the co-host of Fox and Friends Weekend and the editor-inchief of TheDailyCaller.com, one of the largest and fastest growing news sites in the country. Carlson joined Fox from MSNBC, where he hosted several nightly programs. Previously he was the co-host of Crossfire on CNN, where he was the youngest anchor in the history of that network. During the same period, Carlson also hosted a weekly public affairs program on PBS. A longtime writer, Carlson reported from around the world, including dispatches from Iraq, Pakistan, Lebanon and Vietnam. He has been a columnist for New York magazine and Reader’s Digest. He currently writes for Esquire and The New York Times magazine. His most recent book is entitled, Politicians, Partisans and Parasites: My Adventures in Cable News. In 2006, he appeared on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars. Carlson is currently working on his third book. Celebrating 100 Years Going Forward: New Rules in Food Safety Enforcement Tuesday, January 14 | 7:30 am – 9:30 am | General Session with Breakfast Katy Coba was appointed Director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture by Governor Kulongoski in 2003, and reappointed by Governor Kitzhaber. Her career in state government includes serving in Governor Kitzhaber’s first administration in a number of capacities including Chief Policy Advisor, Economic Development and International Trade Policy Advisor, as well as Director of Executive Appointments. Coba worked at the Oregon Department of Agriculture from 1989-1995 as a special assistant to the director. Ms. Coba believes that the productivity of the land is determined by how well we take care of it. » CONFERENCE TRACKS Energy/Sustainability • Improving Boiler Water Quality and Reducing Operational Costs • Improve Organizational Fitness with a Compressed Air Project • Microwave Assisted Thermal Sterilization – MATSTM / Advanced Post-Packaging Food Preservation Technology • Evaluation of Cost-Effective Distributed Generation Options for Food Processing Centers in the Northwest Operations/Technical Affairs • Supply Chain Risk Management Strategies • NACCP and HARPC: Distinguishing Between Apples and Oranges • X-Ray Inspection: Understanding the Technology to Maximize Your Results • Food Safety for Imports • Exploring Obstacles to Exporting Food: Financial and Regulation Hurdles Environmental • Factors in Evaluating Food and Beverage Facilities for Potential Process Water Reuse • Total Dissolved Solids: What is it and how does it affect land treatment? Business Development • Identifying and Prioritizing Growth Opportunities • Defending the Brand • FREDi Launch and Risk Management Demo • Success Stories from Business Model Innovation Continued on page 15 w NWFPA NW REPORTS – WINTER 2013 7