2009 Michigan Downtown Conference Announces Opening Keynote Speaker Daniel T. Kildee

Lansing ? The Michigan Downtown Conference Partners announced today the 2009 Michigan Downtown Conference opening keynote speaker will be Daniel T. Kildee. Kildee is the Genesee County Treasurer and President of the Genesee Institute, a research and training institute focusing on smart growth, urban land reform and land banking. This year's conference is being held September 15-16, 2009 at the Lansing Center in downtown Lansing.

Kildee will open the conference and welcome attendees the morning of September 15. The conference is being held in an effort to help community leaders revitalize their downtowns. Online registration and additional information is available at: www.michigandowntownconference.org

Kildee initiated the use of Michigan's new tax foreclosure law as a tool for community development and neighborhood stabilization. He founded the Genesee Land Bank ? Michigan's first land bank ? and serves as its chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

 "Neighborhood stabilization is a key component to the success of our downtowns" Kildee said "this can be accomplished by centering on smart growth, urban land reform and land banking"
In addition to his work in Genesee County, in 2008, Kildee was named the winner of the "Excellence in Land Use Leadership" award by Michigan State University's Land Policy Institute, and along with the Genesee County Land Bank, was named the Community Development Advocate of the Year by the Community Economic Development Association of Michigan (CEDAM).

The Michigan Downtown Conference Partners include the Michigan Downtown Association (MDA), the Michigan Municipal League (MML), the Michigan State Housing Development Authority's Michigan Main Street Center (MMSC@MSHDA), the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), CEDAM, the Michigan Historic Preservation Network, Main Street Oakland County, and the State Historical Preservation Office (SHPO). 
The Michigan Downtown Conference is an annual conference to help community leaders create successful strategies and case studies for revitalizing their downtowns.