Adriana Toro

High Counselor of Competitiveness

Government of North Santander

Biography
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Contact her

adriana.toro@nortedesantander.gov.co

Website

Partnership opportunities

“I would like to promote my region (Norte de Santander in Colombia) as an attractive place to invest and also, connect the local ecosystem with public and private actors from different places all around the world to transfer knowledge”

I am the leader of the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem in the North of Santander Department in Colombia where public, private and academia interact. In that role, I advise the Governor and implement strategies aimed at promoting Departmental articulation and Municipal with the different actors of the public sector, academia and business sector that allow to strengthen the Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship, Science, Technology and Innovation processes in North of Santander, Colombia. 

I am also the leader of the public innovation lab of the region and the director of the Investment Promotion Agency Invest in Cúcuta City where I develop strategies between the public and private sectors to promote national and foreign direct investment to the Department.

Main areas of work:

  • Business creation and development
  • Bio-economy
  • Energy
  • Smart cities
  • Economic planning
  • Sustainability and resilience

Nicole Griensewic

Executive Director

Region Nine Development Commission in Minnesota

Biografy:

Griensewic has served as Executive Director of Region Nine Development Commission since 2012. As executive director, Griensewic has made it a priority to foster collaboration and engagement by sharing Region Nine’s story both regionally and globally. Griensewic is an active board and committee member for multiple organizations throughout Minnesota. Griensewic is the immediate past President of the Greater Minnesota Partnership, and is the first female to chair the Executive Committee for the University of Minnesota’s Center for Transportation Studies, where she served as chair of the Governance Committee. Griensewic also served as secretary of Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota’s Governing Board of Directors and chaired the Governance Committee and currently serves as an advisory board member for South Central College’s Center for Agriculture. She serves on the executive committee for the MACS Board, Minnesotans for the American Community Survey Board of Directors and represents the Midwest on the National Assoc. of Development Orgs.’s (NADO) Board of Directors.

Griensewic is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and has completed course work through Harvard’s Kennedy School’s Executive Education. She received the 2017 Outstanding Recent Alumnus Award from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

Her professional background includes extensive private sector and non-profit leadership experience.