Thursday, May 17 Opening General Session

The Honorable John Sanchez
Lieutenant Governor
State of New Mexico

Lieutenant Governor John Sanchez was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and can trace his public service roots to his great, great grandfather who was a territorial legislator from San Miguel County in 1860.

Lieutenant Governor Sanchez was elected to the office of Councilman for the Village of Los Ranchos, NM in 1997 and served in the New Mexico House of Representatives from 2000 to 2002. In 2005, Lieutenant Governor Sanchez was recognized as one of the Top 40 Most Influential Hispanics in the Country.

Lieutenant Governor Sanchez has had diverse business interests, and maintained a New Mexico real estate license for over 20 years. He and his wife, Debra, are the proud parents of two grown daughters, and reside in Albuquerque.

Join us for the opening general session where Dr. Catlett will present “Imagining the World of 2020”. Cancer vaccines, bionic eyes, brain food, cyberspace marriages and virtual vacations are all part of six major technological, demographic and economic trends. Companies and organizations that embrace the new creative economy will find boundless opportunities in the new borderless world.

Lowell Catlett is an exciting futurist whose knowledge of technologies and their implications on the way we will live and work is addressed in his varied and upbeat presentations. His vast knowledge astounds corporate and association audiences both nationally and internationally. His presentations are thought- provoking and highly-entertaining.

Catlett received his doctorate in Economics from Iowa State University, and has twice received the Don C. Roush Award for Excellence in Teaching. He is also a recipient of the prestigious Burlington Foundation Faculty Achievement Award for Outstanding University Teaching. In 1994 he was one of two Western Regional recipients of the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges “Excellence in College and University Teaching in the Food and Agricultural Sciences Award.”

Butch Blazer
Deputy Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment
U.S. Department of Agriculture

Arthur "Butch" Blazer serves as USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment. In 2003, Governor Bill Richardson appointed Butch as "State Forester" of New Mexico, the first Native American to hold that position. During his tenure as State Forester, Butch was also named as Chair of the Council of Western State Foresters and Co-Chair for the Western Forestry Leadership Coalition. A member of the Mescalero Apache Tribe, Butch has been intimately involved in Tribal issues throughout his life.

Prior to his service as State Forester, he served 27 years in the department of Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs as a Range Management Specialist, Natural Resources Manager, and Agency Superintendent. Blazer is the former owner of Blazer Conservation Connections, a natural resources based consulting company that specialized in connecting clients with the resources needed to enhance and protect the environment. He was also a co-founder of the Native American Fish & Wildlife Society, and has served on their Board of Directors and as the organization's National President. In 1998 Butch was elected, and served two consecutive terms, to the Mescalero Apache Tribal Council. An avid outdoors man when he can get to it, Blazer enjoys hunting, skiing and just "hiding-out" in the vast wilderness of his beautiful Mescalero Apache Reservation.

U.S. Representative Ken Ivory (R-UT)

Ken Ivory (R-UT, District 47) was elected to the Utah House of Representatives in November of 2010. However, Ken campaigned as a candidate of the “Dad Party.” Ken and his wife, Becky (a middle school teacher) are the parents of four children. Given the daunting challenges that face the state and the nation, Ken took time from his business, mediation, and estate planning law practice to run for state office in order to “secure the
blessings of liberty” to his posterity.

Ken is a partner with the law firm Ivory Law, P.C. in West Jordan, Utah.   He is also the Executive Director of the Where’s the Line America? Foundation.

Ken previously served as general counsel for a publicly traded Japanese company and for the Japan Olympic Team during the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, as well as coordinator of international relations in the Mayor Office of the City of Osaka, Japan. Ken has served as chairman of the Sandy Area Chamber of Commerce, president of the Sandy Rotary Club, and is a member of the Sandy Police Honorary Colonels Association.

Ken has addressed audiences including: multiple radio interviews, State Policy Network (SPN) in August 2011, American Legislative Exchange Council in April, August and November of 2011, National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL) in August and November of 2011, Farm Bureau (various), Rotary groups (various), Sound Money Summit in September 2011, Wall Builders Conference (Pro-Family) in November of 2011, Davis County Republican Women, Weber County Republican Women, Sandy Area Chamber of Commerce and many more civic organizations.