Valentine Declines Symposium

Citing a misunderstanding over guaranteed length of contract, the man expected to coordinate the efforts of the Spokane Symposium Series has chosen not to take the job.

Patrick Valentine, raised in Spokane and now an administrator at Southeastern University in Washington, D.C., decided not to accept the position. Valentine’s background in technology research and economic development led organizers of the Symposium Series to recruit him, said John Stone, a group founder.

But negotiations stalled when Valentine learned the group wasn’t offering him a two-year guarantee.

The group wanted a shorter-period contract, Stone said Friday.

Valentine said the two-year offer was a prerequisite for him.

“I believed that in return for me and my wife leaving excellent jobs and moving our two boys across the country a two-year commitment was justified,” he said.

The symposium group has sponsored community sessions to foster high-tech growth and alliances among area government leaders, higher education officials, venture capitalists and entrepreneurs.