May 11-19, 2013 - The Mississippi River Commission (Maj. Gen. John Peabody, commission president, Hon. Sam Angel, Hon. R.D. James and Hon. Norma Jean Mattei, Ph.D., commission members, attended), along with key individuals from The Nature Conservancy/Great Rivers Partnership, National Great Rivers Research and Education Center/University of Illinois, Engineer Research and Development Center staff and USAID representative conducted a very successful exchange with the Mekong River Commission. In May 2010, the Mississippi River Commission and the Mekong River Commission signed a Memorandum of Understanding to create the first partnership agreement between the two entities.