Mary Skelton Roberts is a co-director for Climate, focusing on transportation and land use—two critical levers for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Her portfolio aims to modernize our transit systems and to help communities transform themselves into more walkable, connected places where all residents have attractive alternatives to driving and spend far less time and money traveling by car.
Prior to joining Barr in 2009, Mary was a consultant specializing in problem-solving and dispute resolution of complex corporate, environmental, and public-policy issues. She has worked extensively with nonprofit, government, and private-sector clients in the United States and internationally. She currently serves on the national boards of Hispanics in Philanthropy and the Funders’ Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities. In Boston she volunteers her time with organizations focused on preventing child homelessness, improving animal welfare, and supporting cultural enrichment for Latino children.
Mary holds a master’s degree in city planning with concentrations in consensus-building and environmental policy and planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She also holds mediation and facilitation accreditations from the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School and from the Center for Dispute Resolution in London, England, where she served as lead faculty. She is bilingual, bi-cultural, and a native Spanish-speaker. During her spare time Mary delights in mothering her rambunctious 11-year-old, preventing her dog, Scooter, from catching the squirrels at the Arnold Arboretum, and, when she’s feeling really adventurous, practicing her salsa moves.

Mary Skelton Roberts

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Jair Lynch

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Joel Mills

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Christine Sorenson

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We’re thrilled to announce Jerusalem Demsas, staff writer at The Atlantic and thought leader on housing, urban policy, and economic equity, as the keynote speaker for the 2025 Equity Summit. Jerusalem is known for her ability to connect policy with real-world impact, and her writing deftly sheds light on the challenges and opportunities in creating equitable communities. Her keynote address will inspire us to think boldly as we build a shared movement for vibrant communities.
Jerusalem Demsas is a staff writer at The Atlantic, where she is an established voice on the housing crisis and local democracy. Her writing spans issues from infrastructure, labor economics, and federalism to race, gender, mobility, and the politics of exclusion. She is the author of On the Housing Crisis: Land, Development, Democracy and is also the host of The Atlantic’s flagship policy podcast Good on Paper. She was recognized for her work in 2023 by the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) with the ASME Next Award for Journalists Under 30. She was also the recipient of the Citizens Housing and Planning Council’s Insight Award for her work covering the housing crisis. Demsas was a visiting fellow with the Center for Economy and Society at the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University. Prior to writing at The Atlantic, Demsas was a policy journalist at Vox, where she also co-hosted the popular policy podcast The Weeds.
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Jerusalem Demsas

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Executive Director Jacqueline Flin was born in San Francisco, CA. She was raised the middle-child with two brothers, by a unionist father and an immigrant mother. She graduated from St. Mary’s College Preparatory High School in Berkeley, CA and went on to receive her B.S. degree in Cellular Biology from the University of California at Davis.
Flin began volunteering for the A. Philip Randolph Institute San Francisco as a youth leader participating in efforts to educate low-income communities about local elections and voting initiatives. She was then hired as a receptionist at the California Labor Federation, an organization dedicated to promoting and defending the interests of working people and their families for the betterment of California’s communities. After a brief career in the biological science field, in 2009, she returned to San Francisco in a leadership role as the Executive Director of the A. Philip Randolph Institute San Francisco.
In the time she served as Executive Director, she has expanded the organization’s capacity to offer public services that include: Workforce Development, Youth Career and Leadership Development, and Equity Development Strategies. She established public and private partnerships that support invest directly in the Bayview Hunters Point. She has a network of relationships with City and County departments, unions, local businesses, community based organizations, service providers, and residents. She is committed to building the community through organizing and leadership.

Jacqueline Flin

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Lee Ilan is the Chief of Planning at the New York City Mayor’s Office of Environmental Remediation, where she encourages cleanup and redevelopment of contaminated land. Her focus is on community engagement, grant management, the SPEED environmental mapping portal, intergovernmental issues, communications, and social media. She has worked on brownfields for the City for nearly two decades years and served on the board of NALGEP (National Association of Local Government Environmental Professionals) for six years. Previously, Lee was a commercial recycling consultant and a parks advocate in New York City. She holds a BA in Political Science from Columbia College, Columbia University.
Ms. Ilan currently serves in the <a href="https://smartgrowthamerica.org/program/national-brownfields-coalition/national-brownfields-coalition-steering-committee/">Steering Committee</a> of the National Brownfields Coalition as well as the Environmental Justice &amp; Public Health Committee and Membership &amp; Communications Committee. Most recently, she provided testimony in <a href="https://energycommerce.house.gov/committee-activity/hearings/hearing-on-back-from-the-brink-restoring-brownfield-sites-to-economic">a hearing</a> before the Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on behalf of the Coalition.

Lee Ilan

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Harold Mitchell Jr. is the Executive Director-ReGenesis Community Development Corporation, which promotes equitable development for Spartanburg’s most underrepresented communities. Throughout its existence, it has sent shockwaves through the American environmental justice world with its resounding success in achieving its goals. To date, ReGenesis has leveraged an initial $20,000 EPA grant into over $300 million in private and public investment. The revitalization plan’s accomplishments include: the development of more than 500 affordable housing units, the establishment of ReGenesis Community Health Care, a healthcare system with seven locations, the creation of a retail center, transportation improvements, the construction of a green recreational facility, and job training and career opportunities for community residents. State Representative of South Carolina, House District 31 While serving as a Representative, from 2005 to 2017, many bills and legislation were passed in direct result of advocating for the Spartanburg Community.
Mr. Mitchell serves in the NBC’s Environmental Justice and Public Health Committee.

Harold Mitchell

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David Lloyd was born and raised in Carson City, Nevada. He graduated from George Washington University in 1985 with a BA in English Literature. In 1988, he graduated from Washington and Lee University in Lexington with a specialty in Real Estate and Corporate Law. Between 1989 and 1991, David was in private law practice in Carson City, Nevada, specializing in Real Estate and Corporate Law, with some work in commercial litigation. In 1991, he returned to Washington, DC and joined the Office of General Counsel at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. He was an attorney advisor and ultimately the Assistant General Counsel for Claims and Property Law. In 2000, he became Director of the EPA’s Facilities and Real Estate Division. David became a member of the Senior Executive Service in 2003. Since 2006, he has been the Director or EPA’s Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization.
He is a proud Citizen of the Cherokee Nation and an avid equestrian. In addition to cooking and travel, he enjoys spending time with his horse, Trilby, and his dog, Quincy. David is a resident of the District of Columbia.

David R. Lloyd

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Carlton Waterhouse serves as the Deputy Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Land and Emergency Management. He was appointed by President Biden in February 2021. Carlton began his legal career as an attorney with EPA, where he served in the Office of Regional Counsel in Atlanta, Georgia, and the Office of General Counsel in Washington, D.C. Before rejoining EPA in 2021, he held a joint appointment as a professor at the Howard University School of Law and the Howard University School of Divinity. Carlton is a Fulbright research scholar and an international expert on environmental law and environmental justice.

Carlton Waterhouse

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Elizabeth Yeampierre is an internationally recognized Puerto Rican environmental/climate justice leader of African and Indigenous ancestry, born and raised in New York City. Elizabeth is co-chair of the Climate Justice Alliance, a national frontline led organization and Executive Director of UPROSE, Brooklyn’s oldest Latino community-based organization. Elizabeth was the 1st Latina Chair of the USEPA National Environmental Justice Advisory Council and opening speaker for the first White House Council on Environmental Quality Forum on Environmental Justice under Obama. Elizabeth has been featured in the NY Times as a visionary paving the path to Climate Justice. She was named by Apolitical as Climate 100: The World’s Most Influential People in Climate Policy , also featured in Vogue as one of 13 Climate Warriors in the world and a recipient of the Frederick Douglass Abolitionist Award FD200. Recently, she has spoken at Oxford University,  the Ethos Conference in Brazil and the Hague.

Elizabeth Yeampierre

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Kristen E. Jeffers (she/her)  is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Black Urbanist multimedia platform, as well as an author, textile artist and designer, urban planner and activist.  She holds a Master of Public Affairs focused on community and economic development from the University of North Carolina Greensboro, and a Bachelor of Arts in communication with a concentration in public relations from North Carolina State University. She has presented at the annual gatherings of the Congress for New Urbanism, YIMBYTown, Walk Bike Places, CityWorksXpo, APA Virginia, NACTO, and to communities around the US and Canada, using her personal story to illustrate what land use and planning really means and really does, plus encourage practitioners, both young and old in best practices. She is a <a href="http://www.streetsblog.net/">Streetsblog Network</a> member and has also contributed articles to <a href="http://www.citylab.com/authors/kristen-jeffers/">CityLab</a>, <a href="https://ggwash.org/contributors/kjeffers">Greater Greater Washington</a>, [Greensboro] <a href="http://www.news-record.com/opinion/columns/article_7c1643a0-14ae-11e3-b661-001a4bcf6878.html">News &amp; Record</a>, <a href="http://www.yesweekly.com/triad/article-16991-yes_-weekly-essay-co.html">Yes! Weekly</a>, <a href="http://www.grist.org/people/Kristen+E.+Jeffers">Grist</a>, <a href="http://www.nextcity.org/">Next City</a>, <a href="http://bettercities.net/">Better! Towns and Cities</a>, Triad City Beat,  <a href="http://urbanescapee.com/">Urban Escapee</a>, and <a href="http://urbanful.org/2014/05/21/one-couples-revolutionary-solution-peak-oil/">Urbanful</a> and appeared on several NPR affiliate stations (<a href="https://www.kcur.org/show/central-standard/2015-11-10/moving-in-moving-out" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-type="URL" data-id="https://www.kcur.org/show/central-standard/2015-11-10/moving-in-moving-out">KCUR,</a> <a href="https://wamu.org/story/18/02/19/you-want-me-to-turn-where-on-the-annoyances-and-dangers-of-bad-street-signs/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">WAMU</a>, and <a href="https://www.wunc.org/post/digging-gentrification-north-carolina" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">WUNC</a>)  as a commentator and expert.

Kristen E. Jeffers

Eric Cova

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As Principal of the Amazon Housing Equity Fund, Senthil is responsible for the deployment and management of Amazon’s commitment of over $2 billion in below-market capital, in the form of loans and grants, to preserve and create over 20,000 affordable homes in Amazon’s ‘hometown’ communities: The Puget Sound region of Washington State, the Arlington, VA/Greater Washington region, and Nashville, Tennessee.
Prior to Amazon, Senthil has served in a variety of real estate development leadership roles in both the private and public sectors. As SVP, Real Estate Development &amp; Capital Programs at the District of Columbia Housing Authority (DCHA), Senthil led DCHA’s strategic portfolio repositioning and rehabilitation efforts. He also served as Senior Director of Development focused on the Union Market neighborhood in Washington, DC for EDENS – a firm specializing in the acquisition, entitlement and development of mixed-use, urban infill, real estate projects.
Prior to EDENS, Senthil served as Director of Real Estate Development for the Government of the District of Columbia in the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning &amp; Economic Development (DMPED) where he managed a multi-billion dollar portfolio of large-scale, mixed use, public-private real estate development projects on behalf of the District — most of which required the structuring and deployment of layered public financing tools such as Tax Increment Financing (TIF), proceeds of securitized revenue bonds, capital budget funding and real property tax abatements. Senthil began his real estate career as a real estate financial advisory consultant with Jones Lang LaSalle’s Public Institutions practice in Washington, DC.
Senthil received an MBA as a John F. Connelly Foundation Scholar of Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business and holds a BA in Government/International Relations from Georgetown University as well.

Senthil Sankaran

Angie Rodgers currently serves as the Deputy Chief Administrative Officer (DCAO) for Economic Development in the Prince George&#8217;s County (MD) Office of the County Executive. She is committed to improving how we plan, design, finance, build and support communities that can deliver the same opportunities and benefits to people of all backgrounds, and can specifically move low-income households toward areas of opportunity rather than away from them.
Ms. Rodgers spent 17 years working in affordable housing, community and economic development across multiple sectors to advance this goal. In that time, she has provided real estate development, finance, policy, research and advocacy services to organizations throughout the DC metropolitan region and beyond. She has 10 years of experience specifically focused on mixed finance transactions &#8211; seven of that directly managing development projects, and over four years underwriting public gap finance requests and overseeing the District of Columbia government’s participation in large-scale, multi-phase mixed-income and mixed-use developments.

Angie Rodgers

Hans Riemer, first elected to the County Council in 2010, represented one million Montgomery County residents as an At-Large Member.
Hans has dedicated his public service career to creating opportunity for all people to achieve their potential. As a Councilmember, he worked towards this vision by advocating to fund public education and public transportation, early childhood programs, libraries, recreation, human services, housing and economic development. A dedicated environmentalist, Hans works hard to strengthen Montgomery County’s superb rural, suburban and urban areas by placing walkability, public transportation and sustainability at the center of our planning goals.
Before serving on the County Council, Hans established a record as an innovator in political engagement. He served as National Youth Vote Director for the historic Obama for America campaign in 2007, and previously as political director for Rock the Vote, where he helped register nearly a million voters. Hans also served as a senior advisor at AARP and, since his earliest work in Washington, has been a national leader on protecting Social Security from efforts to privatize the program.

Hans Riemer

Dan Reed is Greater Greater Washington’s regional policy director, focused on housing and land use policy in Maryland and Northern Virginia. For a decade prior, Dan was a transportation planner working with communities all over North America to make their streets safer, enjoyable, and equitable. Their writing has appeared in publications including Washingtonian, CityLab, and Shelterforce, as well as Just Up The Pike, a neighborhood blog founded in 2006. Dan received a Master of City Planning degree from the University of Pennsylvania, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Architecture and a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Maryland.

Dan Reed

George L. Leventhal, Ph.D. has worked since December 2018 as Director of Community Health for Kaiser Permanente’s Mid-Atlantic region. In this role, he develops policies for, and provides oversight and support to, a range of activities that address social determinants of health in the region, including: access to health care for the uninsured, affordable housing, homelessness, food security, and behavioral health in schools.
Prior to joining Kaiser Permanente, Dr. Leventhal served 16 years on the Montgomery County Council in Maryland. Dr. Leventhal earned his Ph.D. in Public Policy from the University of Maryland. He also holds a master’s degree in Public Administration from the Johns Hopkins University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of California at Berkeley.

George Leventhal

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Drew Hubbard was appointed Interim Director of the DC Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) on October 1, 2021 by Mayor Muriel Bowser. He has held several leadership positions within DHCD, including as Deputy Director and Chief Administrative Officer, where he oversaw human resources, contracting and procurement, and stewardship of the agency’s budget. Immediately prior to joining DHCD, Mr. Hubbard served as Associate Director of the DC Department of Employment Services (DOES).
Drew has over a decade of experience in the legislative and executive branches of the District of Columbia. His experience includes many years on staff at the Council of the District of Columbia, where he served as a Legislative Director and Committee Director with a primary focus on affordable housing, workforce development and re-entry policy. He also served as the Federal Relations-Policy Analyst for the Office of Policy and Legislative Affairs within the Executive Office of the Mayor. Mr. Hubbard holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Morehouse College and a Juris Doctorate from the George Washington University Law School.

Drew Hubbard

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Calvin Gladney, LEED AP, is President and CEO of Smart Growth America (SGA) and has led community revitalization efforts in dozens of communities around the country as a private consultant, a real estate developer, and as a government official. His work over the last 15 years has been centered on the intersection of land use, transportation, and economic development – all of which will be important in addressing our climate crisis, and our longstanding racial equity issues.
Prior to SGA, he was Managing Partner of Mosaic Urban, a real estate advisory services and development firm. In 2017, Mr. Gladney was the Urban Land Institute’s Senior Visiting Fellow for Equity. Before establishing Mosaic, he served as VP of the Anacostia Waterfront Corp. (AWC), a D.C. quasi-public agency focused on environmentally-friendly redevelopment.
Mr. Gladney graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School, received his B.S. from Cornell University, and is a LEED Accredited Professional. He is a Trustee of the Urban Land Institute and a Board member of the Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF), and the Center for Community Progress. He is also a member of ULI’s national Responsible Property Investment Council (RPIC). In his spare time, Mr. Gladney&#8230;Mr. Gladney doesn’t have any spare time. But he will make time for you. You can connect with Calvin on Twitter and on Instagram @SmartGrowthCEO.

Calvin Gladney

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Evan Glass has been fighting for the people of Montgomery County for more than 15 years. During that time, he has engaged with all levels of the county, from organizing neighborhood associations and serving as non-profit leader to advocating for small-business growth and championing effective government. When Evan saw that thousands of his neighbors were walking to the Metro on unsafe sidewalks and crosswalks, he helped form the South Silver Spring Neighborhood Association. He successfully advocated for new infrastructure and pedestrian safety initiatives during his six years as president. As housing costs continued to rise, Evan got to work as vice president of the board of Montgomery Housing Partnership. Through his service, he helped create more affordable housing and expand social service programs for low-income communities.
Evan came to the Washington area to attend American University, receiving degrees in journalism and political science. After a 12-year career as a CNN journalist holding Congress accountable, Evan committed his life to building a stronger Montgomery County. Evan lives in Silver Spring with his husband Jason and their two rescue beagles, Daisy and Percy.

Evan Glass

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Andrew Friedson is the District 1 Councilmember representing western and southwestern Montgomery County. He serves on the Planning, Housing, &amp; Economic Development and the Government Operations &amp; Fiscal Policy Committees.
On the Council, he led the effort to add millions in additional funding for affordable housing and critical transportation projects such as the Capital Crescent Trail tunnel in Bethesda and White Flint Metro Station Northern Entrance. As the Council&#8217;s Lead for Parks, he restored $1.9 million in proposed cuts to our parks system to promote open space and has become a widely respected advocate for livable, walkable communities to improve quality of life.
A longtime volunteer, advocate, and leader with local charities and community-based organizations, Andrew has continued his passionate advocacy for nonprofits while on the Council, and was awarded the 2019 Phyllis Campbell Newsome Public Policy Leadership Award from the Center for Nonprofit Advancement. Prior to joining the Council, Andrew served as senior policy advisor and deputy chief of staff to the Comptroller of Maryland.

Andrew Friedson

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Christian Dorsey was first elected to the Arlington County Board in 2015 and is now serving his second term as Vice-Chair, having previously served as Chair in 2019. Christian is Chair of the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG), where he has represented Arlington since 2016. Previously, Mr. Dorsey served as Arlington’s Member on the Transportation Planning Board (TPB) in 2019 and 2021.
Additionally, Christian served as a Principal Member of the Board of Directors for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, and as a Commissioner on the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission from 2016-2020. Outside of public service, Mr. Dorsey engages as a policy and communications consultant supporting progressive organizations in realizing their missions. Prior to joining the Board, Christian was a senior leader at the Economic Policy Institute, a think tank that promotes economic policies that foster broadly shared prosperity.

Christian Dorsey

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Cheryl Cort is Policy Director for the Coalition for Smarter Growth (CSG), the leading non-profit advocacy organization addressing where and how the Washington, D.C. region grows. She leads CSG’s equitable development efforts, working with a broad range of activists, practitioners and officials to promote inclusive, transit-oriented communities. She leads CSG’s work with Prince George’s activists, and RISE Prince George’s, a group supported by CSG, to help realize the TOD potential of the county and build walkable, prosperous and inclusive communities.
In DC, she is working to implement the Comprehensive Plan update which she helped shape, and ensure more housing and more affordable housing are built, especially in Rock Creek West (Ward 3). Cheryl holds a B.S. from University of California, Berkeley, and a M.S.in Conservation Biology from University of Maryland, College Park.

Cheryl Cort

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As Director of Amazon’s Housing Equity Fund, Catherine Buell is responsible for long-term and innovative programs that address civic priorities in the communities where Amazon employees live and work. Catherine helped launch and currently oversees Amazon’s Housing Equity Fund, a more than $2 billion commitment to preserve and create over 20,000 affordable housing units in Washington State’s Puget Sound region; Arlington, Virginia region; and Nashville, Tennessee. Amazon’s Housing Equity Fund will help preserve existing housing and help create inclusive housing developments through below market loans and grants to housing partners, traditional and non-traditional public agencies, and minority-led organizations. She is a cum laude graduate of Spelman College and the Georgetown University Law Center.

Catherine Buell

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David Bowers is vice president, Mid-Atlantic market and senior advisor, Faith-Based Development Initiative for Enterprise Community Partners. David’s work includes facilitating affordable housing and community development transactions, and policy implementation in collaboration with public and private sector stakeholders in the Baltimore and Washington, D.C. metropolitan areas. David leads a team that provides access to financing, capacity building and technical assistance to local developers, and participates with local coalitions advocating for increased resources for affordable housing and community development.
David earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia and his Master of Divinity degree from Howard University. He is an ordained minister and the founder of the all-volunteer NO MURDERS DC movement, launched in 2000.

David Bowers

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A visionary, internationally recognized urban planner and developer, Andy began drawing plans of cities by the time he was 10. Andy served as Director of Washington, DC’s Office of Planning where he created and directed the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative which framed Washington’s iconic neighborhoods including the Wharf, and The Ballpark District.
Andy was most recently CEO of the Olympic Park Legacy Company in London where he led the transformation of the 500-acre London 2012 Olympic Park – the largest regeneration project in the United Kingdom. Andy also serves at MIT as a Senior Advisor to the Dean of the School of Architecture and Planning where he works on international initiatives and will be teaching a course on “city building”. He also serves on boards in Washington DC, including the Folger Theater, Field School, and DCJCC.

Andy Altman

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Nandi Taylor, MPH, is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Epidemiology at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. Her dissertation research explores the relationship between structural racism and disparities in transportation safety outcomes. Her work with HSRC includes analyzing linked North Carolina crash and trauma registry data for the purpose of characterizing the limitations of the KABCO Injury Classification Scale to accurately measure injury severity, among other projects related to the intersection of public health and transportation safety.

Nandi Taylor

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Jamila M. Porter, DrPH, MPH is the Chief of Staff at the de Beaumont Foundation. She serves as strategic advisor to the President &amp; CEO, works across teams to drive results throughout the Foundation, and ensures that equity and justice are organizational priorities. An award-winning researcher and experienced executive, Jamila’s work focuses on transforming the interconnected social, environmental, and power structures that impact health. She is an outspoken leader and public speaker on a range of issues, including the social determinants of equity, transportation justice, multi-sector collaboration, policy evaluation, community power-building, and public health practice.

Jamila Porter

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Portia Allen-Kyle is the Chief Advisor at Color Of Change where she is a thought partner to the president, working to advance Color Of Change’s vision, impact, and efficiency. Portia is a trusted advisor with a track record of advancing equity in nonprofit, government, and academic settings. Portia comes to Color Of Change with impressive experience as Senior Advisor for Equity, Policy, and Stakeholder Engagement in the Office of Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Transportation. There, she advised leaders on how to incorporate equity into agency policy and led the Justice40 initiative, electrifying transportation, instituting diversity equity and inclusion practices, and spearheading funding pools to move towards more inclusive decision-making. She also helped oversee funding for Title VI recipients and managed agency events and outreach with the relaunch of the federal Advisory Committee on Transportation Equity.

Portia Allen-Kyle

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Former Maryland Governor Parris N. Glendening, PhD, MA, served as President of Smart Growth America’s Leadership Institute and as a senior advisor to the organization. Glendening speaks across the country and around the world about smart growth, sustainability, global climate change, transit oriented development, and equity. He regularly addresses environmental advocacy groups, business leaders, professional organizations, and public officials.As governor of Maryland (1995-2003), Glendening created the nation’s first Smart Growth program.

Gov. Parris Glendening

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Charles T. Brown, MPA, CPD, LCI, is more than a transportation expert—he is a catalyst for transformative change at the crossroads of mobility, equity, health, and the environment. As the dynamic force behind Equitable Cities LLC, a minority and veteran-owned consulting firm, Charles exemplifies leadership in action, shaping urban futures that thrive on inclusivity and innovation. He not only serves as the CEO of Equitable Cities LLC but also imparts his wisdom as an Adjunct Professor at the prestigious Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University. His commitment to education reflects his dedication to nurturing the next generation of urban planners and leaders, setting them on a course to build equitable and sustainable communities.
Drawing from nearly two decades of multifaceted experience across public and private sectors, military service, and academia, Charles has gained global recognition for his pivotal role in crafting safe, health-conscious, and vibrant neighborhoods. Recognized by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) at the esteemed Lifesavers Conference, Charles’s commitment to traffic safety advocacy has not only earned him accolades but has also catalyzed tangible improvements in road safety nationwide.
A luminary in sustainable transportation, Charles is an esteemed member of the Joint Office of the Electric Vehicle Working Group, where he plays a pivotal role in shaping the electric mobility landscape, driving the adoption of electric vehicles and paving the road towards a greener, more efficient transportation future Notably, Charles was handpicked to serve as a distinguished member of the Advisory Committee on Transportation Equity for USDOT, solidifying his reputation as a trusted advisor and influencer in addressing transportation disparities and fostering inclusivity.
Beyond academia and consulting, he has captured the attention of premier media outlets including The New York Times, Vice, Washington Post and Bloomberg CityLab.

Charles T. Brown

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At the intersection of social dynamics and spatial design, Ms. De Simone is a socio-spatial practitioner who navigates and investigates the intricate relationship between individuals and their built environment. Her interdisciplinary approach incorporates architectural phenomenology, a philosophical framework that delves into the lived experiences and perceptions of architectural spaces. Through a nuanced understanding of how individuals interact with and interpret their surroundings, Ms. De Simone utilizes the principles of architectural phenomenology to inform her multidimensional research and design practice. This method transcends conventional design considerations, placing emphasis on the experiential aspects of space and the profound impact it has on fostering social connections, identity, and well-being. She harnesses her investigations and research to co-create environments advancing healing, equity, and justice.
Her work is inspired by her experiences growing up in a Bronx, New York neighborhood, steeped in the collateral consequences of intentionally designed systems of inequity. In partnership with diverse stakeholders, she seeks to cultivate reframed opportunities within spatial practice to advance equitable, humane, and just frameworks and projects shaping the conditions of our society.
Bridging theory and practice, April co-founded designing the WE in 2015, co-curating the nationally acclaimed “Undesign the Redline” exhibit. In 2024, she will launch the Practice of Democracy, a decentralized design practice committed to the long-term work of advancing equitable and just systemic change, moving beyond the one-off projects of architecture. Her immersive project, Democracy Is… debuted in 2022 on NYC’s High Line and is touring nationally as a pop-up, with the full exhibition coming in 2024. 
Democracy is… is a public engagement campaign calling for our collective attention and action in understanding how democratic values are represented through the environments and systems we plan and design. Told through the voices and lived experiences of the people, this interactive journey delves into a past-to-present timeline, exploring the challenges and triumphs shaping the consciousness and practice of democratic values. Each step is an invitation to uncover what democracy means to people and shed light on the ways we strive for inclusivity, representation, and social justice.
An invited speaker, facilitator, and board member, April’s impact spans issues of equity and design, and was recently recognized by Enterprise Community Partners Impactful 40 in 2022. A Dean Merit Scholar, she holds a Master’s in Design and Urban Ecologies. Currently, she is pursuing her Master’s in Architecture.

April De Simone

Board Members

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Athena Motavvef is a legislative representative on the Policy and Legislation team at Earthjustice.
Based out of Washington, D.C., she is a federal advocate working to electrify our transportation system to reduce air pollution and protect our climate. Prior to joining Earthjustice, Athena served as the communications coordinator for WE ACT for Environmental Justice. Athena received a Bachelor of Arts, Public Policy from the University of California, Riverside; and a Masters of Science, Public Policy and Management – DC Track from Carnegie Mellon University.

Athena Motavvef

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Anyeley is a sustainability-focused real estate developer with over 18 years of experience from mixed-use developments to office headquarters for non-profits.
Her passion is creating unique developments that reflect the flavor of the local culture, respect the natural environment, and build community. She started her own firm, Adre, with a focus on real estate projects that seek to create wealth for the Black community and for other underrepresented groups that traditionally lack access to real estate ownership and investment.
Prior to Adre, she was a partner with project^ for 12 years, with a focus on shepherding development projects through entitlements and construction with a specialization in student housing, market-rate housing, residences, and public-private projects. Before joining project^, Anyeley served as a Development Manager for Gerding Edlen Development in Portland, where she worked on student housing, civic projects, and public-private partnerships and as an Associate Urban Designer at the leading design firm EDAW, now AECOM, specializing in downtown master plans in the Caribbean, transit-oriented mixed use developments, and greenway plans.
Her civic work includes a governor appointment to Oregon’s Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC) and a mayoral appointment to Portland’s Adjustment Committee, Community Involvement Committee for the Portland Plan, and Policy Expert Group for Residential Development and Compatibility for the Comp Plan. She has served on the board of 1000 Friends of Oregon, Portland Housing Center, The SOUL District, and is an expert on ULI Advisory Services Panels. She is also a published researcher and writer on cultural landscapes and public consensus and is listed on a patent for Sustainable Performance Information for a Property.

Anyeley Hallová

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Jose Bodipo-Memba is SMUD’s Chief Diversity Officer and responsible for company-wide programs and services such as human resources, workforce development, diversity and inclusion, and sustainable communities. The focus of his business areas is to advocate diversity, inspire an inclusive culture based on trust and respect, and to create belonging and connection among our employees, customers and communities, which ultimately results in positive, equitable outcomes for all.
Jose has been working for SMUD for 11 years, previously serving as Director, Sustainable Communities. Jose has over 20 years of environmental, sustainability, and urban planning experience throughout California, covering a range of project and community types.
Jose is active in the community, serving as the Immediate Past Chair of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Sacramento District Council, a member of the ULI National Public Development Infrastructure Council, member of the Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, the Crocker Art Museum Board, the American Clean Power Diversity Equity and Inclusion Council, the Center for Fathers and Families Board, the Capital Area Development Authority, and the Executive Committee for the Regional K-16 Collaboratives Grant Program. Jose served as the past Chair of the Sacramento Planning and Design Commission, a former Coro board member, North State Building Industry Association board member and past board chair of Next Move Sacramento.
Jose was a 2010 recipient of the Sacramento Business Journal 40 under 40 award, the 2012 Drexel University Oxholm Community Leadership Award, the 2021 UC Davis Inspirational Leadership in Diversity Award, a proud graduate of the Nehemiah Emerging Leaders Program, and the 2015 Drexel University 40 under 40 Distinguished Alumni award. Jose holds a BA in History from UC Berkeley and an MBA from Drexel University.

Jose Bodipo-Memba

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Kizzy Charles-Guzman is the Executive Director of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice.
Her team delivers climate leadership and programs focused on sustainability, decarbonization, brownfields remediation, resiliency and environmental justice. Kizzy has spent over 15 years of her New York City service career developing and delivering work at the intersection of environmental policy, public health, and racial equity. She led the development of Cool Neighborhoods NYC, the city’s first strategy to address the impacts of rising temperatures and heat waves, and several adaptation initiatives to ensure that NYC residents are ready to withstand and emerge stronger from the impacts of climate change.
Kizzy served as a Deputy Director at the NYC Mayor’s Offices of Sustainability and Climate Resiliency, as Director of the Climate Change and Health Program at the NYC Department of Health, and as Policy Advisor on Air Quality during the Bloomberg Administration. She received the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Quality Award and a Champion of Change Award from the U.S. White House in recognition of her work. She is a graduate of Carleton College and the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.

Kizzy Charles-Guzman

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Mandla Moyo presently serves as a Senior Advisor for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion within AARP Livable Communities. Mandla supports the Livable Programs team’s efforts to integrate Diversity and Inclusion into its strategic priorities and areas of focus. Prior to joining the Livable Communities program team, he served as the Director of Community Engagement at AARP Indiana, working alongside volunteers and community partners to promote and advocate for greater financial and health security, caregiving resources, protection from fraud, and livability initiatives in targeted communities.
Mandla received his undergraduate degree in Political Science from Jackson State University in 2004 and a Master’s in Public Administration (MPA) from Strayer University in 2008. Before working for AARP Indiana, Mandla worked as the Community Relations Coordinator for Kid One Transport in Birmingham, AL managing volunteers and leading the organization’s outreach efforts. Mandla has a strong background in community affairs, government relations, advocacy, and volunteer engagement. Mandla lives in Indianapolis with his lovely wife Kristen and son Myles.

Mandla Moyo

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Benito O. Pérez, AICP CTP CPM CAPP (he/him) is the Policy Director of Transportation for America. He previously served in various roles at the District Department of Transportation from 2012-2021, which included Curbside Management &amp; Operations Planning Manager, Curbside Management Planner, and Transportation Policy Specialist. During his DDOT tenure, he worked on and managed a team involved with creating, accessing, analyzing, visualizing, disseminating, and working with stakeholders to leverage data for policy development, resource allocation, and operations management of the District’s curbside and its intersection with the greater transportation network.
Prior to DDOT, he was a Transportation Engineer with the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization, working on long range transportation planning and its intersection with active transportation and land use. Additionally, he previously worked with the Maryland State Highway Administration, working on equity and inclusion issues in transportation. Mr. Pérez earned his Master of Arts in Urban Planning and Master of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Florida in 2009.

Benito O. Pérez, AICP

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Benito O. Pérez

Steve Davis is the Assistant VP of Transportation Strategy for Smart Growth America. Steve has been with Smart Growth America since July 2006, joining as a communications fellow before departing to serve within the Transportation for America program from its 2008 inception until 2017. He returned to SGA full-time and served as the Director of Communications from 2017-2021. Trained at the University of Georgia’s Grady School of Journalism &amp; Mass Communication, he was an award-winning photojournalist with the Arkansas Democrat Gazette before following his passion for great places to Smart Growth America.
He’s worn many hats over the years, writing speeches for Gov. Parris Glendening, creating and spearheading the launch of SGA’s first blog in 2007, kickstarting the organization’s online advocacy efforts and social media presences, helping launch the Transportation for America campaign in 2008 and then reimagine it in 2019, and running messaging and communications training workshops for advocates and practitioners. He works within SGA’s Transportation and Thriving Communities team, focusing on strategic communications and long-term initiatives, providing support specifically for T4America, the National Complete Streets Coalition, and SGA’s other transportation programs. He loves the challenge of figuring out how to turn the complicated policies and details of creating more smart, sustainable, lovable places into messages that resonate with a wide range of people, so communities can change how they build and grow. Steve lives in the Petworth neighborhood of Washington, DC with his wife and three children and loves his three-mile run or bike ride to work.

Steve Davis

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Alexandra (Ally) Smither (she/her) is a multi-faceted communicator embedded in multiple spaces. She works professionally as an opera-singer, classical vocalist, and organizer. In music, she is represented by Stratagem Artists and has performed with Houston Grand Opera, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, recently making her Kennedy Center debut in esperanza spaulding’s new opera Iphigenia. She came to grassroots organizing through volunteering for West Street Recovery, rebuilding flooded homes and building disaster kits.
Her connections there led her to Stop TxDOT I-45 and the fight for equitable transportation in Houston. Since fall of 2020 she has been a co-organizer at Stop TxDOT I-45, leading the all-volunteer communications team, communicating the intricacies of the planned I-45 expansion, what can be done to stop it, and how the community can get involved. As a communications professional, she also works for Houston in Action; her focus is on communications capacity-building, strategic planning, and project management. She is currently finishing her doctorate in Voice Performance at the City University New York; her dissertation explores communal song in movement spaces and what can be done to cultivate resurgence. When she isn’t singing or freeway-fighting, Alexandra enjoys cooking for large crowds and drinking natural wine with her husband, double-bassist Austin Lewellen. For more information please visit <a href="http://www.alexandrasmither.com">www.alexandrasmither.com</a> and <a href="http://www.stoptxdoti45.com">www.stoptxdoti45.com</a>.
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Ally Smither

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Paulo Nunes-Ueno is a leading voice for transportation innovation, equity, and sustainability projects nationwide.
He has the honor of serving as the transportation and land use policy lead for Front and Centered, a Washington State coalition of groups of color and frontline communities working towards climate justice. Around the country, Nunes-Ueno Consulting has led key strategic transportation projects, including projects at Princeton University, Memphis Area Transit Authority, ABQRide in Albuquerque, NM, University of California Davis, UC Davis Health Systems, Oregon Health Sciences University, The Memphis Medical District Collaborative, and others. Paulo is based in Philadelphia.

Paulo Nunes-Ueno

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Adah Crandall is a 16-year-old organizer with Sunrise Movement PDX and Portland Youth Climate Strike.
As a leader of the Sunrise’s Youth Vs ODOT campaign, her advocacy focuses on the intersection of transportation and climate justice, pushing local and state leaders to prioritize transportation solutions that will reduce emissions and better serve young people across the Portland region.

Adah Crandall

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Veronica P. McBeth was appointed as the Senior Advisor of the Federal Transit Administration in June 2022. She reports directly to the Administrator and manages several FTA initiatives, such as transit-oriented development, climate and sustainability, equity and infrastructure.
McBeth has a background in public policy, public outreach, transportation, planning, environmental regulations, and funding. At the Baltimore City Department of Transportation, she was instrumental in establishing transformative transportation facilities, including shuttle services, transit, incentive programs and micromobility. She managed over $20 million in annual operations budgets, active transportation planning, as well as design and construction projects for Baltimore.
During her time in the private sector, McBeth completed work on the national level, including multimodal transportation planning, parking and transportation demand management, campus transportation plans, and site plan design and review.
McBeth combines her background in public policy, environmental law, planning, public administration, and community engagement to establish transportation systems with economic, social, and environmental benefits. She has worked on projects that facilitate equity and move beyond considering only benefits and burdens. As an expert in environmental policy and law, she connects environmental laws to policy issues associated with environmental justice, air quality, climate change, and sustainability as they relate to transportation. Throughout her career, McBeth has engaged varied audiences, including Title IV and environmental justice communities, in ways that encourage constructive dialogue and provide opportunities to have concerns heard and incorporated into projects.

Veronica P. McBeth

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For the last ten years, Scott has been working with the Ward 8-based non-profit Building Bridges Across the River and the Washington D.C. city government to transform an old freeway bridge into a park above the Anacostia River. The old 11th Street Bridges that connect Capitol Hill with communities east of the river have reached the end of their lifespan, Scott is working with the community to use the base of one of the bridges to create a one of a kind civic space supporting active recreation, environmental education and the arts.
Scott is a resident of Barrack’s Row and has lived in Washington D.C. for the last 16+ years. He has worked in the education field for twenty+ years and began his career teaching at Kidspace, a children’s museum in Pasadena, California and later as the Associate Director of the Institute for the Study of the American West at the Autry National Center in Los Angeles, CA. While at the Autry, he supervised a staff that planned and implemented programs including theater, film, music, festivals, family programs, lecture series, and academic symposia. Most recently, he was the Vice President for Education at the National Building Museum in Washington D.C. Scott is honored to serve on the board of the Anacostia Coordinating Council and the Anacostia Business Improvement District.

Scott Kratz

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Christopher Brown is the Assistant Vice President for U.S. Business Partnerships &amp; Global Public Affairs at Citigroup, leading national partnerships and ESG investments for the firm. Chris’ 20 year experience has built alignment across business, public policy and consumer/community goals. Prior to Citi, Chris served as senior staff in Congress and led public affairs functions across healthcare, nonprofit, and technology industries. He is a graduate of The University of Georgia, and the DePaul University College of Law in Chicago.

Christopher Brown

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Chris Herrmann is chief investment officer and fund Manager of Enterprise’s real estate equity business, operating under Enterprise Community Investment, an Enterprise Community Partners affiliate. He is responsible for raising, structuring and managing equity funds, as well as managing the teams that originate and close investment opportunities, asset manage the portfolio and report to investors.
Chris has been involved with this business at Enterprise since it was created in 2013. The team’s portfolio includes more than 10,000 affordable and workforce homes and represents more than $1 billion of assets under management. Chris was previously a director with Enterprise’s Housing Credit investment team from 2006 to 2012, where he analyzed, evaluated and underwrote affordable housing investments that leveraged the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (Housing Credit) and the Federal Historic Tax Credit. Chris has been involved in housing finance since 2005. Before joining Enterprise, he worked with John Hancock Realty Advisors in Boston, where he directly invested in affordable housing projects that leveraged the Housing Credit, Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits and state tax credit programs.
Chris graduated summa cum laude from Northeastern University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a dual concentration in finance and entrepreneurship.
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Chris Herrmann

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Marla Bilonick

Mayor Keith James

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Kim Lucas

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Katharine Burgess is the Vice President of Land Use and Development at Smart Growth America, where she oversees SGA’s Land Use programs including LOCUS, the Form Based Codes Institute and the National Brownfields Coalition. Prior to Smart Growth America, Katharine led the Urban Resilience Program at the Urban Land Institute. At ULI, she built up the organization’s program of work addressing how buildings, cities and communities can be more prepared for the impacts of climate change, considering topics ranging from climate risk to built environment adaptation strategies addressing sea level rise, extreme heat, wildfires and other climate hazards.
An urban planner, Katharine has fifteen years experience practicing in the US, UK and Germany. She began her career managing post-Katrina hurricane recovery charrettes commissioned by the States of Louisiana and Mississippi and the City of New Orleans, and subsequently worked in masterplanning and land use consulting. Her research work has included landscape performance research for the Landscape Architecture Foundation, as well as international urban policy research for the Robert Bosch Foundation Fellowship program. She holds an MSc in Regional and Urban Planning from the London School of Economics and a BA from Williams College.
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Katharine Burgess

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Sharai Lewis-Gruss

Gary Gero

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Representative Rena Moran is the Chair of the Health and Human Services Policy Committee and Co-Chair of the Select Committee on Racial Justice of the Minnesota House of Representatives. In 2010, Rep. Rena Moran became the first African American to represent District 65A. She represent the St. Paul communities of Rondo, Frogtown, Summit-University, Thomas-Dale, Midway, a portion of the North End and Cathedral Hill. As a legislator, she has focused on protecting children in the child welfare system, strengthening schools, reducing educational disparities, and fighting for affordable housing, economic opportunity for all, and women’s rights.
Rep. Moran formerly served as House Deputy Minority Leader and is the current Chair of the People of Color and Indigenous (POCI) Caucus and the United Black Legislative Caucus. She holds a B.S. in Early Childhood Education from Southern Illinois University and was recently the Director of Prevention Initiatives and Parent Leadership at Prevent Child Abuse MN dba Minnesota Communities Caring for Children.
Rep. Moran is a graduate of the Bush Foundation Fellowship, Humphrey Policy Fellowship, and Henry Toll Fellowship. On a national level, Moran serves as Executive Secretary of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL), Midwest Region Coordinator for the National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women (NOBEL), and as the Minnesota State Director for both the Women Legislators’ Lobby (WILL) and the National Foundation for Women Legislators (NFWL). She is a proud mother of seven and grandmother of eight.

Rep. Rena Moran

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Rena Moran

Melvin Giles is a veteran peace, diversity, and dismantling racism educator and artist. He incorporates Peace Bubbles, Peace Messages and the International Peace Pole to create places/spaces of peace. He is known for his signature style of blowing and sharing peace bubbles. He started using bubbles to bridge a gap and distrust between the Black community and the Saint Paul Police Department in the late 1990s by offering police officers bubbles for their domestic calls to give kids when investigating domestic violence in residential settings, in order for the children to have a healthier perception of police officers in general.
He has extensive experience working with youth, academia, government agencies, nonprofit agencies and neighborhood groups. Notable accomplishments include serving as an adjunct community faculty instructor in Bethel University’s Anthropology Department, a member of AfroEco and the Growing Food and Justice All Initiative, advisor to the Diversity Committee of Ramsey County Master Gardeners, certified facilitator of Racial Sobriety workshops, anti-racism trainer for the Minnesota Tri-Council Commission of the Council of Churches, and founding member and key organizer of the St. Paul Pluralism Circle. Melvin received the Martin Luther King “Dream Keeper” Award in 2003, the McKnight Foundation “Virginia McKnight Binger Awards” in Human Service in 2005, the “Outstanding World Citizen” Award in 2008, Bethel University’s “George K. Brushaber Reconciliation Award” in 2009, and the Morrill Hall/Rachel Tilsen Social Justice Award in 2011.
Giles recently worked with two other artists on an exterior face-lift of the Rondo Library and received a 2020 <a href="https://forecastpublicart.org/messages-of-hope-mini-grants-awardees/">Forecast Messages of Hope Mini-Grant</a> to promote hope in his community during Minnesota’s COVID-19 sheltering-in-place.

Melvin Giles

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Dr. Destiny Thomas is a change agent and an anthropologist planner. She is the founder and CEO of Thrivance Group and was recently featured on Good Morning America for her leadership in the urban planning sector. At Thrivance Group, Dr. Thomas works to bring transformative justice into public policy, urban planning and community development. With over 15 years of experience shaping key policy initiatives, Dr. Thomas believes race, place, and joy define individual and community outcomes.
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Dr. Destiny Thomas

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Beth is the Vice President of Transportation and Thriving Communities at SGA where she serves as the director of Transportation for America, Smart Growth America’s transportation arm. In this position, she leads transportation policy development and technical assistance with departments of transportation. She was previously at the U.S. Department of Transportation, where she served as the Acting Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy and the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy beginning in 2009. At USDOT, Beth managed the TIGER Discretionary Grant program, the secretary’s livability initiative, the development of the Obama administration’s surface transportation authorization proposal, and the implementation of MAP-21.
Before joining USDOT, Beth worked for Sen. Tom Carper (DE) as an advisor for transportation, trade, and labor policy, as the policy director for Smart Growth America and as legislative director for environmental policy at the Southern Governors’ Association. She began her career in Washington, DC in the House of Representatives working as a legislative assistant for Rep. Ron Klink (PA-04) and as legislative director for Rep. Brian Baird (WA-03).

Beth Osborne

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He is the author of the book Know Your Price: Valuing Black Lives and Property in America’s Black Cities, which is <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/book/know-your-price/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">currently available</a> wherever books are sold. A nationally known and respected commentator on race, structural inequality, and education, Perry is a regular contributor to MSNBC and has been published by The New York Times, The Nation, The Washington Post, <a href="https://theroot.com/">TheRoot.com</a> and <a href="http://cnn.com/">CNN.com</a>.
Perry’s scholarship has been featured on HBO, ABC, CNN, PBS, National Public Radio, NBC and in the Wall Street Journal. His research focuses on race and structural inequality, education, and economic inclusion. Perry’s recent scholarship at Brookings has analyzed Black-majority cities and institutions in America, focusing on valuable assets worthy of increased investment. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, Perry has documented the underlying causes for the outsized number of coronavirus-related deaths in Black communities. His Brookings research has illuminated how certain forms of <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2020/03/20/black-americans-were-forced-into-social-distancing-long-before-the-coronavirus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">social distancing</a> historically accelerated economic and social disparities between Black people and the rest of the country.
Perry also <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2020/04/16/mapping-racial-inequity-amid-the-spread-of-covid-19/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">mapped racial inequities</a> in housing, income, and health to underscore how policy discrimination makes Black Americans more vulnerable to COVID-19.

Andre M. Perry

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Jasmine Thomas is the Senior Vice President for US Business Partnerships within Community Investing &amp; Development at Citi. Jasmine leads corporate and national engagements supporting solutions and initiatives designed to close the racial wealth gap, including <a href="https://www.citigroup.com/citi/racial-equity/">Citi’s Action for Racial Equity</a>. Jasmine joined Citi in 2011 as the International Program Officer for Citi Foundation, managing grants to local nonprofits across nearly 100 countries.
Prior to Citi, she was a program officer at the Surdna Foundation and launched the Strong Local Economies program. Jasmine began her career in philanthropy at The New York Community Trust, where she helped administer a range of high-profile initiatives, including closing grants and reporting for The September 11th Fund, Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund, as well as the New York City AIDS Fund, a collaboration with Vogue magazine and the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA).

Jasmine Thomas

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Kenyan R. McDuffie, Councilmember for Ward 5, was first elected to the Council of the District of Columbia in a 2012 special election, and re-elected to full four-year terms in 2014 and again in 2018. Since 2013 he has served as the Chairman Pro Tempore of the Council.
Since 2017, Kenyan has served as the Chairperson of the Committee on Business and Economic Development where he has championed efforts to make the District’s economy more inclusive and support minority- and women-owned local businesses. Previously, Kenyan served as Chair of the Committee on the Judiciary, where he oversaw sweeping updates to the District’s criminal justice law. Kenyan successfully passed comprehensive juvenile justice reform and also passed the innovative Neighborhood Engagement Achieves Results Act (NEAR Act) which reforms the District’s criminal justice system by incorporating behavioral and mental health professionals to perform tasks that previously fell to law enforcement officers.
Prior to joining the Council, Kenyan worked extensively in the legal and public safety fields. Kenyan served as a trial attorney for the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. He has also worked as an Assistant State’s Attorney in Prince George’s County and as policy advisor to the District of Columbia’s Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice. Kenyan graduated summa cum laude from Howard University and went on to receive his Juris Doctor from the University of Maryland School of Law. Nationally, Kenyan has been featured on NewsOne Now, MSNBC, and National Public Radio. Kenyan and his wife, Princess, live in his childhood home in Ward 5 with their two daughters, Kesi and Jozi.

Councilmember Kenyan R. McDuffie

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Chris Zimmerman

Sekita Grant is an environmental policy and social justice strategist and joins The Solutions Project as the VP, Programs overseeing our grantmaking, policy research, and impact strategy support for more than 100 frontline leaders innovating in models for a regenerative economy across the country and in Puerto Rico. She has been a consultant supporting change-makers in equitable climate policy and narratives and worked previously as a Climate Justice Fellow with the Emerson Collective and recently completed a fellowship with the Florida Sea Grant and University of Florida Law Conservation Clinic.
Prior to that, Sekita worked as the Policy and Impact Strategy manager for Emerson Elemental. In that capacity, Sekita helped to catalyze new approaches to scaling environmental and social good through climate and environment policies and projects. Prior to Emerson Elemental, Sekita worked at the Greenlining institute as Legal Counsel for their Environmental Equity team. In that role, she worked to make energy and climate policies in California equitable and beneficial to communities of color. She came to Greenlining from Business for Social Responsibility, a California nonprofit where she worked as a climate and energy sustainability consultant to large corporations.
Prior to that, Sekita worked as a policy advisor at the California Energy Commission in Sacramento. There she served as lead advisor to the chair on climate, transportation, and legal matters. She lives with her partner between her hometown of Oakland CA and his in San Juan, Puerto Rico

Sekita Grant

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Chase L. Cantrell is the Executive Director of Building Community Value (BCV). In this role, he leads a diverse team of experts in implementing BCV’s training, technical assistance, and consulting programs. Chase is a critical voice in Detroit’s policy making and revitalization efforts, playing a crucial role as an advocate for residents who work hard to restore and improve the physical infrastructure of Detroit’s neighborhoods. Observing a gap in Detroit’s real estate ecosystem, Chase founded BCV in 2016 as a bridge between the resources accessible to traditional real estate actors and Detroit residents and nonprofits who wish to make a positive impact within their communities. He has positioned the organization to be laser-focused on providing meaningful technical assistance to small-scale developers.
Chase’s leadership has been recognized in Detroit and nationally. Crain’s Detroit Business honored Chase as “Best in Class: Real Estate – Young Gun of the Year,” and he has participated in numerous national and international fellowships, including the Salzburg Global Forum for Young Cultural Innovators, Next City Vanguard, NEI Detroit Innovation Fellowship, American Express Leadership Academy (Aspen Institute), Crain’s Leadership Academy, BMe Vanguard Fellowship, Mackinac Future Leaders, and Harvard Business School’s Young American Leader Program. Chase serves on the boards of New Detroit, Inc. and Citizens Research Council. He also serves the State of Michigan as a governor-appointee to the Board of Real Estate Brokers and Salespersons.
Chase has a Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts.

Chase Cantrell

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Joseph A. Curtatone was first inaugurated in 2004, becoming at age 37 the second-youngest Mayor in Somerville’s history. Now in his eighth term, he is the City’s longest-serving chief executive. Curtatone had previously served for eight years as Alderman-at-Large. As Mayor, he has implemented a wide range of reforms and new programs that have earned both him and the City widespread recognition. Somerville consistently tops lists of the “Most Walkable” and “Most Bikeable” cities in the United States.
Mayor Curtatone is spearheading the city’s effort to bring the MBTA’s Green Line Extension through Somerville, which when completed will have 85 percent of the city’s residents within walking distance of mass transit. In addition, Mayor Curtatone led a successful effort to end years of delay in the development of Assembly Square as a transit-oriented, mixed use, Smart Growth project on the banks of the Mystic River. He also created Neighborhood Impact Teams that combine fire, health and building inspectors—along with representatives of the Council on Aging and the city’s environmental office—in a coordinated effort to monitor and improve the health, safety and appearance of Somerville’s businesses and residential neighborhoods.
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Mayor Joseph Curtatone

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Andre Perry

Madeline Fraser Cook

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Janice is the Co-founder and Executive Director of Mundo Gardens, a roots community garden program empowering youth and families throughout San Diego.
Their Community Connectors project is a transformative community-driven initiative aimed at reclaiming 57 acres to create a vibrant, green space that integrates cultural art, reforestation efforts, and sustainable transportation. Born from decades of advocacy, this project seeks to heal the wounds inflicted by divisive highway infrastructure and foster a united, proud community.

Janice Luna Reynoso

Victoria García is a designer, visual artist, and community lover living along Buford Highway in Atlanta, Georgia.

Victoria Garcia

Fatima Elkott is an urban planner and facilitator with a strong focus on creating pathways for community connections and action. She has extensive experience working across public, private, and nonprofit sectors, utilizing her multidisciplinary background in transportation and community planning, facilitation, digital design, community development, and GIS. Fatima excels at bringing together residents, organizations, and government agencies through continuous and innovative engagement, ensuring that complex issues are addressed collaboratively and effectively.
Her work includes facilitating the formation and strategic planning of community collaboratives, where she demonstrates a strong commitment to building authentic relationships and fostering sustainable initiatives. Over the past three years, Fatima has been deeply involved in long-term, place-based community building in the communities of Wimauma, Town ‘n Country, and Tampa Heights.
In addition to her local work, Fatima also serves as the National Youth Power Building Strategist at the National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS), where she leads initiatives that empower youth activists and advocates across the nation, with a strong emphasis on mobility justice. She shapes NOYS programming to elevate youth leadership and amplify the voices of marginalized youth. Fatima also collaborates with several partners on art and cultural planning initiatives.

Fatima Elkott

Nedra Deadwyler

Sheila Somashekhar joined the National Center for Smart Growth at the University of Maryland in 2020 as Director of the Purple Line Corridor Coalition. As Director, she mobilizes coalition partners to realize the vision of an equitable transit corridor. She brings over 15 years of experience in community organizing and engagement, specializing in economic strategy, social justice, affordable housing, neighborhood asset building and workforce development.
She most recently served as Director of Community Impact and Engagement for United Way of the National Capital Area. At United Way she oversaw multiple stakeholder collaboratives and established a new set of community-centered programs, including the launch of one-stop financial service centers across the Washington, D.C. area. She also helped raise over $1M in support of that work. Prior to that she spent six years in New York City, working on neighborhood planning and economic opportunity initiatives in nonprofit and public sector roles.
She holds a Master of Urban Planning and Master of Public Health from the University of Michigan, and a bachelor’s degree in biology from University of Maryland, College Park.

Sheila Somashekhar

Kyle Smith has 16 years of expertise working at the integration of housing and transportation, including equitable TOD, municipal housing policy and land use and zoning reforms. He serves as Project Manager for ICF’s team for the HUD Thriving Communities Technical Assistance program. ICF’s team also includes Smart Growth America, the Partnership for Southern Equity, and Morgan State University.

Kyle Smith 

Mandla Moyo presently serves as a Senior Advisor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion within AARP Livable Communities. Mandla supports the Livable Programs team’s efforts to integrate Diversity and Inclusion into its strategic priorities and areas of focus. Prior to joining the Livable Communities program team, he served as the Director of Community Engagement at AARP Indiana , working alongside volunteers and community partners to promote and advocate for greater financial and health security, caregiving resources, protection from fraud, and livability initiatives in targeted communities. Mandla received his undergraduate degree in Political Science from Jackson State University in 2004 and a Master’s in Public Administration (MPA) from Strayer University in 2008. Mandla lives in Montgomery, AL with his lovely wife Kristen and three children Myles, Quincy and Nandi.

Jennifer Cobb has 5 years of consulting experience focused on equitable growth strategies, and over 10 years in community development, project management, and program design. She has extensive experience in organizing and advocacy, working closely with communities to promote economic justice, affordable housing, and transit equity. Jennifer has designed and led initiatives across the Southeast that equip residents to effectively engage in city planning and decision-making processes. Jennifer holds a BA in Sociology from Georgia State University, a MEd from Lesley University, and a certificate in Instructional Design from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Jennifer Cobb

Corrigan conducts research, provides technical assistance, and advocates for sustainable, equitable transportation policy. He has led research into the climate impact of the IIJA, evaluated the walkability of hundreds of new NEVI program charging stations, and helps coordinate the CHARGE Coalition of labor, environmental advocates, and industry groups that advocate for effective electrification policy. Prior to joining Transportation for America, Corrigan worked as a research assistant at a federal contractor assisting the Federal Highway Administration, focusing on human factors projects related to the MUTCD and connected/autonomous vehicles.

Community Connectors Participant

Janice Luna Reynoso

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