Panelist
Mike Johnston
Mayor of Denver
Share:
2025 ULI Spring Meeting
Agenda
Times displayed in
|
2025-05-12T07:00:00 - 2025-05-12T12:30:00 America/Denver |
Lewis Center Sustainability Forum |
|---|---|
|
2025-05-12T07:00:00 - 2025-05-12T18:00:00 America/Denver |
Registration |
|
2025-05-12T07:30:00 - 2025-05-12T18:00:00 America/Denver |
Networking; Exchange of Knowledge, Ideas, & Best Practices; Research & Industry Trends |
|
2025-05-12T08:00:00 - 2025-05-12T13:00:00 America/Denver |
Exclusive YLG Tour |
|
2025-05-12T08:00:00 - 2025-05-12T16:00:00 America/Denver |
Northern Colorado: A Model for Intentional Growth and Innovation |
|
2025-05-12T08:00:00 - 2025-05-12T13:00:00 America/Denver |
Pathways to Inclusion Bus Tour & Lunch |
|
2025-05-12T08:00:00 - 2025-05-12T13:00:00 America/Denver |
Shaping the Future of RiNo |
|
2025-05-12T08:15:00 - 2025-05-12T11:00:00 America/Denver |
Creating a Vibrant Outdoor Space in Civic Center Park and Building a Sustainable View in the Populus Hotel |
|
2025-05-12T08:15:00 - 2025-05-12T11:15:00 America/Denver |
Igniting Vibrancy: A Tour of York Street Yards, Denver's Thriving Mixed-Use Hub |
|
2025-05-12T08:30:00 - 2025-05-12T12:00:00 America/Denver |
Food, Agriculture, Education, and Entertainment Merge on the Reimagined Denver Stock Show Site |
|
2025-05-12T08:30:00 - 2025-05-12T12:00:00 America/Denver |
The Past, Present, and Future of Transportation and Hospitality at Denver’s Union Station |
|
2025-05-12T08:45:00 - 2025-05-12T12:00:00 America/Denver |
Returning to the Creek: The Transformation of Denver’s Trendiest Neighborhood |
|
2025-05-12T08:45:00 - 2025-05-12T12:00:00 America/Denver |
Sun Valley: Modeling Community, Equity, and Well-Being in Affordable Housing |
|
2025-05-12T09:00:00 - 2025-05-12T11:00:00 America/Denver |
Homeless to Housed: Denver’s Approach |
|
2025-05-12T09:00:00 - 2025-05-12T12:00:00 America/Denver |
Return to the River: Exploring Development on the South Platte River (Full Members Only) |
|
2025-05-12T09:00:00 - 2025-05-12T12:00:00 America/Denver |
UrbanPlan Lightning Round |
|
2025-05-12T10:30:00 - 2025-05-12T12:00:00 America/Denver |
WLI Americas Prologis Leaders High Tea Reception |
|
2025-05-12T12:00:00 - 2025-05-12T13:00:00 America/Denver |
Lunch Reception |
|
2025-05-12T12:00:00 - 2025-05-12T13:00:00 America/Denver |
ULI Learning Drop In and Call for Instructors |
|
2025-05-12T13:00:00 - 2025-05-12T14:00:00 America/Denver |
Opening General Session: Fareed Zakaria - Global Affairs Insights |
|
2025-05-12T14:00:00 - 2025-05-12T14:30:00 America/Denver |
Afternoon Pick-Me-Up |
|
2025-05-12T14:00:00 - 2025-05-12T15:00:00 America/Denver |
YLG Networks Committee Meeting |
|
2025-05-12T14:30:00 - 2025-05-12T16:30:00 America/Denver |
Americas Executive Committee Meeting |
|
2025-05-12T14:30:00 - 2025-05-12T17:30:00 America/Denver |
District Councils Team Hosts The REDI Reunion Panel |
|
2025-05-12T14:30:00 - 2025-05-12T15:30:00 America/Denver |
Economic Dynamics and Investments Transforming Mountain Resort Communities |
|
2025-05-12T14:30:00 - 2025-05-12T17:30:00 America/Denver |
Homeward: Housing Trade Offs Game - ULI Boston and the Terwilliger Center |
|
2025-05-12T14:30:00 - 2025-05-12T15:30:00 America/Denver |
Leveraging Government-Owned Land as a Catalyst for Private Investment |
|
2025-05-12T14:30:00 - 2025-05-12T15:30:00 America/Denver |
State of the U.S. Hotel Industry |
|
2025-05-12T14:30:00 - 2025-05-12T16:00:00 America/Denver |
ULI Homeless to Housed Symposium |
|
2025-05-12T15:00:00 - 2025-05-12T16:00:00 America/Denver |
Emerging Leaders Product Council Program Participant Meet & Greet |
|
2025-05-12T16:00:00 - 2025-05-12T17:00:00 America/Denver |
Major Moves on the Front Range: Game-Changing Development along Colorado's Preeminent Urban Corridor |
|
2025-05-12T16:30:00 - 2025-05-12T17:30:00 America/Denver |
First-time Attendee Reception |
|
2025-05-12T16:30:00 - 2025-05-12T17:30:00 America/Denver |
NEXT Americas Leadership Steering Committee |
|
2025-05-12T16:30:00 - 2025-05-12T17:30:00 America/Denver |
Sponsor Reception |
|
2025-05-12T17:00:00 - 2025-05-12T18:30:00 America/Denver |
ULI Foundation Governors Reception |
|
2025-05-12T17:30:00 - 2025-05-12T19:00:00 America/Denver |
NEC Reception |
|
2025-05-12T17:30:00 - 2025-05-12T19:00:00 America/Denver |
Welcome Reception |
|
2025-05-12T18:00:00 - 2025-05-12T20:00:00 America/Denver |
ULI Joint Board & AEC Dinner |
|
2025-05-12T19:00:00 - 2025-05-12T20:30:00 America/Denver |
ULI Net Zero Imperative Meet Up |
|
2025-05-12T19:30:00 - 2025-05-12T21:30:00 America/Denver |
NEXT Americas Dine Arounds |
|
2025-05-12T10:00:00 - 2025-05-12T10:20:00 America/Denver |
Housing Market Outlook for Colorado |
|
2025-05-12T10:00:00 - 2025-05-12T10:20:00 America/Denver |
The Economic Case for Adaptive Reuse |
|
2025-05-12T10:30:00 - 2025-05-12T10:50:00 America/Denver |
Avivo Village: Winner of the 2024 ULI Americas Awards for Excellence |
|
2025-05-12T10:30:00 - 2025-05-12T10:50:00 America/Denver |
ULI Learning Course Preview: Real Estate Development from the Legal Perspective |
|
2025-05-12T11:30:00 - 2025-05-12T11:50:00 America/Denver |
Rick Reinhard: 2023–2024 ULI Apgar Thought Leader Award Winner |
|
2025-05-12T14:30:00 - 2025-05-12T15:30:00 America/Denver |
Enhancing Real Estate Value through Healthy Design: Tools and Insights from Lakehouse |
|
2025-05-12T14:30:00 - 2025-05-12T15:30:00 America/Denver |
The New Workplace Experience: The Emotional Response to Space |
|
2025-05-12T14:30:00 - 2025-05-12T15:30:00 America/Denver |
Transformative Urban Corridors: Equitable Revitalization of Communities in Three Cities |
|
2025-05-13T07:30:00 - 2025-05-13T09:00:00 America/Denver |
Key Leaders Breakfast |
|---|---|
|
2025-05-13T07:30:00 - 2025-05-13T18:00:00 America/Denver |
Networking; Exchange of Knowledge, Ideas, & Best Practices; Research & Industry Trends |
|
2025-05-13T07:30:00 - 2025-05-13T09:00:00 America/Denver |
New Member Breakfast |
|
2025-05-13T07:30:00 - 2025-05-13T18:00:00 America/Denver |
Registration |
|
2025-05-13T07:30:00 - 2025-05-13T11:30:00 America/Denver |
ULI NEXT Tour |
|
2025-05-12T16:00:00 - 2025-05-12T17:00:00 America/Denver |
Building Business, Building Communities: The Value of Affordable Commercial Space |
|---|---|
|
2025-05-12T16:00:00 - 2025-05-12T17:00:00 America/Denver |
Improving Environmental Impact through Renovation and Redevelopment |
|
2025-05-12T16:00:00 - 2025-05-12T17:00:00 America/Denver |
Legal Perspectives in Advancing Affordable Housing Production and Preservation |
|
2025-05-12T16:00:00 - 2025-05-12T17:00:00 America/Denver |
Profit Meets Purpose: Building the Case for Sustainability in Mixed-Use Development |
|
2025-05-13T08:00:00 - 2025-05-13T10:00:00 America/Denver |
Americas Young Leaders Group LSC Meeting |
|---|---|
|
2025-05-13T08:00:00 - 2025-05-13T10:00:00 America/Denver |
Art in Place Breakfast |
|
2025-05-13T08:00:00 - 2025-05-13T12:00:00 America/Denver |
Denver’s Health Hub: Aurora’s Fitzsimons Innovation Community |
|
2025-05-13T08:00:00 - 2025-05-13T16:00:00 America/Denver |
The New South End: A Tour of Urban Infill Redevelopment and Placemaking in Downtown Colorado Springs |
|
2025-05-13T08:15:00 - 2025-05-13T12:00:00 America/Denver |
Denver’s Golden Triangle: Becoming the Neighborhood It Always Wanted to Be |
|
2025-05-13T08:15:00 - 2025-05-13T12:00:00 America/Denver |
Designing the South Platte River: Past, Present, and Future |
|
2025-05-13T08:30:00 - 2025-05-13T12:00:00 America/Denver |
Adaptive Reuse at Pancratia Hall: Turning a Historic Dormitory into a Master-Planned Community |
|
2025-05-13T08:30:00 - 2025-05-13T12:30:00 America/Denver |
Marketing & Communications Forum |
|
2025-05-13T08:30:00 - 2025-05-13T10:00:00 America/Denver |
Product Council Chairs Breakfast |
|
2025-05-13T08:30:00 - 2025-05-13T12:00:00 America/Denver |
Turning a Historic Downtown into Something New: A Tour of Denver’s LoDo District |
|
2025-05-13T08:45:00 - 2025-05-13T10:30:00 America/Denver |
The Development at the Heart of Downtown: Larimer Square and its Neighbors |
|
2025-05-13T09:00:00 - 2025-05-13T11:00:00 America/Denver |
All District Council Leadership Meeting |
|
2025-05-13T09:00:00 - 2025-05-13T12:00:00 America/Denver |
Office with A View: 1900 Lawrence |
|
2025-05-13T09:00:00 - 2025-05-13T10:30:00 America/Denver |
WLI Americas Coffee Connect & Innovation Grants Announced |
|
2025-05-13T09:30:00 - 2025-05-13T12:00:00 America/Denver |
The 16th Street Mall Revitalization |
|
2025-05-13T09:30:00 - 2025-05-13T11:30:00 America/Denver |
ULI Foundation Board Meeting |
|
2025-05-13T10:00:00 - 2025-05-13T12:00:00 America/Denver |
Film Screening & Discussion: The Health of Our Cities |
|
2025-05-13T10:00:00 - 2025-05-13T11:00:00 America/Denver |
Pathways to Inclusion Speaker Panel |
|
2025-05-13T10:30:00 - 2025-05-13T12:00:00 America/Denver |
Americas YLG Origins Impact & Connect Session |
|
2025-05-13T10:30:00 - 2025-05-13T13:00:00 America/Denver |
District Council Sustainability Leaders Gathering |
|
2025-05-13T11:00:00 - 2025-05-13T14:00:00 America/Denver |
WLI Americas Entrepreneurs and Mentors Lunch & Learn |
|
2025-05-13T11:30:00 - 2025-05-13T13:00:00 America/Denver |
California-Nevada Technical Assistance Leadership Exchange Convening |
|
2025-05-13T11:30:00 - 2025-05-13T12:45:00 America/Denver |
Full Member Networking Luncheon |
|
2025-05-13T12:00:00 - 2025-05-13T13:00:00 America/Denver |
Lunch Reception |
|
2025-05-13T12:00:00 - 2025-05-13T13:00:00 America/Denver |
ULI Learning Drop In and Call for Instructors |
|
2025-05-13T13:00:00 - 2025-05-13T14:00:00 America/Denver |
General Session: Learning in Real Time - Experts Share Their Forecasts for Real Estate in '25, '26, and '27 |
|
2025-05-13T13:00:00 - 2025-05-13T14:30:00 America/Denver |
NEXT Americas Connect Session |
|
2025-05-13T14:00:00 - 2025-05-13T14:30:00 America/Denver |
Afternoon Pick-Me-Up |
|
2025-05-13T14:00:00 - 2025-05-13T15:30:00 America/Denver |
University Connections Networking Roundtables |
|
2025-05-13T14:30:00 - 2025-05-13T16:00:00 America/Denver |
All District Council Leadership Roundtables (Member leaders and DC/HQ Staff) |
|
2025-05-13T14:30:00 - 2025-05-13T15:30:00 America/Denver |
Brain-Healthy, Climate-Positive Cities |
|
2025-05-13T14:30:00 - 2025-05-13T16:00:00 America/Denver |
Global Governing Trustees Meeting |
|
2025-05-13T14:30:00 - 2025-05-13T15:30:00 America/Denver |
NEXT Americas DC Chairs Meeting |
|
2025-05-13T14:30:00 - 2025-05-13T15:30:00 America/Denver |
The Changing Face of the Platte River: Denver's New Green Development Corridor |
|
2025-05-13T14:30:00 - 2025-05-13T15:30:00 America/Denver |
WLI Americas Presents: A View from the Top with Global Chair Diane Hoskins |
|
2025-05-13T16:00:00 - 2025-05-13T17:00:00 America/Denver |
Filling the Knowledge Gap: Guiding the U.S. Government on Office-to-Residential Conversions |
|
2025-05-13T17:00:00 - 2025-05-13T18:00:00 America/Denver |
DC Chairs Appreciation Reception, hosted by Diane Hoskins |
|
2025-05-13T17:30:00 - 2025-05-13T18:30:00 America/Denver |
The Reception Hosted by the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee |
|
2025-05-13T18:00:00 - 2025-05-13T21:00:00 America/Denver |
WLI Americas Curated Conversations Dine Arounds |
|
2025-05-13T18:30:00 - 2025-05-13T20:00:00 America/Denver |
Americas YLG BYO Dinner Meetup |
|
2025-05-13T19:00:00 - 2025-05-13T20:30:00 America/Denver |
Pathways to Inclusion Colorado Dinner Reception |
|
2025-05-13T20:00:00 - 2025-05-13T22:00:00 America/Denver |
Americas YLG Spring Meeting Reception |
|
2025-05-13T10:00:00 - 2025-05-13T10:20:00 America/Denver |
Advisory Services Panel Lightning Round: Get a Glimpse of ULI Advisory Services |
|
2025-05-13T10:00:00 - 2025-05-13T10:20:00 America/Denver |
UrbanPlan and CEUs: Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due |
|
2025-05-13T21:00:00 - 2025-05-13T22:30:00 America/Denver |
The LGBTQ Dessert and Wine Nightcap Hosted by the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee |
|
2025-05-13T10:30:00 - 2025-05-13T10:50:00 America/Denver |
In the Rearview and on the Horizon: Three Years of Accelerating Building Decarbonization through the ULI Net Zero Imperative |
|
2025-05-13T10:30:00 - 2025-05-13T10:50:00 America/Denver |
Unlocking the Power of Financial Modeling: Excel and ARGUS Explained |
|
2025-05-13T11:00:00 - 2025-05-13T11:20:00 America/Denver |
Hidden in Plain Sight: Making Market Rate Housing Deeply Affordable |
|
2025-05-13T11:00:00 - 2025-05-13T11:20:00 America/Denver |
Transparent Insulation: A Step Change in Energy Performance |
|
2025-05-13T11:30:00 - 2025-05-13T11:50:00 America/Denver |
Bottleworks District: Winner of the 2024 ULI Americas Awards for Excellence and ULI Global Awards for Excellence |
|
2025-05-13T14:30:00 - 2025-05-13T15:30:00 America/Denver |
Intentional Design Strategies for Creating Healthy and Resilient Places |
|
2025-05-13T14:30:00 - 2025-05-13T15:30:00 America/Denver |
Navigating the Landscape of Attainable and Affordable Housing Development |
|
2025-05-13T14:30:00 - 2025-05-13T15:30:00 America/Denver |
Workforce Housing Social Impact Funds |
|
2025-05-14T07:30:00 - 2025-05-14T15:30:00 America/Denver |
Networking; Exchange of Knowledge, Ideas, & Best Practices; Research & Industry Trends |
|---|---|
|
2025-05-14T07:30:00 - 2025-05-14T15:00:00 America/Denver |
Registration |
|
2025-05-14T07:30:00 - 2025-05-14T09:30:00 America/Denver |
WLI Americas and WLI Denver Present: A Wellness Morning Event |
|
2025-05-13T16:00:00 - 2025-05-13T17:00:00 America/Denver |
Design Solutions in the Wake of the Affordable Housing Crisis: A Multidisciplinary Collaboration |
|---|---|
|
2025-05-13T16:00:00 - 2025-05-13T17:00:00 America/Denver |
Evaluating the Business Case for Reducing Embodied Carbon |
|
2025-05-13T16:00:00 - 2025-05-13T17:00:00 America/Denver |
Sustainability as a Driver for Real Estate Value and Risk |
|
2025-05-13T16:00:00 - 2025-05-13T17:00:00 America/Denver |
The Future of Downtowns Is Out in the Suburbs |
|
2025-05-13T16:00:00 - 2025-05-13T17:00:00 America/Denver |
Union Station: Revisiting Denver's Downtown Hub |
|
2025-05-14T08:00:00 - 2025-05-14T12:00:00 America/Denver |
Central Park: 25 Years Later for a Sustainable Infill Neighborhood |
|---|---|
|
2025-05-14T08:00:00 - 2025-05-14T16:00:00 America/Denver |
Sustainable Development Beneath the Rockies: A Tour of Boulder’s Most Innovative Developments |
|
2025-05-14T08:00:00 - 2025-05-14T12:00:00 America/Denver |
ULI Greenprint Takes a Hike |
|
2025-05-14T08:00:00 - 2025-05-14T09:30:00 America/Denver |
YLG Caffeinated Conversations Meet-up |
|
2025-05-14T08:15:00 - 2025-05-14T12:00:00 America/Denver |
People, Place, Lifestyle: The Development Plan for Skyline Park |
|
2025-05-14T08:15:00 - 2025-05-14T12:00:00 America/Denver |
The Transformation of TAXI |
|
2025-05-14T08:30:00 - 2025-05-14T12:00:00 America/Denver |
NREL: A National Lab Teaches How to Build Sustainably |
|
2025-05-14T08:45:00 - 2025-05-14T11:30:00 America/Denver |
Clara Brown Commons, The Burrel, and Creative Approaches to Affordable Housing |
|
2025-05-14T09:30:00 - 2025-05-14T11:30:00 America/Denver |
Americas YLG Presents "Ripple Intent" |
|
2025-05-14T12:00:00 - 2025-05-14T13:00:00 America/Denver |
Lunch Reception |
|
2025-05-14T12:00:00 - 2025-05-14T13:00:00 America/Denver |
ULI Learning Drop In and Call for Instructors |
|
2025-05-14T13:00:00 - 2025-05-14T14:00:00 America/Denver |
Closing General Session: Amy Purdy - Living Beyond Limits |
|
2025-05-14T14:00:00 - 2025-05-14T14:30:00 America/Denver |
Afternoon Pick-Me-Up |
|
2025-05-14T14:30:00 - 2025-05-14T15:30:00 America/Denver |
Sharing the Curb: Impact and Opportunities from Tech-Enabled Curbside Management |
|
2025-05-14T17:00:00 - 2025-05-14T20:00:00 America/Denver |
The Red Party hosted by Gensler & ULI Women’s Leadership Initiative WLI |
|
2025-05-14T18:00:00 - 2025-05-14T20:00:00 America/Denver |
ULI Randall Lewis Center for Sustainability in Real Estate Reception |
|
2025-05-14T18:30:00 - 2025-05-14T21:00:00 America/Denver |
ULI Global Governing Trustees Dinner |
|
2025-05-14T10:00:00 - 2025-05-14T10:20:00 America/Denver |
Homeless to Housed Case Study: The John Parvensky Stout Street Recuperative Care Center |
|
2025-05-14T10:00:00 - 2025-05-14T10:20:00 America/Denver |
WLI Americas Presents: Old School, New Use |
|
2025-05-14T10:30:00 - 2025-05-14T10:50:00 America/Denver |
Advancing Utility and Developer Collaboration: A Year in Review |
|
2025-05-14T10:30:00 - 2025-05-14T10:50:00 America/Denver |
Toolkit for Building Healthy Places |
|
2025-05-14T11:00:00 - 2025-05-14T11:20:00 America/Denver |
Eliminating Super Pollutant Refrigerants in a Data-Driven Fashion |
|
2025-05-14T11:30:00 - 2025-05-14T11:50:00 America/Denver |
Water: Too Much and Too Little // Strategies for Climate-Resilient Built Environments |
|
2025-05-14T11:30:00 - 2025-05-14T11:50:00 America/Denver |
WLI Americas Presents: How to Eat an Elephant: A Guide for Tackling Large Buildings |
|
2025-05-14T14:30:00 - 2025-05-14T15:30:00 America/Denver |
Cubicle Farms to Urban Charm: Reinventing Office Parks |
|
2025-05-14T14:30:00 - 2025-05-14T15:30:00 America/Denver |
Downtown Denver: Next Phase |
|
2025-05-15T08:00:00 - 2025-05-15T09:30:00 America/Denver |
Resilience Summit Opening Session: Preventing the Next Palisades Disaster – Learning from Colorado Wildfires |
|---|---|
|
2025-05-15T09:45:00 - 2025-05-15T10:45:00 America/Denver |
From Crisis to Opportunity: Affordable Housing as a Climate Solution in US and Canada, Through Better P3s |
|
2025-05-15T09:45:00 - 2025-05-15T10:45:00 America/Denver |
Out of Harm’s Way: Practical Strategies for Managed Retreat |
|
2025-05-15T09:45:00 - 2025-05-15T10:45:00 America/Denver |
Resilience in Denver: Water, Equity, and Funding Strategies in the Mile-High City |
|
2025-05-15T11:15:00 - 2025-05-15T12:30:00 America/Denver |
Climate Risk Management: Three Approaches to Reducing Asset and Portfolio Climate Risk |
|
2025-05-15T11:15:00 - 2025-05-15T12:30:00 America/Denver |
Insurance for Affordable Housing: How Resilient Construction can Improve Insurability and Preserve Housing Supply |
|
2025-05-15T11:15:00 - 2025-05-15T12:30:00 America/Denver |
Where Science Meets Design: Using Climate Projections in Portfolio and Land Use Planning |
|
2025-05-15T12:30:00 - 2025-05-15T13:45:00 America/Denver |
Resilience Summit Networking Lunch |
|
2025-05-15T13:45:00 - 2025-05-15T14:30:00 America/Denver |
Co-benefits For Cash: Lessons in Designing and Funding Resilient Buildings from the Canadian Health System |
|
2025-05-15T13:45:00 - 2025-05-15T14:30:00 America/Denver |
Financing Resilience at the State and Local Level: Innovations from Massachusetts and Boston |
|
2025-05-15T13:45:00 - 2025-05-15T14:30:00 America/Denver |
Resilient by Regulation: How Texas's New Rules are Preparing Mixed-Use Campuses for Bigger Storms |
|
2025-05-15T13:45:00 - 2025-05-15T14:30:00 America/Denver |
Shoring Up the Future: Policies and Plans Advancing Resilience in the Bay Area and Beyond |
|
2025-05-15T14:45:00 - 2025-05-15T15:30:00 America/Denver |
Resilience Summit Closing Keynote: The Cost of Change and a Path Forward |
Discover the power of connection at the ULI Spring Meeting 2025 in Denver, where the brightest minds in real estate come together to shape the future of the industry. With 22 expertly curated development tours, 45+ engaging concurrent sessions, and 100+ speakers, this meeting offers actionable insights, innovative ideas, and a chance to elevate your career.
WHAT TO EXPECT:
Concurrent Sessions
Engage in concurrent sessions, where dynamic discussions offer deep dives
into the latest trends, solutions, and innovations shaping the future of real estate.
Tours
Attendees can participate in exclusive tours of world-class Denver developments.
The best tours sell out fast, so register early for the best tour selection!
Networking
Connect with over 4,500 industry peers through meticulously curated networking events.
Speakers
Hear world-renowned experts discuss cutting-edge insights and strategies transforming the real estate industry.
Colorado Convention Center 700 14th St Denver, CO 80202-3213 UNITED STATES
Speakers
Panelist
Andrew Lee
Amazon
Presenter
Brad Baker
Luxwall
Speaker
Gretchen Hancock
Global Infrastructure Partners
Panelist
Paul Bindel
Co-op Development Co-Director, Center for Community Wealth Building
Speaker
Nicole Boudreau
Hines-US
Moderator
Mike O'Hara
Principal, Bohler
Panelist
Luis Mendoza
Managing Director, North America, DNCO
Moderator
Wendy Dunnam Tita
Page
Panelist
Bill Mosher
Trammell Crow Company
Panelist
Harris Eyre MD, PhD
Harry Z. Yan & Weiman Gao Sr. Fellow in, Brain Capital Alliance, Rice University Baker Institute Neuro-Policy Program
Panelist
Ben Hamley
Data-Driven Design & Innovation Directo, JLL Asia Pacific
Speaker
Christa Cassidy
Planning Lead, Transportation and Climate Resilience, Arup
Panelist
Anna Deans
Midway
Presenter
David Kroll
RATIO
Panelist
Sarah Drew
Head of Workplace Experience, Gap Inc.
Panelist
Brian O'Donnell
Senior Associate, Stantec
Panelist
Sohael Chowfla
Senior Vice President, Head of Development, Redbrick LMD
Panelist
Curt Upton
City & County of Denver Department of Community Planning and Development
Panelist
Nathan Bossie
Social Science Analyst, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Panelist
Tyler Erikson
Managing Director, Vista Residential Partners
Panelist
Kara Lively
Director of Economic Development, Atlanta BeltLine, Inc.
Panelist
James Burnett
Partner, Black Squirrel Collective
Panelist
Tracy Hadden Loh
Fellow, The Brookings Institution
Moderator
Kim Kucera
CRL Associates, Inc.
Presenter
Jeff Milliken
Principal, RATIO
Speaker
Ashley Grace
Senior Planner, City & County of Denver Department of Finance
Moderator
Steven Paynter
Gensler
Speaker
Charlie Penland
Walter P Moore
Charles Penland has more than 40 years of experience designing site plans for all sizes and complexity of commercial, retail, educational, healthcare, and other types of projects. His special interests include sustainable site design, green infrastructure, and water reuse. He has given multiple presentations on sustainable site design. Mr. Penland taught a site design class for the University of Houston’s Hines School of Architecture and the Senior Design Course for the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Rice University for many years. Formerly the Director of Civil Engineering for Walter P Moore, he has overseen projects, served as principal in charge for large and complex projects, and helped mentor and train staff in site design. He joined Walter P Moore in 1980 and is currently a Managing Principal responsible for business development, key client support, Principal in Charge of key projects, and a mentor to the engineering staff.
Speaker
Shannon Francis
Executive Director, Spirit of the Sun
Panelist
Hilary Goldfarb
Rockefeller Group
Panelist
Jose Carredano
Vita Fox North
Jose Carredano – Managing Partner in Interland and Vita Development Group:
Has +25 years of experience in real estate development and has held prestigious positions in international and national development companies such as VP for Jones Lang LaSalle LATAM. Has been involved in the creation and development of more than 1,500 acres, 9,000 residential units, hotels, shopping and convenience centers, office buildings and
several mixed-use projects. Our Current projects in the United States are Fox Park in Denver and Kindred in Keystone.
Speaker
Dez Edwards
Urban Pulse Commercial Group
Canesha Dez Edwards (Dez) is a seasoned risk management professional with over 13 years of experience in financial services, specializing in enterprise and operational risk.
In recent years, she has focused on climate risk management, helping organizations navigate the evolving landscape of sustainability, alternative energy, and resilient development.
Beyond finance, Dez has a diverse background spanning commercial real estate, construction management, and contract negotiations, with expertise in land, multifamily, and mixed-use development. Her work in sustainable development reflects a forward-thinking approach, integrating risk mitigation with long-term environmental and financial sustainability.
A former Division I basketball player at Appalachian State, Dez brings the same strategic mindset and leadership skills from the court to her professional endeavors. She now pays it forward as a high school/ AAU girls basketball coach, mentoring young athletes and instilling lessons in discipline, teamwork, and resilience.
With a unique blend of financial acumen, real estate expertise, and a passion for sustainability, Dez Edwards is a dynamic leader driving impact across industries.
Presenter
Greg Dorolek
Wenk Associates
Moderator
Uma Patwardhan
JLL
Uma is a Director and the North America Sustainable Buildings Team Lead in JLL's Sustainability Consulting team. Tasked with overseeing complex projects to ensure client satisfaction through teamwork and relationship development, in addition to team management, Uma's expertise lies in developing comprehensive sustainability programs and strategies for occupier and investor clients to align their real estate with the organizational ESG goal, as well as implementing certifications such as LEED, WELL, Fitwel, and Living Building Challenge. With her background in architecture, Uma has a unique perspective on building design, operation, and integrating sustainability into clients' overall project strategies. With almost 20 years of industry experience, Uma has successfully consulted on and managed certifications for over 75 new construction and renovation projects spanning over approximately 10 million+ square feet. She served as a member of International Living Future Institute (ILFI)'s Organizational Equity Technical Advisory Group (2023-2024) and the Greenbuild Advisory Board (2023). She is one of 20 people selected for JLL's 2024 Emerging Leaders Program from the entire North America region. Uma holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from India and a Masters in Sustainable Design degree from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA.
Panelist
Daniel Brooks
Senior Vice President, Page
Speaker
Ozzie Gonzalez
P3 Consulting
Ozzie is an artist, a problem solver, and a change agent. Trained as an Environmental Scientist and as an Architect, Ozzie has spent his 25-year career journey dedicated to advancing the practice of sustainable and equitable development in communities throughout the US and Latin America. Using his background in the performing arts, Ozzie utilizes story, music, and narrative style to humanize even the most technical subject matter and capture the imaginations of clients and audiences alike.
Ozzie has worked in the construction and design industry throughout his career. He has been involved in sustainable design projects, equitable contracting, and now owns his own consulting practice dedicated to helping clients implement strategies to confront the challenges posed by changes in technology, policy, and culture. In addition to running his own consulting practice—P3 Consulting—Ozzie serves as the Board President for Trimet, Portland’s regional transportation authority.
Ozzie BIO (alt)
Ozzie is a life long learner, an environmental scientist, an architecture professional, a land use policy wonk, and an artist. Through his solo practice business based in Portland, P3 Consulting, Ozzie helps businesses, government agencies, and non-profits implement innovative strategies that address the triple bottom line. Ozzie is also the Board President of our region’s transit agency—Trimet. By day, you can find Ozzie borrowing Wifi at a local cafe and, by night, performing on a stage.
Panelist
Daniel Boero Vargas
World Economic Forum
Daniel leads the World Economic Forum's Cement & Concrete decarbonization work. Within the First Movers Coalition initiative, Daniel works with companies who have signed demand commitments to ensure the use of small percentages of ultra low-emissions cement/concrete within their projects by 2030. Daniel also works with suppliers to understand the barriers to the supply of such products. The First Movers Coalition then aims to work with these private companies, government partners and finance players to drive bankable offtake and pilot projects of deeply decarbonized products in heavy-emitting industrial sectors in order to showcase the art of the possible to the market. Originally from Scotland, prior to joining the World Economic Forum in early 2023, he spent 5 years at Deloitte in the UK, working in the field of technology transformations.
Panelist
Erin Clark
Denver Housing Authority
Panelist
Russell Forrest
Town Manager, Town of Vail
Panelist
Jeff Nydegger
Winstead
Jeff Nydegger is a shareholder in Winstead's real estate development group. Jeff represents both public and private sector clients in public development and public-private partnership (P3) transactions. Jeff works with developers and public entities to deliver critical public infrastructure, with a specialty in social infrastructure projects, including courthouses, city halls and public facilities, arenas, convention and conference centers, hotels, student housing, and cultural facilities. Jeff's experience covers a broad range of matters relating to public facilities development, including procurement, construction, real estate and leasing, facilities operations and maintenance, and project finance.
Speaker
Nita Gonzalez
Principal, Nuevo Amanecer
Panelist
Ashley Grace
Senior Planner, City & County of Denver Department of Finance
Presenter
Tristam Coffin
effecterra
Tristam Coffin is a Co-Founder and President at êffecterra, inc. a Public Benefit Corporation that provides sustainability technical support to companies, investors, government entities and their partners. Prior to êffecterra, he spent the majority of his career implementing sustainability and environmental initiatives as Director of Sustainability & Facilities for Whole Foods Market. He is a LEED AP and sustainability leader with expertise in multiple areas including high performance buildings, advanced refrigeration/HVAC systems, renewable energy, and waste diversion. He also co-founded the North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council (NASRC) and the Refrigerant Emissions Elimination Forum (REEF), where he currently serves as chairperson.
Presenter
Christopher Carvell
Design Principal, Carvell Architects, Inc
Speaker
Anne Miller
Director, Colorado Resiliency Office
Speaker
Deanna Morann
MA Office of Coastal Zone Management
Deanna Moran is Chief Coastal Resilience Officer at the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management where she leads the state's ResilientCoasts Initiative, a comprehensive strategy for statewide coastal resilience. She holds a JD from Suffolk University Law School, a Master's of City and Regional Planning and a Master’s of Public Policy from Rutgers University. She has over a decade of experience working in environmental planning, law and advocacy.
Panelist
Kathy Berg
ZGF Architects
Katherine Berg is a designer, with 29 years of experience at ZGF Architects, and advocate for compelling change in the building industry to enrich the human experience and raise environmental performance. Her detailed programming and analysis on diverse project typologies – including research laboratories, campuses, childcare centers, and professional sports training facilities – have resulted in unique, resource-efficient solutions. From a net-zero building in one of the country's coldest climate zones to the 35th fully certified Living Building in the world, Kathy designs first-of-their-kind, high-performance spaces. Her data-informed designs celebrate their place and set new expectations for how the built environment can positively impact our health and communities.
Speaker
Jolon Clark
Councilman, Denver City Council
Speaker
Joe Loidolt
Joe Loidolt, President of Classic Homes, brings over 35 years of experience in the housing and building industry. A graduate of St. Cloud Technical and Community College with a Carpentry degree, he began his career in construction management, holding roles with MLM Construction Inc., Oxford Homes, Kambridge Building Company, and Ridgeline Building Company from 1982 to 1989.
Joining Classic Homes in 1990 as a Construction Superintendent, Joe quickly advanced to leadership positions. Within two years, he became Assistant Construction Manager. By 1994, he was named Division Manager for Classic Homes’ new homebuilding division in Boise, Idaho, where he successfully led operations for three years. He returned to Colorado Springs as Vice President and was appointed President in 2002. Under his leadership, Classic Homes has overseen the development of nearly 100 communities and over 15,000 homes in the Pikes Peak Region, including notable projects such as Flying Horse, University Park, High Forest Ranch, Sanctuary Pointe and Forest Lakes.
An active member of the Housing and Building Association of Colorado Springs for over 20 years, Joe served as its President in 2014 and continues to serve on various land development and construction related boards, further demonstrating his commitment to the industry and the local community.
Presenter
Kirsty Greer
Chief Development Officer, Ulysses Development Group
Kirsty Greer is the Chief Development Officer. In this role, she leads the company’s development initiatives, overseeing projects across several states. Kirsty has extensive experience in real estate, previously serving as Executive Vice President of Development at McWhinney, where she managed a portfolio of over 2,200 units under management and thousands more in development. Kirsty is a graduate of the University of Michigan, where she obtained her Bachelor of Science and she holds a Master’s in City and Regional Planning from the University of Pennsylvania.
Presenter
Angela Harris
Chief Executive Officer, Trio, Inc.
Angela Harris is an American interior designer, Chief Executive Officer, mother, and thought leader. At her renowned interior architecture firm, Angela has spent 25 years working directly with the nation’s most prominent builders, developers, architects, and product manufacturers. Her robust experience in market-driven design, coupled with a Masters in Sustainable Design, has led her to embark on a design journey inspired by philosophy, mindfulness, science, and technology. Angela is currently earning her PhD in Visual Arts, pursuing research in the field of Aesthetics, Design, and the Built Environment through IDSVA. Angela and her talented team collaborate on all aspects of master-planned communities, commercial design, model homes, clubhouses, sales centers, hospitality, multifamily apartment communities, and luxury residential design services.
Panelist
Linda Appel Lipsius
Executive Director, Denver Urban Gardens
I am currently the Executive of Denver Urban Gardens (DUG). DUG is a 40 year old Denver institution and one of the largest independent community garden organizations in the country. Our mission is to provide the skills, access and resources to grow healthy food in community and regenerate urban green spaces. Through DUG's work and the Urban Garden Project, we are amplifying the role that community gardens and food forests play as critical infrastructure for thriving cities.
I Co-Founded Teatulia Organic Teas. Teatulia produces innovative, award-winning garden-direct hot, iced & canned teas that are sold throughout the US in grocery, mass, foodservice, online and as an ingredient. A Benefit Corporation, Teatulia is known for its quality, ethical sourcing, vertically-integrated supply chain, sustainable packaging and using business as a force for good. We recently opened a Teatulia Tea Bar at Denver International Airport.
In 2012, I started the mama 'hood, a Denver-based shop & studio for new & expecting moms & their families.
Previously, I was VP International with Orange Glo International (OGI) - makers of OxiClean, Kaboom, Orange Glo and Orange Clean - where I launched these category-leading brands into the UK, Germany and France.
I am a public speaker on topics ranging from entrepreneurship and storytelling to sustainable business practices, the food & beverage industry, regenerative agriculture and permaculture.
A Denver Native, I earned my BA from Columbia University in New York City and MBA in Finance and Organizational Management from New York University before moving to Washington, DC, London, Los Angeles then back to Denver. I currently serve on the Board of Directors of Colorado Public Radio. In my spare time, I spend time with my family, escape to the mountains, devour movies & books and run, cycle and practice yoga.
Panelist
Michael Cropper
Principal, Thornton Tomasetti
Mr. Cropper is a Principal and structural engineer in Thornton Tomasetti's Washington, DC, office. He has over seventeen years of experience designing structures of all sizes for commercial, retail, residential, hospital, government and cultural projects. Recent projects include 600 Fifth, Amaris DC, Capital One Hall, and Metropolitan Park which is Amazon's headquarters in Arlington. He co-led TT's Embodied Carbon Community of Practice for two years, a group of approximately 250 staff passionate about embodied carbon and grouped into seven working groups. Mr. Cropper helps drive Thornton Tomasetti's efforts on embodied carbon tracking and reduction and has presented on embodied carbon at conferences for the American Institute of Architects, American Concrete Institute and American Society of Civil Engineers, among others.
Panelist
Joshua Brooks
SASAKI
Joshua is Principal and Partner in Sasaki's office in Denver where he oversees projects across North America. He has a deep passion for creating successful human habitat for all people through a variety of urban design, planning, and landscape project types. His interest lies at the intersection of people and infrastructure, where he focuses on the planning, design, and implementation of urban places of lasting social significance and ecological integrity. A systems thinker, Joshua has used his multi-disciplinary background and worked across scales and contexts in North America, Australia, Europe, and Africa.
On every project, he has committed himself to working with both public and private clients on complex social, environmental, and financial problems through collaboration, community engagement, and innovative solutions. Joshua's expertise is in district scale master planning, urban redevelopment, infrastructural and environmental urban systems, corridor planning and design, and parks and public spaces. Joshua has a keen understanding of social dynamics, long term implications of planning and design, environmental performance, and changes in technology and economies. He uses this knowledge to craft resilient solutions for cities and people.
Joshua earned a master's degree in city planning from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and holds a bachelor's degree in landscape architecture with a minor in environmental science from Louisiana State University. He has taught at Northeastern University's School of Architecture on Sustainable Urban Environments and works to bring human-centric urbanism to the mainstream through research, education, and writing.
Panelist
Sulma Khalid
Associate, Robinson & Cole LLP
Sulma Khalid is a mission-driven attorney with a specialized focus on affordable housing development and finance transactions.
Previously, she served as Assistant General Counsel for the DC Department of Housing and Community Development, where she supported the agency’s goal of creating and preserving affordable housing for DC residents. In this role, she contributed to affordable housing policy initiatives and represented the District as a subordinate lender in various affordable housing financing transactions.
Now, at Robinson & Cole in Boston, Sulma’s practice has expanded to include representing both large and small developers, senior lenders, non-profits, and condominium associations. Her work spans multiple states, including Massachusetts, North Carolina, Idaho, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and California. This broad geographic reach has enriched her expertise in affordable housing law.
Having represented nearly all parties involved in affordable housing transactions across several U.S. cities, Sulma brings a wealth of knowledge and skill to all phases of these complex deals. She has particular experience with transactions involving multiple layers of funding from both public and private sources, such as federal and state funding, historic and new markets tax credits, bonds, bank loans, private equity investments, and grants.
Sulma is deeply committed to advocating for both her clients and the communities they serve. Through her legal practice, she aims to make a meaningful, positive impact in the affordable housing sector.
Panelist
Jeni Cross
Director of Co-Creation, CO-WY Engine
Jeni Cross, PhD, is Director of Co-Creation and Engagement at the Colorado Wyoming Climate Resilience Engine and Professor Emerita of Sociology. She conducts community-engaged research to build community capacity, accelerate systems change, and solve multi-faceted challenges. Her areas of expertise include behavior change, community development, collaborative decision-making, inter-disciplinary collaboration, and urban sustainability. Her applied research has been published in over two dozen different fields of science from sociology to civil engineering to nursing and ecology. She regularly consults with non-profits, schools, local government and businesses to design strategies for creating programs and organizational strategies that tackle public health, environmental sustainability, climate resilience, and social challenges. She regularly translates her research into blogs, videos, and white papers sharing social science insights for application in a variety of professional contexts. Her Ted talk on behavior change has been viewed over a million times and is being used in over a dozen college courses in sociology, environmental sustainability, public administration and entrepreneurship around the globe. She is the co-chair of the Environmental Health Matters Initiative (EHMI), a committee of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine. The EHMI address complex environmental problems as an interconnected, multi-sectoral, multi-faceted system, with a focus on the cumulative impacts from environmental stressors.
Speaker
Pete Romano
EVP, North America Real Estate Industry Leader, AON
Responsibilities
As Executive Vice President, Real Estate Industry Leader, Pete leads strategy, engagement and execution across North America. Aon’s Real Estate Practice is committed to delivering value by combining deep industry expertise with innovative products, customized solutions, exceptional market results and outstanding service. By leveraging talent, strong market relationships and advanced technology, we drive bespoke solutions and tailored strategies that enhance clients’ risk management and optimize their total cost of risk.
Experience
With over 30 years of experience in commercial property and casualty insurance Pete has built expertise across Brokerage, Underwriting and Risk Management. Over the last 15 years, he has held senior leadership roles, guiding global real estate initiatives and leading commercial insurance operations in the Mountain West Region for the world’s largest privately held brokerage. In these roles, he managed strategic relationships and industry-focused verticals, aligning capabilities to deliver market-leading solutions, superior outcomes, and exceptional client service. His experience spans Multifamily, Affordable Housing, Industrial, Single-Family Rental (SFR), Office and Commercial Real Estate sectors. During this time, Pete led a $2.2 billion premium portfolio, managing 300 associates serving over 1,600 clients.
Pete’s well-rounded experience includes serving as a Risk Manager for a Fortune 1000 company and as an Underwriter/Underwriting Manager for a global insurer. Hi hands-on experience, combined with his passion for innovation and client advocacy, ensures he delivers creative solutions that exceed expectations.
Moderator
Ryan Aids
Executive Director, Greenway Foundation
Ryan Aids – Executive Director, The Greenway Foundation
Ryan joined The Greenway Foundation in 2015 after a 9 year career with Verizon Wireless and was unanimously selected by the organization's Board of Directors as TGF's Executive Director in 2022. In his ten years at TGF Ryan has overseen the execution and expansion of all fundraising events and initiatives including Gala on the Bridge, CrossCurrents (formerly South Platte RiverFest), Reception on the River and the creation of TGF's monthly recurring giving program, FrOG (Friends of Greenway). Under Ryan's leadership as both Deputy Director and now Executive Director, TGF has also expanded is award winning environmental education program, SPREE, that provides award winning environmental education to thousands of Denver's youth each year. He also on the Quick Foundation Board of Directors and the La Paz Micro-Community Good Neighbor Committee.
Ryan is originally from the small town of Rincon, Georgia but has lived in Denver, Colorado since 2006. He graduated from the University of Georgia in 2006 with a degree in communications. Along with his wife, Faith, Ryan loves exploring all of Colorado with their dogs Chip and Miles. Ryan is a huge Georgia Bulldog football fan and always looks forward to the college football season. GO DAWGS!
Presenter
Amy Purdy
Inspirational World-Class Paralympic Athlete, Performer & Advocate,
At age 19, after experiencing flu-like symptoms, Amy Purdy was rushed to the hospital in a state of septic shock. Enroute, she experienced respiratory and multiple organ failure which caused her to lose circulation to her extremities. When she entered the hospital, she was given less than a 2% chance of survival, put on life support, and placed into a coma. After fighting for her life, multiple blood transfusions and the removal of her ruptured spleen, doctors diagnosed Amy with Meningococcal Meningitis, a highly deadly bacterial blood infection. Due to septic shock, doctors had to amputate her legs below the knee and a week before her 21st birthday Amy’s father donated a kidney to her making history as the first laparoscopic kidney transplant in the state of Nevada. After going through this life-altering experience, Amy challenged herself to move forward with her life and attain goals that even those who have both legs struggle to achieve. As an avid snowboarder, Amy’s main goal was to get back on the slopes. Just three months after her kidney transplant, and with plenty of duct tape and bolts, she built her first pair of snowboard feet and entered the USASA National Snowboarding Championship, where she won medals in three events. But she didn’t stop there. In 2005, along with her future husband Daniel Gale, she founded Adaptive Action Sports (AAS). This organization opened doors for individuals with physical disabilities, enabling them to participate in action sports, particularly snowboarding. Thanks to AAS's efforts, snowboarding was included in the 2014 Paralympic Games, with Amy herself making history by winning the inaugural bronze medal for Team USA. Her success continued, and at the 2018 Paralympics in South Korea, Amy added more medals to her collection – a bronze and a silver, making her at the time the most decorated Paralympic snowboarder in Team USA's history. But her accomplishments weren't confined to the slopes. Days after she stepped off the Paralympic podium, she stepped onto the dance floor as the first Paralympian to compete on the TV show Dancing with the Stars. With her partner Derek Hough, they went all the way to the finals coming in runner up and inspiring millions around the world, breaking boundaries and showcasing the power of creativity and the human spirit. Amy has evolved into a powerful internationally recognized motivational and keynote speaker. She travels around the globe speaking, frequently as the first woman to keynote for many top companies that in the past have only hired male speakers. Amy speaks to leading corporations and organizations including Disney, Berkshire Hathaway, the World Health Organization, Toyota, Microsoft, Coca-Cola, SAP, and Dell. Her incredible journey has been recognized and celebrated by none other than the iconic Oprah Winfrey, who featured her on Super Soul Sunday and named her one of her 100 thought leaders. Amy and her athletic abilities were even showcased in a Super Bowl commercial, solidifying her place as an inspiration to millions worldwide. Most recently Amy was Inaugurated into the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame. Beyond her personal achievements, Amy is a dedicated advocate for sports and their positive impact on society. She has collaborated with the International Olympic Committee, promoting sustainability, inclusion, peacebuilding, and gender equality, particularly among young leaders. Recently, she attended the World Health Organization Global Summit, where she championed the role of sports in international development and peace. Amy’s first memoir, On My Own Two Feet, endorsed by well-known figures such as Deepak Chopra and Elizabeth Gilbert quickly became a New York Times Bestseller and has been published around the world in ten different languages.
Presenter
Amy Purdy
Inspirational World-Class Paralympic Athlete, Performer & Advocate,
At age 19, after experiencing flu-like symptoms, Amy Purdy was rushed to the hospital in a state of septic shock. Enroute, she experienced respiratory and multiple organ failure which caused her to lose circulation to her extremities. When she entered the hospital, she was given less than a 2% chance of survival, put on life support, and placed into a coma. After fighting for her life, multiple blood transfusions and the removal of her ruptured spleen, doctors diagnosed Amy with Meningococcal Meningitis, a highly deadly bacterial blood infection. Due to septic shock, doctors had to amputate her legs below the knee and a week before her 21st birthday Amy’s father donated a kidney to her making history as the first laparoscopic kidney transplant in the state of Nevada. After going through this life-altering experience, Amy challenged herself to move forward with her life and attain goals that even those who have both legs struggle to achieve. As an avid snowboarder, Amy’s main goal was to get back on the slopes. Just three months after her kidney transplant, and with plenty of duct tape and bolts, she built her first pair of snowboard feet and entered the USASA National Snowboarding Championship, where she won medals in three events. But she didn’t stop there. In 2005, along with her future husband Daniel Gale, she founded Adaptive Action Sports (AAS). This organization opened doors for individuals with physical disabilities, enabling them to participate in action sports, particularly snowboarding. Thanks to AAS's efforts, snowboarding was included in the 2014 Paralympic Games, with Amy herself making history by winning the inaugural bronze medal for Team USA. Her success continued, and at the 2018 Paralympics in South Korea, Amy added more medals to her collection – a bronze and a silver, making her at the time the most decorated Paralympic snowboarder in Team USA's history. But her accomplishments weren't confined to the slopes. Days after she stepped off the Paralympic podium, she stepped onto the dance floor as the first Paralympian to compete on the TV show Dancing with the Stars. With her partner Derek Hough, they went all the way to the finals coming in runner up and inspiring millions around the world, breaking boundaries and showcasing the power of creativity and the human spirit. Amy has evolved into a powerful internationally recognized motivational and keynote speaker. She travels around the globe speaking, frequently as the first woman to keynote for many top companies that in the past have only hired male speakers. Amy speaks to leading corporations and organizations including Disney, Berkshire Hathaway, the World Health Organization, Toyota, Microsoft, Coca-Cola, SAP, and Dell. Her incredible journey has been recognized and celebrated by none other than the iconic Oprah Winfrey, who featured her on Super Soul Sunday and named her one of her 100 thought leaders. Amy and her athletic abilities were even showcased in a Super Bowl commercial, solidifying her place as an inspiration to millions worldwide. Most recently Amy was Inaugurated into the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame. Beyond her personal achievements, Amy is a dedicated advocate for sports and their positive impact on society. She has collaborated with the International Olympic Committee, promoting sustainability, inclusion, peacebuilding, and gender equality, particularly among young leaders. Recently, she attended the World Health Organization Global Summit, where she championed the role of sports in international development and peace. Amy’s first memoir, On My Own Two Feet, endorsed by well-known figures such as Deepak Chopra and Elizabeth Gilbert quickly became a New York Times Bestseller and has been published around the world in ten different languages.
Moderator
Kourtny Garrett
President & CEO, Downtown Denver Partnership
Panelist
Brian Earle
ZGF Architects LLP
Brian Earle is a Principal and Project Manager with ZGF with more than 17 years of experience leading mixed-use, multifamily, corporate and commercial, renovation, and master planning projects. With each project, Brian instills a rigor of collaboration and communication, ensuring that design and construction teams meet the client's goals. Brian works closely with owners to create environments that uniquely respond to their needs and the needs of users. Brian earned his Bachelor of Architecture from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He is a registered Architect in the Commonwealth of Virginia
Speaker
Christopher Higgins
McMaster University
Chris is an accomplished project manager who has developed a number of successful programs that overcome market barriers and result in lower energy buildings that are heated and cooled without on site pollution. He possesses a well-developed knowledge of energy use in residential buildings and has the experience to know the policy triggers to encourage action.
Chris supports affordable housing and civic high performance projects. Chris develops and implements building bylaw, policy, and incentive programs to achieve new buildings that run on renewable energy, while at the same time helping to reduce greenhouses gases from existing homes. He works to remove barriers existing home retrofit, and possesses an understanding of regulatory and incentive options a city has at its disposal. Increasingly Chris has been enabling electrification in buildings with process, policy, and incentive change. Chris is a spokesperson at national conferences and to various media outlets.
Chris is a Newfoundlander but has made British Columbia his home for the last quarter century.
Speaker
Reid Morgan
GRESB B.V.
Panelist
Mark Falcone
Continuum Partners, LLC
Mark Falcone founded Continuum Partners, LLC in Denver in 1997. Since its inception Continuum has successfully completed over $2 billion of development and established itself as a national leader of complex, mixed use urban infill projects. Prior to forming Continuum, Mark worked with The Rouse Company’s division of Office and Community Development in Baltimore, MD and served in several key roles in his family’s real estate development group, The Pioneer Companies. He graduated with a BA from Colgate University in 1985. Throughout his career Mark has been actively engaged in the dialog to advance more sustainable settlement patterns within his industry and amongst public policy makers. Over the years Mark has served in several volunteer leadership positions for the Nature Conservancy, a not-for-profit affordable housing developer and other various organizations focused on the issues and challenges of our built environment. Mark has also served on other boards including NEA’s Mayor’s Institute on City Design, Colgate University and the Bonfils Stanton Foundation. Currently Mark is a member of the University of Denver Board of Trustees, he serves as Vice – Chair of the Biennial of the Americas Board, is one of 2 Trustee Emeriti of the Museum of Contemporary Art/Denver and serves on the International Committee of the Tamayo Museum in Mexico City and the Whitney Museum’s National Committee. As chair of the Colorado Chapter of the Nature Conservancy, Mark led a statewide 50-million-dollar campaign for the protection of several major landscapes, including a collection of ranches in Southern Colorado which now make up the Great Sand Dunes National Park. In 2004 he and his wife Ellen Bruss donated a piece of land to the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver which led to the construction of a new building by David Adjaye. Mark led the 16-million-dollar capital campaign to fund the building. Mark is currently leading a new initiative between the Nature Conservancy and the Biennia
Panelist
Brian O’Donnell
Stantec
Brian O'Donnell is a Senior Architect and Senior Associate at Stantec, bringing over 15 years of experience to the field of architecture. Throughout his career, he has worked on a diverse range of projects, from a WELL gold mixed-use multifamily high rise to a large-scale cancer hospital in Dubai. Brian is engaged in his local community and currently co-chairs the ULI Colorado Building Healthy Places committee as well as an active member with the Downtown Denver Partnership.
Brian is deeply passionate about the role architecture plays in influencing and enhancing the health and sustainability of urban environments. He believes that architects have a profound responsibility to shape the world we live in, ensuring it is equitable, sustainable, and inclusive for all. Through his work, he strives to design projects that positively impact communities for generations to come.
Presenter
Marianne Eppig
Urban Land Institute
Marianne Eppig is a Director of Resilience within the ULI Randall Lewis Center for Sustainability in Real Estate, which is dedicated to creating healthy, resilient, and high-performance communities around the world. Marianne leads research and publications, training, technical assistance, and educational activities on resilience topics to support and enhance environmental performance, economic opportunity, and social equity in real estate and land use. Prior to joining the Urban Resilience team, Marianne was a Director with ULI Colorado, where she led advisory services, diversity, equity, and inclusion programming, building healthy places programming, and member committees across the state of Colorado. Before joining the ULI Colorado team, Marianne coordinated the year-long “City in 2050” initiative for ULI Columbus. Marianne has worked with organizations dedicated to sustainable development and resilient land use for over a decade. These include the Alliance for Sustainable Colorado (now the Alliance Center), Greater Ohio Policy Center (Ohio’s smart growth think and do tank), GreenCityBlueLake Institute (a nonprofit dedicated to sustainable land use), and BrownFlynn (a corporate sustainability consulting firm now called ERM). Marianne has a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies, Comparative Literature, and Spanish from Dartmouth College and master’s degrees in City and Regional Planning and in Public Policy and Administration from The Ohio State University.
Moderator
Ron Insana
Contributor and Senior Analyst, CNBC
Panelist
Phil Washington
CEO, Denver International Airport
Phillip A. Washington was initially nominated by Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock in July 2021 and most recently by current Mayor Mike Johnston in July 2023. He was unanimously confirmed by the Denver City Council as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Denver International Airport (DEN) both times. DEN ranks as the third-busiest airport in the U.S. and the fifth-busiest airport in the world. DEN is Colorado's largest economic engine with an annual economic impact of $36.4 billion. The airport has more than 40,000 badged employees, 26 air carriers, and over 200 concessions.
Washington oversees a $12 billion-dollar Capital Improvement Program (CIP). He has led the resurgence of the airport, creating an ambitious vision that includes completely retrofitting the airport to accommodate 50 million more passengers than its original design. Under Phil's direction, his team has completed the training curriculum and design for a one-of-a-kind "Center of Equity & Excellence in Aviation" that will introduce young people to the aviation industry and create career pathways for thousands.
Prior to Washington's arrival at DEN, he was the CEO of one of the largest public transit agencies in the country, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), from 2015 to 2021. At Metro, Washington managed a balanced budget of more than $8 billion and provided oversight of an agency with 11,000 employees that transported 1.2 million boarding passengers daily on a fleet of 2,200 clean-air buses and six rail lines.
Washington also served as the CEO of Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD) between 2009 and 2015 and worked as the assistant general manager of RTD for nearly 10 years before being named CEO. In Denver, he led and implemented the FasTracks program, one of the largest voter-approved transportation expansion programs in the country.
Originally from the South Side of Chicago, Washington is a 24-year veteran of the U.S. Army, where he ultimately held the rank of Command Sergeant Major, the highest non-commissioned officer rank an enlisted soldier can achieve. He retired from active duty, is a disabled veteran and was awarded the prestigious Defense Superior Service Medal for exceptional service to his country. He holds a B.A. in Business from Columbia College and an M.A. in Management from Webster University.
Panelist
Jen Schill
Senior Sustainability Manager, Colorado State University’s Institute for the Built Environment
Jennifer serves as a Senior Sustainability Manager for the Institute for the Built Environment at Colorado State University. An implementer by nature, Jen thrives on helping organizations, municipalities, and interdisciplinary teams transform strategic vision into impactful projects. She blends a collaborative spirit with a "let's get it done" attitude to keep teams moving together toward a common goal. At IBE, Jen leads a variety of organizational sustainability, community engagement, and education initiatives, including behavior change programs. She manages survey services, including community and organizational surveys related to climate action, behavior change and building occupancy surveys that help clients understand how building design and programming are impacting occupant health and wellbeing.
Jen's project management expertise spans green building, biomimicry, education, website development, communications, marketing, and ecology. A jack of many trades, Jen has previously worked at the Biomimicry Institute, the U.S. Green Building Council, the Center for Living Environments & Regeneration, a land trust, and an aquatic entomology lab, and she has provided consulting services to a variety of conservation nonprofits.
Panelist
Eric Dexter
Vice President of Civic Leadership Initiatives, Baton Rouge Area Foundation
Eric Dexter joined the Baton Rouge Area Foundation (BRAF) in August 2023 as the first Vice President of Civic Leadership Initiatives. In this role, he oversees major projects and leads initiatives aligned with BRAF's Opportunity Agenda, focusing on quality of life, regional resilience, strong neighborhoods, improved health outcomes, educational advancement, and economic prosperity.
Previously, Eric served as Vice President and Director of Business Development for Civil Solutions Consulting Group, where he played a key role in infrastructure development and community growth. Beyond his professional work, he is deeply engaged in community service, having served on boards and committees for the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, Capital Area United Way, Downtown Development District, and Ochsner-Baton Rouge.
A graduate of the Baton Rouge Area Leadership Program, Forum 35's John W. Barton, Sr. Community Development Leadership Program, and CABL's Leadership Louisiana Program, Eric has been recognized for his contributions as a Baton Rouge Business Report Forty Under 40 honoree, LABI's Young Businessperson-Free Enterprise Champion, and a "Capital Region 500" Leader.
Originally from Alexandria, Louisiana, Eric holds a Business Administration degree with a Marketing minor from Northwestern State University.
Panelist
Walter Isenberg
CEO, Sage Hospitality Resources
Walter Isenberg is an award-winning hotelier, restauranter, and placemaker with a deep understanding of how to create places people go to, not through. Since starting the company in 1984 with Zack Neumeyer, Walter has led Sage with heart and has truly become the embodiment of loving what you do and loving who you do it with
Walter directs the efforts of Sage's four companies – Sage Hotel Management, Sage Restaurant Concepts, Sage Investments, and Sage Studio. Over the last four decades, Walter's leadership has helped shape and grow Sage into a company known throughout the industry as a leader in hotel and restaurant operations, real estate investment, development, placemaking, strategic design and brand building.
Walter's career in hospitality started at the tender age of 14, when he was a dishwasher at a Kansas City area country club. Since then, his legacy includes not only a long history of successfully operating hotels across the country but also dozens of major adaptive reuse projects that have transformed neighborhoods, like the complete renovation of Denver's historic Union Station. Now, he is leading Sage forward into its next chapter with a focus on significant urban mixed-use developments and continuing to build Sage's brands while furthering the company's purpose of enriching lives, one experience at a time.
Walter is dedicated to mentoring the next generation of leaders and has volunteered his time on many boards, both in the hospitality industry and out, over the years. Long-time Denver residents, he and his wife Christie are passionate about giving back to the community and have been honored for their many outstanding contributions to the local community. They enjoy traveling the world and spending time with their adult daughters Nicole and Tirunesh.
Role
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Joined Sage
1984
Boards and Volunteer Work
American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) Board of Directors Executive Committee
Visit Denver
Downtown Denver Partnership
Colorado Concern
Awards and Recognition
2023 ULI Colorado Legacy Award for Lifetime Achievement
2019 Pinnacle Award, Denver Business Journal Most Admired CEOs
2017 Hospitality Design Platinum Circle Award
2017 Community Enrichment Award, Mizel Institute
Colorado Tourism Hall of Fame
Education
Cornell University, School of Hotel Administration
Moderator
Whitney Gray
International WELL Building Institute
At the International WELL Building Institute, Dr. Whitney Austin Gray leads oversight of research and the development of innovative strategies that seek to improve human health and wellness through building design. She holds dual appointments as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Georgetown University, and she is an internationally invited presenter and keynote speaker at conferences. She led the publication of the Global Research Agenda for Health, Well-being, and the Built Environment as well as the largest longitudinal study on WELL Certified buildings globally. Dr. Gray received her PhD from The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and was the first public health professional to become LEED AP. She is an honorary fellow at ASID, and has been recognized as one of the most influential people in sustainability in 2024.
Speaker
Julie Shiyou-Woodard
President & CEO, Smart Home America
Julie Shiyou-Woodard is the President and CEO of Smart Home America, a non-profit organization working at the intersections of disaster resilience, policy, affordable housing, and insurance. Under her leadership, Smart Home America has fostered a culture of resilience by supporting local efforts to implement proven solutions that strengthen homes and businesses, reducing disaster-related losses and insurance costs. Julie's advocacy has led to local and state policy changes that enhance building methods, codes, and incentives for construction. With over 20 years of experience in local and state government, Julie has developed and managed environmental and hazard mitigation projects in collaboration with federal, state, and local agencies. Her expertise allows her to collaborate effectively with leaders at various levels of government, implementing policies that support property mitigation and disaster resilience. Julie's contributions have been crucial to the success of programs like FORTIFIED Home™, FORTIFIED Multifamily™, and FORTIFIED Commercial™, resulting in thousands of designations and projects. Julie is committed to ensuring equity and closing the insurance gap for vulnerable populations. She has expanded Smart Home America's staff, added continuing education approvals in over 10 states, and broadened the organization's mission to improve workforce housing.
Speaker
Amanda Farris
Associate Director, University of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership
Amanda Farris is an Associate Director for the University of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership (MCAP). In this role she helps to coordinate the MCAP program and several ongoing grants, collaborates with regional partners, translates climate data and information to support decision-making, and builds networks of climate adaptation practitioners. Prior to joining the MCAP team, Amanda worked with the Carolinas Integrated Sciences & Assessments (CISA), an applied climate research team at the University of South Carolina Department of Geography.
Presenter
Jessica Durham
Les Bois Real Estate School
Jessica Durham is committed to providing exceptional, personalized service in all areas of the real estate market. As a licensed Realtor for over fifteen years and a broker since 2018, she has built her business on extensive knowledge and commitment to providing only the best and most timely information to her clients. Specializing in a wide array of real estate projects including residential sales, land development, market segmentation and demographics studies, subdivision and property management, and marketing strategy implementation. Jessica is one of a select few agents in Boise who represent St. Luke’s in their corporate relocation program, successfully working with incoming doctors and nurses relocating to the area. Additionally, Jessica is proud to serve on numerous community and real estate-focused boards and committees in the Treasure Valley empowering her to remain well-connected within the real estate community. Jessica serves on the Urban Land Institute’s Management Committee as the Idaho NEXT Chapter Chair (2020-2021), upcoming Urban Land Institute's Women's Leadership Initiative Chair (2022), Young Professionals Network's Board of Directors as the Vice-Chair, Boise Regional Realtors (BRR) Communications Committee (2021), and BRR Foundation Realtor Outreach Committee (2021). Jessica combines her love of education with a passion for real estate. She holds a bachelor's degree in marketing from Boise State University and an MBA from Northwest Nazarene University and uses her business background to strategically market properties and navigate the complex financial aspects of the real estate market. Jessica is a Realtor Circle of Excellence Top producer and ranks in the top 1% of the nearly 6,000+ Realtors in the Boise area. Jessica received a Circle of Excellence Platinum Award for her production in 2019. In 2019 Jessica's combined sales exceeded $17 Million in gross volume, ranking her in the top 5% of all Boise
Speaker
Summer Bundy
Director of Project Management, OneShoreline, San Mateo County
Summer Bundy is the Director of Project Management with the San Mateo County Sea Level Rise and Resiliency District, known as OneShoreline. She is an environmental engineer and program manager with over 26 years of experience working on municipal water and shoreline infrastructure planning and design projects. She has led multi-hazard climate vulnerability and adaptation planning for the Port of San Francisco, Metro Vancouver’s Liquid Waste Services Division, City of San Diego Stormwater Department, and City and County of Honolulu. At OneShoreline, is leads the agency’s multi-jurisdictional policy, planning, and design projects, with a focus on flood risk reduction and equity. She holds an M.S. in Energy Policy and Climate from Johns Hopkins University, and a B.S. in Environmental Resources Engineering from Cal Poly Humboldt. She also holds Envision and WEDG certifications.
Speaker
Greg Hettrick
Director, Community Investment, Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas
Greg leads the Bank's Community Investment team that provides grants to fund gaps in the financial structure of affordable housing, resilient housing and community revitalization projects throughout the Bank's five-state District. Over the last three years, FHLB Dallas has awarded over $124 million in competitive Affordable Housing Program (AHP) grants through member institutions, to support the development of over 12 thousand housing units. Under his leadership, the Bank has also created a $35 Million loan fund for member non-depository Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), a capacity building grant program for CDFIs and a program to support housing for Native American populations in the FHLB Dallas five state district. He also leads several other grant programs that support first time homebuyers, owner-occupied rehab, disaster recovery, wounded warriors, small businesses and community-based organizations. Greg also has responsibility for the Bank’s three Community Investment advance programs for member institutions.
Prior to joining the FHLB Dallas in 2008, Greg spent 17 years with Bank of America, including 10 years with its Community Development Corporation (BACDC) and Real Estate Development Group in Dallas, Texas. During his tenure at Bank of America, Greg acquired, redeveloped and delivered more than 2,700 affordable multifamily rental units and over 225 single family homes. Prior to his time at BACDC, Greg also led Bank of America’s Community Investment team for the Carolinas and Delaware. Greg also has experience in commercial and retail banking.
Greg earned both his bachelor's in finance and his Master of Business Administration degrees from the University of South Carolina.
Panelist
Dorit Fischer
Partner, NAI Shames Makovsky
Dorit is a partner at NAI Shames Makovsky, where she brings a deep passion for urban development,
particularly in her hometown of Denver. Specializing in commercial real estate, Dorit's practice
encompasses strategic planning and execution across all asset classes. She works closely with public
entities, corporations, non-profits, and individual owners, fostering long-lasting relationships built on trust,
expertise, and exceptional service. Dorit excels at offering creative solutions to complex problems, helping
clients think beyond the conventional and achieve their real estate goals.
Since joining NAI Shames Makovsky in 2002, Dorit has represented a diverse range of clients, including
buyers, sellers, landlords, and tenants across office, retail, and industrial sectors. Over the past 12 years,
she has been dedicated to managing the commercial real estate needs of Denver Health, leading campus
planning and strategic initiatives. In addition to her work with Denver Health, Dorit has collaborated with
high-profile organizations such as the Denver Housing Authority and Denver Public Schools, partnering
with her business associate Hayden Hirschfeld to optimize real estate portfolios.
Dorit's expertise also extends to working with local real estate owners and investors of all sizes, helping
them navigate Denver's dynamic market. A licensed real estate broker in Colorado, she is also a part-
owner of several commercial properties in the Denver area. As a Denver native, she lives in the city with
her husband and four children. Outside of work, Dorit is passionate about exploring new cities, traveling,
and contributing to her community through philanthropy.
Education
University of Pennsylvania, BA in Diplomatic History
Experience
2002-Present: Broker, NAI Shames Makovsky, Denver, CO
1995-2002: Human Resources Recruiter, Denver, CO
Professional Affiliations
President, Downtown Denver Partnership Management Board
Finance Committee Member, Downtown Denver Partnership
Policy Committee, Downtown Denver Partnership
Awards
BISNOW: Denver Women Leading Real Estate Trailblazer Award Honoree (2023)
Ranked #1 Woman as NAI Global Top Producer Worldwide (2022)
DMCAR Heavy Hitters in Commercial Real Estate "#2 Top Land Broker" Award (2021)
Ranked among NAI Global's Top Producers Worldwide (2021)
DMCAR Heavy Hitters in Commercial Real Estate: "#1 Retail Broker" Award (2018)
Moderator
Craig Halpern
Vice President, Risk Innovation and Sustainability, IMA Corp
Craig Halpern (VP Risk Innovation & Sustainability) is an Engineer as well as a certified Safety Professional with over 30 years of experience in consulting with clients to reduce their operational risks. Craig currently leads IMA's outreach to clients to mitigate their Climate Risk, improve their Sustainability, and enhance the Resiliency of their facilities. Craig's interests include Energy Efficiency, Carbon Accounting, Solar, Energy Storage Systems, and Property Resiliency.
Speaker
Janelle Kellman
Founder & CEO, Center for Sea Rise Solutions
Janelle Kellman is an action-oriented dynamic leader with a track record of success. She served as Mayor of Sausalito in 2022 and now sits on the Sausalito City Council. Known for her collaborative approach in handling complex, multi-stakeholder issues, she easily solves challenges spanning climate resilience, housing equity, and economic development. A global climate leader, Janelle founded the Center for Sea Rise Solutions in 2020, addressing coastal resilience, workforce development and ocean health. The nonprofit launched an international blue economy job creation program in partnership with the City and Port of Barcelona, and the World Ocean Council. Janelle holds an undergraduate degree in History from Yale, a master’s in environmental management from Oxford, and a J.D. from Stanford Law. Her impeccable public service track record, visionary leadership, and steadfast commitment to driving positive change make her an ideal candidate for broader political roles - she is currently running for Lieutenant Governor of California 2026.
Panelist
Becca Timms
Director of ESG, Jamestown L.P.
Becca Timms is the Director of ESG at Jamestown. She leads environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives through the Jamestown Green program. Prior to joining Jamestown in 2012, Ms. Timms worked as a local government consultant for Clark Patterson Lee, where she served as Community Development Coordinator and Sustainability Commission Staff Liaison for the City of Dunwoody. She is a Certified Energy Manager (CEM) and holds a LEED AP O+M credential. Ms. Timms is an active volunteer with the Urban Land Institute, the US Green Building Council, and Community Farmers Markets. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Environmental Policy from Sewanee: the University of the South and a Master of Science in Sustainable Development: Environmental Policy and Management from Utrecht University.
Presenter
Dana Schoewe
Principal, RCLCO
Presenter
Richard Reinhard
The Lakelands Institute
Rick Reinhard is principal of Niagara Consulting Group, focusing on house-of-worship reuse and redevelopment and broader economic-development initiatives. For more than three decades, Rick led business improvement districts and redevelopment agencies in five US and UK cities and served as chief of staff to the mayor of Buffalo More recently Rick joined United Methodist Church leadership as Chief Administrative Officer of the General Board of Church and Society, its social-justice agency, then heading A Future With Hope, working on the interface between real estate and community for the bishop of the Greater New Jersey Conference. He has taught city planning and urban policy at seven major research universities.
Panelist
Rhys Duggan
President & CEO, Revesco Properties
Rhys Duggan has been a real estate investor/developer since 1996. Mr. Duggan has served in senior level commercial development roles in Vancouver, B.C., Denver and Nassau, Bahamas. He is currently a Founder, and President & CEO of Revesco Properties, a boutique real estate development and investment firm with offices in Denver, Colorado and Vancouver, B.C.
Through his current leadership of Revesco Properties he continues to develop and invest in retail, residential, and mixed-use projects. He is a founder of Revesco Properties Trust, a private mutual fund trust based in Vancouver with a focus on the acquisition of retail and mixed-use assets in select U.S. markets. He is also a founder of the akin brand of multifamily properties, with four projects currently under development in the Denver market. Also in the Denver market he is a Principal in, and the Managing Member of the consortium that purchased Elitch Gardens in June, 2015 which he rezoned into the future 62-acre downtown riverfront development known as The River Mile.
Mr. Duggan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Simon Fraser University in Burnaby B.C. (1990) and currently splits his time between Vancouver and his Denver residence in Lower Highlands.
Speaker
Richard Graves
Research Director, Center for Sustainable Building Research, University of Minnesota - College of Design
Richard is the Director of the Center for Sustainable Building Research and an associate professor in the College of Design at the University of Minnesota. From 2012 to 2014, he was the Executive Director of the International Living Future Institute, leading the operations and strategic efforts around all of the Institute's signature programs. His research focuses on regenerative design as a fundamentally new approach that must be required of architecture across scales (from the building to the neighborhood to the city) to achieve sustainable and resilient urban development in a dynamic world.
Panelist
Matt Mrva
Director of Planning & Landscape Architecture, Bohler
With almost 30 years of experience in planning and landscape architecture, Matt Mrva, RLA, brings a strategic and collaborative approach to land development. As Principal at Bohler, he specializes in integrating planning, landscape architecture, and civil engineering to create innovative, sustainable, and community-driven spaces. With extensive experience in designing affordable and attainable housing developments, Matt understands the balance between cost-effective design, functional amenities, and placemaking strategies that support vibrant, resilient communities. His expertise spans open space planning, recreation and amenity space design, and streetscape improvements across New England and beyond. Matt will moderate an engaging discussion on how developers are navigating the challenges of rising costs while delivering successful affordable housing projects.
Speaker
David Righter
Senior Climate Action Planner, Introba
David is a Senior Climate Action Planner at Introba with over 10 years of experience in sustainability planning for government, healthcare, tech, and higher education. As part of Introba’s Climate Team, he conducts climate risk and vulnerability assessments to inform actionable strategies for improving resilience at the building and community scale. In his work with Canadian health organizations, David has helped develop tools to support portfolio-level resilience planning reaching hundreds of health facilities.
Speaker
Despo Thoma
Director of Resilience, SCAPE Landscape Architecture DPC
Despo is the Director of Resilience at SCAPE, where she leads teams in urban design and resilience planning to forge nature-based, community-centered strategies that help communities adapt to our changing climate. Her work connects the dots between the environment, people, and design—whether through actionable resilience plans that reduce climate risk, implementation of multi-layered and multi-benefit infrastructure, or climate visualizations that make complex challenges accessible and help guide decision-making. Despo’s recent work includes New York State’s Roadmap for Envisioning Managed Retreat, Louisiana’s Coastal Master Plan, Massachusetts’ ResilientCoasts Plan, Battery Park City’s North/West Resiliency Project, and Climate Ready Dorchester in Boston.
Presenter
Fareed Zakaria
Host of Fareed Zakaria GPS, CNN
Fareed Zakaria hosts Fareed Zakaria GPS for CNN Worldwide. He is a columnist for The Washington Post and a bestselling author. Fareed Zakaria GPS is a weekly international and domestic affairs program that airs around the world on CNN. Since its debut in 2008, it has featured interviews with Barack Obama, Emmanuel Macron, Narendra Modi, Vladimir Putin, Benjamin Netanyahu, Condoleezza Rice, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Greta Thunberg, and the Dalai Lama, among others. Zakaria regularly hosts primetime specials for CNN. They include documentaries on U.S. history and foreign leaders, as well as profiles of extraordinary creators such as Billy Joel and Francis Ford Coppola. He has been nominated for several Emmys for his television work and has won one. His weekly show has won the prestigious Peabody Award. Fareed’s Global Briefing, a daily digital newsletter, is one of the most widely read of CNN’s newsletters around the world. His column for The Washington Post remains one of the longest-running for that newspaper. Zakaria is the author of five highly-regarded New York Times bestselling books. His most recent release, Age of Revolutions: Progress and Backlash from 1600 to the Present, debuted at #2 on the New York Times bestseller list and was called “the indispensable book for understanding the world today” by Walter Isaacson. The book offers insight into how societies have historically embraced and resisted change to help readers better comprehend the four major revolutions in economics, technology, identity, and geopolitics that are shaping our unstable and polarized world today. Previous titles include: Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World, on how the pandemic reshaped society; The Post-American World, a discussion of the rise of non-Western powers; The Future of Freedom (2003), a study of “illiberal democracy” in various countries; and In Defense of a Liberal Education (2015), a commentary on the importance of a well-rounded education. Three of these were international bestsellers, translated into more than 20 languages. Zakaria was named a “Top 10 Global Thinker of the Last 10 Years” by Foreign Policy magazine in 2019, and Esquire called him “the most influential foreign policy adviser of his generation.” He has received a National Magazine Award, the Arthur Ross Media Award from the American Academy of Diplomacy, and the Deadline Club Award. In 2010, the Government of India awarded him the Padma Bhushan, one of its highest civilian honors, and in 2022, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky awarded him the Order of Merit. Prior to his tenure at CNN, Zakaria was editor of Newsweek International, managing editor of Foreign Affairs, a columnist for Time, an analyst for ABC News, and the host of Foreign Exchange with Fareed Zakaria on PBS. Zakaria earned a bachelor’s degree from Yale University, a doctorate in political science from Harvard University, and has received numerous honorary degrees.
Moderator
Rosie Hepner
Vice President, Terwilliger Center for Housing, Urban Land Institute
Rosemarie Hepner serves as Vice President of the ULI Terwilliger Center for Housing. In this role, Rosie oversees the Center's wide-ranging activities, including its technical assistance engagements, research and publications, housing awards program, and annual housing conference.
Before joining ULI in 2017, she worked for two international development nonprofits, most recently as the International Capital Markets Specialist at Habitat for Humanity International. In that role, Rosie supported the operations for the MicroBuild Fund (Habitat's housing microfinance fund), and managed the State of Housing Microfinance survey reports. Rosie holds a Master's in City and Regional Planning from The Catholic University of America's School of Architecture and Planning, where her research focused on low-income housing practices and design. Her thesis examined housing reconstruction in informal settlements post-disaster. She also holds a B.A. from The George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs.
Speaker
Ashley Muse
Muse Design & Consulting
After holding leadership roles in nonprofits, corporate sustainability, and philanthropy, Ashley Muse founded Muse Design and Consulting to help purpose-driven organizations amplify impact at the intersection of health, climate, and nature. With 20 years of experience in real estate, she has worked across scales, integrating sustainability and resilience into buildings, master plans, and portfolios. Her work now extends beyond the built environment to advance climate and nature-based strategies in land conservation, agriculture, fashion, and tourism.
With a background in architecture, Ashley has two decades of experience on green buildings and urban redevelopment projects across the country in the role of consultant and owner/developer. Her project work spans scales of design (including interiors, core and shell architecture, infrastructure, and mixed-use urban planning), in a range of typologies (from mixed use to commercial to housing), pursuing impact through different system lenses (carbon, water, ecology, IEQ, public health, climate adaptation).
Over the last few years Ashley has established her own consultancy where she is applying her strategy and facilitation skills beyond the building industry to advance place and nature based climate initiatives in other fields including land conservation, fashion and apparel, agriculture and food systems, and travel and tourism.
Speaker
Marybeth Groff
Hazard Mitigation & Climate Adaptation Coordinator, Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA)
Marybeth Groff, CFM is the State Hazard Mitigation & Climate Adaptation Coordinator at the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA). Her primary role is co-lead of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Climate Adaptation Program, in partnership with the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. She is also co-Chair of the ResilientMass Action Team and is responsible for the implementation, maintenance and update of the ResilientMass Plan, the State’s Hazard Mitigation & Climate Adaptation Plan. Ms. Groff also serves as State Coordinator for the USACE MA Silver Jackets Team and is Co-Chair of the ASFPM Flood Mitigation Committee. She holds a Master of Science in Planning from Florida State University and a Bachelor of Science in Coastal Marine Management and Policy from the University of Rhode Island.
Presenter
Alex Haecker
Owner, AWH Architects
Alex Haecker has over 30 years of professional experience in design, architecture, historic preservation, adaptive reuse and rehabilitation. Alex has worked on a wide array of projects during the course of his career, but has focused on adaptive reuse, historic preservation, urban infill, and workplace environments. Along with his architecture practice he is deeply committed to serving the community by both serving on non-profit boards and being a past 3 term Commissioner on the Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission. This dedication, both professionally and personally, affords him the extensive knowledge of historic renovations, additions, and renovations of existing buildings and spaces. His work encompasses residential, municipal, non-profit, educational and corporate clients across the nation.
Panelist
Ari Bargil
Senior Attorney, Institute for Justice
Ari Bargil is a senior attorney with the Institute for Justice. He joined IJ's Florida Office in September of 2012, and litigates constitutional cases protecting economic liberty, property rights, school choice, and free speech in both federal and state courts.
Ari is co-lead of IJ's Zoning Justice Project, a campaign to protect and promote the freedom to peacefully and productively use property. As part of that work, Ari frequently represents property owners battling aggressive zoning regulations and excessive fines in state and federal court nationwide. He has represented a small-business owner in Dallas, Texas, and a married couple in Wilmington, North Carolina, in challenges to highly controversial "amortization" ordinances—laws that unconstitutionally seek to eradicate already-existing legal land uses. Ari has also litigated in state and federal court challenging the constitutionality of catastrophic fines for trivial code-enforcement violations.
In addition to maintaining an active litigation practice in all of IJ's core areas, Ari also regularly testifies before state and local legislative bodies and committees on issues ranging from occupational licensing to property rights regulation. Ari has also spearheaded several successful legislative campaigns in Florida, including the effort to legalize the sale of 64-ounce "growlers" by craft breweries and the Florida Legislature's passage of the Right to Garden Act—a reform which made it unlawful for local governments to ban residential vegetable gardens throughout the state.
Ari's work has been featured by USA Today, NPR, Fox News, Washington Post, Miami Herald, Dallas Morning News and other national and local publications.
A native Floridian, Ari attended the Florida State University College of Law. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Florida in 2006.
Speaker
Dana Brechwald
Assistant Planning Director for Climate Adaptation, SF Bay Conservation and Development
Dana works with regional stakeholders to develop innovative climate adaptation and resilience solutions for the Bay shoreline and is the Project Director for BCDC’s Bay Adapt initiative. Previously, she was the Adapting to Rising Tides Program Manager at BCDC and a Resilience Planner at the Metropolitan Transportation Commission/Association of Bay Area Governments, focusing on hazard mitigation and long‐term disaster recovery planning, where she designed and managed several projects aimed at increasing resilience to earthquake and climate change hazards. She has also worked in partnership with FEMA, the EPA, and local jurisdictions on long-term recovery planning, multi-hazard vulnerability assessments, and integrating resilience into General Plans. Dana has also worked as a sustainability consultant, and with the Salvation Army and the City and County of San Francisco to develop disaster recovery guidelines and best practices. Dana holds a Bachelor of Architecture from UC Berkeley, and a Master of Urban Planning from Harvard Graduate School of Design.
Panelist
Dan Cohen
President, AC Development Co.
For the past three decades Dan's passion and dedication has been creating exceptional mixed-use and sustainable places in an urban context. As President of AC Development Co., Dan leads the real estate arm of the Coors Family and its multi-block redevelopment project in downtown Golden, Colorado known as Clayworks. He has previously held senior positions at McWhinney (Denver) and Catellus (San Francisco), as well as leading his own company. Dan holds two undergraduate degrees from UC Berkeley and a master's degree from M.I.T. He has lived in Boulder with his family for the past 18 years and is a native of California.
Panelist
Jill Sherman
Partner, Edlen & Co
Jill is a Co-Founder of Edlen & Co. and leads the company's public-private partnerships and work with non-profits, facilitating the important work of nonprofits and public agencies in our communities. Her projects at Edlen & Co., and previously at Gerding Edlen which she joined in 2003, include affordable housing, community facilities and mixed-use developments. Jill sources new deals and manages all aspects of the development process, with a depth of experience at integrating non-conventional sources of financing including tax credits and urban renewal funds. She holds a Master's of Urban Studies from Portland State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania. She previously served on the City of Portland's Planning and Sustainability Commission and currently serves on the board of Architectural Foundation of Oregon and as an Advisory Board member for Portland State University's Center for Real Estate.
Panelist
Laura Rossbert
COO + Housing Specialist, Shopworks Architecture
Laura joined Shopworks Architecture in 2019 after co-leading the development of Arroyo Village in Denver, which created a new homeless shelter for women and transgender individuals, 35 units of supportive housing, and 95 units of workforce housing using a trauma-informed lens. Laura brings to Shopworks her experiences as a non-profit leader and community organizer/community engagement specialist. She is using her expertise and knowledge in best practices in homelessness and supportive housing to inform building design at Shopworks and find solutions to barriers to affordable housing, with special attention to trauma, resiliency, and equity.
Speaker
Mikaela Hiatt
Associate Transportation Planner, Transportation Authority of Marin (TAM)
Mikaela’s work is focused on sea level rise and climate adaptation. She has master’s degrees in landscape architecture and city and Regional Planning from UC Berkeley and has worked for the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, the City of Oakland’s Department of Transportation, C/CAG San Mateo County, Via, and now the Transportation Authority of Marin. In these roles she worked on corridor studies, ITS programs, active transportation plans, alternative fuel programs, and most recently sea level rise planning and programming and its impacts on the transportation system.
Presenter
Lindsey Scannapieco
Scout
process registration ULI Philadelphia Oxford Mills Tour after terms are updated. bill to cc ending in 8057
Presenter
Bobby Dishell
Cloudbreak Energy Partners, LLC
Bobby Dishell is General Counsel of Cloudbreak Energy Partners, a national developer of distributed and utility-scale solar and storage projects. Prior to this, Bobby was a real estate attorney at a prominent Denver law firm, where he advised clients on transactional matters including industrial acquisition, disposition, development, and work related to multifamily assets. Bobby also guided his clients through advanced energy matters including building energy efficiency retrofits, solar and wind leasing and development, and planning for and meeting regulatory requirements to reduce building energy use. He also served as a publicly elected official, overseeing Denver's transit agency with an annual operating budget of over $1.2B. As part of his board service, he revamped the audit committee and function, helped pass zero fare for youth, served as a trustee for the pension and defined contribution plans, and served on the Board's executing committee.
He regularly writes and speaks on topics related to real estate, advanced energy, and ESG. Bobby was recognized in the Denver Business Journal's 2023 40 Under 40 list, he is recognized in Colorado Super Lawyers Rising Stars 2023 and 2024, in Best Lawyers Colorado Ones to Watch 2024, in ColoradoBiz's list of Top 25 Most Influential Young Professionals, and he was recognized as one of five to be an Up and Coming Lawyer by Law Week Colorado in 2021. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan, his master's degree from John Hopkins University, and his law degree from the University of Colorado.
Bobby is passionate about working with the built environment to reduce emissions and increase resiliency. Outside of work, you can find Bobby at your local brewery or trying a new restaurant around town, up in the mountains, or with his family.
Panelist
Kate Harper
VP, Global Real Estate, WeWork
VP, Global Real Estate
Kate started at WeWork in August 2015 as a Real Estate lawyer, first overseeing growth of the West Coast portfolio and eventually managing the Real Estate legal team for the US & Canada. In 2018, Kate moved to the Global RE team and is now responsible for leading complex transactions, growth strategy, and product incubation in addition to overseeing multiple market portfolios in the US.
Kate also serves on WeWork's Global Diversity Leadership Council, which focuses on expanding and implementing the company's DEI initiatives, and is an Executive Sponsor of Parents at WeWork.
Prior to WeWork, Kate worked as a real estate associate in the New York office of Paul Hastings LLP. Kate received her JD from Columbia University and a BA in Religious Studies from Yale University. She lives in New York City with her husband, Rob, and two young sons, Charlie & Sam.
Panelist
Patricia Belden
Executive Vice President of Development, The Community Builders, Inc.
Patricia Belden joined The Community Builders in 2020 as executive vice president of real estate development. Prior to joining TCB, Belden
worked for 25 years at Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH), a leading multiregional affordable housing nonprofit. Belden worked her way from project manager to managing director and COO, co-leading all development, including POAH's entry into the Chicago market and its Choice Neighborhoods grant-funded work there. She also served as President of the POAH Communities property management company and launched the organization's Community Impact program which focuses on helping seniors age in place, and residents achieve economic stability and
mobility.
Belden is active on several boards of national associations including the Housing Partnership Network and National Affordable Housing Trust, a
nonprofit tax credit syndicator. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Cornell University and has a master's degree in public policy from the
Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
Presenter
Fareed Zakaria
Host of Fareed Zakaria GPS, CNN
Fareed Zakaria hosts Fareed Zakaria GPS for CNN Worldwide. He is a columnist for The Washington Post and a bestselling author. Fareed Zakaria GPS is a weekly international and domestic affairs program that airs around the world on CNN. Since its debut in 2008, it has featured interviews with Barack Obama, Emmanuel Macron, Narendra Modi, Vladimir Putin, Benjamin Netanyahu, Condoleezza Rice, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Greta Thunberg, and the Dalai Lama, among others. Zakaria regularly hosts primetime specials for CNN. They include documentaries on U.S. history and foreign leaders, as well as profiles of extraordinary creators such as Billy Joel and Francis Ford Coppola. He has been nominated for several Emmys for his television work and has won one. His weekly show has won the prestigious Peabody Award. Fareed’s Global Briefing, a daily digital newsletter, is one of the most widely read of CNN’s newsletters around the world. His column for The Washington Post remains one of the longest-running for that newspaper. Zakaria is the author of five highly-regarded New York Times bestselling books. His most recent release, Age of Revolutions: Progress and Backlash from 1600 to the Present, debuted at #2 on the New York Times bestseller list and was called “the indispensable book for understanding the world today” by Walter Isaacson. The book offers insight into how societies have historically embraced and resisted change to help readers better comprehend the four major revolutions in economics, technology, identity, and geopolitics that are shaping our unstable and polarized world today. Previous titles include: Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World, on how the pandemic reshaped society; The Post-American World, a discussion of the rise of non-Western powers; The Future of Freedom (2003), a study of “illiberal democracy” in various countries; and In Defense of a Liberal Education (2015), a commentary on the importance of a well-rounded education. Three of these were international bestsellers, translated into more than 20 languages. Zakaria was named a “Top 10 Global Thinker of the Last 10 Years” by Foreign Policy magazine in 2019, and Esquire called him “the most influential foreign policy adviser of his generation.” He has received a National Magazine Award, the Arthur Ross Media Award from the American Academy of Diplomacy, and the Deadline Club Award. In 2010, the Government of India awarded him the Padma Bhushan, one of its highest civilian honors, and in 2022, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky awarded him the Order of Merit. Prior to his tenure at CNN, Zakaria was editor of Newsweek International, managing editor of Foreign Affairs, a columnist for Time, an analyst for ABC News, and the host of Foreign Exchange with Fareed Zakaria on PBS. Zakaria earned a bachelor’s degree from Yale University, a doctorate in political science from Harvard University, and has received numerous honorary degrees.
Speaker
John Thigpen
Vice President, Sustainability Services, JLL
John Thigpen
Vice President | Sustainability Consulting
Current Responsibilities
John is a Vice President of Sustainability Consulting with JLL’s Project and Development Services group and leads the Climate Risk and Government sectors for JLL’s Sustainabilty team in the Americas. He recently co-authored JLL’s research report about the SEC’s new climate disclosure rule and implications for commercial real estate. He is responsible for business development, client relationship management, and project delivery with a focus on sustainability for JLL clients.
Experience
John recently returned to JLL after completing a 3-year grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies to serve as the Climate Advisor to the City of Charlotte as part of the American Cities Climate Challenge. In this role, John was responsible for developing policies and projects that accelerated the City’s efforts to equitably and substantively reduce their carbon footprint. Some of his accomplishments include executing a 35MW offsite solar energy project, developing a workforce training program for careers in clean energy, and updating and implementing the City’s sustainable facilities policy that governs how municipal buildings are constructed and operated.
In a previous role with JLL, John acted as the Energy & Sustainability Services Manager for JLL Sustainable Operations accounts including:
Duke Energy
SC Johnson
Army Office of Energy Initiatives
Blue Cross Blue Shield
Bank of America
In that role, John focused on developing and executing energy and sustainability strategies that fit within the client’s financial goals, mission, and vision.
Prior to his work with the City of Charlotte and JLL, John worked for Family Dollar Stores, leading their demand and supply-side energy management for their >8,000 retail locations. His responsibilities included electricity and natural gas procurement, rate management, benchmarking and analysis, renewable energy projects, as well as company education, awareness, and outreach.
Education and Affiliations
John has a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and a Master’s Degree in Environmental Studies from the College of Charleston.
Speaker
Molly McCabe
HaydenTanner/The Lotus Campaign
Molly McCabe, CEO & Founder, HaydenTanner Co-Founder, The Lotus Campaign, A veteran of the Real Estate Industry, Molly describes herself as a Scout, MapMaker and BridgeBuilder. When she's not raising capital or working on an development project you can find her hanging out with her Social Media Team (aka, her dogs) someplace outside. Molly co-founded The Lotus Campaign, a non-profit firm, to bring a private sector solution to increase the availability of homes for people experiencing homelessness by engaging the private, for-profit real estate community. (www.lotuscampaign.org) She founded HaydenTanner after spending many years in commercial real estate finance, capital markets and development. She has spent her career cultivating practical solutions and strategies to accelerate the emergence of resilient buildings and vibrant, sustainable cities. Now she works with clients to channel investment capital to optimize asset and portfolio level returns, enhance resiliency, community vibrancy and livability while meeting economic objectives. Recent work has focused on Qualified Opportunity Funds and Opportunity Zones. Molly is Chair Emeritus of the Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) Responsible Property Investment Council, former board member of the Center for Sustainability and Economic Prosperity and current board member of The Fresh Water Trust. She is also the author of the book: Practical Greening: The Bottom Line On Sustainable Property Development, Investment and Financing and “Driving value: Responsible and Resilient Property Investing in the New Millennium” for Institutional Real Estate Investor. She has taught at the Boston Architectural College and has lectured at Pinchot University. Previously she founded VC funded, commercial mortgage backed securities firm, Bridger Commercial Funding, ran Bank of America’s Real Estate Capital Markets group and was a commercial construction lender with Wells Fargo Bank.
Panelist
Althea Broughton
Partner, Real Estate Practice Group, Arnall Golden Gregory, LLP
Althea Broughton is a partner in Arnall Golden Gregory's Real Estate Practice. Ms. Broughton represents developers, government agencies and tax credit investors in affordable and workforce housing transactions, mixed-use and urban redevelopment transactions, transactions and conventional real estate transactions. Through her work, Ms. Broughton has played a critical role in the creation or preservation of tens of thousands of units of affordable and workforce housing. Ms. Broughton has held several leadership positions in the firm including serving as Hiring Partner, Chair of the Real Estate Practice Group and as Chair of the Diversity Committee. She is a member of the ULI Atlanta Capital Markets Council and the National ULI Affordable Housing Product Council.
Ms. Broughton has been recognized as an Atlanta 500 Leader by Atlanta Magazine, a Best Lawyers in America for Real Estate Law, a Globe St. Woman of Influence (CRE Counsel), a Atlanta Business Chronicle Woman Who Means Business, a Georgia Super Lawyer in the area of Real Estate, a 2018 Law and Justice Woman of the Year (Law and Justice Awards), the Most Effective Deal Maker (Fulton County Daily Report/ Georgia Legal Awards) and an Atlanta Tribune Women of Influence. She is a recipient of the National 2014 CREW Network Impact Award for Economic and Community Improvement for her work on the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, and she is also the recipient of the Hyperion Award from the Women's Affordable Housing Network. Ms. Broughton is a fellow in the American College of Real Estate Lawyers, an organization which recognizes national preeminence in the practice of real estate law.
Presenter
Lindsey Scannapieco
Scout
process registration ULI Philadelphia Oxford Mills Tour after terms are updated. bill to cc ending in 8057
Panelist
Adam Ducker
CEO, REE, RCLCO
Adam Ducker is Chief Executive Officer of RCLCO where he leads the firm's Real Estate Economics and Management Consulting practices. He joined in the mid-1990s as an associate directly after graduate school and learned the trade with the firm. He is a recognized expert in planning for organizational growth and talent management, capital strategy, investment analysis, market and financial analysis, and marketing of real estate assets. He has particular depth of expertise in high-density housing, retail/entertainment, and hotel/resort development. The Mountain Resorts is one of Adam's passion and where he spends much of his consulting time.
Adam is a member of the Executive Committee of RCLCO, which manages shared resources and oversees overall company strategy. He also sits on the board of the RCLCO Foundation.
Adam is a frequent speaker on topics ranging from place-making, urban redevelopment, retail trends, and in-town housing. His writing has been widely published and quoted in publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Urban Land, Real Assets, among others. He is an active member of the ULI, a member of the Recreation Development Council (Blue), and a board member of the Terwilliger Center for Housing. A native of the New York metropolitan area, Adam received Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Columbia University.
Panelist
Michael Gradis
Planning Manager, City of Centennial
Michael Gradis is an experienced urban planner based in the Denver metro area, specializing in land use, development regulations, and process improvement. With a deep understanding of urban development and regulatory frameworks, he plays a key role in shaping future ready and context-sensitive growth in his community.
Currently serving as the Planning Manager for the City of Centennial, Michael leads efforts in rethinking and reshaping development expectations to ensure well-designed, functional, and resilient built environments. His work involves crafting policies that balance innovation with hard truths, including integrating multi-family developments, transit-oriented-ish growth, and realistic land use solutions. He also collaborates with elected officials, planning commissions, and stakeholders to navigate complex planning challenges and facilitate informed decision-making.
Beyond policy development, Michael is an advocate for incremental change and thoughtful suburban retrofit. Michael holds a passion for the small details, city-building, and challenging the social constructs of zoning. Michael holds a B.A. from James Madison College at Michigan State University, and an M.U.P. from the University of Michigan.
Panelist
Jaime Del Alamo
VP - ESG Value & Risk Lead, JLL
Hello everyone, I'm Jaime, a Spanish guy in New York who has been on a Commercial Real Estate journey for over 8 years now. With a strong financial background, i've been able to obtain experiences in Valuations and Capital Markets across various European regions as well as in the USA. For almost two years now, I've been soaking up the vibrant energy of NYC while building up a passion for Sustainability that begun a couple years back. As someone who thrives on adventure and challenges, I made a bold decision to forge a completely new role that marries both, my passions and my expertise, bridging the gap between capital markets and sustainability in the US, as I believe returns will drive the change. Aside from my professional endeavors, I have a few fun facts up my sleeve. For starters, I'm able to confidently speak in four languages. On top of that, I used to be a competitive track and field athlete specializing in the 400 and 800 meters, until just a couple of years ago. Being a curious soul, I adore traveling and discovering new horizons. Exploring the world fuels my creative spirit and broadens my perspective. Now, I'm thrilled to be joining ULI and eager to connect with passionate individuals in the real estate industry who share my personal and professional interests. I can't wait to exchange ideas, forge meaningful connections, and make a lasting impact together. Let's navigate the world of real estate in a sustainable and passionate way!
Presenter
Rosie Hepner
Vice President, Terwilliger Center for Housing, Urban Land Institute
Rosemarie Hepner serves as Vice President of the ULI Terwilliger Center for Housing. In this role, Rosie oversees the Center's wide-ranging activities, including its technical assistance engagements, research and publications, housing awards program, and annual housing conference.
Before joining ULI in 2017, she worked for two international development nonprofits, most recently as the International Capital Markets Specialist at Habitat for Humanity International. In that role, Rosie supported the operations for the MicroBuild Fund (Habitat's housing microfinance fund), and managed the State of Housing Microfinance survey reports. Rosie holds a Master's in City and Regional Planning from The Catholic University of America's School of Architecture and Planning, where her research focused on low-income housing practices and design. Her thesis examined housing reconstruction in informal settlements post-disaster. She also holds a B.A. from The George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs.
Panelist
Heela Omarkhail
Vice President, Social Impact, The Daniels Corporation
As Vice President of Social Impact at The Daniels Corporation, Heela Omarkhail leads the company's mission to build inclusive communities. Known for her strategic and dynamic leadership, Heela integrates social impact into Daniels' business strategy, focusing on affordable housing, local economic development, and social infrastructure to foster thriving communities.
Since joining Daniels in 2009, Heela has been pivotal in the Regent Park revitalization, a global model for inclusive urban development, which was recognized by the World Economic Forum with a prestigious Public-Private Collaboration Award.
Heela is a board member of Start2Finish and was the inaugural co-chair of the Accelerating Accessibility Coalition. From 2022 to 2024, she served on the Management Committee of the Urban Land Institute's Toronto Chapter and co-chaired the Program Committee.
A respected thought leader in real estate, community development, and philanthropy, Heela frequently speaks at industry forums and events. She holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto.
Speaker
Ross Beardsley
Managing Consultant, Ramboll
Ross Beardsley is a Senior Managing Consultant at Ramboll who leads climate change risk assessments for public and private sector clients across the globe. He has conducted numerous physical climate change risk assessments in support of risk disclosure and resilient design ranging from global portfolio evaluations for multinational corporations to facility-level risk assessments for commercial real estate, data centers, energy assets, manufacturing and logistic facilities, ports, utilities, and other industrial facilities. As the director of Ramboll’s climate risk tool, HazAtlas, Ross develops cutting-edge digital solutions to help clients identify their climate-related risks and design adaptation measures to promote resilience. He specializes in distilling large and complex global, national, and regional climate datasets into clear and accessible information that enables his clients to understand their risks and implement strategies to increase their resilience to a changing climate.
Panelist
Rodger Brown
Managing Director, Real Estate Development, Preservation of Affordable Housing, Inc.
Panelist
Steve Nalley
National Western Center Authority
Steve Nalley is the Chief Real Estate Officer of the National Western Center Authority. He leads multiple facets of redeveloping the National Western Center, one of America's most ambitious projects. He negotiates P3s, project financing, development agreements, leases, and leads design, project delivery, placemaking, historic preservation, and capital improvement planning. Prior to the Authority, Steve spent over a decade as a city planner for the City and County of Denver's Department of Community Planning and Development where he shepherded major private development, public infrastructure, planning, and regulatory projects. He began his career as an urban design consultant in his home state of North Carolina. Steve holds a B.S. in urban and regional planning from East Carolina University, a M.S. in urban and regional planning, with a concentration in placemaking and design from the University of Colorado at Denver, and a professional graduate certificate in real estate investment from Harvard University.
Panelist
Sohael Chowfla
Senior Vice President, Head of Development , Redbrick LMD, LLC
Sohael Chowfla has over fifteen years of experience in commercial real estate development. Sohael heads Redbrick's development group and leads several high profile projects for the company, including the Bridge District, Navy Yard, and St Elizabeth's East. Sohael is also involved in acquiring and developing new opportunities for the company.
Prior to joining Redbrick LMD, Sohael was a Director of Development for EDENS, where he supported and led the acquisition and development of over 2.7 million sf of residential, retail, office, and hotel assets across the Washington, DC metropolitan area. At EDENS, his primary responsibilities included site acquisition, entitlements and permits, JV structuring and financing, design and construction oversight, leasing, and disposition. Previously, Sohael worked as an architect and urban designer at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in San Francisco, CA, where he provided design and development advisory services for commercial and institutional clients in Asia and the United States.
Sohael is a member of the Harvard Alumni Real Estate Board and is a licensed architect in DC, MD, and VA. Sohael received a Bachelor's in Architecture from Rice University and a Master's in Urban Planning with a focus on Real Estate and Urban Development from Harvard University.
Presenter
Charles Tu
Daniel F. Mulvihill Endowed Chair, University of San Diego, Knauss School of Business
Moderator
Bill Mahar
Principal, Norris Design
Bill Mahar is dedicated to collaboration, consensus-building, and authentic community placemaking, with a focus on sustainability and public health. He keeps these cornerstones firmly in view in his public and private planning and design work, leveraging over two decades of experience in urban planning, entitlements, landscape architecture, and community engagement. With extensive expertise leading multidisciplinary teams, he guides communities toward visionary yet practical solutions.
An advocate for integrating public health and community into planning, Bill has spearheaded citywide initiatives to create walkable neighborhoods and connected, accessible parks, trails, and open spaces. His leadership in comprehensive planning addresses housing, transportation, economic development, and placemaking—ensuring solutions are tailored to each community's unique needs. With a keen ability to move seamlessly from big-picture strategy to technical details, Bill balances visionary thinking with practical execution.
An enthusiastic explorer of places that bring people together, Bill has never met a city he doesn't appreciate. His curiosity and adventurous spirit fuel his passion for connecting with communities and uncovering the possibilities of place wherever he goes.
Bill serves as a National Health Leader for the Urban Land Institute (ULI), a member of ULI's Public Development and Infrastructure Product Council, and co-chair of ULI Colorado's Urban Plan program. He is also a Board Member for Denver Urban Gardens and a frequent speaker at conferences across Colorado and the nation, where he shares his expertise and inspires communities to pursue actionable, impactful goals.
Speaker
Marissa Aho
Director, Executive Climate Office, Washington State Department of Natural Resources
Marissa Aho, AICP has served as the first Director of the Executive Climate Office for King County, WA since July 2023. She leads a growing team that is charged with advancing and accelerating climate action to make a more sustainable, equitable and resilient King County. She previously served as Policy Director/Chief Resilience Officer for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. She began her public service career as the first Chief Resilience Officer for the city of Los Angeles as part of the Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities program and then served as the first Chief Resilience Officer for the city of Houston after Hurricane Harvey. Aho led the development and implementation of the cities’ resilience strategies (Resilient Los Angeles and Resilient Houston) that are focused on preparing for catastrophic events and addressing chronic stressors.
Prior to public service, she was a private urban planning and land use consultant in Southern California. She served as an editor of the 5th National Climate Assessment and is an Advisor to the Dr. Lucy Jones Center for Science and Society. She also serves on FEMA’s National Advisory Council, with a term beginning in January 2025. Aho holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Communications, Legal Institutions, Economics and Government (CLEG) from American University and a Master of Planning degree from the University of Southern California.
Panelist
Nic Whittaker
Sr Director of Development, Greystar
Nic Whittaker is a Managing Director of Development for Greystar. He is responsible for identifying, underwriting, capitalizing, and executing multifamily developments with a primary focus in Austin, Texas. Nic has been involved in the development of 9,000 apartment homes across several product types; including urban infill, student housing, senior housing, single family rental, and large-scale mixed-use projects.
Prior to joining Greystar in 2011, Nic worked for Cypress Real Estate Advisors, overseeing projects in Colorado, Georgia, Florida, and Texas.
He holds a bachelor of business administration degree in Finance from The McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas.
Panelist
Diane Barrett
Special Advisor to the Governor for Joint Rail Service, City and County of Denver
Diane Barrett was the Chief Projects Officer for the City and County of Denver under three Mayors, from 2005 through 2019. In that role she guided the City's participation in projects as diverse as Denver Union Station and the National Western Stock Show. She retired just as COVID appeared, rode out the pandemic and then decided she missed working on projects. She went to work for the Governor's Office managing a proposed starter passenger rail project to go from Denver Union Station to Fort Collins, Colorado by 2029. During her time at the City, Diane participated as a panelist on several ULI panels, most memorably for a redevelopment near Sydney, Australia and a high speed rail project in Singapore.
Speaker
Molly Mowery
Executive Director, Community Wildfire Planning Center
Molly Mowery, AICP is Executive Director of Community Wildfire Planning Center and founder of Wildfire Planning International. For the past 18 years, Molly has pioneered integrating wildfire hazard with land use planning practices by developing national technical assistance programs, trainings, and guidance. Her accomplishments include creating new wildfire planning courses for FEMA and CAL FIRE, serving as lead author of the American Planning Association report Planning the Wildland-Urban Interface, drafting content for the National Research Council of Canada and more. Molly frequently presents on wildfire planning topics and provided the Norman Williams Distinguished Lecture in Land Use Planning and Law hosted by the Vermont Law School. She is a certified planner with the American Institute of Certified Planners and chairs the APA Hazard Mitigation and Disaster Recovery Planning Division. Molly earned a bachelor of arts from Naropa University (Boulder, CO) and a master in city planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA).
Speaker
Ryan Zizzo
CEO & Founder, Mantle Developments
Ryan Zizzo is Founder at Mantle Developments, a climate change consultancy focused on climate-smart infrastructure and buildings, based in Toronto. Their team of engineers, architects, and climate change experts assist public and private sector clients take advantage of the latest climate-smart thinking and strategies related to the design, construction, and operation of the built environment. Mantle Developments helps projects go beyond energy efficiency, incorporating resilience and life cycle approaches to make projects future proof and net-zero carbon ready.
Speaker
Kathy Laborde
President & CEO, Gulf Coast Housing Partnership Inc.
As Gulf Coast Housing Partnership’s President and CEO Kathy Laborde provides overall leadership to GCHP, overseeing the organization’s project pipeline, financing, construction, asset management and property management activities.
Over the course of her career Ms. Laborde has developed more than 7,000 affordable and market-rate homes and commercial and community facilities both directly and in partnership with local non-profits, city and state government, and the private sector. Prior to joining Gulf Coast Housing Partnership in 2006, Ms. Laborde operated Kaliope, LLC, a real estate development and consulting company which she established in 1999. Previously, she was founder and executive director of the first bank-owned community development corporation in Louisiana. Before settling in Louisiana, Ms. Laborde held a variety of management positions with private sector real estate developers in Missouri and North Carolina.
Ms. Laborde holds a Bachelor of Science in economics from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School and an MBA from Tulane University. She currently serves on the board of directors of the Housing Partnership Network, Louisiana Land Trust, Regional Community Finance, Mississippi Association of Affordable Housing Providers, the Louisiana Association of Affordable Housing Providers, and the Home Builders Association of Greater Baton Rouge. She is a 2018 recipient of JPMorgan Chase & Co's 300 for 300 New Orleans Tricentennial "12 Icons for New Orleans" Award and a past recipient of the YWCA's Role Model Award.
Panelist
Diana Rael
Principal, Norris Design
Diana Rael, a licensed landscape architect and principal in the firm, has been with Norris Design since 1992. Working on multi-disciplinary projects, she has been responsible for leading a variety of complex projects using creative solutions. With her background in landscape architecture, extensive planning, and entitlement experience, she works with clients to formulate strategies that can be implemented.
Diana's philosophy is to start each project with the desired results in mind. She understands that the ongoing evaluation of planning and design and its relationship to a project's objectives is critical to achieving success. She believes in creating long-term value through project branding, identity building and the creation of a strong amenity program to meet the needs of the end user. Her strong organization and communication skills allow her to successfully lead project teams with an inclusive approach.
Presenter
Sarah Kirsch
Managing Director, Housing Funds, Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta
Sarah Kirsch manages the affordable housing investment portfolios for the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, both social impact and philanthropic funds. The funds are designed to provide gap funding and deeper and longer-term affordability for rental and ownership homes. Prior to joining the Foundation, Sarah spent ten years with the Urban Land Institute and served as Executive Director of the Atlanta District Council. Her work at ULI focused on advancing inclusive walkable urban places with a specific focus on housing affordability and the connections between transportation and land use. She spent the first part of her career at RCLCO. Sarah's civic leadership is deeply rooted in housing affordability and community development, serving as vice-chair of Atlanta Housing, on the board of Atlanta Urban Development Corporation, co-founder of HouseATL, and the LISC local advisory board. Kirsch is a native of Atlanta and continues to live in the city where she and her husband are raising their three sons. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy from Duke University's Terry Sanford School of Public Policy.
Speaker
Mia Mansfield
Assistant Secretary for Resilience, Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs (EEA)
Mia Mansfield is the Assistant Secretary for Resilience at the MA Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA). In this role she leads the 16 member staff of the EEA Adaptation and Resilience Team, and co-leads the implementation of the State Hazard Mitigation and Climate Adaptation Plan, Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) program, and EEA's new Office of Climate Science. Previously, she managed the Climate Ready Boston initiative for the City of Boston. She has a Master's in City Planning from MIT and a BA from Brandeis University.
Speaker
Craig Dedels
Regional Manager, Climate Risk & Resilience, Vancouver Coastal Health
Craig Dedels manages the Climate Risk & Resilience program for the four Lower Mainland health organizations in British Columbia, Canada, including Fraser Health, Providence Health Care, Provincial Health Services Authority, and Vancouver Coastal Health. He played a pivotal role in developing the Climate Resilience Guidelines for BC Health Facility Planning & Design. He has been involved in many new construction and redevelopment projects for healthcare facilities, both on behalf of the health authorities and as part of design teams.
Panelist
Jariah Walker
Colorado Springs Urban Renewal Authority
Jariah Walker is the Executive Director of the Colorado Springs Urban Renewal Authority and currently oversees 18 urban renewal plan areas that generate roughly 40 million in annual TIF dollars. He is currently the board president of Downtown Colorado Inc. and co-chair of the Urban Land Institute's Southern Colorado committee along with being a member of the Colorado ULI Executive, Urban Plan and the 2025 Spring Conference Tour Committees. "ULI Colorado has given me so many opportunities to grow professionally and work with partners throughout the state while also highlighting all the great work and projects we do in Colorado Springs. I love this organization and its people, serving on various committees and I look forward to my further adventures and growth within it." Prior to his involvement with urban renewal and districts, Jariah was a partner at a real estate firm and has a background in development, marketing, politics, and policy. Jariah is a native to Colorado Springs, a father to three beautiful girls and an avid record collector and runner.
Speaker
Alison Branco
Climate Adaptation Director, The Nature Conservancy in New York
Dr. Alison Branco is the Director of Climate Adaptation for The Nature Conservancy in New York, where she is focused on using the latest climate science to help communities and governments across New York plan for and adapt to changes in our climate, with a focus on sea level rise and flooding.
Dr. Branco earned a bachelor’s degree in Zoology from Connecticut College and a PhD in Oceanography from the University of Connecticut. After completing her graduate studies, Dr. Branco spent time conducting oceanographic research in the US and in Australia, and then held a position as the lead oceanographer in the environmental consulting sector of a global resource engineering firm in Western Australia.
From 2011-2017, Alison served as Director of the Peconic Estuary Program, part of the EPA’s National Estuary Program working with stakeholders and policy makers to protect and restore water quality and habitats in the Peconic Estuary watershed, on the East End of Long Island. Now with the Nature Conservancy, she leads a statewide team engaging across New York’s diverse floodplains to help build healthy and resilient shoreline communities for the long-term benefit of both people and nature.
Since 2014, Dr. Branco has served on the board of directors of the Seatuck Environmental Association and is currently the President of the Board. Alison enjoys supporting Seatuck’s staff and volunteers in Protecting Long Island’s Wildlife and Environment. Alison lives in Brightwaters, NY with her husband and two daughters.
Panelist
Martha McGee
NINE dot ARTS
Martha McGee is the CEO and co-founder of NINE dot ARTS, a leading art consulting and creative placemaking firm that has completed over 1,000 projects worldwide, generating more than $50M for the creative economy. A trained artist and entrepreneur, Martha has been recognized on the Forbes Next 1000 List. She serves on the board of the Downtown Denver Partnership and is a member of Denver's 16th Street Mall Mayoral Council.
Moderator
Marilynn Davis
Senior Advisor, HR&A Advisors, Inc.
Marilynn helps to conceptualize and implement dynamic real estate projects that create vital places and build more equitable and resilient communities. Immediately before joining HR&A in March 2022, Marilynn was Chief Real Estate Officer at Clark Atlanta University, the first to hold that newly-created role, where she led the optimization of the University's real estate portfolio, strategizing the commercial development of its 50+ acres of underutilized off-campus assets. A key objective of the CAU development strategy was to generate accretive, long-term revenues to the University through thoughtful projects that are regenerative and that create opportunity for disinvested communities.
Marilynn's career has placed her in leadership positions along a range of industry platforms, most recently addressing the dynamics of cities and their impact on the built environment. Among these have been Managing Director of the New York office of IMC Octave, a real estate development subsidiary of industrial conglomerate IMC Pan-Asia Alliance; Chief Executive Officer at landscape architecture firm, Martha Schwartz Partners; and Assistant Secretary of Administration at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, nominated by President Clinton, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
Her earlier experiences were in global business, including FleetBoston Financial Corporation (now a part of Bank of America), American Express Corporation and General Motors Corporation.
Marilynn has served on several boards or in advisory roles related to the arts, architecture, and cities, including the Studio Museum in Harlem, the Skyscraper Museum (NYC), Open House New York, the NY/NJ Regional Planning Association's Community Planning and Development Committee and the World Policy Institute's Emerging Cities Project. Most recently, she was elected co-Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of the American Academy in Rome, where she is also a member of the board's Finance Committee and the Property, Planning and Preservation Committee. She is a member of the University Development and Innovation Council of the Urban Land Institute, as well as of the Atlanta District's Livable Cities Council. She was selected as a Fellow of the David Rockefeller Program of the New York City Partnership, and was later recruited to serve on its Advisory Committee. Her previous for-profit board experience was at Loop!, a telecommunications affiliate of Covad Communications, based in Barcelona, Spain.
Marilynn earned her B.A. from Smith College, Masters degrees in economics from both the University of Michigan and Washington University in St. Louis, and an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School.
Speaker
Catherine McCandless
Senior Climate Resilience Project Manager, City of Boston Environment Department
Catherine McCandless is a Senior Climate Resilience Project Manager in the City of Boston's Office of Climate Resilience (formerly Climate Ready Boston). In this role, she leads the development of neighborhood coastal resilience plans, the implementation of coastal resilience projects, wetlands protection and restoration projects, community engagement and education, and the cross-departmental integration of climate resilience into the City's planning, capital projects, and permit review. Before joining the City of Boston, Catherine held roles at VHB, the Boston Planning and Development Agency, and the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation. Originally from Durham, N.C., Catherine received her Bachelor of Arts in Architecture and Biology from Wellesley College and her Master in Urban Planning from the Harvard Graduate School of Design.
Speaker
Brooke DuBose
Associate Principal, Resilience & Transportation, Arup
Brooke leads Arup's transportation and resilience planning practice for the US. She brings 20+ years of experience in sustainable transportation policy, planning, and engineering projects. She has led multiple statewide initiatives in California, including Caltrans' Active Transportation Plans, their Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessment, and site design for CA High Speed Rail Stations. Brooke oversees complex teaming and client relationships across departments, agencies, and public/private partnerships to develop and deliver innovative projects. She has dedicated her career to serving communities through the lens of equity and inclusion.
Speaker
Elizabeth Babcock
Puget Sound Area Coordinator, National Marine Fisheries Service
Elizabeth Babcock is a visionary leader at the forefront of Denver's climate action initiatives. As the Executive Director of Denver's Office of Climate Action, Sustainability, and Resiliency (CASR), Elizabeth brings more than two decades of expertise to her role. During her 12 years with the City and County of Denver, Elizabeth acted as a leader in the development of Denver’s climate office, created nationally recognized programs under Denver’s Climate Protection Fund, and advanced nation leading climate policy. Elizabeth’s expertise has been instrumental in securing and implementing multimillion-dollar grants, such as the Bloomberg American Cities Climate Challenge, the Denver Energy Challenge, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, and a grant from the U.S. Forest Service for the Equitable Community Tree Planting Initiative, bringing much-needed shade to Denver's heat-vulnerable neighborhoods. She holds a BA with highest honors from the University of Florida and an MA from the University of Chicago.
Speaker
Michael Newman
General Counsel, Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety
Knowing that damage, disruption, and dislocation all too often associated with natural disasters can be reduced or even prevented, Michael Newman delivers strategies for safer and stronger homes and businesses so communities can thrive. With 15 years of experience in law and public policy, he currently serves as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) and leads its public policy engagement at federal, state, and local levels.
In 2020, Michael joined IBHS from the U.S. Department of the Treasury, where he worked on a range of domestic and international policy issues related to climate change, resilience, cybersecurity, and insurance supervision. He now works with a team of scientists and risk communicators to turn IBHS research into real-world impact that enables property owners to prevent avoidable losses.
Michael informs, educates, and engages policymakers in support of policies that strengthen the resilience of housing, businesses, and communities. He also leads IBHS’s engagement with affordable housing providers, developers, funders, and policymakers.
Speaker
Brandy Burdeniuk
Avison Young
Based in Toronto, I am a dedicated professional and community builder focused on creating healthy, equitable, and resilient communities. With nearly two decades of senior leadership and real estate industry experience, I am committed to engaging with diverse audiences to future-proof investments and mitigate risk. I bring with me extensive experience leading sustainability-focused initiatives across Canada including building the business case for green building and LEED projects in lockstep with market and stakeholder engagement. All while developing and delivering various educational offerings, both in person and virtually for post-secondary institutions, industry events & conferences. An accomplished and agile strategist, my focus has included shaping growth, innovation, marketing and sales initiatives, targeting sustainability, building performance, and public policy. I am known to be a high-energy, hands-on team builder and have been an active representative at board, executive and industry association levels.
Presenter
Jan Freitag
National Director, Hospitality Analytics, CoStar Group
Mr. Jan D. Freitag is the National Director, Hospitality Analytics, for the CoStar Group (NASDAQ: CSGP), the leading provider of commercial real estate information, analytics and online marketplaces.
In his role, Mr. Freitag comments on the trends that shape the U.S. hotel industry. He is a sought-after public speaker and is frequently quoted in trade publications and the general news media such as The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Bloomberg, CNBC, etc. He is a trusted source of timely insights to hotel investors, owners and operators.
Prior to moving over to CoStar he was with STR for almost 20 years, most recently as the Senior Vice President, Lodging Insights. In the 1990s Mr. Freitag was the Director of Content Integrity at hotelreports.com in upstate New York and a hospitality consultant with EY in Phoenix. He holds a bachelor's degree, with distinction, from the School of Hotel Administration, Cornell University, and received his Executive MBA, with honors, from Vanderbilt University.
Mr. Freitag is a member of the American Hotel Lodging Association Investment Roundtable and the Hotel Development Council of the Urban Land Institute. He is on the advisory board to the Middle Tennessee State University Tourism and Hospitality Management program.
Mr. Freitag resides with his wife and their two boys in Nashville, TN.
Panelist
Kathleen Selke
Founder, Porter
Kathleen Selke, Porter Founder & Chief Revenue Officer, has over 20 years of expertise in commercial interiors. She has worked internationally with industry leaders like The Capital Group, Microsoft, Coca-Cola, Disney, Expedia, and Adidas. Known for her strategic insight and client advocacy, Kathleen is a trusted advisor in guiding complex design and real estate projects.
Her extensive travels, spanning over 40 countries, have deepened her conviction in design's transformative power, driving her commitment to craft awe-inspiring spaces that spark meaningful connections. Rooted in this globally informed outlook, Kathleen and the Porter team pioneered Porter Hospitality to focus on activated amenities that go beyond aesthetics. Today, she and her team are partnering with Jamestown, CommonWealth Partners and others to create magnetic communities—environments that celebrate local character, foster vibrant social engagement, and leave a lasting impact on everyone who experiences them.
Committed to service beyond design, Kathleen drives Porter's social-impact programs, including a CRE workforce initiative for young adults facing homelessness, a BIPOC Makers program, and a mentorship program for young women in commercial real estate.
Speaker
Bill Kenworthey
Principal | Regional Leader of Urban Design, HOK
William Kenworthey, AIA, is HOK's Northeast practice leader for Urban Design. With 27 years of experience, Kenworthey has worked with government agencies, private developers, Fortune 500 Companies, major universities, and medical centers on transformational projects. His recent work includes the Hartford Capital Gateway Master Plan, the New LaGuardia Airport Master Plan, Rutgers Cancer Center of New Jersey, and the campus design for Royal Caribbean Cruises' Headquarters in Miami. He has experience with the long-term resiliency of coastal cities and applying those lessons learned to urban design efforts throughout the country. Kenworthey frequently presents at university and industry events about urban waterfront design and resiliency. He holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the Wentworth Institute of Technology and a Master of Science in Architecture and Urban Design from Columbia University.
Panelist
Senthil Sankaran
Managing Principal, Housing Equity Fund, Amazon
Senthil Sankaran
Managing Principal, Amazon Housing Equity Fund
As Managing Principal of the Amazon Housing Equity Fund, Senthil is responsible for the oversight, deployment and management of Amazon's commitment of over $3.6 billion in below-market capital, in the form of loans and grants, to preserve and create over 35,000 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 & 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 & 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 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 is a long-term Washingtonian who lives in Bloomingdale with his wife and two young daughters.
Panelist
Gabrielle Bullock
Principal, Director of Global Diversity, Perkins&Will
Gabrielle Bullock, FAIA, NOMAC, IIDA, LEED AP
Principal and Chief Diversity Officer
Gabrielle oversees Perkins&Will's Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (J.E.D.I.) program, which works to support and strengthen a firmwide culture that embraces a diversity of people, colors, creeds, credos, talents, thoughts, and ideas. Her unique role as an award-winning principal and the firm's Chief Diversity Officer enables her to combine her passion for architecture and social justice to effect positive change at a micro and macro level. Gabrielle is regularly sought out around the world for her leadership and expertise in issues of social equity in architecture.
Gabrielle has been a key player in Perkins&Will's success for over three decades. She's worked in both the New York and Los Angeles offices and became the first African American and first woman to rise to the position of Managing Director in the firm. Over the course of her career, she has led numerous complex and high-profile projects, most recently Destination Crenshaw, a project that combines all the elements that Gabrielle believes makes for a successful groundbreaking project.
Gabrielle graduated in 1984 from the Rhode Island School of Design with degrees in fine arts and architecture, becoming the second African American woman in history to earn an architecture degree from that university. In 2014, she was elected by her peers as a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and served on the AIA's Equity in Architecture Commission. She is a Council member of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) and trustee of the Rhode Island School of Design. She has served on the boards of the Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles, International Interior Design Association (IIDA), the USC Architecture Guild, and the Center for Architecture and Urban Design Los Angeles. She served as the 2018-2019 President of the International Interior Design Association (IIDA). Gabrielle is the recipient of the 2020 AIA Whitney Young Jr award, the 2022 AIA Los Angeles Gold Medal, the 2019 AIA Los Angeles Robert Kennard, FAIA Award for Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity, the 2022 IIDA Star Award and the 2023 Inaugural Paul R. Williams, FAIA "The One Who Dares" Award for her commitment to advancing diversity and social impact in the architecture profession.
Presenter
Arthur Griffin
Director, Fennemore Craig PC
Arthur ("Art") represents commercial real estate clients with large-scale development projects, acquisitions and dispositions, financing, and land use matters, with extensive experience in each of the industrial, hospitality, retail, solar, and office industries. With a background in corporate and tax law in addition to his real estate experience, Art is able to dissect a deal and see the business perspectives, allowing him to provide sophisticated representation to his clients in both routine and complex matters. In addition to his real estate practice, Art advises solar and advanced energy clients in real estate, land use, and tax matters, including the large-scale implementation of solar photovoltaic systems on developments, solar leasing, and other related energy development projects. Art has also advised alcohol manufacturers, distributors, and retailers, including major casinos and nightclub operators, regarding federal and state regulatory alcohol laws and liquor licensing matters. Prior to joining Fennemore, Art served as General Counsel to a Denver-based multi-faceted real estate company where he oversaw high volumes of development and stabilized asset transactions, brokerage deals, leasing matters, and finance arrangements. Prior to that, he worked in the Denver office of a national law firm, where he focused on complex real estate matters of all types.
Moderator
Julie Hiromoto
Partner | Director of Integration, HKS
Julie Hiromoto, FAIA leads integration efforts at HKS to bridge silos and connect specialized expertise with the needs of the clients and the communities they serve. Her experience managing a diverse portfolio of complex and large-scale projects (including One World Trade Center) transforms the built environment through the application of research, systems thinking, and inclusive best practices. She balances business, design excellence and technical expertise while instilling her passion for socially and environmentally responsible design to our next generation of leaders. Julie taught at NYU’s Shack Institute of Real Estate from 2009-2018 and influenced the curriculum for the Sustainable Design Certificate program. Ms. Hiromoto is a recognized leader in the local and national sustainable design community. She chaired the National American Institute of Architect's (AIA) Committee on the Environment (COTE) Leadership Group in 2020. She represented 95k AIA members as a part of its first delegation to the United Nations annual climate conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland and Architecture 2030 as a COP28 delegate. Hiromoto testified before the U.S. House of Representatives on energy efficiency and fuel source and is currently the Mayor’s appointee to the Dallas Environmental Commission and a board member of the International Living Future Institute.
Speaker
Kimberly Pexton
Senior Vice President, Sustainability, JBG SMITH Properties
Kim joined JBG SMITH in October 2019 as Vice President, Sustainability. She has over 20 years of experience in sustainability, climate change resilience, environmental policy, green building rating systems, regenerative design, specific to the built environment. She is leading the strategy, development, coordination, and execution of JBG SMITH’s sustainability initiatives across all business units. Throughout her career, Ms. Pexton has been responsible for the development of operational programs that yield demonstrated sustainability results. Prior to joining JBG SMITH, Ms. Pexton was a Director at Paladino and Company, an internationally recognized sustainability and green building consulting firm. Earlier in her career, Ms. Pexton held roles at HITT Contracting, James G. Davis Construction, and Heitman. Ms. Pexton earned a Master of Architecture from Catholic University. She is a is a LEED Fellow and an Environmental Leader Top 100 Honoree. She is also a past chairwoman of the board for the USGBC National Capital Region chapter (2006 – 2009). In addition, Ms. Pexton is an international published author and an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University.
Speaker
Hannah Glosser
Director, HR&A Advisors, Inc.
Hannah Glosser supports the design and implementation of policies to promote inclusive decarbonization, and climate change adaptation in cities. As a Director at HR&A Advisors, based in the New York office, Hannah focuses at the intersection of climate, community planning, and housing. She is a leader in HR&A’s climate practice where she advises governments, community-based organizations, and philanthropy on how to steer investments in decarbonization and climate adaptation. She has most recently led resilience and climate adaptation projects in New York City and State, Pittsburgh, Honolulu, and Kaua’i. She authored an article on 10 Principles to Creating a Resettlement Program, outlining how managed retreat can be considered a viable climate adaptation tool.
Prior to joining HR&A, Hannah worked at 100 Resilient Cities (100RC), an initiative of the Rockefeller Foundation, supporting resilient strategy development and implementation in cities across the world.
Hannah serves on the Urban Land Institute New York Climate and Sustainability Council and Prospect Park Alliance State of the Park Board Committee. Hannah holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Colorado College.
Moderator
Anish Tilak
Manager, Carbon-Free Buildings, RMI
Anish Tilak is a manager with RMI's Carbon-Free Buildings program where he manages projects in the Embodied Carbon Initiative. Anish applies a depth of industry experience and subject matter expertise to develop scalable approaches to decarbonize the built environment, with a current focus on policy research and market development to advance low-embodied carbon materials. As a sustainability consultant, Anish supported developers, owners, and architects achieve ambitious sustainability and decarbonization objectives. Anish is a licensed architect and leverages this skillset to maintain a grounded, technically driven approach to decarbonization.
Panelist
Brian Levitt
Chief Executive Officer, NAVA Real Estate Development
Brian J. Levitt, MRECM, LEED AP, is a commercial real estate developer who specializes in the creation of sustainable, healthy, mixed-use, urban communities. He has managed the development of more than 4M SF of retail, multi-family and mixed-use space, including the 1st LEED Certified Mall in the United States for Forest City: Northfield Stapleton, and the 1st WELL Gold Certified Residential Community in Colorado: Lakehouse on 17th condominium community. Brian has also advised on an additional $2B of real estate assets for various Clients managing all aspects of the real estate development process.
Brian is currently CEO and founder of NAVA Real Estate Development (www.navareal.com). NAVA Real Estate Development ("NAVA") launched in 2013 to develop architecturally significant buildings in prime locations that are sensitive to the environment and its inhabitants. NAVA's projects will be designed and constructed to achieve LEED or WELL Certification. One-percent (1%) of our profits will go to a socially responsible cause of choice.
Panelist
Emi Adachi
Managing Director and Co-Head of Global Research, Heitman
Emi Adachi is a Managing Director and Co-Head of Global Research at Heitman. She is an equity owner of the firm. Emi leads the North American and Asia Pacific research teams, overseeing strategy development and underwriting for all private equity and debt investments. She sits on the firm’s North American Private Equity Investment Committee and Valuation Committee. Additionally, Emi analyzes demographic and technological trends and their impact on real estate investment strategy and portfolio construction. Previously, Emi was the Director of North American Investment Research and Co-Head of Global Research Operations.
Emi received a BA with honors in Urban Studies from Stanford University. She is a member of the Stanford Alumni Real Estate Council, the Urban Land Institute Global Exchange Council, and the NAIOP Chicago Board.
Moderator
Randy Howder
Regional Managing Principal, Gensler
As Co-Managing Principal of Gensler's Northwest region, Randy focuses on helping transform clients' organizations through new approaches to design, research, and experience. With a background in strategic consulting and workplace design for a diverse range of industry-leading clients, Randy is always questioning how spaces work while striving to find ways to make them more effective and more resilient. He has been a featured speaker at SXSW, the Design Management Institute, CoreNet Global, the China International Construction Fair, NeoCon, and other international design conferences. Randy has written about design and urban issues in the Bay Area and beyond in HuffPost and the San Francisco Chronicle, and his work has been featured in Interior Design, Metropolis, Fast Company, Forbes, The Economist, and numerous other publications. Randy currently serves on the Dean's Advisory Board at the University of Michigan Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, the board of the Bay Area Council, the board of the Downtown SF Partnership. Randy is also a member of ULI's Flex + Experience Council. He holds a B.S. in Architecture from the University of Michigan and a Master of Architecture from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design.
Moderator
Stephen Coulston
Managing Principal, Perkins&Will
Stephen Coulston is a Principal in Perkins&Will's Denver studio and a leader in its national urban design and planning practice. A seasoned architect with a passion for working with communities of innovation, he has spent more than 25 years working at the intersection of government, institutional, research, transportation, healthcare, economic development, and private sectors. With a focus on strategizing, planning, and designing the built form and natural environments, he is committed to creating sustainable, equitable, and resilient communities. His dedication to transformative design and placemaking focuses on creating actionable outcomes that result in more inclusive and livable communities.
Stephen's work includes projects such as the Austin Equitable Transit Oriented Development Policy and Overlay Plan, Salt Lake City Rio Grande Station Area Plan, Capital Metro Station Area Plans, Northeast Oklahoma City Small Area Plan, Baton Rouge Florida Corridor Plan, and Texas High Speed Rail Dallas Station Area Plan, to name a few.
Stephen is a frequent speaker, author, and contributor to numerous articles and publications featuring models, trends, and best practices in urban design. He has served on numerous boards and committees, and he presently serves on the ULI Colorado Urban Mobility & Development Committee and as ULI Austin' Governance Committee Chair and Immediate Past District Council Chair.
Panelist
Sulin Carling
Principal, HR&A Advisors, Inc.
Sulin Carling is a Principal at HR&A Advisors, an economic development and public policy consulting firm. Sulin's practice focuses on place-based economic development. She advises public and private sector clients across the country on adapting to economic shifts in the interest of equitable growth – including supporting commercial corridors and small businesses in a shifting retail landscape, ensuring the continued vitality of downtowns, and planning for the future of urban industrial areas.
Prior to rejoining HR&A in 2020, Sulin served as Senior Economic Development Planner at the New York City Department of City Planning where she led the agency's efforts to update industrial land use policy for 21st century industry and to track evolving retail trends on commercial corridors across the city.
Sulin is a member of the ULI New York Metro Chapter's Mixed-Use Council and a Board Member of the Urban Manufacturing Alliance. She hold a Masters in Urban Planning from the Harvard Graduate School of Design and a Bachelor's from the University of Chicago.
Presenter
Brian Levitt
Chief Executive Officer, NAVA Real Estate Development
Brian J. Levitt, MRECM, LEED AP, is a commercial real estate developer who specializes in the creation of sustainable, healthy, mixed-use, urban communities. He has managed the development of more than 4M SF of retail, multi-family and mixed-use space, including the 1st LEED Certified Mall in the United States for Forest City: Northfield Stapleton, and the 1st WELL Gold Certified Residential Community in Colorado: Lakehouse on 17th condominium community. Brian has also advised on an additional $2B of real estate assets for various Clients managing all aspects of the real estate development process.
Brian is currently CEO and founder of NAVA Real Estate Development (www.navareal.com). NAVA Real Estate Development ("NAVA") launched in 2013 to develop architecturally significant buildings in prime locations that are sensitive to the environment and its inhabitants. NAVA's projects will be designed and constructed to achieve LEED or WELL Certification. One-percent (1%) of our profits will go to a socially responsible cause of choice.
Moderator
Emma West
Partner, Bousfields Inc.
Emma West is a Partner at Bousfields Inc., a leading planning and urban design consulting firm based in Toronto and Hamilton. With over 25 years of experience in urban and environmental planning for public and private sector clients, Emma has led a broad range experience in city-building projects in downtown, suburban and rural locations at various scales including regional plans to site-specific entitlements. In addition to residential and mixed-use developments, Emma has had a focus on entitlements for colleges, universities and health care projects as well as large-scale master plans for mixed income neighbourhoods with significant amounts of affordable housing. As a committed and enthusiastic urbanist, she is a Registered Professional Planner and a Member of the Canadian Institute of Planners. Emma is also an active member of the Urban Land Institute, having held local and international leadership roles: she is currently Chair of the Women’s Leadership Initiative’s Americas Executive Committee; a member of the Americas Executive Committee; Vice Chair of the ULI Americas DEI committee; a Global Governing Trustee; Chair of the ULI Toronto Advisory Board; and a member of the Urban Revitalization Council.
Speaker
Ariane Laxo
Director of Sustainability, HGA
Ariane Laxo is Director of Sustainability at HGA, a national interdisciplinary architecture and engineering firm working with public, private, non-profit, and higher education clients to advance decarbonization, resilience, and healthy communities through the built environment. Over the last decade, she has organized industry leaders and collaborated with climate scientists to understand how climate projection models can be downscaled and used to inform architecture and engineering workflows. Aiming to fill the climate adaptation gap in AEC industry building codes, design process, and standard of care, Ariane is working with University of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership and the Center for Sustainable Building Research on a collaborative research project to create data tools, education, and design workflows that bridge climate projection models across the last mile to data end users and climate services providers in the architecture, engineering, and construction industry. In her work as Director of Sustainability, she works on large, complex projects in diverse sectors - from healthcare to science & technology, cultural to higher education. She coordinates with the design team, owners/operators, and contractors to execute high performance goals that balance climate change mitigation and adaptation. An expert facilitator and project manager, Ariane distills complex issues into tangible workplans and original outcomes.
Panelist
Luis Mendoza
Head of North America, DNCO
Based in New York City, Luis serves as the Managing Director for North America at DNCO — the creative studio for place and culture branding. Since its founding in 2006, DNCO has emerged as a leader in transforming destinations into vibrant communities with clear purpose. Luis has driven transformative projects in cities including London, San Francisco, Chicago, Toronto, Vancouver, and New York. His expertise spans multi-stakeholder initiatives across both private and public sectors, collaborating with partners including Brookfield Properties, Related, San Francisco City Hall, or the Downtown Denver Partnership.
Presenter
Lorrie Heinemann
President & CEO, Madison Development Corporation
Lorrie Heinemann, MBA, is the President/CEO of Madison Development Corporation (MDC), a non-profit based in Madison WI. MDC develops, owns, and manages "missing middle" affordable workforce housing projects in Dane County, WI. MDC also runs 3 Institutional Funds: The MDC Venture Debt Fund for early stage high tech companies (funded by local financial institutions and ED entities) and two Dane Workforce Housing Funds, LLC, (funded by local financial institutions and foundations) which fill gaps in new multifamily workforce housing projects. Heinemann joined MDC in 2016 after serving as the Banking & Securities Commissioner (DFI Secretary) for the State of WI in the early 2000s. She was thrilled to meet Sandra Day O'Connor, Sheila Bair, and Ben Bernanke during her term. Prior to her Cabinet position, she launched her own business at age 20, growing it to $10 Million of $AUM. She then merged her portfolio into a regional bank where she built a portfolio of over $140 million of $AUM through new funds & products she created for the Bank. After leaving banking, she raised and managed an $80 million portfolio of instituional clients in her position as the head of VKWM Appleton, WI (now Baker Tilly). Heinemann will be leading a panel to discuss Social Impact Funds which provide capital to build affordable housing projects in the U.S., as well as the organizations that provide the capital to the Funds, with the expectation of receiving a lower rate of return to make projects feasible.
Panelist
Sean Campbell
CEO, Formativ
Sean Campbell is CEO and Principal at Formativ Real Estate Group, a full-service commercial real
estate development and investment firm based in Denver, CO. The firm is focused on in-the-
path-of-growth real estate and urban in-fill development projects across different asset types:
multifamily, hospitality, office and life sciences, and larger-scale master plans. Developments
that, through the built environment, turn blocks or micro-neighborhoods into sustainable and
inclusive communities that thrive in our modern world. With placemaking at the core of these
developments, Formativ incorporates complimentary asset types, public spaces, and additive
best-in-class amenities to deliver projects where people want to live, work, and play. Under his
leadership, Formativ currently has eight active projects totaling more than three-million square
feet of development and $1B in total project value.
Before becoming a leader within the real estate development community, Sean spent over a
decade in New York City's financial sector, primarily focused on fixed income trading and
investment banking, working for a number of leading global investment firms. Sean is proud to
be involved in Denver's business and non-profit community serving on the Boards of Denver
Metro EDC, The Other Side Academy and TAG Restaurant Group, and formerly The Denver Zoo,
RiNo Art District, and The Denver Athletic Club. Sean is originally from Washington D.C. and
attended the University of Maryland.
Moderator
Becky Zimmermann
CEO, Design Workshop
Becky has devoted her career to solving complex issues in the areas of community planning, market and economics, and development strategy. She is recognized for her work in leading communities, companies and organizations in visioning, strategic and business planning, market definition and strategy, development entitlements, land use regulations, real estate economics, facilitation and advisory services for projects throughout North America and more than a dozen countries.
Becky believes in the transformative power of design to improve the quality of life for individuals and communities. Her personal philosophy revolves around the idea that thoughtful, well-executed design can address some of the most pressing challenges from user experience to climate change. Becky's tenure at Design Workshop is marked by visionary leadership and a steadfast commitment to sustainability and innovation.
She is widely respected in the landscape architecture, planning and urban design communities. She is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and has authored numerous articles on topics such as sustainable development, innovative design practices, and the future of resorts. She is deeply committed to giving back to the community. She has spearheaded several initiatives aimed at improving communities and enhancing public spaces. Her philanthropic efforts include partnerships with non-profit organizations focused on environmental conservation, education, and community development.
Becky has been a member of ULI for more than 25 years and is currently chair of the Travel Experience and Trends Council. She is also member of YPO Gold, the Sustainable Travel International, American Planning Association (AICP), and The ESOP Association. Becky has an MBA from the University of Colorado and bachelor degrees in business and communications from Trinity University.
Moderator
Amrit Virdee
Senior ESG Consultant, Sustainable Investment Group
Amritpal is a lifelong learner who has worked in both the UK and the US as an economist, focused on translating global events into actionable insights. In the UK, Amritpal was an Economist at IHS Markit producing timely analyses of macroeconomic events for Canada, Italy, Ireland, and Saudi Arabia. In the US, he has interned at the United Nations Headquarters twice: His first UN internship was with the Regional Commissions New York Office, where he attended UN inter-agency meetings, contributed to official documents, and produced reports covering regional dimensions of sustainable development. At his second, Amritpal interned in the Office of the UN Chief Economist, where he was personally mentored by UN Assistant Secretary-General and Chief Economist Elliott Harris, played a lead role in the UN Economist Network, and co-authored a report connecting sustainable development concepts with mainstream economic theory. Putting his sustainable knowledge into practice, Amritpal currently works as a Senior ESG Consultant at the Sustainable Investment Group (SIG), focused on helping commercial real estate companies take practical steps to measure, manage, and mitigate their environmental impact. He holds a Bachelors and Masters in Economics and is currently working towards a PhD in Finance, with an emphasis on sustainable finance. Amritpal is also an amateur sailor and on sunny days can be spotted in a Keelboat cruising the Hudson River. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with family and friends, travelling, and playing pickleball.
Panelist
Diane Hoskins
Global Co-Chair, Gensler
As Global Co-Chair of Gensler, Diane brings visionary and inspiring leadership focused on firm growth, energizing Gensler culture, elevating governance excellence, and equipping the firm for its continued leadership role in the future. As a hands-on leader, Diane believes in creating compelling vision to inspire Gensler’s impact and influence through its platform of over 6,000 people networked across 53 offices, serving more than 3,500 clients in over 100 countries. Diane is focused on Gensler’s global strategies and organizational excellence to ensure Gensler services its clients with the world’s leading design and thought leadership. As the catalyst for the Gensler Research Institute, Diane is committed to delivering value to clients through data strategies and innovations like Gensler’s Workplace Performance Index® (WPI), City Pulse Survey and Experience Index.
With deep expertise in architecture, design, real estate, and business, Diane brings a bold vision to the built environment. As a Director of Boston Properties—the largest publicly traded real estate investment trust—she helps shape the future of commercial real estate at scale. Diane also serves as the Global Chair of the Urban Land Institute, driving forward-thinking strategies in urban development, and sits on the Board of the Real Estate Roundtable, where she influences policy and innovation in the industry. Diane also served as a Director of Washington Gas, a publicly traded utility company, playing a key role in the energy infrastructure of the Washington region.
A design leader with a global perspective, Diane was a featured speaker at the United Nation’s Habitat Assembly in Nairobi (2023) and Climate Action Summit in New York (2019). She has also spoken at the United Nations Climate Change Conference for three consecutive years—COP26 Glasgow, COP27 Sharm El-Sheikh, and COP28 Dubai. Her thought leadership and insights have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, the Harvard Business Review, CNN, Forbes, Fast Company, NPR, Bloomberg, Business Insider, the New York Times and elsewhere. As an author, Diane brings forward the positive impact that design can have in our day to day lives through her book Design for a Radically Changing World, launched in 2024.
A Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, Diane graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and holds an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management. Diane has served as a member of many industry associations, including the CEO councils for the Wall Street Journal, FORTUNE, and Bloomberg. Previously, she served as a member of the World Economic Forum's Global Futures Council on Cities and Urbanization as well as the WEF Real Estate Industry Action Group.
Panelist
Kate Collignon
Managing Partner, HR&A Advisors, Inc.
Kate helps communities implement inclusive economic growth and development strategies. Her economic development, real estate and planning practice as a Partner with HR&A Advisors draws on over 20 years of experience in the public and private sectors, providing the economic insights and building the partnerships needed to deliver community goals. Kate’s work focuses on inclusive neighborhood and community development; mission-driven development support; and equitable economic growth strategies. Her career has spanned management of some of the most complex public and private development initiatives in New York City, to cultivation of economic turnarounds in small and mid-sized cities across the Midwest and beyond. Throughout, her work has paired physical investment strategies with public policies, programs and processes that promote equitable participation in economic growth. Kate previously served as Managing Partner for HR&A’s 65-person New York headquarters, overseeing staff and institutionalizing new systems to promote quality and culture during a period of rapid growth. Prior to joining HR&A, Kate managed pre-development for commercial and mixed-use projects as Development Director with Brookfield Properties, and led large-scale planning and development initiatives in Downtown Brooklyn, Coney Island, at Brooklyn Bridge Park, and across New York City as Senior Vice President for Development at the NYC Economic Development Corporation.
Speaker
A.J. Jackson
President, LEO Impact Capital
Brian Allan Jackson (AJ) is the President of LEO Impact Capital, an investment management platform dedicated to the creation and preservation of affordable workforce housing using an impact framework designed to drive financial returns and positive outcomes for residents. LEO is a subsidiary of JBG SMITH (NYSE: JBGS). Previously he was a partner with EYA, LLC, a Washington, DC area urban infill development company, where he led more than one billion dollars of double and triple bottom line social impact investments. Earlier in his career, AJ served as Chief of Staff to the Administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). AJ is a Trustee of the Urban Land Institute, where he serves on the Advisory Board of ULI’s Randall Lewis Center for Sustainability in Real Estate and chaired the ULI working group that created the 10 Principles for Embedding Racial Equity in Real Estate Development. He also serves on the Workforce Housing Committee of NMHC, the Affordable Housing Advisory Council for Fannie Mae, and the Board of Up For Growth, a national, cross-sector member network committed to solving the housing shortage and affordability crisis through data-driven research and evidence-based policy.
Speaker
Zachary Christeson
Regional Leader of Planning, HOK
With over 20 years of experience, Zach leads HOK’s planning, urban design and landscape architecture studio in the Texas Region. Working as part of an integrated team of architects, interior designers, planners, and landscape architects, he has delivered numerous successful projects across the U.S. and overseas. His designs artfully blend economic value, social impact and environmental resilience into places that improve people’s lives and the communities they live. I am responsible for the management, landscape design and master planning of the following project types in urban and suburban locations: mixed use, retail, corporate, community, educational, healthcare, research and justice campuses; public space, streetscape and greenway projects; hotels, resorts, sports and entertainment venues; multimodal transportation hubs and systems.
Moderator
Jordan Block
Principal - Global Urban Design Discipline Lead, Stantec
Jordan is Stantec's Global Discipline Leader for Urban Design. His role is to coordinate architecture, landscape architecture, planning, transportation, and engineering practices with an eye towards creating better communities and places through thoughtful approaches to development, infrastructure, and the public realm. Working with a highly inter-disciplinary group, Jordan has worked extensively across the continent and world on projects ranging from forward-looking visions and redevelopment master plans to detailed design for fine-grained urban places. His work focuses on the intersection of placemaking, mobility, health, and ecology. He has partnered with a wide range of clients including developers, states, cities, transit agencies, and community groups believing that great community change happens at all scales.
Jordan is very civically engaged including serving a member of Denver's Planning Commission. He teaches within the Master of Urban Design program at University of Colorado Denver, sits on the steering committee of that program, and holds a master's degree from it as well. Jordan also holds a Master of City Planning degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He lives in Denver, his hometown, with his wife, two kids, and dog and loves to explore the city and its surroundings on his bike. In addition to his urban career and passion, Jordan is also an accomplished musician having been a professional touring and session musician for a number of years. He loves cities, creativity and design, and the way people interact with their communities.
Speaker
Joyce Coffee
President, Climate Resilience Consulting
Joyce Coffee, LEED AP, is the founder and President of Climate Resilience Consulting, a certified WBE social enterprise that develops practical climate adaptation strategies. A climate resilience pioneer, she has worked with over 200 clients on climate strategies, partnerships, and implementation. She serves on 20+ boards and initiatives focused on resilience and social equity and has authored over two dozen reports. She holds a master’s from MIT, where she advises the Board of Trustees, and has 25 years of cross-sector experience in government, business, philanthropy, and academia.
As president, Joyce has led resilience strategies for cities and companies, developed climate resilience principles for financial services, directed the National Equitable Climate Resilience project, and co-authored major reports on adaptation and resilience finance. She has trained hundreds of local officials and practitioners.
Her career spans USAID, the World Bank, MWH Engineering, Farr Associates, Edelman, and leadership roles in Chicago’s Climate Action Plan and ND-GAIN. She is an Affiliate Global Futures Scholar and advises high-level resilience groups, including the Fifth National Climate Assessment, Climate Bond Initiative, Global Adaptation and Resilience Investment group, American Flood Coalition, and UNDRR ARISE.
Joyce holds a B.S. from Tufts University and an MCP from MIT.
Panelist
Sheba Ross
Partner, HKS
Sheba Ross leads HKS's Cities and Communities practice, focusing on purposeful urban growth, connection, and revitalization. Her professional foundation started with a Bachelor of Architecture from Anna University (India) followed by a Master of Urban Design from the University of Colorado at Denver, both of which she graduated with honors. Her career has a dual character since she received her Architectural practice license in India and her Urban Planning license in USA. With over two decades in the profession, Sheba emphasizes culturally rich and environmentally conscious projects, enhancing both buildings and the spaces between them. Her work centers on storytelling and detail-oriented master planning to empower the private and public sectors.
Sheba serves on ULI Atlanta's Advisory Board and chairs key leadership programs. Recently, she advised seven mayors on the Mayors' Institute on City Design's National Taskforce and spoke at UN COP 28 and the World Green Economy Summit. As a Just Communities accredited professional, she champions public participation, linking wellbeing with urban revitalization. Sheba was recognized by the ULI Atlanta WLI ChangeMakers program as one of the most influential women in real estate in Atlanta.
Panelist
Krista Sprenger
Chief Development Officer, Alterra Mountain Company
Krista Sprenger is the Chief Development Officer at Alterra Mountain Company, a visionary leader shaping the future of mountain adventure. As a lifelong skier with extensive experience in large-scale mixed-use and hospitality development she is instrumental in transforming some of North America's most iconic destinations.
Krista and team are delivering several high-profile projects, including base village transformations, resort expansions, infrastructure upgrades, and the integration of cutting-edge technology to enhance the guest experience across 19-mountain destinations.
A passionate advocate for sustainable development, Krista has spearheaded initiatives that balance growth with environmental stewardship, fostering vibrant resort environments which integrate seamlessly with their natural surroundings. Her leadership is marked by a commitment to innovation, sustainability, and community involvement, making her an inspiring voice in resort development industry.
Speaker
Katie Wholey
Director, Community Resilience, Enterprise Community Partners
Katie Wholey, AICP, LEED AP BD+C is an Associate in Arup’s Boston office, specializing in climate risk and resilience and post-disaster recovery. Katie has more than a decade of experience working with clients in the public, private and non-profit sectors to evaluate their climate-related risks and develop holistic strategies to enhance their resilience to natural hazards and climate change impacts. Katie’s global experience includes climate adaptation planning and design, multi-hazard vulnerability and risk assessments, climate justice and social equity analysis and integration, disaster recovery planning and policy, Environment, Social, Governance (ESG) strategy, and net zero planning, She has extensive project management experience managing projects across the Property, Energy, Cities, and Resilience markets, ranging from planning-level studies and analysis through more detailed design and implementation. Internally, Katie also serves as the global learning manager for Arup’s Resilience Skills Network. Her previous employment with the New York State Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery included managing the multi-million-dollar Condo/Coop Recovery Program, focused on developing innovative policy solutions and strategies for housing recovery in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. Katie is a member of the ULI Boston/New England Climate Resilience Committee, the Redevelopment and Reuse Product Council (Green Flight), and has presented at and served on the ULI Resilience Summit Programming Committee.
Moderator
Mike O'Hara
Principal, Bohler
Mike O’Hara is a driving force in Washington, D.C.’s land development industry, dedicated to fostering economic growth and shaping the city’s evolving landscape. As a Principal at Bohler, he collaborates with policymakers and industry leaders to streamline development processes and create opportunities for new investment. His expertise spans infrastructure, permitting, and urban development, with a keen focus on addressing the city’s pressing housing needs.
Recently elected as Co-Chair of the Washington DC Economic Partnership (WDCEP), Mike plays a pivotal role in driving economic initiatives that revitalize the city’s built environment. He also serves on the board of directors for the DC Building Industry Association (DCBIA) and is actively involved in its working groups, engaging with key agencies such as the Department of Transportation (DOT), Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE), and DC Water. Additionally, he serves on the Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) Local Housing Product Council, where he examines strategies for increasing affordable and attainable housing across the region.
As a panelist, Mike will share his insights on overcoming development challenges in today’s market, the evolving role of affordable housing in D.C., and the strategies necessary to create sustainable and economically viable housing solutions.
Moderator
Rodney Milton
Executive Director, ULI Colorado
Raised in Denver, Rodney Milton is a passionate professional specializing in community development and retention, comprehensive planning, and unlocking the power of housing policy to ensure equitable neighborhood change. Milton holds two master’s degrees from Florida State University and a B.S. in History from Florida A & M University. He served the city of Atlanta for nearly a decade holding the position of Assistant Director of Neighborhood Revitalization in the Department of City Planning. While at the City, Rodney led or co-managed redevelopment planning for Fort McPherson, the former Turner Field and Stadium Neighborhoods, and the City’s comprehensive development plan as well as the Atlanta’s Consolidated Plan and Analysis of Impediments. In his role as Assistant Director, he helped advance innovative approaches to “place keeping” and “place making” in distressed neighborhoods looking to grow without displacement. Following his time at the city of Atlanta, Rodney joined the Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. (ABI) as a Senior Housing Policy and Development Manager. The Atlanta BeltLine is a one of the most wide-ranging urban redevelopment programs in the nation and seeks to connect 45 city of Atlanta neighborhoods through transit, trails, economic development, and affordable housing. His primary focus was ensuring ABI reached its goal of creating and preserving 5,600 quality affordable housing opportunities for residents around the BeltLine. In the year he served the BeltLine, Rodney facilitated the development of nearly 1000 affordable housing opportunities and initiated two anti-displacement programs aimed at providing assistance for renters and tax relief for homeowners experiencing rising housing costs from investments in the BeltLine. Rodney relocated to his hometown in 2020. He served the city of Aurora as its Manager of Community Development charged with the stewardship of federal funds and the implementation of the city’s Housing Strategy. R
