Are You A Vanguard? Application Deadline Extended
Tracey Ross is a Senior Policy Analyst at the Center for American Progress where she focuses on place-based solutions to fighting concentrated poverty. She is also a co-host of TalkPoverty Radio, a lively podcast featuring journalists, advocates, elected officials and people living in poverty. Previously, she was a program associate at Living Cities.
Sandra is a freight transportation planner and advocate. Having spent the last decade working for governmental agencies on solid waste management, emergency logistics and goods movement policies and project implementation, she now supports organizations as an independent consultant. Sandra earned a master’s degree in urban planning, reinforcing her passion for urban sustainability, resiliency and community involvement.
Nathan Rothstein is a Co-Founder at Project Repat- a company that is creating fair wage work in the USA by upcyling your favorite t-shirts into t-shirt quilts for you. Since launching in 2012, they have recycled over a million t-shirts and has been featured in Huffington Post, Fast Company, Inc, Boston Globe and the Today Show.
Keome Rowe is currently a diplomat for the State Department, Keome was also the Assistant to the Mayor of Fort Worth with a portfolio covering community and corporate engagement including the city’s initiatives SteerFW, FitWorth. He received his M.P.A. and MAIR degrees from Syracuse and bachelor’s degree from Texas Christian University.
Chris is the Active Transport Strategic Planner for the City of Greater Bendigo. He is passionate about empowering communities through genuine engagement and providing equitable and enjoyable transport solutions across Bendigo and the region. Chris also has extensive experience in community development in rural Australia and runs his own photography business.
Ryan Rusnak is a well seasoned planning professional with education in Ohio and experience in Florida and Iowa. He has worked for both public sector planning departments and a private sector real estate development company. He is an AICP member and daily bicycle commuter.
Patrick Sabol is focused on finding innovative ways to fund and finance the next generation of American infrastructure. Prior to joining Brookings, he served as a consultant to the Clinton Global Initiative focusing on clean fuel and transportation projects. He also has experience in venture capital investing and philanthropic consulting.
Emily designs strategies for the public sector and universities to go green and build learning systems for sustainability. As a local government change manager and independent consultant, she crosses sectors to connect innovators to partners and resources. She is a Harvard-trained educator and certified biomimicry specialist committed to climate action.
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Bill Sadler is nonprofit management professional with nearly 20 years of experience working with nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and coalitions in California and across the country on equitable public health, climate change, and transportation policies and strategies. He currently serves as the Director of CivicSpark Fellowship program at CivicWell, which is an Americorps initiative dedicated to building local government and nonprofit capacity to address community resilience issues.
Mansi Sahu is the co-founder of StudioPOD, a multidisciplinary firm in Mumbai, specialized in city planning and urban design, that blends people-oriented design principles in creating community master plans, transportation planning studies, urban landscapes and sustainable architecture. Mansi’s strength lies in working collaboratively with local communities, city governments and stakeholders to create innovative planning strategies for complex urban issues.
Daphany Rose Sanchez is a New York native, who has been passionately working as an energy equity advocate for almost ten years. Daphany founded Kinetic Communities in 2017. Kinetic Communities is a New York social enterprise Benefit Corporation which advocates and implements strategic energy equity market transformations for diverse New York communities. By working with energy and affordable housing industry partners, Daphany connects, educates, and simplifies energy efficiency opportunities for under-served New Yorkers.
Jim Sanders is the former Deputy Director of Operations for the City of Philadelphia’s public safety and community development platform under Mayor Michael Nutter. He has over 10 years of successful management and operational leadership in public and private sector entities.
Jane is an innovative public health and housing leader and social justice advocate dedicated to building a culture of health in urban New Jersey communities. Her successes include increasing Newark’s healthy homes stock and immunization rates through policy and practice and coalescing multi-sector stakeholders to optimize residents’ well-being.
Wanona Satcher is the CEO and Founder of ReJuve- a nonprofiturban design lab that develops a systems approach to connect resources, catalyze opportunity and mobilize low-wealth communities to generate equitable solutions. Wanona was a keynote panelist for Moogfest, a semi-finalist for the Bloomberg Philanthropies Mayors Challenge and a participant in the Aspen Institute/CityLab 2.0. Wanona has been featured in the Huffington Post.
Ashley is a movement lawyer, committed to building education equity and racial justice through divestment from prisons, and investing in opportunity and joy for youth of color. Previously, Ashley was a staff attorney at Youth Represent and Education Law Center-PA respectively. She is a Howard University School of Law alumna.
Lindsey leads Scout, an inter-disciplinary development practice activating underutilized spaces through thoughtful design. Scout is redeveloping the historic Bok building into an innovative space for makers and entrepreneurs. The development approach at Bok seeks to reuse existing infrastructure from the former vocational school to create a place of production and collaboration.
Justin Scheid is Senior Advisor for Policy and Partnerships in the NYC Mayor’s Office of Strategic Partnerships. Justin previously served as Deputy Director for International and Philanthropic Innovation at HUD. Justin collaborates with philanthropy, nonprofits, and the private sector to generate lessons, evidence, best practices and partnerships for social impact, while seekin creative solutions to improve and scale outcomes.
Ayla is an urban planner focused on multimodal transportation. She is a Presidential Management Fellow currently working as a Community Planner at the Federal Transit Administration. She also serves as the president of Bike JC–an advocacy organization that aims to make streets safe and welcoming for bicyclists. She holds a Master’s of City and Regional Planning degree from Rutgers University.
Jessy Kate Schingler is developing urban community housing for creatives and modern nomads. Her organization, The Embassy Network, is prototyping software tools and real estate development approaches to support high density, collaborative, shared housing environments, and providing a new way to look at our relationship to ‘home.’
Dr. John Joe Schlichtman is an urban sociologist who is motivated by the potential of equitable, just, and productive community development. His research has focused on understanding the dynamics of macro-level processes such as globalization and gentrification. His co-authored book GENTRIFIER (2017), according to CityLab, provides “tools and rules of engagement for deploying this…fully loaded and weaponized word.” He is currently developing a global ethnography with University of Minnesota Press. Follow him on Twitter at @JJSchlichtman.
Ben is the Vice President, Director of Real Estate + Economic Development, for the Memphis Medical District Collaborative (MMDC), where he oversees a team and suite of tools and funds that rewrite the rules of community development. Prior to joining MMDC, he helped build, launch, and voice an equity crowdfunding platform with a focus on impact-oriented real estate, and served as the communications director for the Chicago chapter of the American Institute of Architects, and the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU).
Anne Schwieger works for the City of Boston Department of Innovation & Technology as Broadband and Digital Equity Advocate. In this role she supports the City of Boston in advancing access to affordable broadband connectivity, up-to-date digital tools, and the digital skills that Bostonians need to engage in educational, economic, and civic pursuits. Anne is a board member of the Boston Neighborhood Network, serves on the National League of Cities Information Technology & Communications Federal Advocacy Committee, and was a 2017-18 Digital Harvard Kennedy School Practitioner Affiliate. She holds a Master in City Planning from the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at MIT and a BA in Biology and Society from Cornell University. Anne was named to the StateScoop Top Women in Technology 2018 list.
Emily Scott is a Senior Program Officer at Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Indianapolis where she works with community partners on inclusive economic development initiatives related to entrepreneurship, corridor revitalization and capacity building. Emily has a B.A. in political science and M.A in Public Affairs.
L. Anton Seals Jr., a South Shore Chicago native, is a strong cultural voice of his generation. Organizer, educator, community connector, filmmaker and entrepreneur. Anton’s work is dedicated to service and active engagement through the use of media arts, community organizing and empowerment to dismantle oppressive systems impacting divested and oppressed communities. Anton is co-founder and Lead Steward (Executive Director) of Grow Greater Englewood, a social enterprise focusing on building an equitable and resilient local food system that fosters protections of vacant land in divested communities and focuses on connecting those residents with collective community wealth building opportunities.
Giselle is an impact-driven healthy and sustainable cities development specialist who has been working at the intersection of urbanism and public health for over a decade. At Bloomberg Associates, Giselle advises cities in developing evidence-based urban planning solutions with the aim of improving lives of the greatest number of citizens.
Rachel is a leader at Kaiser Permanente where she specializes in performance improvement and strategic projects. She helps to define strategies and execute on operational plans that improve access, affordability, and health in the community. Rachel holds a Masters in Health Administration from the University of Washington.
Eric Shaw has spent most of his career working on issues of equitable development and engagement. Through his work in the public sector and philanthropy, Eric has addressed the unique needs of Salt Lake City and communities in Louisiana, Washington D.C., Miami, and Silicon Valley.
Danya Sherman is currently working on several projects at the intersection of equitable urban development and cultural planning with Project Row Houses, MIT CoLab, and the Interaction Institute for Social Change. Before school, Danya worked at Friends of the High Line in New York City for seven years as the founding Director of Public Programs, Education, and Community Engagement.
Marika Shioiri-Clark is principal of SOSHL Studio, a firm dedicated to creating social impact through design. She works with organizations like the Nike Foundation in Nigeria and Ethiopia and the DFID Amplify program in India. Marika also works on neighborhood development in Hingetown in Cleveland, where she lives in an old firehouse that still has three poles.
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Jas works at PwC in disruptive innovation, helping clients to anticipate disruption and ‘disrupt’ their own business models. He also plays a leading role in building the firms artificial intelligence practice – advising clients, transforming the firm’s services and working on initiatives to ensure AI is used for humanities benefit.
Noah Silverman is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Reno Bike Project, a community bike shop that makes cycling affordable by providing an inexpensive resource for the community to purchase, repair and learn about bicycles. With the project, Noah creates innovative programs to educate, enable and challenge the community to think about the role cycling can play in their everyday lives.
Rutledge Simmons is Executive Vice President, General Counsel/Secretary of NeighborWorks America, a national nonprofit providing technical and financial assistance to a network of community development organizations. He has served as Chair of an ABA Committee on Community Economic Development, a member of the ABA Commission on Homelessness and Poverty, and on the boards of nonprofits combating homelessness. He is interested in new ways to foster comprehensive community development via social enterprises and public/private partnerships. He is a graduate of Harvard University and Columbia Law School.
Ari is the Vice President, Chief Program and Strategy Officer of the Kresge Foundation – a philanthropy dedicated to expanding opportunities for people with low-incomes in America’s cities. In that role, he directs Kresge’s national and place-based programs, Opportunity Fund, and learning and evaluation efforts.
For 20 years Matthew Slaats has worked at the intersection of democracy, creativity, community development, and alternative economics to support grassroots, community lead decision-making, resilience, and liberation. Matthew is a co-founding member of the Virginia Solidarity Economy Network and consulting with the City of Richmond on a participatory budgeting initiative.
Peter Smith is an attorney and policymaker at the U.S. Social Security Administration. He serves as branch chief overseeing the development of policy to ensure the representation, appeals, and due process rights of individuals in the administration of federal entitlement benefits. He lives in Baltimore’s beautiful Mount Vernon neighborhood.
Alyia Smith-Parker is a Senior Associate for the National League of Cities’ (NLC) Institute for Youth, Education, and Families. She works with local elected officials, their staff, and community partners to advance policies to address the social determinants of health, reduce health disparities, and build healthier communities.
Melissa Sobolik is proud to serve the City of Fargo, N.D. through non-profit and government work. She was elected to the City Commission in June 2012 as the only woman and the youngest member. She also works as the Director of Agency & Client Services for the Great Plains Food Bank.
Ryan Sotirakis has more than 13 years of experience in urban planning and landscape design and currently works with Dig Studio, a small firm in Denver specializing in transit-oriented development, parks, streetscapes and residential design. He is passionate about urban environments and their power to connect people, both to their landscape and to each other in meaningful ways.
Joah Spearman is co-founder and CEO overseeing business development, community management, marketing and investor relations. Before Localeur, Spearman co-founded an experiential marketing agency which worked closely with SXSW and ESPN X Games, and earlier served as a social media and communications adviser to companies ranging from FedEx to Volkswagen.
Jenny Spencer is Managing Director of Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization (DSCDO). Since 1973, DSCDO has worked to catalyze the physical and social development of the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood on Cleveland’s Near West Side.
Stephen Spiker is the Director of Research & Technology with Urban Strategies Council, a social impact nonprofit based in Oakland and runs Stealing Beauty Photography. He is the founder and Executive Director of OpenOakland. Spike has been recognized by the White House as a Champion of Change.
In one of America’s most diverse cities, Anchorage, Alaska, Jay Stange works to empower and activate underdeveloped communities to be more resilient, healthy and equitable. A former teacher, journalist, and community organizer, he works as Director of Community Development for NeighborWorks Alaska, a non-profit housing provider.
Anisha Steephen is a leader in community investing with experience in successful multi-sector partnerships that drive capital to build assets for low-wealth communities. They currently work in federal-level racial and economic justice policy. They are a first generation American.
Astrid works in the Cities Branch of the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet. She supports the development and implementation of policy and projects that impact on cities. Astrid has previously worked in local government improving the social outcomes of the community. She is inspired by bike friendly European cities.
Alexis Stephens is a senior communications associate at PolicyLink and delivers messages about racial and economic equity to advocates, policymakers, and journalists. Prior to that, Alexis was Next City’s 2014-2015 equitable cities fellow and has a master’s in historic preservation from the University of Pennsylvania.
A former newspaper reporter, community organizer, and chamber of commerce executive, Will Stewart now serves as Executive Director of Stay Work Play New Hampshire, a statewide nonprofit that aims to attract and retain younger workers to the state. In 2017, Will was elected to the Manchester (NH) Board of Mayor and Aldermen.
Ben Stone is Director of Arts & Culture at Smart Growth America and its program Transportation for America. Based in Detroit, Ben leads the national organizations’ broad efforts to help communities across the country better integrate artistic practice into neighborhood revitalization, equitable development, and transportation planning efforts. Ben holds degrees in studio art, American studies, and city planning from the SMFA Boston, Tufts, and MIT.
Sam Storey is an Economic Development professional from Baltimore, MD, dedicated to leading equitable community growth. As Sr Director of Economic Development at Downtown Partnership of Baltimore, Sam leads all commercial revitalization and community grants in Downtown Baltimore. Sam studied Public Policy at Stanford University and UT Austin.
Boris Suchkov is a transportation planner with New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority. His projects center on using data analysis and visualization to improve transit operations and bring new quantitative insights to transit planning. In his free time he volunteers with Transportation Alternatives to advocate for better pedestrian and bicycling conditions in New York City.
Paul Supawanich works at the intersection of public transit and technology and is the Director of Customer Success at Remix. Remix designs and develops software to help cities plan, visualize, and implement better transit. Prior to Remix, Paul was a transportation consultant working with cities around the country to enhance transportation options through transit, biking, and walking.
S. Surface is Program Director at Design in Public, organizing the Seattle Design Festival and curating civic programs and exhibitions at the Center for Architecture and Design. Surface previously worked as an architect with super-interesting!, an organizer with Architecture for Humanity and Artist Studio Affordability Project, and a researcher with C-LAB and NetLab at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.
Peter Svarzbein is a photographer, curator and disruptive media specialist. Graduate of the renowned Eddie Adams Photojournalism Workshop, Svarzbein earned his MFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York. At SVA, Svarzbein created the El Paso Transnational Trolley Project. This self-created activist/artist project is the impetus for Svarzbein’s current public service. His work with community leaders resulted in TXDOT committing $97 million to construct a intracity trolley route and refurbish the original streetcars that ran between El Paso and Juarez.
Kim Szeto has received local and national recognition as a leader in the school food movement, including the Stealth Mover and Shaker Award from School Food FOCUS. She is a Boston native and loves biking around her hometown.
Sarah Szurpicki specializes in building and facilitating collaborations, program design and evaluation, and strategic planning. Sarah also leads our work with Michigan Future Schools, coordinating, evaluating, and reporting on the effort to accelerate high-performing new high schools in Detroit. In January 2010, Sarah was a member of a coalition that released the Detroit Declaration, a set of 12 principles and a call to action that will set Detroit on a path to prosperity.
Howard Tam is a Strategic Designer. He is the founder of ThinkFresh Group, a consultancy in Toronto, Canada that has helped urban organizations with their business strategies and models. Howard is also founder of Dragon Centre Stories, an urban heritage commemoration project for North America’s first indoor Chinese mall.
Anjali Taneja is a family physician and DJ who is passionate about community based healing, shifting power in healthcare, and achieving collective liberation. She is the Executive Director of Casa de Salud — a culturally humble, anti-racist organization providing accessible integrative healthcare and advocacy in Albuquerque. She also works as an ER doctor at a rural hospital in Navajo Nation. She founded CureThis – an online platform for healing justice discussions, and was a founding member of the National Physicians Alliance.
Curator of commercial communities, connector of creative Clients, and enabler of economic developments, supported by locals. 10 years as a Real Estate Consultant, City strategist, and Community communicator, with a vetted network of A.T. Connections.
William Tate is the founder of TateSpace LLC, a social enterprise that addresses socioeconomic issues within the urban context using design. After attending Columbia University (MSAUD), he participated in Global Studio Johannesburg, where he conceived the concept for his company. To this end, community engagement has become a critical factor in his design process.
Adina Tatum is the Executive Director of Northside Common Market. Since being at NCM she has had 15 businesses open brick and mortar, expand within the market, or wholesale. A leader in economic development, she has sat on panels sharing knowledge on women in leadership, business development and building communities.
Data scientist for social impact
LaToya Thomas currently serves as a Director and Development Manager at Dantes Partners, a boutique real estate practice specializing in the development and financing of affordable and mixed-income housing in Washington, DC. LaToya holds a Bachelor of Science and Master of Regional Planning from Cornell University and, throughout her 10+ year career, has worked with both architects and developers to create dynamic infill developments that create positive change in urban communities.
Stephanie works to expand community development lending opportunities for small businesses, MWDBEs, and nonprofit organizations for TruFund Financial Services, Inc. She plays a key role in managing strategic relationships with various community stakeholders, municipal partners and elected officials to support financial empowerment and inclusion, capital access, and community development efforts.
Cecelia Thompson is the Executive Director of Action Greensboro, an economic development nonprofit focused on improving quality in Greensboro, North Carolina. She oversees and collaborates on projects such as Center City Park, the Downtown Greenway, Opportunity Greensboro, young professional retention efforts. She spends her days seeking opportunities to collaborate, dream and act on big ideas for Greensboro’s future.
Karis Thompson divides time between Minneapolis, MN, where she works with Redeemer Center for Life + Redeemer Lutheran Church to deploy anti-displacement strategies within a gentrifying neighborhood, and Fargo, ND, where she co-organizes GROUP THINK, a platform for public conversation, and convenes a collective of leaders of color. Karis has consulted and worked with Exodus Lending, Shekinah Chapel in Riverdale, IL, the City of Fargo, Plains Art Museum, St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, The Fargo Project – World Garden Commons, Concordia College and The Project F-M.
Jessica employs a transdisciplinary approach to her work, leveraging her expertise in policy, urban design, storytelling, and visual communication. After the birth of her daughter, she founded Storyboard, an independent planning and design practice that specializes in crafting strategic solutions and compelling narratives for complex urban issues.
Elizabeth is the co-founder and co-executive director of LA-Más, an urban design non-profit based in Los Angeles. LA-Más uses policy and design to help communities shape their own growth. Elizabeth serves on Re:Code LA, and is an alumni from Harvard’s Graduate School of Design and the University of Southern California.
Stratton Tingle is executive director of SoundCorps, a nonprofit focused on building the music economy of Chattanooga, TN through initiatives that help local music industry professionals start businesses, expand existing music industry infrastructure, and recruit new business to town. Tingle is also a musician who performs with many music projects.
Maggie Tishman is Program Director for Economic Innovation at the MIT Community Innovators Lab, a R&D hub for inclusive economic development. She is based in the Bronx, where she directs an advanced manufacturing initiative designed to build wealth and ownership for low-income people of color.
Matt Tomasulo is the Founder and Chief Instigator behind Walk [Your City], an emerging civic platform to help cities put people first and embrace walkability through online tools that boost offline mobility. Matt holds a dual masters degree from UNC Chapel Hill and NC State in City & Regional Planning and Landscape Architecture where he was recipient of the Wings on Wings award, the Robert Stipe Fellowship, and 3 national Student ASLA awards.
Darcy Totten is a crisis communications strategist with over 18 years of experience. She is an expert in social impact strategies and advocacy communications centered in the nonprofit world, political campaigns, grassroots organizing, tribal governments, and education. Darcy is passionate about coalition building and working with intersectional and inclusive teams.
Tyler is the Chair of PLANewark, an organization of local architects, planners and allied professionals advocating for smart urban development in Newark, New Jersey. He has also designed multifamily housing, childcare facilities, and other community-focused uses in Newark and New York City.
Zoë Towns manages sentencing and corrections policy for Pew’s public safety performance project. She partners with state and federal policymakers, agency leaders, and other stakeholders to identify policy solutions for sentencing and corrections that fit each state’s needs. Before coming to Pew, Towns worked on youth detention policy for the Ministry of Justice in the United Kingdom and on pretrial policy in New York.
Dan is a California artist trained as an architect, organic farmer and greywater irrigation specialist. He designs systems and makes art to explore the complex connectivity between water, food, community and climate change. Additionally, he serves as a designer with Lincoln Training Center whose mission is to improve quality of life for individuals with disadvantages or developmental disabilities.
Zen Trenholm is the Director of Employee Ownership Cities and Policy with the Democracy at Work Institute (DAWI), equipping cities with tools and support to build equitable economies through worker ownership. He informs state and federal employee ownership legislation and develops policy agendas, reports, and toolkits for lawmakers and advocates.
Brendan Trewella, with nearly two decades of experience enhancing the field of community and economic development in his home of Cleveland, Ohio and across the world. His professional journey, encompassing arts, healthcare, community development, education, and sustainability, demonstrates a commitment to fostering community growth.
Emily Tsiang is passionate about applying design principles to the work+life experience and cultivating wellbeing practices. She co-founded CULTURE LABx where she partners with startups on culture design, facilitates for The Energy Project and previously led talent initiatives at Cisco. Before her foray into tech, Emily spent a decade in urban economic development managing transformational initiatives for the Mayor’s Office of LA, Boston, and NYC.
A long term advocate for regional Queensland small business communities, Amy also has a keen interest in social innovation and placemaking. She is also a committed volunteer, largely in working with disengaged cohorts to encourage their meaningful participation in the community.
Jason is Director of Urban Apostles, a property development firm specialising in alternative workplace & housing models for cities. Its work focuses on the intersection of the sharing economy and art of city making. Jason is also an Innovation Fellow within the School of Architecture at University of Technology Sydney.
Dillon Tyler currently serves with the International Civil Rights Center & Museum and is currently a 2020 Fellow of the New Leaders Council. His work intersects social justice and coalition-building in the public and private sectors. Dillon holds a B.A. in Political Science (Pre-Law) from UNC Greensboro.
Julie Ulrich is passionate about re-envisioning the relationship between cities, communities, and nature. A systems and interdisciplinary thinker at heart, she loves highlighting the innovative and beautiful ways that cities can positively shape the lives of those around them. She has a Master’s of Urban Design from the University of Virginia’s School of Architecture and is a Senior Fellow with The Environmental Leadership Program, and is currently the Director of Urban Conservation at the Nature Conservancy.
Chris Valdez leads strategy and creative at Houston brand consultancy, Primer Grey where he and a team develop work with a people-first approach, helping to make words and Design solve human problems. Chris has most recently contributed work to campaigns for the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance and First Lady Michelle Obama, and works daily with entrepreneurs and leaders across a variety of industries and sectors. Chris is a Court-appointed Special Advocate working with youth in the care of the state of Texas. (photo credit: @LaurenMarek)
Ebrahim is the President & Co-Founder of Patronicity. Based out of Detroit, he recognized a city filled with people passionate about growth, empowerment and change. He believes the cornerstone between a great idea and it coming to life is often times the funding, and started Patronicity as a civic crowdfunding platform to inspire growth and change through cities and towns, both urban and rural across Michigan and the country. Growing Patronicity to be more than just a civic crowdfunding platform, he has led Patronicity to change the way grants are administered and how communities come together to envision, build and create more sustainable and impactful project meaningful to them. Being an entrepreneur coupled with his passion for sustainable community development, he enjoys learning of great new initiatives happening around the country started by other entrepreneurs, innovators, artists, & activists.
Raquel Vazquez is an urban planner with over 10 years of community development experience, ranging from affordable housing, economic development, transportation, historic preservation, finance, and legislative affairs. A Brooklyn native, Raquel is uniquely equipped to solve a broad range of challenging policy issues with her community-based organizing approach.
Bella Vincent is returning to Australia after two years at Harvard Kennedy School, completing her MPA and assisting two experts in urban innovation, policy and development to communicate ideas and enhance experiential learning. She has previously led evaluation, service redesign and engagement for the Australian Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet, and Indigenous think tank the Cape York Institute. She went to high school in Greater Newcastle.
Jeff Vines is co-creator and co-owner of STL-Style, a city-centric apparel and graphic design shop in the great city of St. Louis. He is also a passionate urbanist and historic preservation advocate. Jeff is known to hop around to cities near and far, but he always looks forward to returning home and sharing the greatness of St. Louis with the rest of the world.
Randy Vines is co-creator of STL-Style, a St. Louis-inspired graphic design and apparel. He is a board member of Landmarks Association of St. Louis, the Cherokee Station Business Association and the Cherokee Street Development League. He is the recipient of several awards, including “Top Young Entrepreneurs” and “100 St. Louisans to Know” from Small Business Monthly, and a 2014 Progressive Future Award from the New Leaders Council-St. Louis.
Roodline Volcy is Director of Peer Advancement at Seed Commons. There, she leads onboarding and development of new and existing peer members and she designs systems for sustainable organizational growth rooted in equity. Roodline is the former Events and Trainings Manager and an instructor in the School for Democratic Management at Democracy at Work Institute. She led trainings both domestically and internationally in cooperative development and democratic management for worker owners, developers, and allies. Roodline also organized multiple worker cooperative national conferences, each varied in scope and sophistication. She is the former Board Chair of the Renaissance Community Cooperative and a current Board member of the North Carolina Employee Ownership Center.
Shehara Waas is a queer, disabled, woman of color, and mixed methods policy researcher. With a background in environmental justice and an interest in community development, Shehara seeks to center community voice in the way policy research is conducted. She is the Research Manager of the Chicago-based Metropolitan Planning Council.
Jay is the Principal Creative Director of Briteweb (formerly RallyRally), a creative agency dedicated to social change. He has led the design of award-winning brands, websites, and campaigns for causes ranging from climate action to community engagement in urban planning policy. He is an advocate for the role of design and communication to help create better cities.
Kristi Wamstad-Evans is the Technical Director for STAR Communities, a national framework and certification program for community sustainability. In her role, Kristi is responsible for the development and improvement of metrics and verification of community applications. Prior to joining STAR, Kristi was the Sustainability Coordinator at the City of Omaha and National Sustainable Solutions Program Coordinator for HDR, Inc.
Libby Wann is a member of the Future of Work team at the Ford Foundation. She is particularly interested in issues surrounding economic justice, food justice, and regional food systems. Prior to Ford, Libby worked at the Global Volunteer Network in New Zealand. Libby holds a master’s in Public Policy and a bachelor’s degree in Cultural Anthropology and Art.
I’m Quinton Ward, a multidiscipline artist, designer, and connector. My passions and work is at the intersection of art, design, community, and relationship. I’m currently the Senior Manger of the MetroMarket at Operation Food Search a metro bus turned into a farmer market on wheels.
Lark Washington is COO at Maggie Walker Community Land Trust where she leads fund development. She previously worked at Dept. of Housing & Community Development and PlanRVA. She holds a Master of Urban & Regional Planning (MURP) degree from VCU and B.S. in Civil Engineering from the Univ. of Virginia.
Taylor E. Watson is a community organizer who represents San Antonio’s Eastside as its District 2 Zoning Commissioner, advocating for equitable development through land use policy. Her firm The Alcachofa Agency transforms the national security ecosystem through civic engagement and innovative projects in the defense and military-aligned space. She is also a Political Partner at Truman National Security Project and currently serves as the Institute Team Lead on the board of New Leaders Council – San Antonio.
Adrien A. Weibgen is a Senior Policy Fellow at the Association for Neighborhood & Housing Development, which builds community power to win affordable housing and thriving, equitable neighborhoods for all New Yorkers. Previously, Adrien was a founder of, and staff attorney in, the Equitable Neighborhoods practice of the Community Development Project, which partners with directly impacted residents organizing to support the self-determination and thriving of low-income New Yorkers. Adrien previously worked at the ACLU Racial Justice Program and Race Forward.
Matt is an Obama appointee in the U.S. Small Business Administration, where he serves as a Special Advisor in the Office of Investment and Innovation. He works on federal programs aimed at commercializing early-stage technology and fostering startup growth across the country. Prior to SBA, Matt worked for the City of New York where he managed city-wide programs focused on developing New York’s technology sector.
Rachael is the Co-Director of Gap Filler, an innovative organisation that produces quirky projects to support the regeneration of Christchurch (New Zealand) post-earthquake. She has a background in Culture and Heritage and moved to Christchurch just over two years ago to take up her current role.
Krissie Wells is a fundraiser at a college access organization in Cleveland. She is a member of a local grassroots grantmaking organization which awards grants of up to $5,000 to networks of neighbors who work diligently, and without fanfare, to create better lives for themselves and their neighbors.
Katy Welter plans, manages, and advises on public policy initiatives for state courts as well as executive and legislative branches of government. Specializing in evidence-driven public policies within complex systems, Katy brings public and nonprofit stakeholders, national experts, world-class researchers, and the highest caliber pro bono students and professionals to bear on challenging social problems.
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