Jump to a TCN city:

UNITED STATES
Austin | Boston | Charlotte | Cleveland | Denver | Detroit | Oakland | 
Philadelphia |Pittsburgh | Portland | San Antonio | Washington

EUROPE
Belgrade | Birmingham | Brussels | Copenhagen | Essen | 
Genoa | Lyon | Rotterdam |Torino | Valencia

AUSTIN, TX

Representative: Frank Fernandez, Executive Director, Green Doors
As Executive Director of Green Doors, Frank Fernandez oversees core programs including the acquisition and development of affordable housing and the coordination of supportive services in the county, with the aim of helping individuals transition from homelessness to independence. Frank also co-founded and continues to serve on the Executive Committee of HousingWorks, a housing advocacy; chaired Austin’s 2006 affordable housing bond campaign, which successfully advocated for the passage of $55 million in affordable housing bonds; and co-chaired the City of Austin’s Affordable Housing Incentives Taskforce from summer 2006 through spring 2007.  Frank also serves on the board of the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Austin’s regional transit agency.

Projects: 

• Central Texas Transatlantic Rail Workshop (February 2009)

BOSTON, MA

Representative: Michael Lake, Executive Director, World Class Cities Partnership
As Executive Director of the World Class Cities Partnership, within Northeastern University’s School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs, Michael establishes and develops relationships with municipal governments and universities around the world, creating a global network of partner cities dedicated to implementing public policy to address shared challenges facing 21st century cities. Michael’s career in public service has spanned service to two United States Presidents as Special Assistant for White House Operations as well as serving the former Prime Minister of Ireland as a policy research analyst. Michael also serves as a board member for the Neighborhood Organization for Affordable Housing (NOAH), a member of the Boston Public Library’s Young Professionals Committee, the Executive Director of Northeastern’s College of Business Talent Development Committee, and as an Alumni Mentor.

Projects:

• Fellow: Milos Kovacevic (September – December 2010)

CHARLOTTE, NC

Representative: Brian Collier, Senior Vice President for Community Philanthropy, Foundation for the Carolinas
Brian Collier is Senior Vice President for Community Philanthropy at the Foundation for the Carolinas, in which role he oversees the Foundation’s competitive grants program and affiliate boards relationships.  Mr. Collier also leads the Foundation’s civic leadership initiatives, including The Carolina Thread Trail, a 500 mile greenways and trails program.Prior to joining the Foundation, Mr. Collier served as Vice President for Marketing and Development for KaBOOM!, a national non-profit organization that works to create a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America. 

Projects:

• Strategies for Transforming to a Green Economy Study Tour (November 2009)
• Fellow: Tim Campbell (May – October 2009)
• Study Tour: Sustainable Development and Open Space Preservation (April 2008)

CLEVELAND, OH

Representative: Randall McShepard, Vice President for Community Affairs, RPM International Inc.
As Vice President for Public Affairs at RPM International Inc., a worldwide specialty coatings company. In this role, Randy McShepard is primarily responsible for coordinating external and governmental affairs for the company, managing the corporate philanthropy program, and facilitating corporate purchasing initiatives. Mr. McShepard is the cofounder of PolicyBridge, a public policy think tank serving the Northeast Ohio region, and is the Vice Chair of the Fund for Our Economic Future, a major collaboration among much of the region’s institutional and individual philanthropy to advance the economic competitiveness of Northeast Ohio. He is also a Marshall Memorial Fellow. 

Projects: 

• Cities in Transition (September 2010-ongoing)
• Fellow: John Colm (Fall 2010)
• Great Lakes Regionalism and Economic Development Study Tour (June 2009) and Workshops (September 2009)
• Strategies for Transforming to a Green Economy Study Tour (November 2009)

DENVER, CO

Representative: Kelly Brough, CEO and President, Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce
Kelly Brough was named as the CEO and President of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce in August 2009.  She was formerly the Chief of Staff to Mayor of Denver John Hickenlooper (now Governor of Colorado), and before that served as Deputy Chief of Staff and Director of the Office of Accountability and Reform. In her time working for the City of Denver, Ms. Brough’s areas of focus included improving public sector performance and service delivery and developing stronger working relationships between the public, non-profit and private sectors. She is also a Marshall Memorial Fellow. 

Projects:

• Fellow: Oliver Mietzsch (December 2009 – February 2010)
• Fellow: Anne Mariani (October – December 2009)
• TCN Network Meeting: Tax Tools for Financing Art, Transit, and Special Projects (October 2009)

DETROIT, MI

Representative: Margaret Garry
Ms. Garry concluded her term as the Michigan Department of Human Services’ Director of Special Projects in December 2010, in which role she was responsible for developing and implementing new partnerships, policies and programs that support the mission of the Michigan Department of Human Services.  Her current focus is to advance the development of locally-owned, sustainable and quality grocery stores in Detroit. Formerly Senior Policy Advisor for one of Michigan’s highest ranking Democratic legislators, she worked to enhance Michigan’s potential as a center for global trade and built community capacity to implement local economic development plans. Ms. Garry’s career includes a term as Chief of Staff at the Michigan State Housing Development Authority and 15 years working in Detroit community development corporations. 

Projects:

• Detroit-Torino Partnership (November 2010-ongoing)
• Cities in Transition (September 2010-ongoing)
• Great Lakes Regionalism and Economic Development Study Tour (June 2009) and Workshops (September 2009)
• Strategies for Transforming to a Green Economy Study Tour (November 2009)

OAKLAND, CA

Representative: Doug Johnson, Senior Planner, Metropolitan Transportation Commission
Doug Johnson is the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s (MTC) Transportation for Livable Communities (TLC) Grant program administrator and MTC’s Station Area Planning Grant program administrator. In these positions, he engages dozens of Bay Area cities, market rate and non-profit developers, non-governmental organizations, and transit agencies to build quality neighborhoods, which integrate pedestrian, transit, and bicycle access with new development projects, while simultaneously achieving regional objectives to increase land use intensity near transit. Mr. Johnson also serves on the Board of Directors of Walk Oakland Bike Oakland, a non-profit working to galvanize support for cycling and pedestrian infrastructure among residents, business owners and commuters.

Projects:

• Fellow: Oliver Mietzsch (December 2009 – February 2010)
• Transatlantic Active Transportation Workshops (September 2009)

PHILADELPHIA, PA

Representative: Shawn McCaney, Program Officer, William Penn Foundation
As a program officer with the William Penn Foundation, Philadelphia’s largest regionally-focused private foundation, Mr. McCaney has developed a nearly $90 million portfolio of grants focused on enhancing Greater Philadelphia’s built environment through support for better planning, design, and land use policies, model planning initiatives, and capital investments that demonstrate quality design. Since 2006 Mr. McCaney has been leading the Foundation’s efforts to promote high quality redevelopment of Philadelphia’s central waterfront area, including initiating a civic visioning process that involved over 4,000 city residents, support for a new management entity created to oversee waterfront redevelopment, funding a new land use plan for the riverfront, and developing and implementing series of “early action” parks and public space improvement projects.

Projects:

• Fellow: Milos Kovacevic (September – December 2010)
• Fellow: Patrizia Saroglia (February – April 2009)
• TCN Network Meeting: Inaugural Meeting and Study Tour (September 2008)

PITTSBURGH, PA

Representative: Gregg Behr, Executive Director, Grable Foundation
Gregg Behr is Executive Director of The Grable Foundation, a Pittsburgh-based foundation dedicated to improving the lives of children.  From 2002 to 2006, Mr. Behr served as President of The Forbes Funds, another Pittsburgh-based foundation that supports nonprofit capacity-building, research, and leadership development.  In that role, Mr. Behr managed nationally-recognized grantmaking programs and research studies, twice chaired the Pittsburgh Nonprofit Summit, launched the Greater Pittsburgh Nonprofit Partnership, and coordinated an EMMY-award winning public television series. Mr. Behr is also Founding Director of The Content of Our Character Project, a nationally-acclaimed ethics initiative featured in the New York Times, on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360, and in the PBS documentary, “The Power of Integrity.”  He is also a Marshall Memorial Fellow. 

Projects:

• Cities in Transition (September 2010-ongoing)
• Fellow: Milos Kovacevic (September – December 2010)
• Strategies for Transforming to a Green Economy Study Tour (November 2009)
• Fellow: Anne Mariani (October – December 2009)
• Great Lakes Regionalism and Economic Development Study Tour (June 2009) and Workshops (September 2009)

PORTLAND, OR

Representative: Mike Wetter, Executive Director, the Intertwine Alliance Foundation

Mike Wetter is a founder and Executive Director of The Intertwine Alliance, where he leads a coalition of 70 of the most prominent public, private and nonprofit organizations working on parks, trails and natural areas in the Portland-Vancouver area. Mike’s mission is to create a movement powerful enough to change investment paradigms so that nature is integrated more deeply into the fabric of the metropolitan region, creating economic, transportation, health, educational and environmental benefits for the region and its residents.

Prior to becoming Executive of The Intertwine Alliance, Mike was Senior Advisor to Metro Council President David Bragdon. In this capacity, he managed the Metro Council’s strategic planning initiatives, founded Metro’s Regional Leadership Initiative, and helped launch The Intertwine Alliance.

Projects:

• Fellow: Oliver Mietzsch (December 2009 – February 2010)
• Transatlantic Active Transportation Workshops (September 2009)
• Fellow: Tim Campbell (May – October 2009)
• Connecting Green: Lessons from Europe on Regional Trails Development (October 2008)

SAN ANTONIO, TX

Representative: Leilah Powell, Executive Director, Brackenridge Park Conservancy Principal

Leilah Powell became the first Executive Director of the Brackenridge Park Conservancy in the fall of 2010.  Prior to that, she had served on their Board of Directors and was involved in the organization’s founding.  From 2004 to 2008 she served as Government Relations Manager for Bexar County, Texas, where she was responsible for coordinating Bexar County policies and programs with local, state and federal governments and serving as liaison with elected officials.  Before joining the County, she was with the City of San Antonio for five years, serving as Neighborhood Developer Manager and then as Assistant to the Mayor.  Her professional background also includes experience with affordable housing lending and community development finance in non-profit and for-profit settings, as well as consulting work for non-profit and government clients.

She is a member of the Alamo Public Telecommunications Council, the board of the San Antonio Chapter of the American Institute of Architects,  and the Advisory Council of the School of Architecture at the University of Texas.  She has served on the boards of the Mahncke Park Neighborhood Association, the San Antonio Section of the Texas Chapter of the American Planning Association, Voices for Children San Antonio, and the Alamo Area Mutual Housing Association, among others.  She is the author of “Share Your Success: Fund-Raising Ideas,” published by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. She and her husband Scott live in San Antonio, Texas and have two young daughters.

Projects:

• Central Texas Transatlantic Rail Workshop (February 2009)

WASHINGTON, DC

Representative: Howard Ways, Executive Director, Redevelopment Authority of Price George’s County Maryland

Howard has over 19 years of planning and real estate development experience, working in such cities as Philadelphia, Baltimore and the District of Columbia. Howard is now the Executive Director of the Redevelopment Authority of Prince George’s County Maryland, where he leads the principal development agency for a metropolitan county with over 800,000 residents, focusing on mixed income and mixed public private partnerships real estate projects.

Howard previously served as the Director of Planning and Sustainability for the University of the District of Columbia where he coordinated the university’s sustainability initiative, a comprehensive effort to promote sustainable practices in its operations and its academic offerings. Prior to joining the university, Mr. Ways was  Special Assistant to the Director of Washington D.C.’s Office of Planning, where he oversaw various green initiatives, including Green Collar Jobs, and led the planning effort on reuse of excess school facility space. Mr. Ways also serves as an Adjunct Professor in the Urban Studies Program at the University of the District of Columbia.

Projects:

• Fellow: Abby Hall (September 2010, January – February 2011)
• Fellow: Anne Mariani (October – December 2009)
• Fellow: Tim Campbell (May – October 2009)
• Fellow: Patrizia Saroglia (February – April 2009)
• Fellow: John Swanson (November 2008 – February 2009)
• Fellow: Jess Zimbabwe (November 2008 – February 2009)
• TCN Network Meeting: Inaugural Meeting and Study Tour (September 2008)

BELGRADE, SERBIA

Representative: Aleksandar Bobic, Landscape Architect and Coordinator of Institutional Cooperation,Public Art Public Space
Aleksandar Bobic is an Assistant of University of Belgrade (Faculty of Forestry, Department of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture; Faculty of Architecture). As a landscape architect and artist, he is one of the founders of Serbian Association of Landscape Architects. Mr. Bobic is the Program Coordinator of multidisciplinary university project Public Art – Public Space (PaPs). Mr. Bobic has over 30 publicized or completed urban designs, landscape and artistic projects, and research projects as well as scientific papers and a research book. 

Projects:

• Fellow: Milos Kovacevic (September – December 2010)
• TCN Network Meeting – Belgrade & Torino (February 2009)

BIRMINGHAM, UK

Representative: David Carter, Head of Planning Strategy, Birmingham City Council
David Carter is a Chartered Town Planner and has more than 30 years experience in the West Midlands at regional, conurbation and local levels. He joined Birmingham City Council in 1986 and is currently the Head of Planning Strategy and in the Development Planning Division of the Development Directorate.  Prior to joining the City Council he worked for the former West Midlands County and Wolverhampton Councils. He is responsible for the preparation, monitoring and review of city-wide planning policies and liaison with the other local authorities in the West Midlands, including both the Birmingham Plan and Regional Spatial Strategy.

Projects:

• TCN Network Meeting (September 2012)

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM

Representative: Johan Basiliades, Political Secretary, Flemish Liberal-Democrats, Brussels Regional Parliament
For the past nine years Johan Basiliades has coordinated the political activities of the Dutch speaking Liberal Democrat group in the Brussels Regional Parliament. In this position he has focused particularly on the institutional future of Brussels as a city-region within the federal framework and as such has been closely involved in urban debates on housing, social integration and immigrant integration, urban planning, public transportation and mobility, education, employment, tax policy and budget in Brussels. Mr. Basiliades is also involved with the think tank Liberal Knowledge Center (LKC) and over the past years has published several contributions in Dutch and French to books and journals on political and social history and philosophy and on Brussels and urban policies.  In 2006 he edited Stadslucht Maakt Vrij (City Air Makes One Free) at the Brussels Free University (VUBPress) together with Prof. Dr. Stouthuysen.

Projects:

• Fellow: Caroline van Wynsberghe (Fall 2010)

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK

Representative: Anders Ulrich, CEO, Conceptura ApS [Danish]
Prior to founding Conceptura, Anders Ulrich worked as Business Development Manager in Ramboll, a leading knowledge-based company operating in a broad international context. Mr. Ulrich has extensive experience with city development projects in Scandinavia, primarily in Copenhagen and other larger cities in Denmark. The core of his work has been facilitating and coordinating projects with multi-disciplined content, covering topics such as space management and city integration, traffic management, sustainability, experience economy, public service innovation, test and implementation of new clean technologies. Through his work, Mr. Ulrich has built an extensive network of relations to relevant people from both the public and private sector and is a frequently chosen “knowledge and relations broker” for new innovative project set-ups and designs.

Projects:

• Fellow: John Colm (Fall 2010)
• Fellow: John Swanson (November 2008 – February 2009)
• Connecting Green: Lessons from Europe on Regional Trails Development (October 2008)

ESSEN, GERMANY

Representative: Caren Heidemann, Special Assistant to the Director, Essen Department of Urban Development [German]
Caren Heidemann is Special Assistant to the Director of the Urban Development Department of the municipality of Essen in Middle-Germany (North-Rhine Westphalia). For the past seven years she has managed a variety of projects, particularly those concerning the demographic change process and inter-municipal cooperation. She supports projects with a focus on science as an important urban location factor. Ms. Heidemann holds a Master of Public Administration and a Master of Social Sciences. Since 2003 she has taught sociology and self- and conflict-management at the College of Applied Sciences for Public Administration.

Projects:

• Cities in Transition Year Two: Economic Development (September 2011)
• Fellow: John Colm (Fall 2010)
• TCN Network Meeting – Transforming Liabilities into Assets (October 2010)
• Great Lakes Regionalism and Economic Development Study Tour (June 2009) and Workshops (September 2009)
• Fellow: Jess Zimbabwe (November 2008 – February 2009)

GENOA, ITALY

Representative: Federica Alcozer, Urban Planner and Architect, Studio Gap Associati
Federica Alcozer is an architect and urban planner and a founding member (2002) of the firm Studio GAP Associati in Genoa, Italy. Ms. Alcozer is a member and consultant with the chamber of architects of the province of Genoa and also serves as a lecturer at the School of Architecture at the University of Genoa, where she teaches courses on the protection of urban areas, countryside and open spaces. She has also led or participated in research projects in the issue areas of urban transformation and innovative approaches to citizen involvement in these processes.

Projects:

• Fellow: Michelle DeRobertis (August – November 2009)
• Transatlantic Cities Forum: Waterfront Development (May 2010)

LYON, FRANCE

Representative: Hubert Julien-Laferriere, Vice Mayor, International Cooperation, City of Lyon
Hubert Julien-Laferrière has been Mayor of 9th District Lyon, France and Greater Lyon Councilor since September 2003. In his current position, he is involved in bringing to fruition one of the most ambitious urban regeneration projects in the country, as he leads a “Grand Projet de Ville” (Great urban project) policy which has been set up to fight severe social and economic decline in a quarter of his district. This “Grand Projet de Ville” includes the destruction and the reconstruction of 1500 apartment flats, as a way to bring down social housing from 80% to 50% and to create a greater social diversity. Mr. Julien-Laferrière also teaches European Community law, politics and economics at the University of Lyon II – Lumière and the University of Lyon III – Jean Moulin.  

Projects:

• Fellow: Abby Hall (September 2010, January – February 2011)
• Fellow: Autumn Bernstein (October – December 2010)
• Fellow: Matt Nichols (February – May 2010)
• Fellow: Jess Zimbabwe (November 2008 – February 2009)

ROTTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS

Representative: Nico Tillie, Landscape Architect, City of Rotterdam [Dutch]
Nico Tillie works for the city of Rotterdam as a landscape architect and on a CO2 neutral citywide project as a leading advisor on energy strategies. He has recently worked on planning strategies for water adaption to climate change for the city and on spatial, economical and ecological restructuring of the industrial agricultural areas in the Gelderse Valley. He is currently working on coordinating several European Union projects on greenhouse gas mitigation as an EU liaison for the region. In addition to work with the city and EU, Mr. Tillie is completing a doctorate in urban planning at TU-Delft, focused on integrating energy planning into the overall planning process. He also works as a freelance garden designer and publishes articles on subjects which include regional and urban green building, regional and town planning and botany.

Projects:

• Fellow: Abby Hall (September 2010, January – February 2011)

TORINO, ITALY

Representative: Elisa Rosso, Head of Economic Development and EU Structural Funds Department, City of Torino
As Head of the European Funds, Innovation and Economic Development Department of the City of Torino, Elisa Rosso is responsible for the access of the City of Torino to European Funds, for policies and measures supporting technological and social innovation and for actions to foster economic development and business creation. In her position she also contributes to the development of Torino Smart City strategy and she deals with integrated territorial urban planning and urban regeneration, as she recently coordinated the design of an integrated territorial programme in a deprived urban area, cofunded by the European Structural Funds, as well as wide development programmes aimed at building onto main local competitiveness factors. Mainly up-to-date areas of work are: management of projects in the field of innovation/energy efficiency and strategic research in some relevant fields for urban development, such as demand-side measures supporting innovation, public procurement of innovation, and the “smart city” vision.

Projects:

• Detroit-Torino Partnership (November 2010-ongoing)
• Fellow: Autumn Bernstein (October – December 2010)
• Great Lakes Regionalism and Economic Development Study Tour (June 2009) and Workshops (September 2009)
• Fellow: Michelle DeRobertis (August – November 2009)
• Fellow: Tim Campbell (May – October 2009)
• Fellow: Patrizia Saroglia (February – April 2009)
• TCN Network Meeting – Belgrade & Torino (February 2009)
• Fellow: Jess Zimbabwe (November 2008 – February 2009)

VALENCIA, SPAIN

Representative: Carlos Meri, Professor of Architectural Design, Valencia Polytechnic
Carlos Meri is Professor of Architectural Desgin at the Valencia Polytechnic. He opened his own studio twenty years ago, after having worked for several years as the Chief Architect of an important city in the South of Spain, and over the years has become one of Spain’s leading architects. Among his most important projects are the re-qualification and re-design of the Port of Valencia for the 2006 America’s Cup, the Palace of Justice inMurcia (2003), Valencia’s Metro stations (1990s), and a housing project in Castellon, which was awarded the FAD prize for the most outstanding architectural project in 2007.