MICHAELA NEU
Michaela Neu (she/her/hers) is the Project Coordinator for Green Cities Accord, working to enhance the vitality of the Twin Cities by bringing public and private entities together to build urban green infrastructure. Michaela oversees Green Cities Accord’s projects including Peavey Plaza, Hennepin/Lyndale Crossroads, and the Twin Cities Climate Resiliency Initiative, a twenty year program to expand the Twin Cities urban tree canopy, funded in part by the first urban tree canopy carbon off-set program in Minnesota.
Prior to Green Cities Accord, Michaela spent 10 years with the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization where she was a youth and community outreach specialist, contributing to the expansion and effectiveness of the MWMO’s outreach efforts. She also worked to implement the Mississippi River Green Team, a youth conservation and employment program coordinated in partnership with the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. Through her work with the team, Michaela emerged as a leader in local efforts to develop pathways to diversify the Twin Cities’ environmental workforce.
STEVE CRAMER
Minneapolis Downtown Council
Steve Cramer is the President and CEO of the Minneapolis Downtown Council and Downtown Improvement District. He was a Minneapolis City Council member from 1984 to 1993. Steve also worked for the nonprofit organization Project for Pride in Living from 1994 through 1999, serving as the director of housing and development, chief operating officer and finally president and executive director. He then served as director of the Minneapolis Community Development Agency (known today as CPED) from 1999 to February 2002 and as director of the Hennepin County Department of Housing, Community Works & Transit from February 2002 to August 2003, when he rejoined Project for Pride in Living as their president and executive director until joining the Downtown Council in December 2013.
JAMES LIMA
James Lima Planning + Design
James Lima has been actively engaged in complex matters of real estate, economic development, and public policy since 1986, with extensive private and public sector experience in the planning and revitalization of urban places at a variety of scales. James founded JLP+D in 2011 after leading redevelopment strategies for numerous large-scale sites as a partner at a major national economic and real estate advisory firm. He is a frequent speaker at Urban Land Institute and other conferences, has served on advisory panels throughout North America, and has lectured on urban redevelopment at Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Columbia, Penn, and Syracuse, as well as in Rotterdam, Amsterdam, and Sao Paulo.
D'ANGELOS SVENKESON
As the CEO of NEOO Partners, D'Angelos provides the executive level guidance of NEOO’s vision through strategic partnership, market expansion, and client services. He is the strategic voice of the enterprise ensuring that the workplace culture creates positive benefits for clients and the team. In his work, D’Angelos is responsible for delivering executive-level commitment across the organization bevy of projects by leveraging over 15 years of industry experience in real estate development, finance, long-range planning, and client advisory services.
JOHN CHOI
Ramsey County Attorney
John Choi was sworn in as the first Korean-American chief prosecutor in the country in 2011. Since taking office, John has become a state and national leader in progressive justice reform, working with public officials and impacted communities to reimagine justice and the role of prosecutors. John’s innovative approach to holding abusers accountable, while working collaboratively with advocacy agencies to help victims, has transformed the way government intervenes in domestic violence and sex trafficking in Minnesota.
DAVID DOWNEY
President and CEO, International Downtown Association
As President and Chief Executive Officer, David is responsible for the overall strategic positioning of IDA as a world leader and champion for vital and livable urban centers. Prior to joining IDA, David served as the Managing Director for the American Institute of Architects’ Urban Design Center and as Executive Director for the Michigan Chapter of the American Planning Association. David has been a city advocate since 1980s having received his degree in Architecture and Design with a focus on Urban Design.
CHRISTOPHER B. LEINBERGER
Co-Founding Partner & Managing Director, Places Platform, LLC (Washington, DC)
Chris Leinberger is a land use strategist, developer, professor, researcher and author. He balances business realities with social, environmental and public health issues. Currently, Mr. Leinberger is Managing Partner and Co-founder of Places Platform, which assesses place-based economic, social equity and public health by measuring and managing economic growth, net fiscal impact, real estate valuation, achieving social equity and increasing public health. Mr. Leinberger has written two books, The Option of Urbanism, Investing in a New American Dream and Strategic Planning for Real Estate. In 2017, he was named one of The 100 Most Influential Urbanists of all time in poll on Planetizen.com.
DAVID C. SMITH
Vice President, Global Head of Occupier Insights, Cushman & Wakefield (Atlanta, GA)
David C. Smith is the Global Head of Occupier Insights for Cushman & Wakefield. He produces thought leadership content focused on how economics, demographics, technology and space usage trends impact commercial real estate users and investors. David previously spent over a decade at Kingsley Associates, a leading provider of research and benchmarking solutions to real estate companies around the world
JOE MINICOZZI, AICP
Principal, Urban 3
Joe Minicozzi, AICP is the principal of Urban3. Prior to creating Urban3, he served as the Executive Director for the Asheville Downtown Association. Joe is an urban planner imagining new ways to think about and visualize land use, urban design and economics. Joe founded Urban3 to explain and visualize market dynamics created by tax and land use policies.
DAVID DIXON, FAIA
STANTEC'S URBAN PLACES FELLOW
David is committed to helping with cities and suburbs alike unlock urban renaissance made possible by a perfect storm of dramatic demographic, economic, environmental and technological changes—including ongoing planning for transformation of the Lyndale Avenue Corridor in Bloomington, MN. The AIA gave David its Thomas Jefferson Award for “a lifetime of … significant achievement in [creating]… livable neighborhoods, vibrant civic spaces, and vital downtowns.” Residential Architecture Magazine named David to its Hall of Fame Award as “the person we call when we have a question about cities.” He is co-author of Urban Design for an Urban Century: shaping more livable, equitable and resilient cities (Wiley, 2014).