This session offers the chance to engage in small group discussions facilitated by a diverse group of subject matter experts. Come with a challenge (or two) in mind.

Placemaking Strategies

James Lima, President, James Lima Planning + Development
Kelly Verrel, Co Executive Director, Project for Public Spaces

Landscape Design and Sustainability Practices

Isabel Castilla, Principal, James Corner Field Operations
Michelle Mueller-Gamez, Manager of Climate Change Research, Central Park Institute

Federal Funding

Julie Waterman, Advocacy Director, City Parks Alliance
Kevin Mills, Vice President of Policy, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

Capital Campaigns

Sarah Fletcher, Chief Financial & Administrative Officer, Trinity Park Conservancy

Fundraising and Development

Alyssa Restaino, Senior Director of Institutional Giving, High Line
Anne Krause, President and Executive Director, Hemisfair Conservancy

Tech Solutions for Public Spaces

Neysa Pranger, Principal & Co-Founder, UrbanSense, Inc.
Debra Lam, Executive Director, Partnership for Inclusive Innovation

Privacy and Public Realm

Jacqueline Lu, President & Co-Founder, Helpful Places, Inc

Community-Centered Programs

Rachel Frierson, Director of Programming, Detroit Riverfront Conservancy
Sophie Harris Vorhoff, Executive Director, Friends of Lafitte Greenway

Outreach Tactics

Marie Kidhe, Senior Community Engagement Manager, Waterfront Seattle
Preeti Sodhi, Director of Community Engagement, High Line

Youth Leadership

Elaine Blanck, Youth and Career Development Manager, High Line
Claudia Dishon, Manager of School and Family Programs, High Line

Public Art

Karen Farber, Vice President of External Affairs, Buffalo Bayou Partnership
Irfana Noorani, Artist, Cultural Producer, Administrator

Digital Communications

Harish Bandhari, Senior Director of Marketing and Communications, High Line
Michael Carnevale, Founder & Creative Director, CARNEVALE

Design Accessibility

Kevin Gotkin, Artist-Organizer
Andraéa LaVant, President & Chief Inclusion Officer, LaVant Consulting, Inc.

Health and Public Spaces

Anamarie Ferreira de Melo, Co-Founder, Urban Health Solutions
Tommi Laitio, Bloomberg Public Innovation Fellow, Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins

Equitable Development and Impact Measurement

Sonia Torres Rodríguez, Research Analyst, Urban Institute
Mary Bogle, Principal Research Associate, Urban Institute

Workforce Development

Jacqueline Flin, Executive Director, A. Philip Randolph Institute
James Peacock III, Economic Opportunity Organizer, Downtown Grand Rapids Inc.