Featured Speakers

Chief Executive Officer
American Planning Association

Joel is chief executive officer of the 40,000 member American Planning Association, whose mission is creating healthy, prosperous communities for all.

Senior Product Manager
Esri

Silvia is a senior product manager for ArcGIS Urban. She gathers requirements from users, manages the prioritization of product features, and supports the development team.

Administrative Planning Officer
County of Kauai, Hawaiʻi

Alan is a GIS professional and the administrative planning officer at the County of Kauai’s Planning Department, working at the nexus of long-range and regulatory planning.

Director of Planning and Community Development Markets
Esri

A graduate of Auburn University, Keith has been a GIS professional since 1994 and has worked for planning and community development agencies at the regional and municipal levels in Alabama and North Carolina.

Foresight Manager
American Planning Association

In her role, Zhenia focuses on developing the annual Trend Report for planners and advancing the application of strategic foresight in the planning profession.

Senior Cross-Systems Planner
DC Office of Planning

Heba is an urban designer, land use planner, and architect. She’s currently leading an initiative to foster equitable and resilient communities via strategic planning and stakeholder collaboration.

Principal, Policy & Public Affairs
American Planning Association

Jason oversees public affairs programs for the American Planning Association and is responsible for strategic outreach to decision-makers and influencers who interact with the planning profession.

Account Manager
Esri

Eva is an account manager on Esri's state & local government team. She supports city and county customers, providing guidance and resources for local GIS program development.

GIS Manager
City of Sandy Springs, Georgia

Bridget is the GIS manager for the City of Sandy Springs. She has worked for consulting companies and local governments in North Carolina, Oregon, and Georgia.

Director, Planning and Community Development
Borough of State College, Pennsylvania

Prior to joining the Borough, Ed was the community development director for the Cumberland County Housing and Redevelopment Authorities and a community planner with the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.

Account Manager
Esri

Ben works on Esri's southeast regional state and local government team. Prior to joining Esri, he worked in both the public and private sectors as a city planner, consultant, and developer.

Planning and Zoning Manager
City of Sandy Springs, Georgia

Michele is currently the planning and zoning manager for the City of Sandy Springs. She began her career in local government planning at the City of Atlanta.

City Manager
City of Dickinson, Texas

Theo Melancon has been a municipal executive for over a decade serving in cities across Texas. He prides himself on providing innovative solutions and information technology integration for municipal operations.

Chief Data Officer
City of Decatur, Illinois

Seth has over 25 years of experience in both public and private sectors using data, GIS, and analysis to help others extract valuable information and make data-driven decisions to achieve organizational goals. 

Director of Planning and Development Services
City of Fate, Texas

Ryan is focused on fiscally sustainable growth management for a rapidly growing city in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. He has over 23 years of public, private, and nonprofit sector land use experience.