Featured Speakers

Chief Planner
City of Dallas Planning and Development Department

Lawrence manages the Policy Lab that specializes in data analytics, policy research, development review, and community storytelling through data.

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.

Vice President of Strategic Partnerships & Initiatives
St. Louis Development Corporation

In this role, Steve actively engages with businesses, communities, and stakeholders to advance equitable economic growth in the City of St. Louis.

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.

Associate Director of Neighborhood Planning
DC Office of Planning

Heba is the Associate Director of Neighborhood Planning at the DC Office of Planning. She directs a diverse team of planning professionals to develop innovative and contextual place-based plans, including small area plans and design guidelines, that advance equity, economic vitality, and community vibrancy.

Partner and cofounder
Houseal Lavigne

John has worked with hundreds of cities globally to solve complex urban planning challenges. He has received many prestigious national and state-level awards, such as the National Excellence Award from the American Planning Association.

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.

Co-Founder
Houseal Lavigne

Devin Lavigne is a recognized leader in urban planning, specializing in urban design, GIS, and development visualization.

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.

Urban Planning Practice Lead
Esri

Christine helps planners from local governments, regional agencies, and AEC firms use GIS in planning workflows. She oversees urban planning projects within Esri’s Professional Services Built Environment department.

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 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.

City Planning Director
City of Cañon City Community Vitality Department

Patrick is the City Planning Director for Cañon City, Colorado. Under his leadership, the city received a Merit Award from the Colorado chapter of the American Planning Association.

Chairman, President, and CEO
St. Louis Development Corporation

Neal’s focus has been on intentionally implementing city-wide economic development activities aimed at creating equitable economic opportunity for all St. Louis residents, businesses, and neighborhoods to thrive.

Senior Project Manager
Esri

Caitlin supports planning and geodesign work for Esri’s professional services. With a background in landscape architecture, GIS, and regional planning, she helps customers use data-driven planning and collaboration in their communities.

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. 

Principal Regional Planner
Southern California Association of Governments

Tom is a certified member of the American Institute of Certified Planners. He manages the local information services program for the planning strategy department at the Southern California Association of Governments, providing information and technical services to 197 jurisdictions.

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.