Who We Are

Mayor Quinton Lucas is the 55th mayor of Kansas City and the youngest elected Kansas City mayor in more than a generation. Known affectionately as “Mayor Q” to Kansas Citians, he prioritizes making Kansas City’s neighborhoods safer, creating more accessible and affordable housing and public transportation, maintaining efficiency and transparency in governance, and improving basic services. Mayor Q has led Kansas City in launching an innovative Zero Fair Transit initiative, making all public transit fare free in Kansas City, and serves as Vice Chair for Transit on the United States Conference of Mayors Transportation Committee. Working with grassroots organizations, he also led the City Council in adopting the City’s first-ever Tenants’ Bill of Rights. Mayor Q remains focused on decriminalizing poverty and providing second chances, which is why he led the City Council in removing possession of marijuana as a violation from the City Code of Ordinances and launched a Municipal Marijuana Pardon Program.

Bryan K. Barnett has served as Rochester Hills’ mayor for 19 years and is the longest serving mayor in the history of the city. After his re-election In November 2023, he holds the distinction of being the only strong mayor in United States history to win three consecutive write-in campaigns. Mayor Barnett’s administration has received extensive recognition for innovation, fiscal responsibility, operational excellence and environmental leadership. Rochester Hills has been recognized as “One of the Top Places to Live in America” numerous times by sources like CNN and Money Magazine and was named the Best Place to Live in Michigan and 9th Best Place to Live in America by U.S. News and World Report in 2025. Rochester Hills is also ranked yearly as one of the “Safest Cities in Michigan.” Mayor Barnett is a frequent national speaker on topics including innovative government, long-term sustainability, and economic development and has represented Rochester Hills and Southeast Michigan on multiple international delegations. Mayor Barnett was elected to serve as the 77th President of the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM), the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. In his role as Past President, he continues to serve on the Conference’s Executive Committee and advocates nationally for the priorities of local government. Mayor Barnett’s vision for Rochester Hills is to be the preeminent place in America to live, work and raise a family.

As the 58th Mayor of the great City of Cleveland, Ohio, Justin M. Bibb is putting people and neighborhoods first, delivering high-quality city services and leading bold change. The Bibb Administration is building a stronger and safer Cleveland and modernizing City Hall to maximize access, transparency and equity. On January 3, 2022, Mayor Bibb took the oath of office as the city’s first millennial mayor. In just two years, his administration has made major progress on a wide range of initiatives from unprecedented support for public safety through his Raising Investment in Safety for Everyone (RISE) Initiative to a $15 million American Rescue Plan investment to kick start a robust plan for the revitalization of Cleveland’s Southeast Side. Under Mayor Bibb’s leadership, the City of Cleveland has its first new website in decades and has undertaken a complete overhaul of the 311 resident communication system to dramatically improve city services and access. Mayor Bibb also introduced his Residents First housing agenda in 2023 to give city departments the tools they need to crack down on predatory landlords and abate nuisance properties across Cleveland. Cleveland is rapidly moving toward becoming one of North America’s first 15-minute cities and Mayor Bibb’s visionary Shore-to-Core-to-Shore strategy and new master plans for the Lake Erie lakefront and Cuyahoga Riverfront aim to make Cleveland one of the most desirable and attractive two-waterfront cities in the nation. Thanks to this work, Cleveland is back into the national conversation for all the right reasons. In 2024, Mayor Bibb became chair of Climate Mayors, a bipartisan network of more than 750 U.S. mayors focused on ambitious climate action. Through this platform, Mayor Bibb is driving meaningful and equitable climate justice work in cities like Cleveland, which continue to experience climate vulnerability due to historic disinvestment. He was also elected Vice President of the Democratic Mayors Association. For the first time in decades, Cleveland has a leadership role in the U.S. Conference of Mayors, where Mayor Bibb is an active member of the advisory board and serves as chair of the Tourism, Arts, Parks, Entertainment, and Sports Standing Committee. Mayor Bibb also serves on the board of the Ohio Mayors Alliance and is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns coalition. Mayor Bibb was born and raised on Cleveland’s southeast side in the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood. Over the past 15 years, Mayor Bibb has worked in government, business and the nonprofit sector as an executive and nonprofit leader. He started his career in public service working for President Obama when he was in the U.S. Senate and later at Cuyahoga County as a special assistant advising on education and economic development policies. He led the Global Cities Practice at global research firm Gallup, served as Vice President at KeyBank and was Chief Strategy Officer at Urbanova, a startup focused on improving cities. Mayor Bibb is a proud American University alumnus with an undergraduate degree in Urban Studies. He completed the General Course Programme with an emphasis in Social Policy and Economics from the London School of Economics and is a graduate of Case Western Reserve University. He holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Doctor of Law (JD).

Mayor Jane Castor is the 59th Mayor of the City of Tampa. Born and raised in Tampa, Jane has spent a lifetime in service to the community, first as a police officer, then as Tampa’s first female Chief of Police, and finally as the city’s 59th Mayor. She graduated from Chamberlain High School and attended the University of Tampa on an athletic scholarship. Jane spent 31 years with the Tampa Police Department, serving in nearly every capacity and in nearly every neighborhood of the city. In October of 2009, Castor became Tampa’s first female Chief of Police, serving for six years in that role. During her time as a senior staff member, Castor worked to reduce major crimes by 70% citywide. While Chief, she developed and successfully executed a progressive policing strategy during the 2012 Republican National Convention and oversaw the successful Bollywood Awards, held in America for the first time. In addition, she oversaw the multi-jurisdictional security plan for Super Bowl XLIII and led the Department of Homeland Security’s Tampa Bay Urban Area Security Initiative. Castor was instrumental in the development of the plan that reorganized the police department, consisting of 1,300 officers and employees with a $145 million annual budget – creating three smaller, more manageable districts. Decentralization ensured commanders had the necessary resources to fulfill their missions and gave officers the opportunity to immerse themselves within the community. Community outreach was a cornerstone of her career. During her time as a beat cop working night shifts, Jane knew the families, business owners, and community leaders in her neighborhood and, as chief, she expected every officer to do the same. Under her watch, the ‘golden rule’ was that “everyone was treated with dignity and respect”. She also brought an added focus that to be successful, the police department had to be immersed in the community as a partner.

Mayor Cognetti was sworn in as Mayor of Scranton on January 6, 2020. Prior to becoming Mayor, she advised the Pennsylvania Auditor General, the chief fiscal watchdog of the commonwealth, on oversight of public school districts, care for older adults, criminal justice reform, and student debt. Mayor Cognetti previously served as a director on the Scranton School Board. Mayor Cognetti served in the Obama administration as a senior advisor to the Under Secretary for International Affairs at the U.S. Treasury Department. She was a fundraiser and project director on numerous political campaigns. She also worked as an investment advisor in New York City. Mayor Cognetti holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and graduated summa cum laude from University of Oregon Clark Honors College with a BA in English Literature and Romance Languages. Mayor Cognetti was born in Eugene, Oregon and spent most of her childhood in Beaverton, Oregon. She lives in Scranton with her husband and their daughter.

Andre Dickens is the 61st Mayor of Atlanta, bringing a lifelong commitment to the city and a dynamic vision to drive its progress as a global city of opportunity. A native Atlantan and product of Atlanta Public Schools, Mayor Dickens is focused on expanding opportunities, equity, and prosperity for all residents. As Chief Executive Officer, Mayor Dickens oversees the largest budget in Atlanta’s history, managing billions of dollars in general, enterprise, trust and pension funds. Under his leadership, the City of Atlanta achieved a historic upgrade to a AAA bond rating, the highest in the city’s history. Well known for his goals of being a model employer, each of the city’s nearly 10,000 employees received pay increases annually and a $17.50/hour minimum wage. Mayor Dickens has implemented major advancements in public safety, economic development, and community support since taking office in 2022. Before his election as Mayor, he served eight years on the Atlanta City Council as an at-large representative. As a Council member, he championed initiatives in public safety, transportation, affordable housing, workforce development, and senior citizen programming. Key achievements include creating the Department of Transportation, advocating for a $15 per hour minimum wage for city employees, implementing BeltLine Inclusionary Zoning for affordable housing, and establishing a $40 million Housing Opportunity Bond. Mayor Dickens holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Master of Public Administration from Georgia State University. Dedicated to civic and community leadership, Mayor Dickens served on numerous boards, including as Co-Chair of the National Housing Crisis Task Force. In addition to his leadership roles, Mayor Dickens is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., a deacon at New Horizon Baptist Church, and an alumnus of Leadership Atlanta. In his free time, Mayor Dickens enjoys quality time with his daughter, live music, sports, and travel, while always championing Atlanta’s sports teams.

Alyia Gaskins, a tenacious fighter for families, communities, and health equity, is the first African American woman to serve as the Mayor of Alexandria. She was elected in 2024 and is dedicated to building a healthier, more prosperous Alexandria for all. In Alyia’s first campaign for office in 2021, she was elected to City Council with the second-highest number of votes out of 13 candidates. The same issues that motivate Alyia as an elected official — health, housing, education, public safety, and the economic, social, and physical vitality of cities — have motivated her professional career as a public health strategist and city planner. She has worked on hunger policy at D.C. Hunger Solutions and health issues at the National League of Cities, managed an affordable housing investment program at the Center for Community Investment, and was most recently a Senior Program Officer at the Melville Charitable Trust, a national philanthropic organization devoted to ending homelessness. Currently, Alyia runs her own consulting business, CitiesRX, which focuses on building physical, social, and economic health through community partnerships. Alyia graduated from Vanderbilt University, where she majored in medicine, health, and society. She earned a master’s degree in public health at the University of Pittsburgh and further honed her policy chops with a master’s in urban planning at Georgetown and a Professional Certificate in Municipal Finance from the University of Chicago. Alyia has been recognized locally and nationally for her commitment to public service with the following awards: Washington Business Journal 40 Under 40, Alexandria Chamber of Commerce 40 Under 40, National Coalition of 100 Black Women Ebone Image Award, Center for Nonprofit Advancement Phyllis Campbell Public Policy Leadership Award, and Next City Vanguard. Alyia is also the Vice Chair of the Mayors Alliance to End Hunger and a member of The NewDEAL Leader, ULI sustainable development council, the National League of Cities’ America’s Housing Comeback Steering Committee, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, Accelerator for America, and Class of Leadership Greater Washington 2026-2027.

A third-generation San Diegan of Filipino, Dutch, Puerto Rican, and Native American descent, Mayor Gloria’s lifelong career in public service was inspired by a lesson his parents – a hotel maid and a gardener – taught him at a young age: if you care about something, then you should leave it better than you found it. That lesson continues to motivate Mayor Gloria to improve San Diego every single day. Mayor Gloria has spent his entire professional life in service to the public, beginning his career at the County of San Diego’s Health and Human Services Agency. He then went on to serve as District Director to United States Congresswoman Susan A. Davis, whom he credits as his mentor. In 2008, Mayor Gloria was elected to the San Diego City Council following Christine Kehoe and Toni Atkins in serving the Third District. In 2012, after serving his first term, Mayor Gloria’s colleagues on the City Council elected him as their City Council President. In 2013, he assumed the reigns of the City, beginning his time as Interim Mayor after the resignation of Bob Filner. During that time, Mayor Gloria is widely credited with restoring the public’s trust in city government. In 2016, Mayor Gloria was elected to the California State Assembly to represent the 78th Assembly District. He immediately rose to a leadership position in the Assembly serving first as Assistant Majority Whip and eventually Majority Whip. During his time in the Assembly, Mayor Gloria passed legislation on many of the major issues San Diego is working to address including building more affordable housing, fighting gun violence, combatting climate change, and providing resources for those experiencing homelessness. As the 37th Mayor of San Diego, Mayor Gloria is committed to making San Diego a city of opportunity that invests in every neighborhood and every San Diegan. Mayor Gloria is a graduate of the University of San Diego and an enrolled member of the Tlingit Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. He lives in the neighborhood of Downtown.

Mayor David Holt was elected Feb. 13, 2018, with 78.5 percent of the vote. It was the largest vote percentage achieved by a non-incumbent candidate for Mayor since 1947, and it made Holt the youngest Mayor of Oklahoma City since 1923, the first Native American mayor of Oklahoma City, and at the time of his election, the youngest mayor of a U.S. city with more than 500,000 residents. Mayor Holt took office April 10, 2018, as Oklahoma City’s 36th Mayor. Mayor Holt served in the White House, and then for five years as chief of staff to former Mayor Mick Cornett before serving almost eight years in the Oklahoma Senate. There, then-Sen. Holt authored over 70 pieces of legislation that became law. He was a champion in the Senate for increased teacher pay, better public schools, more government transparency, protections for domestic violence victims and higher voter participation.

Tim Kelly is the 74th mayor of Chattanooga. He grew up in Chattanooga and attended undergraduate school at Columbia University. Upon return to Chattanooga, Kelly expanded his family’s automotive dealership and launched several successful ventures of his own, including co-founding Chattanooga’s professional soccer club. He later earned his MBA from Emory University’s Goizueta School of Business. Kelly has always been active in the community, serving on boards for multiple nonprofits and even teaching as an adjunct professor at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga. Since being elected mayor in April 2021, he has made great strides on his vision to create One Chattanooga – a city where every resident has the opportunity to thrive and prosper.

Patricia Lock Dawson is a Riverside native and small business owner. She was elected Riverside’s 18th mayor in 2020. Mayor Lock Dawson is the first UC Riverside graduate and second woman to be elected to Riverside’s only citywide office in its 150-year history. She has an extensive record of service to Riverside, the Inland Southern California region, and the state. Mayor Lock Dawson served three political appointments under two gubernatorial administrations alongside serving in every level of government prior to being Mayor of Riverside. As an environmental scientist and wildlife biologist by training, Mayor Lock Dawson was instrumental in passing legislation to secure tens of millions of dollars in state and federal funds for regional conservation, habitat, and infrastructure projects. She is well-known across the state as a champion of the Santa Ana River—the namesake of the City of Riverside. Under Mayor Lock Dawson’s collaborative leadership, Riverside has secured over $300 million in state and federal dollars to address needs in infrastructure, homelessness, and workforce development. Her success in securing historic levels of funding for the city is also accompanied by her advocacy work in reforming major mental healthcare laws that have not been accomplished in the last 50+ years. Mayor Lock Dawson’s individual lobbying efforts led to the historic passage of CARE Court, a tool that empowers family members, first responders, and behavioral health providers to petition the court to get help for those incapable of caring for themselves. Her award-winning programs for combatting homelessness have been recognized locally and statewide and serve as an instrumental blueprint aimed at prevention and intervention. Mayor Lock Dawson is a member of several boards and coalitions such as the California Air Resource Board (CARB), League of California Cities (LCC), Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI), US Conference of Mayors, Riverside Conservation Authority, South Coast Air Quality Management District, and Global Land Use & Economic Council Meeting. The Mayor notably Chairs the Big City Mayors, the Legislative/Communications & Membership Committee for the Southern California Association of Governments and is the Vice Chair of the Community and Economic Development Federal Advocacy Committee for the National League of Cities.

Mayor Lauren McLean is the 56th mayor of Boise and the first woman elected to that position in the city’s 150-year history. She is committed to creating a city for everyone and has worked tirelessly toward that goal, advocating for open space conservation, tackling housing and homelessness side by side with the community, and leading nationally acclaimed climate action efforts. McLean served on Boise City Council from 2011-2019 and served as Council President from 2017-2019. During her time on City Council, she led the effort to pass Boise’s 100% Clean Energy Plan. As Mayor, she leads the fight against climate change, setting ambitious goals to secure an environmentally and economically resilient future for Boise. She is passionate about public service, leading boldly with the community at the forefront of every decision and her vision is to create a city that is truly for everyone – one that offers equitable access to housing, living wage jobs, transportation, and a seat at the table for residents when decisions about the future of Boise are being made. Alongside serving on Accelerator for America’s Advisory Council, she is on the Board of Governors at the Andrus Center at Boise State University, serves as Vice Chair of Climate Mayors, and also leads the U.S. Conference of Mayors CHIPS Implementation Taskforce. She has been recognized as one of the nation’s most promising young political leaders by the Aspen Institute and New Deal Leaders.

Mayor Christina Muryn won the Mayoral election in 2019 and 2023 and began her second four-year term on January 1, 2024. A Findlay native, she graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Findlay in 2014 with a Bachelor of Science in Economics and Marketing and a minor in finance. She also is a graduate of the 2014 class of the JoAnn Davidson Ohio Leadership Institute. Prior to being Mayor, she served as the Director of Business & Physician Development for Pain Management Group. Her work focused on providing alternatives to opioid use for patients suffering from acute and chronic pain. Mayor Muryn is a Systems, Applications & Products (SAP) Certificate Holder and Six Sigma Yellow Belt. She has been recognized numerous times for her community service and business leadership. In 2017, Mayor Muryn received the Northwest Ohio 20 Under 40 Award, and she is a recipient of the Zonta International Women In Business Scholarship. Mayor Muryn serves on the Board of Directors for the Ohio Mayors Alliance, Ohio Drug Transparency and Affordability Council, the Ohio Advisory Committee for the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, Energy Committee for the United States Conference of Mayors and has attended the Yale Mayors College and CEO summit annually since 2019. Since becoming Mayor in 2019, Mayor Muryn has focused on continuous improvement of City Government recognizing that the daily activities that may not be flashy are some of the most important. She is continuing to increase investment into infrastructure including focusing on removing lead service lines which will be complete in 2024. She also believes in planning for the future and has worked with City departments to implement a 10-year Capital Improvement Plan. She also championed the Findlay Forward Strategic Planning process, implemented the Hometown Heroes program, funded the Hancock County Safety Service Simulated Tactical Response and Incident Command Training Center construction and has implemented body cameras to support the Findlay Police Department. Under her leadership, Findlay has continued to be recognized as America’s Top Micropolitan by Site Selection Magazine for the 11th consecutive year and is set to continue to be recognized as a top place to live, learn, work and play. Mayor Muryn married Tyler Muryn in 2014, and they enjoy spoiling their nieces and nephews, golfing, and traveling.

Freddie O’Connell is the tenth mayor of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County. Mayor O’Connell’s administration is focused on two priorities: making the city more affordable and improving quality of life for everyone who lives in Nashville. In his first year, the O’Connell Administration secured overwhelming voter approval (66 percent) of his Choose How You Move plan, providing dedicated funding for transportation for the first time in the history of Nashville and the State of Tennessee, delivered an East Bank developer agreement that achieved historic commitments to affordable housing and child care, and worked with the Metro Council to pass a Capital Spending Plan and Operating Budget that prioritized investments in Nashville’s best asset: it’s people. O’Connell served on the Metro Council from 2015 to 2023 where he worked to limit the impact of poverty, strengthen neighborhoods, and ensuring everyone participates as Nashville’s economy grows. Mayor O’Connell has experience in Nashville’s software and start-up industry. He holds degrees in Music and Computer Science from Brown University. He and Dr. Whitney Boon, an attending child neurologist at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, have two young daughters, Halley and Violet, who attend Metro Nashville Public Schools. The family shares their home with their adopted chorkie Cocoa Bean.

Mattie Parker was elected in June 2021 as the 45 th Mayor of Fort Worth. Leading one of the fastest growing large cities in the nation, Parker has set her focus on key issues that move Fort Worth forward including economic development growth, innovative transportation and mobility solutions, quality education opportunities for every student, and building safer, more prosperous communities. Parker is a licensed attorney, with more than seventeen years of experience in national, state and local public affairs, including her service as the chief of staff for Mayor and the Fort Worth City Council where she helped shape major policy decisions on a variety of complex issues. She was the founding CEO of Fort Worth Cradle to Career and the Tarrant To & Through (T3) Partnership.

Steven L. Reed is the Mayor of the historic city of Montgomery, Alabama. He is the first Black Mayor to lead the city—commonly known as the “Birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement”—in its 205-year history. It is not only home to the first church Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. pastored, but also the residence of Mrs. Rosa Parks, whose courageous stand in 1955 sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott, transforming the course of American history. Mayor Reed is equally committed to leading Montgomery into a strong and prosperous future. Under his leadership, the city has emerged as a statewide economic leader, accounting for more than 15% of all capital investments in Alabama in 2024. In just the past two years, over $3 billion in capital investments have been announced—including an $800 million Meta data center and major expansions by Amazon, Hyundai, and Manna Beverages. Mayor Reed continues to prioritize foreign direct investment, public-private partnerships, and inclusive growth strategies that reshape the economic foundation of Central Alabama. In April 2025, Mayor Reed concluded his term as President of the African American Mayors Association. During his presidency, he convened a national Voting Rights Summit, partnered with the Combat Antisemitism Movement to advance interfaith dialogue, promoted foreign direct investment to open global opportunities for Black-led cities, and forged a strategic relationship with Silicon Valley’s tech and startup ecosystem to expand access to innovation and entrepreneurship in communities of color. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the United States Conference of Mayors and was a member of the prestigious 2024 Rodel Fellowship Class. In 2025, Mayor Reed was selected for the Mayors’ Institute on City Design (MICD) and the Harvard Just City Lab Mayoral Fellowship—demonstrating his commitment to equitable urban planning and people-centered development. Mayor Reed has also made history in education policy, leading a successful ballot initiative to increase local investment in Montgomery’s public schools for the first time. His administration has prioritized public safety and neighborhood collaboration, leading to reduced crime and stronger relationships between residents and law enforcement. He is the author of FIRST, BEST: Lessons in Leadership and Legacy from Today’s Civil Rights Movement, a memoir that reflects on his upbringing in the cradle of the movement and his journey to becoming Montgomery’s first Black mayor. A cum laude graduate of Morehouse College, Mayor Reed earned his MBA from Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management. He and his wife, Tamika, are the proud parents of three children.

Rex Richardson is the 29th Mayor of Long Beach, California, the 41st largest city in America and home to the Port of Long Beach, California State University, Long Beach, and Space Beach, one of the nation’s fastest growing space and aerospace hubs. He holds the distinction of serving as Long Beach’s first African American Mayor. As Mayor, Richardson has led an ambitious agenda to expand opportunity and prepare Long Beach for the future. His signature initiatives include Elevate 28, the largest infrastructure investment program in the city’s history, positioning Long Beach for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games and beyond, and Grow Long Beach, a long-term strategy to diversify the local economy and drive inclusive growth across advanced manufacturing, aerospace, clean technology, healthcare, and logistics. A recognized regional and national leader, Richardson serves on the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), helping oversee one of the nation’s largest public transportation systems and advance mobility investments across Los Angeles County. He also serves as National Co-Chair of Mayors and CEOs for U.S. Housing Investment, a bipartisan coalition advancing housing solutions nationwide. He previously served as Chair of the Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency (LACAHSA) and as President of the Southern California Association of Governments, the nation’s largest metropolitan planning organization. On the national stage, Richardson serves on the Advisory Board of the United States Conference of Mayors, where he helps shape policy solutions that strengthen cities across America. Prior to becoming Mayor, Richardson served two terms on the Long Beach City Council representing the 9th District and two terms as Vice Mayor. Throughout his public service, he has worked alongside residents, businesses, and community organizations to expand opportunity, improve public safety, strengthen neighborhoods, and deliver lasting investments that improve quality of life. Richardson and his wife, Dr. Nina Richardson, are raising their two daughters, Alina and Mila, in North Long Beach. He believes every resident, regardless of their circumstance, deserves the opportunity to thrive.

Daniel Rickenmann is the 71st Mayor of Columbia, South Carolina. He is an innovative entrepreneur and a dedicated public servant with a passion for improving the quality of life for all in the Palmetto State’s Capital City. Since becoming Mayor in 2022, Rickenmann has worked tirelessly to expand housing options, strengthen public safety, increase community cleanliness and pride, and improve the City’s customer service operations. He is a strong advocate for the city’s parks and green spaces, advocating to create new opportunities for outdoor recreation and promote environmental sustainability – especially on the city’s riverfront. Rickenmann advanced into the Office of the Mayor after serving over a decade on City Council as both an at-large and District 4 City Council member. Born and raised in Spartanburg, Rickenmann moved to Columbia to attend University of South Carolina and never left. He went on to become a successful entrepreneur, starting by opening his first restaurant in Columbia shortly after graduating – Birds on a Wire. Now, Rickenmann is making a splash in the spirits industry co-founding Forbidden Bourbon, a Kentucky-based company with the first female master distiller. Rickenmann is a proud Columbia resident. He is married to Laura Rickenmann, a local pediatrician. Together, they have two daughters, Carlyle and Ellie, and two dogs, Lulu and Quila.

Andy Schor was elected 52nd Mayor of Lansing, Michigan on November 7, 2017, and took office on January 1, 2018. Upon taking office Mayor Schor immediately began focusing on the priorities of his campaign: Neighborhoods; Economic Development; Infrastructure; and Lansing Schools. Under Schor’s leadership, Lansing expects approximately $2 billion in new investment in the city in the next few years. The city was also named the number one affordable city to live in the United States based on high quality of life and low cost of living. And the city has become transparent and engaging with the citizens of Lansing as well as the many visitors and daytime workers. During his 2019 State of the City Address, Mayor Schor announced Lansing 2030, a Lansing vision plan highlighting the ways that Lansing will be its best self: a diverse, dense, livable and welcoming environment.

Matt Tuerk is a dedicated public servant and the first Latino Mayor of Allentown, assuming office in January 2022. With a background steeped in regional economic development, Matt has been instrumental in propelling the Lehigh Valley’s prosperity. Prior to his mayoral tenure, he played a pivotal role in attracting substantial investment and helping businesses generate thousands of jobs. A distinguished alumnus of the College of Charleston, Matt graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor’s in International Business in 2002. He further honed his expertise by earning an MBA from the University of South Carolina in 2004. Drawing on his educational foundation, he’s exhibited a keen acumen for strategic planning, exemplified by his role in establishing the region’s first hackerspace and coworking hub. Beyond his professional achievements, Matt’s personal pursuits reveal a multifaceted individual. An avid long-distance runner, he has conquered 18 marathons, embodying perseverance and dedication. His passion for languages shines through as he presently delves into the study of Arabic, showcasing his commitment to continuous learning. Mayor Tuerk is driven to foster a culture of respect, care, support, and inclusion within the workplace at the City of Allentown. A staunch advocate of data-driven collaboration, he empowers residents to take innovative approaches in pursuit of their aspirations, promoting holistic well-being and a vibrant community. Matt’s vision is anchored in the belief that by harnessing the power of collective effort, a brighter future for all can be realized.

Anna Valencia was sworn-in as City Clerk of Chicago on January 25, 2017 overseeing one of the largest offices in the City serving 1.2 million Chicagoans and generating more than $130 million annually. As City Clerk, Valencia has focused on making government accessible to all Chicagoans. Under Valencia’s leadership, the Office of the City Clerk has made it a priority to find new and innovative ways to bring services directly to residents, increase civic engagement, improve inefficiencies and collaborate across government in the private and public sectors. Prior to becoming Clerk, Valencia served as the second woman and first Latina to run Mayor Emanuel’s Legislative Counsel and Government Affairs (LCGA) where she spearheaded the passage of police accountability reform, the modernization of the CTA’s Red and Purple lines, the stabilization of pension funds and creation of the City’s legal fund that assists immigrants and refugees threatened with deportation.

Mayor Randall L. Woodfin’s philosophy of “putting people first” has guided his leadership. Revitalization of the city’s 99 neighborhoods is his top priority. He is focused on enhancing education for young people, fostering a climate of economic opportunity for all residents and leveraging public-private partnerships to make the city the best version of Birmingham it can be. His vision to create new education and career opportunities for students led to the Birmingham Promise, a public-private partnership that provides apprenticeships and tuition assistance to cover college costs for Birmingham high school graduates. Mayor Woodfin led a regional effort to invest in the renovation and expansion of the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex making the city an emerging destination for sports and entertainment. Through Pardons for Progress, he removed a barrier from employment opportunities and offered a second chance with the mayoral pardon of 15,000 misdemeanor marijuana possession charges dating back to 1990. He entered his second term as Birmingham’s 30th mayor on November 23, 2021. A graduate of Morehouse College and Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law, he previously served as president of the Birmingham Board of Education.

Corey Woods was elected mayor of the City of Tempe in March 2020. Since then, he has become recognized as a leader for advocating and expanding affordable housing and workforce housing opportunities and was named 2022 “Advocate of the Year” by the Arizona Housing Coalition. Mayor Woods has championed innovative housing policies that can be implemented at the city level. His “Hometown for All” Initiative catalyzed Tempe’s push to fund affordable housing projects using voluntary donations by developers and a city commitment to allocate a portion of permit fees towards land purchases to develop housing, acquiring existing homes and apartments, redeveloping city-owned properties and incentivizing inclusion of affordable and workforce housing into the market projects. To date, Tempe has a combined total of more than $6M in the housing fund that is either realized or pledged. Mayor Woods has overseen the development of more than 200 affordable and workforce housing units and shelter beds since the initiative went into effect in 2021 with more being planned. He currently serves as the Vice Chair of the U.S. Conference of Mayors Community Development and Housing Committee and Co-Chair of the National League of Cities’ Housing Supply Accelerator Steering Committee and is a member of the Mayor and CEOs for Housing Investment Coalition.

Henry Cisneros is Chairman of American Triple I, an infrastructure investment firm based in New York. He is also a Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors & Equity Owner of Shank Williams Cisneros & Co., L.L.C, and Principal of Siebert Williams Shank & Co., LLC. a national municipal and corporate finance firm. Mr. Cisneros founded CityView in 2003 and continues to actively invest in its projects. CityView is a partner in building more than 100 communities in 13 states, building more than 7,000 homes with a total value of over $5 billion. Mr. Cisneros’ community-building career began at the local level. After serving three terms as a City Councilmember, in 1981, Mr. Cisneros became the first Hispanic-American mayor of a major U.S. city, San Antonio, Texas. During his four terms as Mayor, he helped rebuild the city’s economic base and spurred the creation of jobs through massive infrastructure and downtown improvements. In 1984, Mr. Cisneros was interviewed by the Democratic Presidential nominee as a possible candidate for Vice President of the United States and in 1986 was selected as the “Outstanding Mayor” in the nation by City and State Magazine. After completing four terms as Mayor, Mr. Cisneros formed Cisneros Asset Management Company, a fixed income management firm operating nationally and ranked at the time as the second fastest growing money manager in the nation. In 1992, President Clinton appointed Mr. Cisneros to be Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. As a member of President Clinton’s Cabinet, Secretary Cisneros has been credited with initiating the revitalization of many of the nation’s public housing developments and with formulating policies which contributed to achieving the nation’s highest ever homeownership rate. In his role as the President’s chief representative to the nation’s cities, Mr. Cisneros personally worked in more than 200 U.S. cities in every one of the 50 states.

Michelle Dippel is an Executive Vice President and the President of HNTB’s Western Region, she is based in the firm’s downtown Los Angeles office. As Western Region president, Dippel is responsible for leading sales, operations and project delivery in the region, overseeing two divisions, 8 operating offices, numerous field offices and more than 900 colleagues. She actively represents HNTB in civic- and industry-related associations, helps recruit top talent to the firm, and fosters relationships with clients and thought leaders. Dippel first joined HNTB in 2005. Prior to her current role, she served as president of the firm’s Mid-Atlantic Division where she oversaw complex infrastructure programs, business operations and more than 500 HNTB professionals from Pennsylvania to South Carolina. Michelle grew up in Austin, Texas, and attended the University of Texas at Austin. She earned her Master’s in anthropology and a Bachelor’s in archaeological studies from the University of Texas. Her technical background as a NEPA practitioner has allowed her to work with clients across multiple service lines including federal and energy as well as all modes of transportation. Dippel’s commitment to the community and industry goes beyond critical infrastructure projects. She is a founder and at-large board member of Soaring Spirits International, a non-profit providing peer-based grief support to widowed people. She served on the founding board of the Heart of Texas Chapter of WTS. She also serves on the Advisory Board of ACE Mentor and is active with the Transportation Research Board and the American Road and Transportation Builders Association. HNTB Corporation is an employee-owned infrastructure firm serving public and private owners and contractors. With 109 years of service, HNTB understands the life cycle of infrastructure and addresses clients’ most complex technical, financial and operational challenges. Professionals nationwide deliver a full range of infrastructure-related services, including award-winning planning, design, and program and construction management.

Amanda K. Edwards served as the Houston City Council Member in At-Large Position 4 until January 2020. She is an attorney and native Houstonian with a passion for building communities through public service. She also serves on the Economic Development Committee and the Transportation, Technology and Infrastructure Committee. Amanda strives to innovatively address the city’s fiscal challenges and its urban core needs to move all of Houston forward so that it can be the place where the Gulf Coast and the world’s future meet.

Donna Frisby-Greenwood is a senior vice president at The Pew Charitable Trusts, leading the organization’s work throughout the Philadelphia region; with private and public funders and government, academic, and civic leaders across the country to close gaps between research and outcomes; and with communities of biomedical and marine scientists around the world. In this role, she supervises Pew’s research, policy, and grantmaking in Philadelphia to ensure that all residents have the opportunity to thrive; the Evidence Project to harness the power of funders and cultivate innovation to reimagine how research can inform public policy and address long-standing societal challenges; and the Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences and the Pew Fellows Program in Marine Conservation to provide grants for science that, respectively, advances health and protects the ocean. Before joining Pew, Frisby-Greenwood served as president and chief executive officer of The Fund for the School District of Philadelphia. She was also Philadelphia program director for the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and led several other local and national nonprofit organizations, including Rock the Vote and the School District of Philadelphia’s Office of College and Career Readiness. Frisby-Greenwood was a national urban fellow at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and currently serves as vice chair and director of National Urban Fellows Inc., a director of the Hip Hop Library, and director of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education Foundation. Frisby-Greenwood holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature from the University of Virginia and a master’s in public administration from Baruch College.

David Gilford is an infrastructure strategist with more than two decades of experience across the private and public sectors. His work focuses on the friction between multi-decade physical infrastructure and rapid shifts in technology, regulation, and public priorities. He currently serves as a Senior Advisor to Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners. He previously led Policy and Strategic Partnerships for the Alphabet spinout, helping align more than $500M in capital deployment with public priorities. David’s background includes leadership at the New York City Economic Development Corporation, where he served as Vice President for Urban Innovation and Sustainability; HR&A Advisors, where he works as a Principal; the Broadband Equity Partnership; and Intersection’s Connected Communities practice, where he developed technology strategies for more than 40 million square feet of mixed-use real estate. David holds an MBA from the Yale School of Management and a BA in Economics from Williams College.

Bruce Katz is, with Jeremy Nowak, the Co-Founder of New Localism Advisors and the co-author of The New Localism: How Cities Can Thrive in the Age of Populism. Katz founded the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution, where he most recently served as the Institution’s Centennial Scholar. Before joining Brookings, Katz served as chief of staff to U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Henry Cisneros and was the senior counsel and then staff director for the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Housing and Urban Affairs.

Dr. Michael McAfee became President and CEO of PolicyLink in 2018, seven years after becoming the inaugural director of the Promise Neighborhoods Institute at PolicyLink. His results-driven leadership, depth of knowledge about building and sustaining an organization, and devotion to serving the nation’s most underserved populations made him the obvious choice to lead the 20-year-old PolicyLink as Angela Glover Blackwell transitioned to founder in residence. During his time at PolicyLink, Michael has played a leadership role in securing Promise Neighborhoods as a permanent federal program, led efforts to improve outcomes for more than 300,000 children, and facilitated the investment of billions of dollars in neighborhoods of concentrated poverty. He is the catalyst for a new and growing body of work — corporate racial equity — which includes the first comprehensive tool to guide private-sector companies in assessing and actively promoting equity in every aspect of their company’s value chain. Michael carries forward the legacy to realize the promise of equity — just and fair inclusion into a society in which all can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential.

Luke McGowan leads federal initiatives for the Government Innovation program at Bloomberg Philanthropies, where he works with mayors and local government officials to solve hard challenges and deliver for residents—with a focus on leveraging federal funding and partnerships, including for infrastructure. Luke has served in two presidential administrations. Most recently he was Senior Advisor for Economic Recovery under President Biden, handling intergovernmental affairs and the rollout of major economic legislation. Earlier, under President Obama, he served in the Office of Legislative Affairs and as a speechwriter and correspondent. Prior to work at the national level, he was Director of Community and Economic Development for Burlington, Vermont, leading the city’s COVID-19 Resource and Recovery Center. In the private sector, he was head of public policy at Thumbtack and a venture partner at the impact fund Mustard Seed. He holds a Master in Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School.

Nathan Ohle is an internationally recognized expert in economic development and a leader of public, private and nonprofit organizations. He currently serves as the President & CEO of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), a non-profit, non-partisan membership organization serving economic developers, with more than 5,000 members globally. In 2017, he was selected as one of 40 Under 40 Rising Stars in economic development internationally.

John D. Porcari is Managing Partner at 3P Enterprises and Port Envoy to the Biden-Harris Administration’s Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force. He previously served as Presindet of US Advisory Services for WSP, where he directed the firm’s management consulting, financial advisory, and research & development activities. Prior to joining WSP, Porcari served in the Obama administration as Deputy Secretary of the US Department of Transportation, the Chief Operating Officer of a cabinet department with a $77 billion annual budget, 10 operating administrations, and 55,000 employees worldwide. John twice served as Secretary of the Maryland Department of Transportation, as COO/CFO of the University of Maryland and in a number of economic development-related local and state government positions.

Rip Rapson is president and CEO of The Kresge Foundation, a private, national foundation founded in 1924, which is dedicated to expanding opportunities in America’s cities through grantmaking and social investing. Since his appointment in 2006, Rapson has led the foundation to advance its philanthropic approach to improve the economic, social, cultural and environmental conditions of urban life through grantmaking and social investing in arts and culture, education, environment, health, human services and community development nationally and in Kresge’s hometown of Detroit. Using a full array of grants, loans and other investment tools, Kresge invests more than $160 million annually to foster economic and social change. Nationally, Rapson has strengthened the philanthropic sector’s role through convening, collaborating and supplementing community development activities in cities across the country. In Detroit, Rapson and the foundation provided central support to the “Grand Bargain,” an unprecedented partnership between the philanthropic community, city pensioners, the State of Michigan and the Detroit Institute of Arts, to propel the City of Detroit’s 2014 successful emergence from municipal bankruptcy. In 2026, he received the Council on Foundations Distinguished Service Award and was named to the TIME100 Philanthropy list, underscoring his leadership in the philanthropic sector. A veteran of urban policy and philanthropic leadership, Rapson began his career as a legislative assistant to U.S. Rep. Don Fraser, where he oversaw development and passage of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Act of 1978, which brought full wilderness protection to the million-acre lake country of northern Minnesota. After attending law school, Rapson became increasingly interested in philanthropy’s role in urban and economic development while representing several Minnesota nonprofit organizations as a partner at Leonard, Street & Dienard in Minneapolis. Rapson later served as the deputy mayor of Minneapolis from 1989 to 1993 and was the primary architect of its neighborhood revitalization program, a 20-year, $400 million effort to strengthen the city’s neighborhoods. He also directed a comprehensive redesign of the municipal budgeting process and developed the mayor’s initiatives to strengthen and support families and children. In 1993, Rapson was named a senior fellow at the University of Minnesota’s Design Center for American Urban Studies. There he led a successful six-year interdisciplinary project to examine the forces affecting first-ring suburban communities and to address the challenges brought on by declining tax revenues, shifting political forces, and changing economic and social demographics. While at the Design Center, he also served as a consultant to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, where he helped the foundation develop and implement a new strategic plan. Rapson was appointed president of the McKnight Foundation in Minneapolis in 1999. During his six-year tenure with the organization, McKnight was recognized as a national leader on a variety of public policy issues, including early childhood development, metropolitan growth, open space protection and wind energy. At the foundation, Rapson launched the Itasca Project, a private sector-led effort to develop a new regional agenda for the Twin Cities. He also advanced McKnight’s work supporting arts and cultural activities, enhancing water quality and public enjoyment of the Mississippi River, and fostering economic development in rural Minnesota. Rapson earned a bachelor’s degree from Pomona College (Claremont, Calif.) and a juris doctorate from Columbia University Law School. He is the recipient of dozens of philanthropic and civic accolades including the 2025 Distinguished Service Award from the Council on Foundations and induction into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has been named Michiganian of the Year by The Detroit News, a Power and Influence Top 50 executive by The NonProfit Times, and a Michigan Changemaker by Crain’s Detroit Business. He has co-authored two books: “Troubled Waters,” an account of the Boundary Waters legislative battle in Minnesota, and “Ralph Rapson: Sixty Years of Modern Design,” a biography of his father, a globally renowned architect. An active leader in the national philanthropic and southeast Michigan civic communities, he is an Advisory Council member for Accelerator for America, advisory board member for Detroit Blueprints (Prudential Financial), and a board member of Downtown Detroit Partnership, Inc. and the U.S. Impact Investing Alliance. He is a former board member of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago’s Detroit Branch, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) and M-1 Rail, and is the past board chair of ArtPlace America and Living Cities.

Joe Scantlebury is the President and CEO of Living Cities, a collaborative of 19 of the world’s leading foundations and financial institutions who work together to close racial income and wealth gaps in American cities. Prior to joining Living Cities, Joe Scantlebury served as vice president for program strategy (places) at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Michigan. He led, designed and implemented strategic programming efforts to improve the lives of vulnerable children and families in the W.K. Kellogg Foundation priority places. Prior to joining the Kellogg Foundation in January 2015, Joe served as senior program officer, U.S. Program Advocacy at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in Washington, D.C. In this role, Joe led state policy advocacy within a subset of priority Northeast and Mid-South states, as well as led civil rights and equity work at Gates. He was responsible for advancing foundation strategies, priorities and brand by building public and political will among national, federal and state leaders and constituencies. Prior to working at the Gates Foundation, Joe was a staff attorney at the Youth Law Center in Washington, where he advocated and litigated nationally to reduce disproportionate minority confinement and addressed conditions within the juvenile justice system. Joe received a Bachelor of Science from Cornell University’s New York State School of Industrial & Labor Relations. He holds a Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law.

Rob Slimp oversees the strategic direction of HNTB Corporation, a 104-year old employee-owned infrastructure solutions firm with over $1 billion in annual revenue and 60 offices across the United States. HNTB provides engineering and architecture services to transportation markets; and is a national leader working with state departments of transportation, as well as tolling, aviation, transit and rail clients. An engineer by training, Slimp is deeply engaged in HNTB’s work to prepare young people for careers in engineering, architecture and planning, including the SPARK partnership with Chicago and Los Angeles public schools. He earned his Bachelor of Science, civil engineering, from Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College.

Jannet Walker-Ford is a nationally recognized consulting and infrastructure executive with WSP USA, a leading engineering and professional services consultancy. A visionary leader and trusted strategic advisor, she serves as US Business Line Executive for WSP’s Advisory and Planning business. In this role, she partners with infrastructure organizations nationwide to deliver innovative, future-ready solutions that create lasting value and resilience for the communities WSP serves. With deep expertise spanning transportation and infrastructure including the transit and rail, aviation and tolling market sectors, management consulting, information technology, telecommunications and organizational transformation, Ms. Walker-Ford has more than two decades of leadership experience. She has held senior and executive roles at international firms and served as Deputy General Manager/Deputy CEO and Chief Information Officer for the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA). Throughout her career, she has guided clients and teams through complex challenges, driving results and shaping sustainable futures. As Executive for WSP’s Advisory and Planning business line, she leads a national team of experts in management consulting, economics, finance, grants, innovation and digital solutions, strategic asset management, project development, investor and transaction advisory, business transformation, and planning. She continues to serve as a trusted C-suite advisor to client and industry leaders across the country, advancing major initiatives and transformative programs with a focus on equity, sustainability, and community building. Beyond WSP, Ms. Walker-Ford contributes her expertise through extensive board service. She is Secretary/Treasurer of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), a corporate board director for NFI Group, and the immediate past corporate board chair of Keolis North America Inc. She is also an officer and the immediate past chair of the WTS International Board and currently serves on the Accelerator for America Advisory Board, the Eno Center for Transportation Board of Directors, and the Jacksonville University Board of Trustees. Her leadership and industry impact have been recognized through numerous honors, including the 2024 Inaugural WTS International Jannet Walker-Ford Breaking Barriers Award, 2023 Women in Rail Award, 2022 APTA Business Member of the Year, 2021 WTS Northeast Florida Woman of the Year, the 2019 Women of Color STEM Technology All-Star Award, the 2019 Transportation Diversity Council/MIT Award for Services to the Transportation Industry, and recognition as a 2019 COMTO Women Who Move the Nation honoree. Ms. Walker-Ford holds a Bachelor of Arts in Management Information Systems from the University of Memphis and a Master of Science in Business from Central Michigan University and has completed significant coursework toward a Ph.D. in Information Systems at Nova Southeastern University.