The 2015 New England LOCUS Leadership Summit: Closing the Next [Smart Growth] Deal on March 11, 2015 in Boston, MA, will bring together real estate industry leaders and public officials from across the region to advocate, network, makes deals, and connect with one another. To frame the event’s discussions, we are excited to announce these confirmed speakers for the 2015 New England LOCUS Leadership Summit:
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Secretary Jay Ash, Massachusetts Department of Housing and Economic Development Opening Plenary: Future of Housing in Massachusetts Secretary Ash previously served as the city manager in his native Chelsea, a position he held from 2000 to 2014. In Chelsea, Ash’s leadership produced both economic expansion and fiscal stability. He grew the city’s housing stock by over 10%, expanded its commercial base with two dozen major projects, developed 10 new parks, and won two All-America City designations for Chelsea. Secretary Ash has led statewide initiatives on health insurance, youth violence, transportation infrastructure, and expanded gaming in Massachusetts. |
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Secretary Stephanie Pollack, Massachusetts Department of Transportation Walk this Way: Ranking the Economic and Social Equity Performance of Walkable Urban Places in Metro Boston Before being tapped for MassDOT Secretary, Secretary Pollack was the Associate Director of the Kitty & Michael Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy, overseeing the Center’s research agenda as well as conducting her own research projects in transportation policy, transit-oriented development, sustainability, and equitable development. She co-chaired Governor Deval Patrick’s 2006 transition working group on transportation and served on Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino’s Climate Action Leadership Committee in 2009-2010. |
In addition to our featured speakers, the Summit will also include real estate leaders and policy experts whom will bring their unique perspective to smart growth development.
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Jair Lynch, President, JAIR LYNCH DEVELOPMENT [R.E.A.L.] Talks Session: Bridging the Gap between Affordability and Profitability Jair Lynch has more than fifteen years experience in public and private real estate development and construction, including projects in both California and Washington, DC. Lynch frequently speaks around the country about his vision for urban regeneration, which calls for a combination of social responsibility, sound economic policies, and opportunistic investment strategies in the pursuit of creating truly sustainable, extraordinary neighborhoods. |
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Chryse Gibson, Executive Vice President, Oaktree/Greenline [R.E.A.L.] Talks Session: Bridging the Gap between Affordability and Profitability Chryse Gibson joined Oaktree Development in 2010, bringing with her a unique blend of skills and expertise to support organizational development, finance, stakeholder relations, and business development. Gibson began her building career by earning her license as one of the first three women journeyman carpenters in New York City before entering a dynamic career with international organizations like OXFAM-Canada and Youth Challenge International, as well as founding the Women’s Future Fund. Currently, she is developing Living Ahead, an interdependent living solution to support financial, social, and health security. |
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James Corless, Director, Transportation for America The Future of Infrastructure Development: Cutting Edge Solutions for the Region and the U.S. James Corless is the Director of Transportation for America, a coalition of over 400 organizations working to promote a new national transportation policy that is smarter, safer, cleaner and provides more choice. Prior to Transportation for America, Corless was a senior planner for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission in the San Francisco Bay Area where he managed the agency’s efforts to promote smarter growth, transit-oriented development, and mobility options for low-income communities. |
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Christopher Leinberger, President, LOCUS Walk this Way: Ranking the Economic and Social Equity Performance of Walkable Urban Places in Metro Boston Christopher B. Leinberger is a land use strategist, teacher, developer, researcher, and author, balancing business realities with social and environmental concerns. In addition to being President of LOCUS, he is also a Nonresident Senior Fellow at Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program in Washington, DC and a founding partner of Arcadia Land Company, a New Urbanism and transit-oriented development firm based in Philadelphia. |
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Our speakers and panelists are just some of the many reasons to join this year’s New England summit. Check out a few of the companies already registered to attend and learn more about the scheduled events in the the full agenda. We hope to see you in Boston in March.