Sustainable Urban Design SUMMIT Speakers

Justine Johnson is the Michigan Chief Mobility Officer. Her areas of expertise include urban planning, public administration, political science, and community outreach.

Justine was appointed to the Los Angeles County Aviation Commission to advise the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on the operations and development of the County’s
five airports. In addition to this role, she served as the Director of Member Engagement at the California Mobility Center (CMC) which is a non-profit that promotes commercial
interactions with new mobility companies and industry-leading entities to deploy new products, programs, and services in clean mobility in the State of California, and beyond.

Previously, Justine served as the Head of Mobility Engagement for the SoCal/Southwest
Region at Ford Motor Company. She served as Vice President of Government & Community Relations for the New York City Economic Development Corporation.

Justine was the Board Co-Chair of BlackSpace Urbanist Collective, an organization that challenges urban designers, planners, artists, and architects to build spaces that honor the culture and cultivate the talent of Black people. She also serves as Board Chair of Urban Movement Labs, an organization that focuses on bringing new mobility innovation to Los Angeles by working at the intersection of government, technology innovation, and community. Most notably, she served as an adjunct instructor at USC Sol Price School of Public Policy.

Dan Pitera, FAIA, is the dean of the Detroit Mercy School of Architecture & Community Development. He was the executive director for 20 years at the Detroit Collaborative Design Center (DCDC). Under his direction, the DCDC received the National AIA’s 2017 Whitney M. Young Jr. Award and was included in the 2017 Curry Stone Design Award’s Social Design Circle. Dan co-led the civic engagement process for the Detroit Works Project Long Term Planning in 2010. On Jan. 9, 2013, the long term planning team released its decision-making framework titled: Detroit Future City. DCDC’s engagement process was included in the Smithsonian’s Cooper Hewitt Design Museum’s exhibition: By The People and the DCDC’s Roaming Table has been added to the Smithsonian Institute’s permanent collection.

Dan was a 2004-2005 Loeb Fellow at Harvard University and was inducted into the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects in 2010, an honor bestowed to only 3% of all American architects. Under his direction since 2000, the Design Center won the 2011 and 2002 Dedalo Minosse International Prize, Italy, and was included in the U.S. Pavilion of the 2008 and 2012 Venice Biennale for Architecture. The Center was awarded the 2011 SEED Award and the 2009 Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Design Excellence for the St. Joseph Rebuild Center in New Orleans. Dan is regularly a resource member for Mayor’s Institute for City Design (MICD) and the National League of Cities (NLC). He has co-authored the book, Syncopating the Urban Landscape: More People, More Programs, More Geographies and co-edited the book, Activist Architecture: The Philosophy and Practice of the Community Design Center.

Melissa Dittmer is the Head of Place for Michigan Central. She is an architect, urbanist, design advocate, and real estate professional who believes that building a shared design language through inclusive city-building processes will achieve equitable outcomes for all.

In her current role, Melissa oversees strategy, planning, architecture, design, construction, and development for Michigan Central Station and Ford’s growing thirty-acre tech and culture hub. Under her leadership, Melissa’s team delivers design-forward, physical assets that support Michigan Central’s mission – to create a place where leaders, thinkers, communities, and creators come together to accelerate bold ideas and new solutions that shape our collective future.

Prior to Michigan Central, Melissa was in various leadership positions at Bedrock Detroit. As co-founder of Bedrock’s Office of Urban Strategy + Innovation, Melissa built and led a small research and development team that outlined a framework and phased implementation strategies for 22nd century cities. Prior to this role, Melissa was Bedrock’s Chief Design Officer and responsible for coordinating short- and long-term architecture, design and marketing strategies throughout Bedrock. In this position, she led Bedrock’s internal creative studios – architecture, design, marketing, multimedia, and design narratives – with over 40 team members that completed the research, analysis, programming, conceptual design, architecture services, branding, media, graphics, and marketing materials for all real estate projects. While at Bedrock, Melissa created and co-led Detroit Design 139, a biennial design symposium in 2017 and 2019 that showcased 110 projects in 5 exhibitions resulting in 66 events, 40,000 attendees, 30 articles, and national media outlets declaring Detroit as a top design destination.

Melissa’s urban regeneration thought leadership and ability to lead diverse public/private/philanthropic perspectives have been key in co-authoring such ground-breaking efforts as Detroit Future City, Detroit Blight Removal Task Force Plan, Brush Park City Modern Housing Development, Detroit Design 139, Hudson’s Site redevelopment, Bedrock’s renovation standards for complex historic structures, Rivereast Mixed-Use Waterfront Plan, Detroit’s Choice

Neighborhood Grant application, Detroit’s Amazon HQ2 Proposal, Detroit’s commercial corridor revitalization strategies, and Cleveland’s Cuyahoga Collision Bend District. 

Melissa received her Masters of Science in Architecture and Urbanism from Columbia University and her Bachelors of Architecture from Illinois Institute of Technology.

Jocelyn Benson is Michigan’s Secretary of State and currently running for Governor of Michigan. Jocelyn is a transformational leader who never backs down from big fights. From her early years investigating extremist groups, to making Michigan’s motor vehicle department a national model for government efficiency, Jocelyn has defied preconceived notions of what is possible in public service. A fearless advocate for Michigan, Jocelyn will bring accountability, people-driven solutions and a progressive vision for Michigan’s future to make our state the best place to be a kid, raise a kid, stay, and call home.

JJ Velez is the Director of Public Space at the Gilbert Family Foundation, leading projects and partnerships in service to elevate public spaces. This  includes the beautification of public parks, engaging public activations and sustainable public art. Prior to joining the organization in 2020, JJ served as the Deputy Director of the City of Detroit’s Parks & Recreation Department.

In his current role, JJ elevates the Gilbert Family Foundation community engagement and creates robust, out-of-the-box partnerships. He has an appreciative grasp of the critical role that quality programming – especially sports and after school – has had on his own life’s trajectory.

Matt Elliott is CEO and Founder of Blue Lake Ideas. He is a C-suite advisor, board director and keynote speaker, and the former President of Bank of America Michigan and Sustainability Executive for Business Banking and Global Commercial Banking. At BofA Matt led teams across nine states, deployed $35B in sustainable capital, and spearheaded North America’s largest commercial bank sustainability engagement, reaching 25,000 clients. 

Today, he helps leaders and boards to make high-stakes decisions and drive durable growth through The Power of &™ – a practical three-step framework that replaces either/or trade-offs 1 with both/and solutions, partnering with Fortune 500s, startups, and public institutions to align performance with purpose.

Tepfirah Rushdan is the Sustainability Director, City of Detroit. She embodies a commitment to equity, channeling her efforts towards community-driven solutions that foster both human well-being and environmental health. Her leadership spans diverse non-profit and grassroots initiatives, including pivotal roles in organizations such as Greening of Detroit, Keep Growing Detroit, Black to the Land Coalition, Detroit People’s Food Coop, and Detroit Black Farmer Land Fund. Beyond her direct involvement, Tepfirah extends her expertise as a board advisor to impactful projects like RAHAM Detroit, Green Boots Veteran Gardens, and Feed’em Freedom.

In 2023, Tepfirah was appointed as the inaugural Director of Urban Agriculture for Detroit, marking a significant step towards sustainable urban development. Presently, she continues to shape the city’s trajectory as the Sustainability Director, spearheading its Sustainability Agenda and Climate Strategy with a keen eye towards fostering resilience and progress.

Cody is an architect who brings a forward-thinking perspective to every project. His work emphasizes the integration of environmental performance, user experience, and long-term resilience. As a certified drone pilot, Cody leverages aerial data and photogrammetry to inform site analysis and design strategy. He collaborates closely with project teams and clients to implement sustainable practices that balance innovation with measurable environmental impact.

Erik Knauss, an architect at INFORM Studio in Detroit, advances the practice through discovery of digital efficiencies, promoting new ideas and systems, and collaborating with experienced knowledge holders. Erik is passionate about the use of forest-based bioproducts propelling the AEC industry toward a sustainable material economy and prioritizing user well-being. Notably, he contributed to the design of Detroit’s first Cross-laminated timber (CLT) building, the Community Center at A.B. Ford Park. The building was community-designed, and serves as a resiliency hub for the Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood in addition to supporting the residents with recreational options.

Stefano is a Professor of Urban Planning at Politecnico di Milano and Director of the Future City Lab at Tongji University in Shanghai. Architect of the Bosco Verticale (Milan, 2014) Stefano Boeri’s work ranges from urban visions to design, with a constant focus on the geopolitical and environmental implications of urban phenomena. As President of Triennale Milano (since 2018), he is Commissioner of the 24th International Exhibition “Inequalities,” held from May to November 2025. Among the main actors in the climate change debate in the field of international architecture, Stefano is also known for his researches on urban forestry and biodiversity implementation and he is co-chair and member of the scientific committee of the World Forum on Urban Forests (Mantua, 2018; Washington D.C. 2023). With his design approach Green Obsession, Stefano received the UN SDG Action Award in the “Inspire” category for supporting the implementation of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Connor McCarthy is in charge of Startup Activations at Newlab Detroit. He is a Detroit-based operator focused on advanced mobility, venture activation, and economic development. At Newlab Detroit, he helps startups commercialize frontier technologies through pilots in drone logistics, maritime electrification, and advanced manufacturing. He has led initiatives like the Aerialoop Detroit middle-mile pilot and the Lamarr.ai energy-efficiency scans. Prior to Newlab, Connor worked across logistics and infrastructure roles at Amazon, building expertise in scaling new business lines.

Greg Monberg is the Director of Architecture at Wightman, a full-service architecture and engineering firm recognized as a leader in sustainable, community-focused design. A licensed architect for more than 25 years, Greg has led projects across the nation—from Washington, D.C., to Browning, Montana, and from New Orleans to Detroit—engaging communities in inclusive, vision-driven design processes.

Under Greg’s leadership, Wightman has continued its pioneering work in mass timber construction, delivering high-performance buildings that blend environmental stewardship with architectural beauty. Notably, Wightman designed one of the first LEED Gold-certified public buildings in Southwest Michigan, the Pokagon Community Center in Dowagiac—a landmark heavy timber structure. More recently, Wightman served as Architect of Record for the Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency (KRESA) Career Connect Campus, an innovative career and technical education facility featuring a striking mass timber roof structure. Wightman is also collaborating with DLR Group on the design of Dicken Elementary School in Ann Arbor, another leading-edge mass timber project.

Sandra Lupien is the Director of MassTimber@MSU, a program at Michigan State University that harnesses outreach, communications, research, education, policy, and partnerships to advance mass timber construction and manufacture in Michigan and the surrounding region. In this role, she mobilizes and maintains a diverse network of hundreds of practitioners & stakeholders advancing mass timber construction and production and oversees a $1.5MM research and project portfolio.

Anthony Askew, is the founder and CEO of City On The Rise Development in Detroit. He is exploring innovative approaches to community revitalization that leverage sustainable building materials and methods. His work focuses on how mass timber can serve as both an environmentally responsible building solution and an economic development catalyst for urban communities in Michigan.

Andrea Minerdo is a global executive with over 30 years of leadership in infrastructure, clean energy, and sustainable mobility. He has worked across more than 50 countries, spearheading complex, high-impact initiatives that bridge public and private sectors to accelerate the energy transition.

He currently serves as Chief Corporate Officer of NatPower GroupandChairman of NatPower H, where he is driving the creation of the world’s first hydrogen refueling network for the recreational marine sector. His work combines decarbonization with engineering innovation and design excellence, positioning hydrogen as a transformative force in maritime sustainability.

Andrea has played a pivotal role in scaling breakthrough technologies worldwide. He was instrumental in the early global rollout of Hyperloop, and previously led strategic growth at Aconex, Australia’s first construction tech unicorn, acquired by Oracle. At Aconex, he helped revolutionize infrastructure delivery through cloud-based collaboration platforms.

A frequent keynote speaker at major international summits, Andrea brings board-level expertise in public affairs, corporate integration, and sustainable innovation. Today, he is a passionate advocate for hydrogen and electrification as the cornerstones of a connected, resilient, and low-impact global future.

Michael Healander is the Co-Founder, President & CEO of Airspace Link, a leading innovator in drone airspace management technology. As the creator of the FAA-approved AirHub® Platform—dubbed the “Google Maps for Drones” by government partners and commercial operators—Healander is at the forefront of developing solutions for safe urban drone integration.

Under Healander’s leadership, Airspace Link has grown from a concept in 2018 to become a key FAA-approved UAS Service Supplier, helping cities and communities nationwide safely integrate drone technology into their airspace. His expertise spans 20 years in spatial technology, with specialized focus on Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS), transportation, and geospatial solutions.

Prior to founding Airspace Link, Healander demonstrated his entrepreneurial acumen as co-founder of Geometri, an indoor mapping and analytics company successfully acquired by Acuity Brands (NYSE: AYI). His track record includes six years on the management team at GISinc, where he established himself as a recognized leader in location technology before the company’s successful acquisition by Continental Mapping.

A licensed FAA commercial drone pilot, Healander actively shapes the future of drone technology through his service on numerous industry boards and committees. He currently serves on the Esri partner advisory board, participates in the FAA BYOND program, and is an active member of key industry organizations including the Commercial Drone Alliance, Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International Committee (AUVSI), and ASTM standards groups.

With deep experience across state and local government operations, aviation, agriculture, retail, logistics, and federal defense sectors, Healander brings a comprehensive understanding of the complex intersection between drone technology, public safety, and urban innovation.

Michael is serving a 3-year term on the Esri partner advisory board, is part of the FAA BYOND program, and is a member of Women and Drones, Drone Responders, Small Unmanned Aircraft System Coalition, Commercial Drone Alliance, Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International Committee (AUVSI), ASTM standards groups and is an FAA Part 107 drone pilot.

Christy oversees staff that support the company’s renewable, electric, gas and nuclear business units. This support includes keeping the company in compliance with federal, state and local regulations for all media (land, water, air, waste, etc..). She also leads the company’s sustainability program and the Detroit Tree Partnership (DTP).

Christy has over 25 years of environmental and leadership experience in public and private sectors. She started her career in a laboratory before moving over to the private sector and working as a consultant. She then moved to a government position with the Department of Environmental Quality. 

Christy earned a Bachelor of Science in Hydrogeology at Western Michigan University and an MBA from the University of Detroit Mercy.

Meaghan’s experience intersects innovation, public health, and social entrepreneurship. After an epidemiology research career at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), she founded Orange Sparkle Ball. Orange Sparkle Ball is an innovation and impact accelerator, activating change through research, technology, and human-centered design. OSB’s work focuses on a holistic understanding of the ecosystem. More recently, Meaghan is the co-founder of Penny Pickup, a digital marketplace where micromobility vehicles are hailed to pick up materials for sustainable processing. She has taught at the Georgia Institute of Technology and CDC, been a mentor to social entrepreneurs and frequently speaks on inclusive ecosystem building, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

Lauren leads projects that accelerate the deployment of innovative transportation technologies. She oversees multimillion-dollar grant programs that support the piloting, demonstration, and testing of emerging mobility solutions across Michigan.

 In addition to her work in urban mobility, Lauren manages initiatives focused on advancing hydrogen fueling technologies and infrastructure for commercial vehicle applications. She also co-led a national research collaboration assessing fueling protocols for hydrogen-powered heavy-duty vehicles, which received recognition by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Lauren holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Ohio State University, a Master of Engineering Management from Penn State University, and a Project Management Professional certification through the Project Management Institute.

Vince’s work spans 25 years of civic engagement and revitalization. A lifelong Detroiter, Vince led the successful campaign to change city governance to council districts. Recruited by Mayor Duggan to serve as Detroit’s first District 5 Manager, Vince is currently leading Detroit’s clean freight and hydrogen initiatives. He holds the U.S. patent for Publius.org the first website to allow voters to look up their registration, polling location, and sample ballots. 

Rich serves as Vice President of Marketing at Airspace Link, the leading drone operations management and Uncrewed Traffic Management (UTM) platform providing critical airspace authorization services to state and local municipalities, commercial entities, and federal/military organizations. As an FAA-approved LAANC and B4UFLY service provider, Airspace Link functions as the air traffic control system for drones, enabling safer, scalable integration of drone operations across diverse sectors. With over 20 years of experience spanning media, entertainment, and technology, Rich is a seasoned leader in strategic partnerships and innovation initiatives who serves as a facilitator and translator for the growing mobility community. Prior to Airspace Link, he held leadership positions for Newlab at Michigan Central and served as Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Marketing Officer at 24G, executing large-scale initiatives for major automotive brands. Rich is also known for his work as Executive Producer and Co-Host of PBS Books, where he conducted hundreds of interviews with influential voices across multiple disciplines.

Dr. Pouyan Nejadhashemi is a Michigan State University Research Foundation Professor in the departments of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, and Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences. He also serves as director of the MSU Institute of Water Research and the Center for Intelligent Water Resources Engineering.

His areas of expertise are ecohydrology, analysis of water quality mitigation approaches to address climate change, environmental impact assessment, soft computing applications in water resources, development of Decision Support System (DSS) for human impact evaluation on ecosystem sustainability.

Ms. Moushumi Khan is a leader in international and private sector development, risk mitigation, and emerging markets. Ms. Khan is advising Quest Water Global  on their global strategy, particularly in Bangladesh. She brings a unique ability to align corporate objectives with sustainable impact goals. Most recently, Ms. Khan served as the United States Alternate Executive Director on the Board of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), where she represented U.S. interests and promoted opportunities for American businesses to engage in impactful initiatives. Her work focused on advancing regional infrastructure development, facilitating climate financing, spearheading private sector engagement, and contributing to the evolution of multilateral institutions. At ADB, she played a pivotal role in enhancing governance and shaping policies to address economic and environmental challenges. She has also served as a Senior Advisor at the Asia Group in Washington DC. 

Ms. Khan earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School, a Master’s in Public Administration from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, and a Bachelor’s degree in Critical Social Thought from Mount Holyoke College. A seasoned board advisor, she serves on the External Advisory Board of the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability and Advisory Council of The Asian American Foundation. Her previous board engagements include as the first female Director of Rahimafrooz Renewable Energy Ltd., a pioneer in Bangladesh’s solar industry, the Interfaith Center of New York, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s U.S.-Bangladesh Business Council, where she contributed to fostering cross-sector collaboration. She is a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute and a Life Member of the Council on Foreign Relations. With deep expertise spanning the public and private sectors, Ms. Khan is dedicated to creating innovative, sustainable solutions that drive growth, resilience, and impact in a rapidly evolving world economy.

Kevin Mull is Senior Director of Strategy and Innovation at Bedrock, where he co-founded and now leads two flagship technology platforms: the Detroit Smart Parking Lab and the Urban Tech Xchange. In this role, he drives business strategy, startup ecosystem engagement, and cross-industry collaboration—helping reimagine how cities function and how people interact with the built environment.

Prior to joining Bedrock in 2023, Mull spent more than three decades at Bosch in leadership roles across the Mobility sector. His career highlights include launching Bosch’s EV charging infrastructure business in North America, directing the Connected Cloud Services portfolio across sales, marketing, engineering, and operations, and shaping mobility strategy and business development for the Americas.

A native of the Pittsburgh area, Mull earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh. 

Monica Tabares is the Vice President of Operations and Development at The Greening of Detroit, a nonprofit focused on reforesting the city, educating youth, and creating green job opportunities for Detroiters. A dedicated leader with over 25 years of nonprofit experience, Monica oversees all operations, strategic planning, program development, and staff management, while also driving the organization’s fundraising and development efforts.

Under her leadership, The Greening of Detroit raises more than $5 million annually from a diverse mix of public and private sources. In 2023, she helped secure a $9.7 million award from the U.S. Forest Service to support the planting of 75,000 trees across Detroit over five years—one of the largest urban forestry investments in the city’s history.

In June 2025, Monica will step in as Acting President while President Lionel Bradford takes a sabbatical supported by the McGregor Fund—a testament to her trusted leadership and deep knowledge of the organization.

A proud lifelong resident of Southwest Detroit and graduate of Wayne State University, Monica began her career at Children’s Hospital of Michigan before joining The Greening in 2000. Over the years, she has helped raise more than $20 million and guided the organization through major strategic transitions.

Monica is an active member of the Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Association of Fundraising Professionals – Detroit Chapter, and PRSA Detroit.

Janet has 27 years of experience in creating beautiful, livable cities with a focus on inclusive neighborhood placemaking, multimodal mobility, and sustainable infrastructure. In her leadership role as Senior Mobility Strategist, she helps craft SmithGroup’s vision for urban mobility that is focused on people and planet. She has a gift for synthesizing the multiple disciplines it takes to create vibrant complete streets and public spaces, and to develop innovative mobility policy and programs.

Before joining SmithGroup, Janet was the Deputy Director of the Detroit Planning and Development Department where she helped lead a series of inclusionary neighborhood planning frameworks and re-envision the City’s streets. Prior to this Janet was the Complete Streets & Sustainability Director for the Chicago Department of Transportation, where she led the implementation of a wide range of urban design projects, from riverwalks and trails to streetscapes and green alleys, turning them into great urban places. She received her master’s and bachelor’s degrees in architecture from the University of Michigan.

Simon has over two decades of multidisciplinary design and planning experience. Simon founded OSD with an “outside-in” ethos, seeking new solutions to address the needs of people and planet and holistically integrating all parts of the built environment. Simon’s leadership of OSD comes from his passion for creating adaptable and enriching communities through resiliency, ecology, and cultural sensitivity. 

Simon’s leadership of OSD includes the creative direction of all projects, which have earned recognition in TIME Magazine’s “100 Greatest Destinations of 2025,” PBS Newshour, The New York Times, The Architect’s Newspaper, Architecture MasterPrize, the American Society of Landscape Architects, and over a dozen international and national awards. Recent projects at OSD include the Shepherd Arts Park and Stanton Yards Cultural Waterfront Master Plan underway in Detroit; the Cato Springs Master Plan in Fayetteville; and Alice L. Walton School of Medicine in Bentonville; and open spaces for affordable housing projects throughout New York City.

Vince currently works as a contractor and consultant, with engagements that include serving as Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Innovate Marquette SmartZone, Michigan State University’s Spartan Innovations, and Headwaters North in Sault Ste. Marie. He also consults for Michigan’s University Research Corridor and InvestUP, and is part of the team building the 1885 Capital VC Fund at Michigan Tech University. Additionally, Vince is an active angel investor and serves on the advisory boards of several early-stage companies.

He led the formation and development of the Michigan Outdoor Innovation Fund, an early-stage company investment fund focused on outdoor recreation technologies–the first of its kind in the Upper Peninsula. 

Vince also served as Program Director for Michigan’s University Research Corridor (URC), a partnership between Michigan State University, the University of Michigan, and Wayne State University, aimed at transforming and diversifying Michigan’s economy. In 2016, he returned to the private sector as a partner at Renaissance Venture Capital Fund, where he supported due diligence on startup investments and venture capital funds. 

Vince holds a mechanical engineering degree from Michigan State University and spent a decade in the advanced manufacturing sector, focusing on automation, robotics, and machine vision, including several years at a startup.

Liesl Eichler Clark of the School for Environment and Sustainability is U-M’s first director of climate action engagement. She leads a new initiative aimed at linking the university’s expanding sustainability research, collaborations and engagement with external partners to accelerate climate action across the state of Michigan and beyond. Previously, Clark served as director of the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) in Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s cabinet, chaired the Council on Climate Solutions and led development of the MI Healthy Climate Plan.

Liesl is a successful entrepreneur in the clean energy and sustainability space having co-founded the clean energy consulting firm 5 Lakes Energy. She also was instrumental in the creation of the Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council and served as the president for three years as well as serving on a variety of business and nonprofit boards. 

Jake Chidester is Vice President of Bedrock’s Office of Urban Strategy and Innovation, where he leads a team that explores innovative urban strategies, partnerships and creative ventures to address long-standing challenges in cities.

A creative problem solver and educator, Jake has a 20-year, varied background in most areas of real estate development, inclusive of urban planning, commercial and multifamily design, pre-development due diligence, community engagement, marketing, commercial leasing, and economic and business development. Since joining Bedrock in 2015, Jake has held multiple roles within the enterprise, including Design Director, where he was responsible for masterplanning, asset positioning, historic preservation, and creative storytelling across the portfolio. Prior to joining Bedrock, Jake worked in architecture practice for over a decade specializing international mixed-use development and served as adjunct faculty at the Collage of Architecture and Design at Lawrence Technological University, his alma mater.

Shamayim ‘Mama Shu’ Harris is the founder & CEO of Avalon Village. She is a CNN Hero Top 10 finalist and 2024 USA Today Woman of the Year, and is the founder and CEO of Avalon Village in Highland Park, MI. She is a mother, a community activist, and a former school administrator, who served Detroit schools for 27+ years. Her dream of building this urban oasis was manifested after the tragic loss of her son, Jakobi RA, who was killed by a hit-and-run driver in 2007 at the age of two.

In 2021, the unthinkable happened. She lost another child when her 23-year-old son Chinyelu was murdered.

Rather than fall into despair, Shu chose to heal and honor the memory of her sons by transforming “Blight to Beauty”™ and creating something wonderful for the people of Highland Park. She assembled a team of engineers, futurists, artists, urban farmers, volunteers, and donors from around the world who are helping to build Avalon Village, a sustainable eco-village on Avalon Street between Woodward Avenue and Second. The village currently owns 40+ parcels of land and 6 houses with plans to acquire more property as the organization grows.

These vacant, blighted lots and structures are being brought back to life as the Homework House (an after-school learning and activity center for neighborhood children), the Goddess Marketplace (an economic development initiative for women entrepreneurs), the Healing House (a center for holistic healing), a healthy cafe, activity courts, greenhouses, a micro-library and more.

This unique community building project has received media attention on Tamron Hall Show, NBC Nightly News, CBS Evening News, the Today Show, The New York Times, Huffington Post, Fast Company, and more. Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres even gifted Mama Shu with a prefabricated house which now serves as The Village Hall, the headquarters of Avalon Village.

Shu served as the first female chaplain with the Highland Park Police Department. She was the Chairwoman of the Highland Park Charter Commission, charged with helping shape the city’s future. In addition, she served as Vice President of the Highland Park Housing Commission and was President of the Highland Park Board of Education. Presently she is a member of The Michigan Commission on Community Action and Economic Opportunity, appointed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

A maker-researcher and designer, Ian’s research interests lie in climate action, sustainable design, material practice, and making-as-thinking. He recently co-led the d.Tree Studio in collaboration with the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit, using urban lumber for making cultural artifacts that advanced social justice narratives. His work with ocean plastic has been widely published, and, as a member of the Detroit River Coalition, he is developing projects on plastic pollution in the Great Lakes and the Detroit River.

He has a PhD from the University of Edinburgh and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in the UK.