We are a team of talented and experienced practitioners.
Click on any of us to see a biography.
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Linda Lees is founder and director of Creative Cities International LLC (CCI), a consultancy based in New York and London, that focuses on the role of the arts and culture to deliver new solutions for sustainable urban regeneration. Her experience is in the worlds of academics, theatre, and public programming. She has served as Director of Humanities, School of Continuing and Professional Studies at NYU and Director of Cultural Affairs, British Council, New York. She has collaborated with the Wilson Center for National Affairs at The New School (New York) on public programs on a wide range of subjects. She produced public programs for the Smithsonian Institution while living in Washington, DC where she founded and was artistic director of The Next Stage, which in its partnerships with the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, served as a nexus for the exchange of ideas on culture and foreign policy. The Next Stage produced new American plays and international works. On behalf of CCI, she has presented papers at conferences in London, Berlin, and Copenhagen. Dr. Lees holds a PhD and MA from the University of California at Berkeley, an MA from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, and a BA from Boston University. She has taught at the University of California, Berkeley, George Mason University, and Georgetown University. She serves on the American Advisory Board of LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art). |
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Richard Greene, Principal with Creative Cities and Senior Associate with The Williams Group, has served economic development agencies and corporations worldwide for over 15 years as a consultant and company director. Formerly with Ernst & Young, Richard's expertise is in geographic economics specializing in project funding, business attraction and site selection for a variety of industries including renewable energy and creative industries. Economic development and government engagements include project funding, industry studies, benchmarking and target market attraction programs around the world. Recent articles published include "Transit-Oriented Development As Economic Stimulus" and "States Fund Renewable Energy Projects," www.areadevelopment.com. |
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Marc Pachter, Director Emeritus, the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. He was appointed in July 2000 to direct the nation's only museum of American biography and portraiture. From November 2001 until January 2003, he also directed the National Museum of American History - the first person to lead two Smithsonian museums at the same time. He first joined the Smithsonian in 1974. Highlights of Pachter's tenure at the National Portrait Gallery have been ensuring that Gilbert Stuart's “Lansdowne” portrait of George Washington remains on permanent display by raising $30 million; the creation of the first national portrait competition, to reinvigorate the tradition of portraying lives; and the reinstallation of the National Portrait Gallery through the restoration of its magnificent National Historic Landmark building. A cultural historian with a particular interest in biography, Pachter was considered the Smithsonian's “master interviewer.” He has authored or edited numerous books. |
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Fred Manson is an independent consultant in regeneration. As Director of Regeneration and Environment, London Borough of Southwark,with responsibility for land use planning and property, architecture, public protection, and environmental management, and leisure and community services, he was responsible for an annual budget up to £60M, from 1994 to 2001. He represented Southwark on projects with London significance, such as the Tate Modern, the Millennium Bridge, City Hall, and the Jubilee Line Extension. In 2000, he was awarded an honorary OBE and received the Stirling Prize for Best Building for the Peckham Library. Since 2004 he has worked with the Thomas Heatherwick Studios on public land private commissions in Hong Kong. He began his relationship with Creative Cities in 2001. |
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Tony Travers is Director of the Greater London Group at the London School of Economics. His key research interests include local and regional government and public service reform. He is currently an advisor to the House of Commons Education and Skills Select Committee and has recently advised the ODPM Select Committee. He is an Honorary Member of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance & Accountancy. He was a Senior Associate of the Kings Fund from 1999 to 2004, and also a member of the Arts Council's Touring Panel. From 1992 to 1997, he was a member of the Audit Commission. He was a member of the Urban Task Force Working Group on Finance. He has published a number of books on cities and government, including Failure in British Government: The Politics of the Poll Tax (with David Butler and Andrew Adonis), Paying for Health, Education and Housing: How does the Centre Pull the Purse Strings (with Howard Glennerster and John Hills) and The Politics of London: Governing the Ungovernable City (published in spring 2004). He also broadcasts and writes for the national press. |
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J. Michael Dow, Founding Principal of Marlin House Capital, spent 27 years at Jones Lang Wootton in both London and New York. He was President of CresaPartners, the US corporate real estate services company, for ten years. In May '09 he formed a new company, Marlin House Capital, which provides insurance to replace cash deposits or letters of credit to cover the risk of tenant default under the terms of commercial property leases. Based in New York, Michael also sits on the board of City & Provincial, a small commercial property company in London. He is a member of the Urban Land Institute, Corenet, RICS, and British American Business in NYC. He is a Principal of Creative Cities International. |
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Caroline Robbie, Senior Designer, Quadrangle Architects Limited, Toronto.
Caroline is a graduate of the Faculty of Art, Drawing and Painting at the Ontario College of Art & Design
(OCAD) in 1987, and from Ryerson University's School of Interior Design in 1991.
Caroline has been responsible for the design and construction of buildings ranging
from child care centres to multi-use stadia.
As well as the building industry, Caroline was involved in lighting design for
live music and video production, fashion and costume design.
A sessional instructor at Ryerson's School of Interior Design and at OCAD,
she teaches both studio and professional practice courses.
Caroline is a Senior Designer at Quadrangle Architects Limited in Toronto
and was one of the Founding Directors of Alsop Architects North American practice.
She has served on professional peer review juries for design awards in Canada and
has participated in exhibitions of built and artistic works since 1986.
She is the daughter of Roderick Robbie, Officer of the Order of Canada and Architects.
“I am a passionate urbanist and have held this view from a young age. My mother Enid was a painter and printmaker dedicated to celebrating the great cities of the world. My father, as an architect, made me aware of my surroundings in a more meaningful way. I believe that a creative foundation makes the world's best cities great and that supporting the development of creative industries in emerging cities will be the making of them.” |
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Dave Williams has served the retail industry for 30 years as a development consultant in a wide variety development projects. Engagements included preparation and evaluation of development scenarios, determining appropriate level of investment, leasing requirements and implementation steps, solicitation of key tenants, phasing strategies and highest and best use analysis. As Senior Manager with a "Big Four" accounting firm, Mr. Williams was the industry leader for the firm's project work in mixed-use development consulting, strategic land use planning and asset repositioning projects. He had project responsibility and led multidisciplinary teams in a full gamut of mixed-use development activities. He currently leads The Williams Group Real Estate Advisors that provides a broad spectrum of economic development services, real estate analysis, financial analysis, and marketing expertise offering key analysis for successful economic development. |
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Frederic Schwartz is an activist and a humanist whose architectural career has been
dedicated to some of America's (and the world's) most visible waterfront projects including the
new $200 million Staten Island Ferry Terminal and Peter Minuit Park at the tip of Manhattan, as the
Project Director for Architecture and Planning of the four mile long, 100 acre, $2.6 billion Westway
State Park, the San Diego Harbor front Master Plan and most recently, the Singapore Harbor Master Plan
and the Master Plan for the Shanghai World Expo 2010 along four miles of the Huang Pu River.
He founded the internationally renowned THINK team, runner-up for Innovative Master Planning at the
World Trade Center. The New York Times described Schwartz as: "The Man Who Dared the City to
THINK Again." A graduate of Berkeley and Harvard, and a recipient of the prestigious Rome Prize
in Architecture, he has recently won international competitions for the September 11th Memorials for
both New Jersey State and Westchester County and for a one million square foot skyscraper in
the heart of Shanghai, China.
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Richard Burdett is the founding director of the London School of Economics Cities Programme, a research and teaching centre which explores the links between architecture, urban design and urban society. As an expert in urban design, policy and regeneration, he is an architectural adviser to the Mayor of London and a member of the Greater London Authority's Architecture + Urbanism Unit, and sits on the City of Barcelona's Quality Committee. Burdett was a member of the UK government's Urban Task Force, chaired by Richard Rogers, which has shaped national policy on cities in Britain. He is an architectural advisor to many public and private sector organizations, including the BBC and the Tate, and is a key player in promoting design excellence in the UK and Europe. He is director of Enterprise London School of Economics Cities. |
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Will Alsop is an architect and an artist but is most often referred to as an anarchist. The core values of his practices are originality, innovation and expression. He courts controversy in equal parts to advocating pragmatism, all in the name of joy and delight. This hedonistic focus has lead to buildings, installations, products and paintings whose hallmarks are a vibrant approach, brilliant colour and unusual forms. An artist who is determined to sometimes practice NOT ARCHITECTURE, Will designs brand identities, graphics, environmental systems, interiors and products. We design teaspoons to cities and everything else in between. He has been in practice since 1978. |
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Lalia Rach, Ed.D. Divisional Dean and HVS International Industry Chair. Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism, and Sports Management New York University. Dr. Lalia Rach, Divisional Dean of the Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism, and Sports Management and HVS International Industry Chair at New York University in New York City, is an internationally recognized tourism educator and industry leader. She serves on the board of NYC & Company (Convention & Visitors Bureau), New York City Academy of Travel and Tourism, Travel Business Roundtable, Industry Real Estate Finance Advisory Council(IREFAC), the Women's Forum Inc., the Women in Lodging Council and the New York Hospitality Council, among others. She was an elected delegate to the 1995 White House Conference on Tourism, served as housing commissioner for the 1995 Special Olympic World Games, and was a member of the 1995 Tourism Policy Forum. Dr. Rach delivers keynote speeches and seminars on a variety of consumer issues and perspectives and has authored numerous articles and chapters on customer service, hotel sales and marketing and consumer demographics. As well, she is a regular columnist for the HSMAI Marketing Review. Dr. Rach holds a B.S. and M.B.A. from the University of Wisconsin and an Ed.D. from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. |
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Chris Ward is Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Previously, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of American Stevedoring, Inc., a stevedoring and port services company headquartered in Brooklyn. He has served as Commissioner for the NYC Department of Environmental Protection and Chief of Planning and External Affairs and Director of Port Redevelopment at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. He has held various roles in service to the City of New York within the Economic Development Corporation, Department of Telecommunications and Energy, and Public Utility Service. He has also served as Adjunct Professor at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University. Mr. Ward holds a Bachelor of Arts from Macalester College and a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard University's Divinity School. |
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Fran Kaufman, art curator and advisor. An internationally recognized modern and contemporary art specialist, she was Director of palmbeach3 contemporary art fair, and is a former New York dealer and partner in Rosenberg + Kaufman Fine Art, a NY gallery (1989-2006) recognized for its commitment to contemporary painting and photography. In addition, Ms. Kaufman served as a consultant to the Soros Foundation and Magnum Photos, and has curated exhibitions in Europe, South America and the US. She is a consultant to private and institutional clients; a frequent lecturer and panel member on contemporary art and culture topics, and is on the advisory board of Proof: Media for Social Justice. |
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Martha Schwartz is a landscape architect and artist and is president of Martha Schwartz Partners in Cambridge, Massachusetts and London, UK. She has over 29 years of experience as a landscape architect and artist collaborating with a variety of world-renowned architects on a diverse portfolio of projects. Her numerous awards and prizes include the Cooper-Hewitt Museum National Design Award for her body of work in Landscape Architecture, an honorary fellowship from the Royal Institute of British Architects, and several design awards from the American Society of Landscape Architects. Ms. Schwartz is also a professor of Landscape Architecture at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design, where she has taught since 1992. Recent projects include the Mesa Arts Center in Arizona, a Master Plan for Lulu Island in the United Arab Emirates, the Swiss Re Headquarters in Munich, Germany, and Barclays Bank Headquarters in London, UK. |
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Sondra Farganis is Director Emeritus of both the Vera List Center for Art and Politics and the Wolfson Center for National Affairs at New School University. She holds a BA from Brooklyn College, a MA from the New School and a PHD from the Australian National University. She has taught social and political theory, as well as American politics and public policy, at CUNY, Vassar College, Hamilton College and the New School. Her books include: THE BLACK REVOLT AND DEMOCRATIC POLITICS; THE SOCIAL RECONSTRUCCTION OF THE FEMININE CHARACTER; and SITUATING FEMINSM: FROM THOUGHT TO ACTION. She has written numerous articles for scholarly journals on subjects ranging from theories of liberty, identity formation, intellectuals and social/political change. She has been President of both the New York State Political Science Association and the Northeast Political Science Association and has chaired the Theory Prize section of the American Sociological Association. Her current research is on the role of social movements and the cultural elite in the transformation of American society. |
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Sir Peter Hall is Professor of Planning at the Bartlett School of Architecture and Planning, University College London. From 1991-1994 he was special adviser on strategic planning to the Secretary of State for the Environment, with reference to issues of London and Southeast Regional Planning including the East Thames Corridor (Thames Gateway) and the Channel Tunnel Rail Link. He has authored over thirty books on urban and regional planning and related topics including "Cities and Civilization" and "Urban Future 21: A Global Agenda for Twenty-First Century Cities." He is a Fellow of the British Academy and a Member of the Academia Europea. He was knighted in 1998 for services to the Town and Country Planning Association. |