Keynote Speakers
Opening Keynote Address Thursday
ROBERT E. LANG, Ph.D., Professor & Director, Urban Affairs & Planning; Co-Director, Metropolitan Institute, Virginia Tech – Alexandria Center
Robert E. Lang is a Professor of Urban Planning and Director of the Urban Affairs and Planning Program at Virginia Tech. He is also a Co-Director of the Metropolitan Institute at Virginia. Dr. Lang is the Editor of the scholarly journal Housing Policy Debate and a Senior Fellow of the Brookings Institution and a Fellow at the Urban Land Institute both in Washington, DC. In 2008, Dr. Lang was a Fulbright Fellow at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris. He was also recently a Planning and Development Fellow of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and a Visiting Fellow of the University of California. Dr. Lang received a Ph.D. in Sociology from Rutgers University, where he also taught sociology and urban studies. Dr. Lang’s research has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, US News and World Report, USA Today, and reported on by NPR, CNN, MSNBC, FOX News, and ABC World News Tonight. Dr. Lang’s books include Edgeless Cities: Exploring the Elusive Metropolis, Boomburbs: the Rise of America’s Accidental Cities, and the upcoming Megapolitan America.
Lunch Keynote Address Thursday
Michael Shadow, Ph.D., Shadow and Associates
In addition to being a Trainer/Coach in Persuasive Communication and in Political Communication at the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs, University of Washington, Dr. Michael Shadow heads the Seattle-based firm of Shadow and Associates, which specializes in public speaking and media preparation for public and private sector leaders. His clients include environmental activists, judges and attorneys, educators, lobbyists and political and business leaders in Europe, Africa, South America, Canada and the United States. In addition to his private coaching, Dr. Shadow has designed and facilitated over 500 major seminars for executives and public officials. The Wall Street Journal calls Dr. Shadow “the internationally noted speech consultant…a spellbinding speaker.” The Seattle Times calls him “polished and articulate” and the “image meister” who is “one of the most sought after communication coaches in the country.”
Closing Keynote Address Friday
Avi Friedman, Ph.D., Professor, McGill University; Director, Affordable Homes Program
Dr. Avi Friedman received his Bachelor’s degree in Architecture and Town Planning from the Israel Institute of Technology, his Master’s Degree from McGill University and his Doctorate from the University of Montréal. In 1988, he founded the Affordable Homes Program at the McGill School of Architecture, which he currently directs. Dr. Friedman is known nationally and internationally for his housing innovation and in particular for the Grow Home and Next Home designs. He is the author of seven books on housing and a syndicated columnist for the CanWest chain of daily newspapers. Dr. Friedman is a practicing architect and the recipient of numerous awards including the Manning Innovation Award and the United Nations World Habitat Award. In the year 2000 he was selected by Wallpaper magazine as 1 of 10 people from around the world “most likely to change the way we live.”
Breakout Speakers
Listed in alphabetical order.