Daniel McPhee is Executive Director of the Urban Design Forum, an independent membership organization confronting the defining issues facing New York City’s built environment. He was appointed in 2015 after coordinating the merger of the Institute for Urban Design and Forum for Urban Design. He produces programs and publications that showcase creative approaches to creating housing, transportation, open space, and climate resiliency. In recent years, he has led projects confronting significant challenges facing New York City, including the rise of homelessness, the maintenance of midcentury public works, and the public health impacts of extreme heat. Under his leadership, Urban Design Forum has launched new programs to support diverse and emerging leaders in design, planning and development, such as the Forefront Fellowship and New City Critics. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he co-founded the Neighborhoods Now initiative to support New York City community organizations, small businesses, and cultural organizations to safely reopen and navigate evolving public health regulations. Daniel is a graduate of Vassar College, a past participant of Coro Leadership New York, and a member of the Sterling Network NYC. Prior to his work with the Forum, he worked as a community planner in San Francisco.

Gabriel (Gabo) Halili is the founding principal of Opisina Halili, a multidisciplinary design firm working across architecture, planning, and graphic design. Trained as an architect and urban planner, he uses design as a tool for stewardship of places and the people they serve. Gabo’s work spans New York, California, and Manila, where he focuses on residential architecture, community-based planning, and visual storytelling. His civic interests include equitable, community-led development and the role of culture in shaping the systems behind how cities grow.

Cinthia is an urban planning and community development professional with over 15 years of experience advancing public health, resiliency, and community engagement across New York City, Puerto Rico, and beyond. She currently serves as a part-time Project Director at co:census, where she leads community engagement projects across several cities. Her work centers on equipping community-based organizations to lead participatory processes and addressing health inequities in communities of color and low-income neighborhoods. Cinthia holds a BA in Human Biology and an MPH in Social Behavior and Community Health from the University at Albany, a management certificate from the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College, and a Master’s in Urban Planning from NYU.

Sara started Fenix Design Consultants to bridge the gap between the client and consultant side of development. Often, there’s a disconnect between the goals of the development team and what the design team wants to accomplish, however when entire teams work together, projects can excel to new heights. As the former Vice President of Design and Development at Alpine Residential, Sara oversaw design aspects for a portfolio of 3,000+ units along the east coast, with a total value of $1.5B. Sara has worked as an architect on several high-profile projects, such as The Greenwich Lane, a luxury condominium development in the West Village, initially valued at $1.3B; Apex Place in Forest Hills, featuring 442 mixed-income residential units; and FXCollaborative’s new headquarters in Downtown Brooklyn, which achieved the highest scoring LEED Platinum v4ID+C in the country and was the first LEED Platinum v4 ID+C in New York City. Sara is deeply committed to promoting equality and inclusion in the architecture, engineering, and construction industry. She serves on the Advisory Board of AIANY’s Women in Architecture Committee, hosts resume and portfolio workshops, and mentors young women and persons of color to encourage their participation in the field. In 2020, Sara was honored by Professional Women in Construction and selected as a 40 Under 40 – Outstanding Woman in Construction. She is also featured in Beyond the Built Environment and was selected by New York Build Expo as a Construction Idol in 2022.

Charlie Rudoy is the Senior Program Manager for New York at the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH). He leads programs that support the development of new supportive housing in New York and works on policy and advocacy campaigns that expand access to stable housing for homeless New Yorkers, particularly people leaving Rikers Island and other carceral settings. Charlie previously worked as an urban planner at NYC Housing Preservation & Development (HPD) where he led fair housing and community engagement initiatives. His work as a houser is informed by a wide array of prior experiences which include working on Brooklyn Public Library's strategic plan, stints as an educator and community radio producer, and years traveling the country in a van as the drummer in a touring indie rock band. He holds a Master's in Urban Policy & Leadership from CUNY Hunter.

Aditi is a south-Asian urban planner, practicing across the U.S., and in Mumbai. Aditi grew up in the suburbs of Mumbai, in a low-income incremental housing project which deeply influenced her belief in stable and affordable co-operative housing. With the lived experiences of two decades, and as a trained community architect and urbanist, Aditi works with non-profit organizations in Mumbai, Delhi, New York, and Jersey, to build political agency and self-determination in communities that are historically undermined in urban planning processes. Aditi works as a strategist with Habitat for Humanity International and is on the board of International Center for Community Land Trust.

Katie Schwamb is the Managing Director of the Building Energy Exchange (BE- Ex), a nonprofit resource center that accelerates the transition to healthy, comfortable, and energy efficient buildings by serving as a trusted advisor to the building industry. Katie leads BE-Ex’s team on a variety of research, training, and resource development initiatives. Prior to BE-Ex, Katie worked as sustainability consultant managing multifamily, affordable housing projects pursuing sustainability certifications, financial incentives, and energy code compliance. She is a current board member of GreenHomeNYC, a former AmeriCorps VISTA, and holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Texas at Austin.

Francesca is the founder of Aretee Consulting. Aretee Consulting is a strategic consultancy that partners with universities, foundations, and cultural organizations to design future-forward programs, spaces, and initiatives. Francesca is an experienced foresight and design strategist that has worked in the AEC industry for twenty years supporting leadership to create actionable and insightful future strategies. Prior to Aretee, she was at Arup for 15 years where she led Strategic Foresight & Strategic Design for Arup in the Americas.

Melissa Quirk founded Quirk Planning Solutions to integrate her 25 years of experience working at the intersection of affordable multifamily housing policy, organizational strategic development, program design and implementation, and public administration and management. Melissa has devoted her career to bringing about equitable housing and planning, reversing historical bias in the field. In New York, Boston, and Washington D.C. she has served in statewide and national nonprofits, housing and planning consulting practices, and the local governments of Boston and New York, including NYC HPD, NYCHA, and NYC Mayor’s Office of the CTO. Melissa serves as president of her local NYC Green Thumb Community Garden and on the board of a local housing organization. Melissa is an adjunct lecturer in the Hunter College Urban Policy and Planning graduate program.