800 West Campbell Road, Richardson TX 75080
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Urban Futures Summit 2019 Speakers Announced

Urban Futures Summit 2019 Speakers Announced

The 2019 Urban Futures Summit organizing team is excited to announce the speaker lineup for the upcoming summit. Please join us on May 2 at 9:30 for a full day or learning from some of the sharpest minds in Dallas!

It’s not too late to sign up!

All
Art Panel
Infrastructure Panel
Luncheon
Morning Plenary
Public Safety Panel
Samee Ahmad
McDermott Scholar
University of Texas at Dallas
Samee Ahmad is an undergraduate student of international political economy at The University of Texas at Dallas. He has worked Read More
Samee AhmadModerator
Samee Ahmad is an undergraduate student of international political economy at The University of Texas at Dallas. He has worked on decolonization research and Asian immigration/military identities with the Smithsonian APAC and NMHAAC institutions. He endeavors to understand the genealogy of community building in his work, especially within solidarity movements More
Bianca Avery
Community Relations Officer
Community Outreach Initiative for Reinvestment
Bianca Avery, M.Ed. is a businesswoman, educator, political strategist, and community advocate based out of Dallas, Texas.  She is a Read More
Bianca AverySpeaker
Bianca Avery, M.Ed. is a businesswoman, educator, political strategist, and community advocate based out of Dallas, Texas.  She is a graduate of Texas A&M University and completed her graduate studies in Leadership and Administration from Texas A&M University – Commerce.  She is the Co-chair of the Civic Engagement committee of More
Derek Avery
Chief Executive Officer
Community Outreach Initiative for Reinvestment
Derek is a visionary and experienced leader with a passion for serving people.  He has a passion for real estate Read More
Derek AverySpeaker
Derek is a visionary and experienced leader with a passion for serving people.  He has a passion for real estate and community development.  Derek is an experienced real estate professional and alumnus of Baylor University.  He has been involved in selling, building, developing, and consulting real estate for over 13 More
Judge Brandon Birmingham
Judge
292nd District Court
Brandon Birmingham is a Felony District Judge in Dallas County, and is the former Presiding Judge of the Dallas County Read More
Judge Brandon BirminghamSpeaker
Brandon Birmingham is a Felony District Judge in Dallas County, and is the former Presiding Judge of the Dallas County Felony District Courts. He helped create a unique second chance court for youthful offenders called AIM Court, and presides over Dallas County’s High Risk Domestic Violence Court. He is also More
Tisha Crear
Founder
Recipe Oak Cliff
Tisha Crear is from Dallas, Texas and is dedicated to preserving and creating space for healthy community to thrive. She is Read More
Tisha CrearSpeaker
Tisha Crear is from Dallas, Texas and is dedicated to preserving and creating space for healthy community to thrive. She is a graduate of Booker T. Washington High school for the Performing and Visual Arts and has a BFA in Theatre / African Studies from New York University and a MS More
Judge John Creuzot
District Attorney
Dallas County
John Creuzot is a retired Judge and an award-winning lawyer with more than three decades of experience in the criminal Read More
Judge John CreuzotSpeaker
John Creuzot is a retired Judge and an award-winning lawyer with more than three decades of experience in the criminal justice system, including more than 21 years as a Felony District Court Judge. His background also includes seven years of service as a Dallas County Assistant District Attorney and Chief More
Beverly Davis
Director, Office of Equity and Human Rights
City of Dallas
Beverly’s career in Dallas city government has spanned over 35 years with service in over five city departments. She is Read More
Beverly DavisSpeaker
Beverly’s career in Dallas city government has spanned over 35 years with service in over five city departments. She is currently the Director of the Office of Equity and Human Rights (OEHR), which was created and expanded from the Fair Housing and Human Rights Office effective October 1, 2018.  OEHR More
Dr. Marvin Dulaney
Associate Professor of History
University of Texas at Arlington
Dr. W. Marvin Dulaney is Associate Professor of History Emeritus, former Interim Director of the Center for African American Studies, Read More
Dr. Marvin DulaneySpeaker
Dr. W. Marvin Dulaney is Associate Professor of History Emeritus, former Interim Director of the Center for African American Studies, and the former Chair of the Department of History at the University of Texas, Arlington. He is a graduate of Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, where he earned his More
Mercedes Fulbright
Texas Organizing Director
Working Families Party
Mercedes is the Texas Organizing Director for Working Families Party, a grassroots, multiracial political party of working people coming together Read More
Mercedes FulbrightSpeaker
Mercedes is the Texas Organizing Director for Working Families Party, a grassroots, multiracial political party of working people coming together across our differences to make our nation work for the many, not the few. She previously worked for Local Progress, a project of the Center for Popular Democracy, working with More
John Fullinwider
Activist
John Fullinwider is the co-founder of Mothers Against Police Brutality, an educator and community organizer, with more than 35 years’ Read More
John FullinwiderSpeaker
John Fullinwider is the co-founder of Mothers Against Police Brutality, an educator and community organizer, with more than 35 years’ experience in Dallas, working on a wide range of issues ranging from lead pollution to homelessness. He has served on the boards of the National Coalition for the Homeless, National More
Jerry Hawkins
Director
Dallas Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation
Jerry Hawkins is the Director of Dallas Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (DTRHT), part of a national 14-city initiative by Read More
Jerry HawkinsSpeaker
Jerry Hawkins is the Director of Dallas Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (DTRHT), part of a national 14-city initiative by The W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Jerry was formerly the Project Director of Bachman Lake Together, an early childhood collective impact initiative in Dallas, and Director of Children’s Services at the Wilkinson More
Patrick Kennedy
Author
D Magazine
Patrick Kennedy is a founding partner in the Dallas-based urban design firm, Space Between Design Studio.  He is presently on Read More
Patrick KennedySpeaker
Patrick Kennedy is a founding partner in the Dallas-based urban design firm, Space Between Design Studio.  He is presently on the board of directors for the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) system and former president of the North Texas Chapter of the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU-NTX).  With more More
Lyndsay Knecht
Artist and Author
Lyndsay Knecht documents the intersections of art and communal memory as a writer and editor based in Dallas. She was Read More
Lyndsay KnechtModerator
Lyndsay Knecht documents the intersections of art and communal memory as a writer and editor based in Dallas. She was a producer at KERA 90.1, Dallas’ NPR station, for four years. As a teacher, she built an audio workshop for kids called Sound Sketches that is now part of the More
Peggy Larney
American Indian Heritage Day in Texas
Founder
Peggy Taylor Larney has over thirty years of experiences in community service, arts & education, advocacy and mentoring.  She is Read More
Peggy LarneySpeaker
Peggy Taylor Larney has over thirty years of experiences in community service, arts & education, advocacy and mentoring.  She is a civic leader, marketing professional, and small business owner. She is an originator of a state bill designating last Friday in September as American Indian Heritage Day in Texas, is More
Vicki Meek
Artist
Vicki Meek, a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is a nationally recognized artist who has exhibited widely. She boasts a 40+ Read More
Vicki MeekSpeaker
Vicki Meek, a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is a nationally recognized artist who has exhibited widely. She boasts a 40+ year career as an arts administrator, working as a state and local arts agency Senior administrator as well as Executive Director of a nonprofit visual arts institution. In addition, Vicki More
Sara Mokuria
Associate Director for Leadership Initiatives
Institute for Urban Policy Research
Sara Mokuria brings her high-level experience in project management, program design, and community engagement, combined with lifelong passions for justice, Read More
Sara MokuriaModerator
Sara Mokuria brings her high-level experience in project management, program design, and community engagement, combined with lifelong passions for justice, equity, and arts and culture to shape the work of the Institute for Urban Policy Research. She is a co-founder of Mothers Against Police Brutality, a founding partner of the More
Nikiya Natale
Immigration and Civil Rights
Attorney at Law
Nikiya Natale is an attorney with an extensive background in the areas of immigration and civil rights. Her work focuses Read More
Nikiya NataleSpeaker
Nikiya Natale is an attorney with an extensive background in the areas of immigration and civil rights. Her work focuses mostly on critical issues affecting the Muslim community. Nikiya previously served as the inaugural Legal Director for the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Her prior experience More
Dr. Michael Phillips
Author and Historian
Michael Phillips grew up in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.  He is a professor of American history at Collin College in Read More
Dr. Michael PhillipsSpeaker
Michael Phillips grew up in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.  He is a professor of American history at Collin College in Plano, Texas.  He specializes in the history of American race relations. Phillips received his Ph.D. in history from the University of Texas at Austin in 2002.  Phillips’ award-winning dissertation was More
Molly Plummer
Parks for People
Trust for Public Land
Molly Plummer is the Parks for People Program Manager for the Trust for Public Land’s North Texas office.  She holds Read More
Molly PlummerSpeaker
Molly Plummer is the Parks for People Program Manager for the Trust for Public Land’s North Texas office.  She holds a Masters of Landscape Architecture from the University of Texas at Arlington and has a background in studio art.  Her research is focused on how social resiliency and the urban More
Sandy Rollins
Executive Director
Texas Tenants Union
Sandy Rollins is the Executive Director of the Texas Tenants’ Union. She has more than 35 years’ experience working with Read More
Sandy RollinsSpeaker
Sandy Rollins is the Executive Director of the Texas Tenants’ Union. She has more than 35 years’ experience working with individuals, groups, and policymakers to protect and advance tenants’ rights in Texas and to preserve and improve federally subsidized housing. She has served as a trainer at numerous housing conferences, More
Areeb Siddiqui
McDermott Scholar
The University of Texas at Dallas
Areeb is a Eugene McDermott Scholar and Bill Archer Fellow majoring in political science and economics at The University of Read More
Areeb SiddiquiModerator
Areeb is a Eugene McDermott Scholar and Bill Archer Fellow majoring in political science and economics at The University of Texas at Dallas. He is passionate about combating urban segregation through affordable housing practices and promoting fair lending policies. Areeb has conducted research for the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas More
Dominique Torres-Jeter
Attorney at Law
Torres Law Office
Dominique Torres grew up in the Pleasant Grove area of Southeast Dallas and is a proud product of DISD. She Read More
Dominique Torres-JeterSpeaker
Dominique Torres grew up in the Pleasant Grove area of Southeast Dallas and is a proud product of DISD. She graduated from Skyline High School in 2005 and from there started her path towards higher education at Eastfield Community College. Dominique later transferred to the University of North Texas Denton More
Clyde Valentin
Director, Ignite Arts Dallas
SMU Meadows School of Art
Clyde Valentín was born and raised in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. He is the Co-founder and former Executive Director of Hi-ARTS Read More
Clyde ValentinSpeaker
Clyde Valentín was born and raised in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. He is the Co-founder and former Executive Director of Hi-ARTS (formerly known as the Hip-Hop Theater Festival). He is the inaugural Director of Ignite/Arts Dallas: People, Purpose + Place the community engagement initiative at SMU Meadows School of the Arts. More
Monique Ward
Chief Planner
City of Dallas
Monique Ward is a transplant from Houston, where she worked at the transit authority, METRO in Public Affairs and Planning. Read More
Monique WardSpeaker
Monique Ward is a transplant from Houston, where she worked at the transit authority, METRO in Public Affairs and Planning. While there, she served on numerous boards, including the Houston Urban Land Institute Executive Committee, Upper Kirby TIRZ # 19, and Blueprint Houston. She has more than twenty-five years of More
Owen Wilson-Chavez
Director of Analytics
Child Poverty Action Lab
Owen Wilson-Chavez is an urban geographer and open data enthusiast who works to advance the use of data in decision-making Read More
Owen Wilson-ChavezModerator
Owen Wilson-Chavez is an urban geographer and open data enthusiast who works to advance the use of data in decision-making process in nonprofits and government. Throughout his career, Owen has focused on projects ranging from economic impact analysis of transit-oriented development to community-based planning projects that help empower residents in More