David Hales served as President of the College of the Atlantic, Chair and President of Second Nature, the managing organization of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, and as Director of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. He led environmental policy and sustainability programs for the US Agency for International Development. As a diplomat, he has represented the USA in numerous negotiations on climate change, urban affairs and policy, and biodiversity. He served in the Carter administration as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Interior. He was the first American to serve as Chair of the World Heritage Convention.
Howard A. Learner
Howard A. Learner is an experienced public interest litigation attorney serving as the President and Executive Director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center – the Midwest’s premier environmental legal advocacy and eco-business innovation organization. Mr. Learner is responsible for the overall strategic leadership, policy direction and financial platform of ELPC’s successful work promoting clean energy development solutions to climate change problems, advancing transportation innovations and improvements, including development of regional high-speed rail solutions, and preserving the Midwest’s valued natural resources and heritage.
Brenda Ekwurzel
Brenda Ekwurzel is a senior climate scientist and the Director of Climate Science for the Climate & Energy Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). In her role, she ensures that program analyses reflect robust and relevant climate science, and researches the influence of major carbon producers on rising global average temperatures and sea level. Dr. Ekwurzel is a co-author of the fourth National Climate Assessment (NCA4) Volume II. She presents frequently to a range of audiences on climate science, educating the public on practical, achievable solutions for climate change.
Public infrastructure intended to facilitate development can motivate sprawl and decline. That is the result when even well-designed and well-executed infrastructure inflates the price of well-served prime sites. High land prices chase development away to cheaper, but more remote sites (sprawl). Likewise, policies and programs intended to assist distressed communities can lead to higher land prices (rents) and the displacement of the intended beneficiaries.
This class addresses the market forces responsible for sprawl, poor housing options and economic decline. Participants will learn innovative and effective policy solutions that can promote economic recovery without additional public spending or loss of revenue. Attendees will learn that HOW we collect public revenue is just as important as HOW MUCH revenue we collect.
Leadership in Our Time Webinar Series: Sixty Minutes with Ditte Juul-Jørgensen and András Simonyi