2010 SPEAKERS
KEYNOTE ADDRESS
James Corless is Director of Transportation for America, a coalition of over 400 organizations working to promote a new national transportation policy that's smarter, safer, and cleaner, and provides more choice.
Prior to Transportation for America, Mr. Corless was a senior planner for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he managed the agency's efforts to promote smarter growth, transit-oriented development and mobility options for low-income communities. Mr. Corless was the author of California's groundbreaking Safe Routes to School legislation that paved the way for smart growth "blueprints" to become part of the regional transportation planning process throughout the state.
LUNCH PLENARY
Jane R. Bilger is Senior Policy Director at the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA). Ms. Bilger is responsible for design and implementation of policies and programs for a variety of affordable housing program areas. She maintains an active role working with Illinois' statewide Housing Task Force, coordinating financing and program activities with state and local partners, and overseeing the development and implementation of the state's comprehensive housing plan.
Ms. Bilger has extensive experience designing and managing resources and programs in the community development and public finance arena, including as Director of Finance and Lending for the Illinois Facilities Fund, a statewide community development financial institution; Deputy Commissioner for Program Development for the City of Chicago Department of Housing; and as Vice President, Public Finance for W.H. Newbold's/American Capital Group in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
IHDA is a self-supporting public service corporation chartered by the Illinois Legislature to finance the creation and preservation of affordable housing in Illinois. IHDA leverages a range of federal, state, and private resources to finance new housing for high-priority populations in need, foster homeownership, and preserve existing affordable housing throughout the state.
Keith M. Sherman is currently serving as Acting Bureau Chief of Urban Program Planning with the Illinois Department of Transportation. In this role, Mr. Sherman oversees the planning and programming elements of Illinois' 14 Metropolitan Planning Organizations, including the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning. In addition, Mr. Sherman oversees the development and publication of capital investment programs for Illinois' airport, railroad and transit systems.
Prior to taking this position, Mr. Sherman was Section Chief of Planning and Systems. His responsibilities in that position included monitoring of state highway system condition, estimating federal highway funding levels, developing the Illinois State Transportation Plan, conducting highway and intermodal planning studies, and management of three statewide programs: the Economic Development Program, the Transportation Enhancement Program, and the Scenic Byway Program.
Mr. Sherman is also involved in national transportation issues. Currently, Mr. Sherman is serving on four National Academy of Science panels. These panels include studies of sustainable transportation, the long range impacts of climate change on transportation, the future of freight transportation in North America and the impacts of demographic changes on future transportation needs of the United States.
Elmo Dowd joined the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) in 2006, as Senior Policy Advisor in the Associate Director's office. In this capacity he has been the Agency's lead outreach representative to municipalities and local government. Mr. Dowd has also spearheaded the Agency's effort on the River Edge Redevelopment Zone initiative and has worked to provide communities with an understanding of IEPA programs. He has a wide range of experience, having formerly worked in state, county and municipal government as well as the private sector. Mr. Dowd has a Master's degree in Public Administration from Northern Illinois University and is a past Policy Fellow at the University of Minnesota's Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. In 2008, he was named IEPA Associate Director. IEPA programs in the Associate Director's line include Community Relations, Outreach and Policy, Education, Environmental Justice, Local Government Relations, and Pollution Prevention.
James Corless is Director of Transportation for America, a coalition of over 400 organizations working to promote a new national transportation policy that's smarter, safer, and cleaner, and provides more choice.
Prior to Transportation for America, Mr. Corless was a senior planner for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he managed the agency's efforts to promote smarter growth, transit-oriented development and mobility options for low-income communities. Mr. Corless was the author of California's groundbreaking Safe Routes to School legislation that paved the way for smart growth "blueprints" to become part of the regional transportation planning process throughout the state.
LUNCH PLENARY
Jane R. Bilger is Senior Policy Director at the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA). Ms. Bilger is responsible for design and implementation of policies and programs for a variety of affordable housing program areas. She maintains an active role working with Illinois' statewide Housing Task Force, coordinating financing and program activities with state and local partners, and overseeing the development and implementation of the state's comprehensive housing plan.
Ms. Bilger has extensive experience designing and managing resources and programs in the community development and public finance arena, including as Director of Finance and Lending for the Illinois Facilities Fund, a statewide community development financial institution; Deputy Commissioner for Program Development for the City of Chicago Department of Housing; and as Vice President, Public Finance for W.H. Newbold's/American Capital Group in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
IHDA is a self-supporting public service corporation chartered by the Illinois Legislature to finance the creation and preservation of affordable housing in Illinois. IHDA leverages a range of federal, state, and private resources to finance new housing for high-priority populations in need, foster homeownership, and preserve existing affordable housing throughout the state.
Keith M. Sherman is currently serving as Acting Bureau Chief of Urban Program Planning with the Illinois Department of Transportation. In this role, Mr. Sherman oversees the planning and programming elements of Illinois' 14 Metropolitan Planning Organizations, including the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning. In addition, Mr. Sherman oversees the development and publication of capital investment programs for Illinois' airport, railroad and transit systems.
Prior to taking this position, Mr. Sherman was Section Chief of Planning and Systems. His responsibilities in that position included monitoring of state highway system condition, estimating federal highway funding levels, developing the Illinois State Transportation Plan, conducting highway and intermodal planning studies, and management of three statewide programs: the Economic Development Program, the Transportation Enhancement Program, and the Scenic Byway Program.
Mr. Sherman is also involved in national transportation issues. Currently, Mr. Sherman is serving on four National Academy of Science panels. These panels include studies of sustainable transportation, the long range impacts of climate change on transportation, the future of freight transportation in North America and the impacts of demographic changes on future transportation needs of the United States.
Elmo Dowd joined the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) in 2006, as Senior Policy Advisor in the Associate Director's office. In this capacity he has been the Agency's lead outreach representative to municipalities and local government. Mr. Dowd has also spearheaded the Agency's effort on the River Edge Redevelopment Zone initiative and has worked to provide communities with an understanding of IEPA programs. He has a wide range of experience, having formerly worked in state, county and municipal government as well as the private sector. Mr. Dowd has a Master's degree in Public Administration from Northern Illinois University and is a past Policy Fellow at the University of Minnesota's Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. In 2008, he was named IEPA Associate Director. IEPA programs in the Associate Director's line include Community Relations, Outreach and Policy, Education, Environmental Justice, Local Government Relations, and Pollution Prevention.
Photo (adapted): I Bird 2 | Flickr
