Richard Florida is a researcher and professor, serving as University Professor at University of Toronto’s School of Cities and Rotman School of Management, and a Distinguished Fellow at NYU’s Schack School of Real Estate. He is a writer and journalist, having penned several global best sellers, including the award winning The Rise of the Creative Class and his most recent book, The New Urban Crisis. He is co-founder of CityLab, the leading publication devoted to cities and urbanism. He is an entrepreneur, as founder of the Creative Class Group which works closely with companies and governments worldwide.

Raphael Clemente took the long way to becoming an urban planner. Shortly after starting work on a bachelor’s degree in social science in 1987, Clemente took off on a decade-long adventure as a competitive cyclist, racing throughout North and South America and later in Europe. The experience gained traveling led to an intense interest in how streets and public spaces are designed and built and the associated effect on cities and communities. A formal introduction to urban planning and community design came after retiring from professional racing at the end of 1996 and going to work as a project manager for a South Florida developer, overseeing development of residential and commercial properties in Broward and Palm Beach Counties. In 2000 he enrolled full time in the master’s degree program at FAU’s College of Urban and Regional Planning as a recipient of the program’s Environmental Growth Management Fellowship. After graduating in 2002, Raphael worked in both the public and private sector before being hired as Urban Planning and Services Director with the West Palm Beach Downtown Development Authority (DDA) in 2006. The DDA Board appointed Raphael as its Executive Director in 2011. Throughout the time that he has been working in Downtown West Palm Beach, Raphael has led the development and deployment of dozens of programs and projects designed to drive economic development, community improvement, and increased investment in the Downtown West Palm Beach area.

Kenneth A. Himmel is President and Chief Executive Officer of Related Urban, the nation's leading developer of large-scale mixed-use properties. Mr. Himmel’s career reveals his distinct ability to drive exponential value in world-class developments by employing celebrated strategic retail partnerships, groundbreaking hospitality and cutting-edge placemaking. Under his leadership, Related Urban has captured the world's attention with iconic, award-winning destinations that include Rosemary Square in West Palm Beach; Columbus Circle and Hudson Yards in New York; The Grand LA and the Grand Avenue redevelopment project in downtown Los Angeles; Related Santa Clara in Santa Clara; and The Galleria and in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Valerie Neilson is an urban planning professional passionate about multimodal transportation and creating healthy, sustainable, and economically vibrant communities. Valerie serves as the Executive Director at the Palm Beach Transportation Planning Agency (TPA), leading the agency’s efforts to plan, prioritize, and fund transportation projects that advance safe, efficient, and connected facilities for users of all ages and abilities in Palm Beach County. Prior to her current role, Valerie served at the TPA’s Deputy Director of Multimodal Development. Valerie is a Leadership Palm Beach County Class of 2016 Alumni and has served in various leadership roles, including Chair of the City of Greenacres Planning Commission and Vice-Chair of the Miami-Dade Health & Built Environment Committee. Prior to the TPA, Valerie worked on environmental planning and active transportation initiatives. Valerie is fluent in English/Spanish and has over 15 years of experience in strategic planning and project management. Valerie holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies and a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Florida State University.

Throughout his career, Mr. Gopal Rajegowda has been passionate about developing successful destinations that combine world-class design, urban planning, hospitality, arts and culture, experiential retail, food and beverage and community. With more than 16 years of experience managing all aspects of mixed-use real estate acquisition and development, Mr. Rajegowda has been directly responsible for leading the development of multiple mixed-use destination resort projects, including the W South Beach in Miami Beach, the Cosmopolitan Resort & Casino in Las Vegas and the Hilton West Palm Beach. Currently, he heads the reimagination of the The Square neighborhood in West Palm Beach, Florida. This experiential destination features shopping, dining, entertainment and a live-work-play community with programmable green spaces and thought-provoking public art. He is also leading the development of 360 Rosemary, a Class-A office building; 575 Rosemary, a mixed-use tower that includes luxury residences and retail space; and One Flagler, a Class-A world-class office building located along the downtown West Palm Beach waterfront. Mr. Rajegowda serves as a board member of the Economic Council of Palm Beach County, Chamber of Commerce of The Palm Beaches and Cultural Council of Palm Beach County. The Mayor of West Palm Beach recently appointed him as a member of the West Palm Beach Mayor’s Taskforce for Racial and Ethnic Equality. He holds an M.A. in Real Estate Development from Columbia University and a B.A. in Mathematics from Cornell University, and currently resides in West Palm Beach.