2017 Speakers

Engaging. Innovative. Endlessly interesting.

Adrian Jones

For more than two decades, Adrian Jones has devoted himself to fun. The UK native currently spends his days overseeing the operation of LEGOLAND Florida Resort, the world’s largest LEGOLAND site and a place uniquely #BuiltForKids. As general manager, Jones launched the kid-focused vacation destination in October 2011 on the former site of Cypress Gardens, Florida’s first theme park, and since then has overseen more than five years of rapid growth and success that has generated
nearly $1 billion (USD) of economic activity, all within the shadow of the world’s largest concentration of theme parks and visitor attractions.  Under his tenure, what opened as a single theme park designed primarily for children 2-12 has expanded into a
multi-day vacation resort that now boasts more than 50 rides, shows and attractions, LEGOLAND Water Park, the 152-room LEGOLAND Hotel, and LEGOLAND Beach Retreat, village-style accommodations that will more than double the resort’s on-site room inventory when it opens in mid-2017. Not bad for a chap
who started out selling ice cream to theme park guests as a teenager.  During his lengthy career with Merlin Entertainments Group (LONDON: MERL), Jones previously served as divisional director of Midway Attractions in the western United States, where he was responsible for LEGOLAND Discovery Center in Schaumburg, Ill., Madame Tussauds Las Vegas and Madame Tussauds Hollywood, the first of the premier celebrity wax attractions to be built from the ground up in 200 years. His
varied roles in the attractions industry have included marketing event coordinator, business development sales, events manager and sponsorship manager.  Jones received a bachelor’s
degree in industrial management from England’s Nottingham Trent University and has lived in the United States since 2004.

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Neil takemoto

Neil Takemoto is a co-founder of the CSPM Group, a consulting firm that manages partnerships between local communities and large-scale real estate development investors for multiple downtown revitalization projects including: urban
redevelopment and revitalization in Hempstead, 
Huntington Station and Riverside, Long Island,  NY, New Rochelle, NY and a comprehensive plan in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. 
Previously, he is the founder and CEO of Cooltown Beta Communities, a firm that pioneered the field of crowdsourced placemaking, encompassing his work over the last 19 years that has been committed to developing destinations with significant economic, environmental and social benefit.
He is the founder of Cooltown Studios, a crowdsourced placemaking blog/news site that attracts 40,000 unique visitors a month. With Andres Duany, Neil co-founded the National Town Builders Association in 1997, the only business trade group of Smart Growth/New Urbanism real estate developers. Prior to that, he founded a national nonprofit educational clearinghouse for the New Urbanism field.

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Ryan Frazier

My name is Ryan Frazier. I was born and raised in Winter Haven. I started writing and preforming my poems for three years and it has opened a whole new world for me. My career aspirations are to major in theater and minor in creative writing. The only thing I want to do in my life is to allow the poems that I create to touch and inspire the life of someone one who hears them.

Anthony lyons

Gainesville, Florida is the epicenter of a human design centered movement to radically alter the way that city government provides basic services to its community members. In the middle of it all is Anthony Lyons, Gainesville’s eclectic City Manager. Not your typical local government bureaucrat, Fast Company Magazine, a cutting edge media firm with a focus on
innovation and technology says, he “is rethinking the role of local government in community life.”  
Anthony is a man on a mission to use human design centered thinking, an approach pioneered by the well-known innovation and design firm IDEO, to make the City of Gainesville the most citizen-user centered city in the world. He is leading a charge to bypass incremental change of the city’s service delivery processes.  Creating game-changing breakthroughs that exponentially improve the citizen-user experience and government responsiveness to the needs, aspirations and desires of the people that it serves, is what inspires his zeal. 
Appointed City Manager by the Gainesville City Commission in
April 2016, Anthony is responsible for a team of more than 1500 city employees. Prior to his current position, he served as Gainesville’s Interim City Manager, Interim Planning and Service Director as well as two tenures as the City’s Community Redevelopment Director. He has received nearly 50 awards from international, national, state, and local organizations in recognition of his community building achievements. His penchant for design aesthetics is informed by a Bachelor Arts degree in Art History from Indiana University Bloomington. He is
a husband of 22 years and a father of an eleven-year old.

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saba ghole

Saba Ghole is an architectural/urban designer turned education and technology entrepreneur. She received her Masters in Urban Design at MIT. Her multidisciplinary explorations in painting, photography, graphic design, film, architecture and urban planning have formed her holistic understanding of design, creative education and the interface of people and their environments. Her experience in the urban design world exposed her to a myriad of innovative educational projects including the Central Los Angeles High School #9 (a school of visual and performing arts in downtown Los Angeles), the National Research Foundation’s CREATE project (a Campus for Research Excellence And Technological Enterprise in Singapore), and the Princess Nora Bint Abdulrahman University in Riyadh (the world’s largest center of higher learning for women

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Rick Baker

Rick Baker has been described as possibly one of America's greatest Mayors. Mayor of St. Petersburg from 2001, he was reelected in November 2005 with more than 70% of the votes cast. Author of The Seamless City: A Conservative Mayor's Approach to Urban Revitalization that Can Work Anywhere.
St. Petersburg is only the 68th largest city in the U.S. and the fourth-largest in Florida.  Baker did not inherit a city that was already turning around, like many mayors who entered office after the urban renaissance of the 1990s. He did not have billion-dollar budgets or national attention. He did the hard work himself, inspiring a city government and its citizens to aim higher and believe that together they could achieve excellence. Rick Baker is a proven leader, educator, visionary and author who has a passion for Florida.

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Reinaldo Borges

Mr, Borges is Principal of Borges + Associates is a leading world-class architectural design and consulting firm that has been involved in Major Real Estate Development projects within the United States and Internationally. With headquarters in
Miami, Florida serving North and South America and Offices in Hagerstown, Maryland, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Saudi Arabia and India, the firm brings its award-winning portfolio of projects to the leading developers of these serviced markets.
 The firm’s collective experience of more than 25 years in design leadership, Borges + Associates has extensive experience in the typologies of Multi-family Residential projects, Corporate Offices, Athletic Facilities, Community Centers, Fire Stations, Ports, Airports, Urban Mixed-Use Developments, Hotels and Resorts, Single Family Homes, Retail and Entertainment Centers, Master Planning, and Life Style Centers, among others.
While a design director with Arquitectonica, he was the design team leader for the American Airlines Miami Heat Arena, with the formation of his own firm, he was design architect of record for the 56 story Infinity at Brickell Tower and Grand Beach hotel to
name a few.  In 2016 AIA Miami awarded Mr. Borges with the distinction of the Architect of the Year Award. 
RESILIENCY LEADERSHIP: Mr. Borges is currently the Chairman of the Miami AIA Sea Level Rise Task Force, has been appointed to the City of Miami Sea Level Rise Advisory Committee, serves in the Florida AIA Strategic Council with emphasis on representing
South Florida and its SLR challenges. Has lectured at numerous organizations and institutions on the topic of Sea Level Rise with an emphasis on the architectural and urban design challenges. He is active member of both the Miami and Miami Beach Chamber and serves on the Executive Board and Advocacy
Council of the Miami Beach Chamber. He is being featured as a
FUTURIST/ARCHITECT on the upcoming documentary “Years of Living Dangerously” with Jack Black and has constant communications with world leaders and thinkers
on the challenges of Climate Change and a focus on Sea Level Rise. On this topic he has lectured at the University of Miami School of Architecture, Harvard University Studio on Resiliency Design among others.

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Sharon West Mc Cormick

Director of Business Attraction & Marketing Pompano Beach Community Redevelopment Agency – Marketing & Cultural Arts Director As the Director of Business Attraction & Marketing for RMA –a consulting and management firm, Sharon McCormick develops and implements strategic plans for cities resulting in the reinvention of downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts and the cultural renaissance of once blighted areas. Through engaging events and social and cultural experiences; business attraction and retention campaigns; and creative incentive programs and partnerships, McCormick is a strong community engagement and place-making / place-keeping advocate. She also currently serves as the Marketing & Cultural Arts Director for the City of Pompano Beach Community Redevelopment Agency -  a city actively pursuing creativity and the arts, recognizing this critical component for economic vitality and success.  With over 25 years of branding, marketing, cultural development and public relations experience, McCormick is an expert at crafting and implementing strategic redevelopment/economic/cultural development marketing plans and an international award winner for her marketing and public relations programs.

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Casmore Shaw

Director of Business Attraction & Marketing Pompano Beach Community Redevelopment Agency – Marketing & Cultural Arts Director As the Director of Business Attraction & Marketing for RMA –a consulting and management firm, Sharon McCormick develops and implements strategic plans for cities resulting in the reinvention of downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts and the cultural renaissance of once blighted areas. Through engaging events and social and cultural experiences; business attraction and retention campaigns; and creative incentive programs and partnerships, McCormick is a strong community engagement and place-making / place-keeping advocate. She also currently serves as the Marketing & Cultural Arts Director for the City of Pompano Beach Community Redevelopment Agency -  a city actively pursuing creativity and the arts, recognizing this critical component for economic vitality and success.  With over 25 years of branding, marketing, cultural development and public relations experience, McCormick is an expert at crafting and implementing strategic redevelopment/economic/cultural development marketing plans and an international award winner for her marketing and public relations programs.

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Josh Bowers &
Denise Perris

Josh and Denise are avid outdoor sports athletes having competed at professional, Olympic, and international levels, and are expert technologists.
Josh’s career in outdoor sports began grinding fiberglass, repairing sails, rigging sailboats, and managing a West Marine. His sailing career took
him around the world allowing him to live and race in Australia and Europe. After developing a sensitivity to fiberglass, which forced him from the boat yard. He moved into technology, specializing in the launch of new products and services for database and reporting technologies. Denise was a member of the 2008 Olympic Team and a professional wakeboarder. A nerd with a Ph.d from Texas A&M, 15 years of experience as a
consultant in the sport industry, an assistant professor of entrepreneurship, and a leading researcher in data analytics, leadership, and how to build communities using sport as hook.
Their mission is to get more people outside, and
recognize this requires building partnerships within local communities. Applying their technology expertise they launched Pavilion the first purpose built
automated email marketing platform to keep people informed on everything happening outside. Pavilion enables local organizations to automatically update
their email subscribers with upcoming 5ks, hikes, bike rides, and kayak trips. Over
the last year Pavilion has tracked over 140,000 outdoor recreation opportunities happening across the United States, providing insight into recreation pursuits and economic impacts on local communities

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HIEP NGUYEN

Hiep Nguyen, serves as the Chief Information Officer for the City of Winter Haven, and leads the City through its Innovation Pivot as it endeavors to become a smart, progressive, thriving municipality as part of larger vibrant community in Polk County, Florida. Entrepreneurs and start-up companies use the term “pivot” to describe a course-correction in strategy to adapt their focus to business, technological, customer and other environmental realities. As technology has become more ubiquitous, complex, and disruptive, a change in our perspective in the application of technology is necessary.  The Innovation Pivot is a recognition of innovation as a core value, and the embracing the culture of inclusion, diverse human perspectives, entrepreneurial spirit, creativity and collaboration.

kennedy smith

Kennedy Smith is a principal with the Community Land Use + Economics Group. Before launching the CLUE Group, Kennedy served on the staff of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s National Main Street Center for 19 years, the last 14 of which were spent as the Director of the National Main Street program. Kennedy is also one of the nation’s foremost experts on economic development planning for older and historic commercial districts. Her work focuses on crafting forward-looking, innovative economic development strategies, then translating them into practical implementation strategies.

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Walter Parks

Special + Simple = Support
  Arts presentation in abandoned and historic spaces if kept interesting, dynamic and simple attract sustainable funding. Walter Parks shares how, at The Statuary a former religious icons factory in Jersey City, he and his wife Margo have created a stewardship between the arts and commerce by hosting events where local business owners, politicians, artists and neighbors converge. Classical and jazz concerts events are offered to the public on the front end for free; sponsorship and donations follow and support on the back end. The Holland Street Vault Concert, a Statuary spin off event held last fall in an abandoned public space, helped earn a Kresge Foundation grant for the entire community.

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Bob Kealing

Bob Kealing is a four-time Emmy Award–winning journalist based in Orlando with WESH-TV. He has appeared on national television programs such as Dateline NBC and CBS This Morning and has been a guest commentator on CNN, MSNBC, NBC, and C-SPAN. He is the author of  books, and his articles have appeared in magazines and newspapers across the country. Bob's books tell the story of people lives and how they connect to places in Florida. In 2004 the book, Kerouac in Florida: Where the Road Ends lead to the restoration of Kerouac's Orlando home, and The Kerouac Project that supports writers through residency. In 2008 Tupperware Unsealed: Brownie Wise, Earl Tupper, and the Home Party Pioneers, followed by Life of the Party in 2016. The 2012 release of Calling Me Home: Gram Parsons and the Roots of Country Rock resulted in MSWH historic preservation project Gram Parsons Derry Down. March 19, 2017 Bob will release Elvis Ignited: The Rise of an Icon in Florida. These stories encourage all of us to look at our own community with new eyes and to promote our rich cultural heritage of Florida

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JOHNETTE ISHAM

Johnette Isham, designer in arts, education, nonprofit,
corporate, municipal settings, focuses on the power of
people and place to bring diverse individuals together for community good. Working as a Public Innovator (Harwood Institute), educated in design (Rhode Island School of Design), and certified in Appreciative Inquiry (Case Western Business School), she employs strength-based, design-thinking approaches. As Vice President for Academic Affairs for 18 years, she led the transformation of Ringling School to Ringling College of Art + Design by introducing Liberal Arts, digital arts, outcomes assessment, and technology in the educational programs. In 2009 Johnette founded Realize Bradenton—a nonprofit that uses creative placemaking, place branding, and civic engagement to build healthy, prosperous communities using arts, culture, heritage, and food. Realize Bradenton’s incredible staff enjoy “food, fun, and flexibility” as they collaborate with over 350 volunteers and 20 community partners. These collective efforts recently won a Knight Cities Challenge Award, from 7,160 entries only 32 were selected. With a deep belief that all is possible when people work together, Johnette works with others to accelerate the physical, cultural, and social development of the Bradenton area. Her work in design thinking and sustainable design was featured at the United Nation’s Global Forum for Business as an Agent of World Benefit.

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CATHERINE FERRER

When the hip-hop dancers took the stage on historic Main Street in 2010, Catherine Ferrer decided to stay in Bradenton. Like many young people, she thought of Bradenton as a place she was passing through.  Realize Bradenton changed that.  By hosting arts-infused events for people from all walks of life, the message to her as a 20-something was clear: “This place is for you, too!” Catherine is now the Community Engagement Coordinator for Realize Bradenton, working to send that same message to others.  She coordinates volunteers to support Realize Bradenton’s 75+ events and leads Millennial-focused initiatives
including: public art, data analysis, creative communications, and pop-up events. Hundreds of Millennials have signed up, shown up, spoken up, and rolled up their sleeves to get involved in positively shaping Bradenton through these initiatives.
Because of this work, she was named to 941CEO’s “People to Watch” list (2015) and is a two-time Knight Cities Challenge Finalist (2015 and 2016). Catherine has been fortunate to participate in a diverse range of
experiences since graduating with a BA in Political Science from New College of Florida - a labor union for migrant workers, compiling community indicators, Asset-Based Community Development, green building Habitat for Humanity homes,
Public Innovators Lab with the Harwood Institute, and leading a team of volunteers income tax assistance.

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Steve mouzon

Steve has led or contributed to many advances in sustainable place-making and building design. He runs a veritable “skunk works” of sustainability, place-making, and building-making ideas and tools from his office in Miami Beach. He founded the New Urban Guild, which is a group of architects, designers, and other New Urbanists dedicated to sustainable buildings and places native to and inspired by the regions in which they are built. The Guild was instrumental in the creation of the Katrina Cottages concept. Steve’s Katrina Cottage VIII, which opened the second generation of Katrina Cottages, was awarded a Charter Award by the Congress for the New Urbanism. The Guild’s Project:SmartDwelling initiative sets out to redefine the American home much smaller, smarter, and more sustainable. Steve’s SmartDwelling I was featured in the Wall Street Journal’s Green House of the Future story alongside designs by three other notable green architects, including William McDonough.The Guild Foundation is the non-profit educational arm of the Guild; it sponsors the Original Green initiative, plus a number of workshops, tours, and seminars that fill several of the gaps that previously existed between theory and practice.Steve is also a principal of Mouzon Design, which produces a number of town-building tools and services. His house plans have been featured repeatedly as Home of the Month in Southern Living and Coastal Living. Steve is Town Architect at several new hamlets, villages and neighborhoods around the country, using a unique face-to-face method of design review he developed that many agree is the most effective in use today. Several of his projects are award-winners.Steve’s book the Original Green frames sustainability in common-sense, plain-spoken terms. Bobby Kennedy, Jr. wrote the Foreword. Steve has also collaborated repeatedly with other notables, including Andrés Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk of DPZ and the Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment, which is Prince Charles’ organization. Steve’s award-winning book A Living Tradition [Architecture of the Bahamas] sets the standard for a new type of pattern book that is principle-based instead of taste-based, and therefore contributes to the creation of new living traditions. Steve has authored or contributed to a number of publications and articles in recent years, and much has been written about him (see below). He is a noted photographer of great places and buildings. Steve lectures frequently across the country and abroad on a wide range of topics. He is a board member of the Guild Foundation and INTBAU-USA, and is the author of the Original Green Blog, the Useful Stuff blog, and We Do This Because... His Original Green Twitter stream is @stevemouzon. Steve has made significant contributions as a team leader or team member on a number of significant New Urbanist projects noted below, and is involved in a number of organizations devoted to the building of better and more sustainable places

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John Marsh

John Marsh is a dad, husband, serial entrepreneur, teacher and visionary with a love for redeeming work with people and places. John brings courageous vision with a pioneering approach to companies and communities. John and his wife Ashely currently steward a collection of 10 companies they have built that work to bring beauty and creativity into the world. John's current work focuses on a unique multidisciplinary approach to businesses and small towns through consulting and collaboration. Using what they learned in restoring and revitalizing Opelika, Al, they now help other entrepreneurs, leaders, and companies define and complete their purposes. Along the way, John has built businesses with a thoughtful vision for construction, real estate development and investment, restaurant group and a consulting company. Along with his team and collaborators, he offers small town redemptive city planning, business consulting, a variety of strategy and implementation services. They have restored 150 properties in 10 blocks and worked to launch over 40 companies through the years. Helping other people restore and revitalize their communities and build and grow a meaningful business is a passion for John and those around him. Along the way, they have also pioneered unique ways to help leaders and entrepreneurs to connect with and communicate their town and companies stories. Through these methods, they have built a social community online of over 400k followers. He speaks globally on such topics as entrepreneurship, redeeming communities, meaningful work, and historic restoration.John has shared keynotes for private clients like Chickfila also for technology conferences like Revolve and higher learning institutions such as Auburn University. When not building new ventures or add value to other communities visions you can find him with his wife and sons traveling or enjoying the town they have committed their lives work to stewarding Opelika, Al.

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Ben pila

Benjamin Pila is the only classical guitarist ever named a Presidential Scholar in the Arts. He’s performed extensively throughout the United States and has been a featured artist at New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and Lincoln Center, Washington, D.C.’s John F. Kennedy Center, and San Francisco’s Herbst Theater. Benjamin received his Bachelor’s degree from Florida State University, his Master’s degree from The Juilliard School, and his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Southern California. Dr. Pila currently lives in Tampa, Florida, teaches guitar at Polk State College, and performs and teaches across the nation.

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Dr. Dean Bushey

Dr. Dean Bushey is an autonomous systems expert and industry leader, and Professor of Computer Science at Florida Polytechnic University. His research focus is the next generation of sensor and communication technology that will make self-driving vehicles a reality. He is currently shaping and molding the next generation of STEM leaders at Florida Polytechnic University. He has 28 years of academic, business, and military educational leadership experience as a computer scientist, educator, pilot, unmanned systems expert in the commercial sector, and as a Senior Officer in the US Air Force. He has led international collations in autonomous systems and project management. He has demonstrated expertise in advanced computer science concepts, instructional methodologies, systems engineering and integration, and technical analysis. He is also a Command Pilot, with over 4500 hours of aircraft command flight experience; including instructor pilot qualification and experience in 6 different aircraft. Before joining Florida Polytechnic, Dean served as an Senor Management Consultant to a Nuclear Engineering firm, where he was in charge of contracts and budget for a $10 Million business, the IT manager and network consultant, and as the lead consultant to the President. He retired from the US Air Force, after 25 years of service, as a Senior Officer in 2013 – full Colonel, where he has extensive unmanned systems, aviation and leadership experience. He has over 4500 flight hours in the C-5 Galaxy, C-20 Gulfstream, and in Advanced Unmanned Aircraft. His assignments include Director Intelligence and Surveillance Systems, US Air Forces Europe – Germany, Deputy Director, Joint Staff, Nellis Air Force Base, NV, and Professor at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.

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Robyn Wilson

Robyn Wilson is the owner and founder of The Poor Porker Inc, a DIY lifestyle brand and beignet business based on the simple fact that you really can do anything you want to do if you’re willing to work hard for it. She started her company with $300, a great beignet recipe, a cast iron frying kettle and a whole lot of heart. Her award winning designs and food have been featured in Food and Wine, Marie Claire and Glamour magazine. Robyn is an expert treasure hunter; She loves digging deep and finding the goods. She’ll never pass up a good garage sale. She has a passion for breathing life into previously discarded things. Since 2011, her simple beignet business has expanded to a 6,000 square foot destination spot in the heart of Lakeland, Florida called 801 E. Main. Within her space, she continues to offer Beignets out of her food truck, The Poor Porker, in addition to a boutique selling unique and finely procured items, Bearcat and Big 6, and a brand new bar inspired by her parent’s love story, Calexico. 801 E. Main is continuing to grow, and is used as a venue for a number of events within the community.

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Anita Strang

On behalf of the Main Street Winter Haven Board of Directors, Welcome to CityWorks(X)po Florida! We are so excited to host all of you in beautiful downtown Winter Haven. We want to give a great big shout out to CityWorks(X)po Founder Ed Walker for allowing us to bring (X)po to Florida. MSWH has partnered with the City of Winter Haven, the Winter Haven Chamber and the Winter Haven Economic Development Council to make this exciting idea exchange happen. Our hope is that (X)po's impact grows, connecting Florida cities with great ideas and the great people making them happen everyday! 2017 is (X)po Florida's second year, and we have taken on the challenge of creating a cool pop up space for this year's (X)po, we think you will love it. Looking forward to meeting you at CityWorks(X)po FLorida ;-).