Bill Lennertz, AIA, is Executive Director of the National Charrette Institute. Bill is a principal author and lead trainer of the NCI Charrette System™, the first structured approach to design-based collaborative community planning. Since he co-founded NCI in 2001, Bill has trained top staff from various organizations including the US Environmental Protection Agency, US General Services Administration, US Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fannie Mae Foundation, and Departments of Transportation in Oregon, New York, and Arizona, as well as many private planning firms across the country. First as Director of the Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company (DPZ) Boston office, and then as partner in Lennertz Coyle & Associates, Bill has directed over 150 charrettes. The charrette projects for both public and private clients range from main street revitalizations, town centers and affordable housing, to complete, new neighborhoods and communities. By incorporating the charrette process in a broad range of challenging projects, Bill has encountered virtually every type of political, economic, and design problem that challenges smart growth and he brings this experience to NCI trainings and publications. Bill co-authored The Charrette Handbook, published by the American Planning Association, is the co-editor and essayist of Towns and Town-Making Principles, a monograph on DPZ, and a contributor to the Charter of the New Urbanism. Bill has taught at various universities including Harvard, where he received his Masters of Architecture in Urban Design and now annually teaches the NCI Charrette System™ certificate course.