Mark Majewski, AICP, is the President of Northstar Planning & Design LLC, with offices in Cleveland Heights. He provides planning, zoning, expert witness, and development consulting services to clients in northern and central Ohio. Clients include Ohio townships, small to mid-sized municipalities, private property owners, and land use attorneys. During thirty-five years of professional planning practice he has enjoyed diverse project assignments including numerous code rewrites, local comprehensive plans, area redevelopment plans, environmental studies, expert opinion reports, court testimony, temporary staff services, grant applications and administration, board and commission training, and other specialized projects. Mr. Majewski’s experience includes: planning administrator for the City of Mentor; strategic planner and planning director for the City of Cleveland Heights; planning consultant with Will Linder and Associates (Berea, KY), with CT Consultants (Willoughby, OH), and with Northstar Planning & Design. His education credentials include a Bachelor of Urban Planning from the University of Cincinnati (1977) and an Executive MBA from Cleveland State University (1985). He has been a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) since 1982.

R. Todd Hunt, attorney and partner at Walter & Haverfield LLP and Head of its Public Law Section, is an experienced trial and appellate lawyer and legal counselor on municipal/local government law, land use and constitutional law issues. He concentrates his practice in all areas of public law and land use and zoning issues, where he has managed and tried a wide range of civil and administrative cases and counsels government officials and private clients on litigation prevention and local government issues. He serves as Law Director for the City of Richmond Heights and Solicitor for the City of Hudson. Previously he served in similar capacities with the cities of Cleveland and Cleveland Heights and serves as special counsel to several cities, villages and townships in Ohio. Mr. Hunt is well versed in planning and zoning law, constitutional law, public employment law, contract law, civil rights and tort law and is an accomplished drafter of legislation. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, his J.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Law, and his Master of Science in Social Administration from Case Western Reserve University’s Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences. He has argued several cases before the Ohio Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit.

Kristin M. Hopkins, AICP, is a principal planner with the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission. She has over 25 years of experience working with a wide range of communities (large, small, urban, rural) on land use planning initiatives. She is an advocate for planning practices that build on community assets, promote connected neighborhoods, preserve natural systems, create efficient infrastructure and advance the economic and social well-being of people. She has developed a unique combination of expertise in research, land use planning and preparation of development regulations to implement plan policies, and community collaboration working with planning commissions, advisory committees and other groups. As a dedicated planning professional, Ms. Hopkins gives back to the profession through her involvement with the American Planning Association. She has held leadership positions in the local section and state chapter organizations of the American Planning Association since 1994. She holds a Bachelor of Urban Planning degree from the University of Cincinnati, College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning. She is board member of the Ohio Chapter of the American Planning Association and has been a frequent speaker at the Chapter’s annual Cleveland Planning and Zoning Workshop. She also served on the City of Bedford Planning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals.

Vince Reddy, AICP, is a project manager for LAND studio, the organization resulting from the merger of Cleveland Public Art and ParkWorks. Previously, he was the zoning administrator for the City of Cleveland Heights. He held other planning and social work positions prior to that and has maintained a second career as a sign-language interpreter. Mr. Reddy is an active member of the APA Cleveland executive committee and serves on the boards of Future Heights, a citizens’ organization serving the communities of Cleveland Heights and University Heights, and Theatrical Interpreting Services of Cleveland. He holds a bachelor’s degree in social work from Rochester Institute of Technology, a master of urban planning and policy degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and a graduate certificate in urban GIS from Cleveland State University.

David Radachy is currently working at Lake County Office of Planning and Community Development in Painesville, Ohio as the Interim Director. He started at the Planning Commission in 1997 as a staff planner and was promoted to Senior Planner in 2002. Currently his main duties are subdivision review and zoning review for the Lake County Townships. He is also involved in helping Lake County Communities with their comprehensive planning and zoning code revisions. Mr. Radachy has also established the NE Ohio Planning and Zoning Workshop, which is a training opportunity for the local zoning officials. Mr. Radachy graduated with a bachelors of arts in Geography and Planning from the University of Toledo in 1995, Geographic Information Systems Certificate from Cleveland State University in 2000 and a master’s degree in Public Administration from Cleveland State University in 2006. Mr. Radachy is also a member of American Planning Association, APA Ohio and he currently serving as at large member of the APA Ohio, Cleveland Section Executive Board.

Patricia Kidd has served as Executive Director of the Fair Housing Resource Center since 1999. As the Executive Director, Ms. Kidd is responsible for executive leadership and overall management of this multi-faceted community action agency. Ms. Kidd develops and implements programs to combat illegal housing discrimination, and assists clients who have been victims of discrimination resulting in over 200 fair housing cases filed. Ms. Kidd has also implemented a Foreclosure Prevention program serving Lake County residents and routinely consults with local municipalities on issues involving fair housing. Ms. Kidd is an adjunct professor at Lake Erie College where she has taught for 12 years in both the legal studies and criminal law division. She is a graduate of Lakeland Community College (AAS 1994), Lake Erie College (BS 1995) and Cleveland-Marshall College of Law (J.D. 1998). Ms Kidd began her career as a staff attorney with the Housing Advocates, Inc. where she was responsible for conducting fair housing investigations and representing plaintiffs in housing discrimination matters. Ms. Kidd also supervised students from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in the Fair Housing Law Clinic.

Lisa Gold-Scott is the Assistant Law Director/Housing Attorney for the City of Shaker Heights. She concentrates on fair housing issues as well as issues relating to code enforcement, foreclosures, and vacant property issues. She also serves as the City’s ADA Coordinator. Prior to joining the Shaker Heights law department, Ms. Gold-Scott was Associate Director/Staff Attorney for The Housing Advocates, Inc. where she litigated cases involving fair housing discrimination and predatory lending. She was also responsible for the supervision of law students enrolled in the Fair Housing Law Clinic in conjunction with Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. Prior to her employment with HAI, Lisa served under former City of Cleveland Mayor Michael White as the Fair Housing Administrator for four years, and Director of Community Relations in his last year of office. During her time at the City, she helped amend the City’s fair housing ordinance and revitalize the city’s Fair Housing Board. Before coming to Cleveland, Lisa worked as staff attorney at HAI from 1997-1998 where she was involved in authoring two studies involving fair lending practices and discrimination in the provision of homeowners insurance to Cleveland residents. She also served as enforcement coordinator and staff attorney for the Cuyahoga Plan of Ohio, another local fair housing agency, immediately after graduating from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.

Kimberly Wenger, AICP, serves as the Planning and Development Director for the City of North Olmsted. Her responsibilities include planning, zoning, community development and economic development. Additionally she oversees the City’s building and engineering divisions and staffs many of the City’s boards and commissions. Ms. Wenger is a board member of APA Ohio and secretary of APA Cleveland. As a North Olmsted native, she continues to actively support local organizations, including the North Olmsted City Schools, the Olmsted Historical Society and the North Olmsted Chamber of Commerce. She is also a technical advisor for the Look Up To Cleveland program. Prior to working in North Olmsted, Ms. Wenger was a planning consultant with the Columbus, Ohio firm of Burns, Bertsch & Harris, Inc., where she focused on comprehensive planning and strategic planning for all levels of government. Ms. Wenger received her Bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies and Sociology/Anthropology from Ohio Wesleyan University and her Master’s degree in City and Regional Planning from The Ohio State University.

Howard Maier, FAICP, recently retired as Executive Director of the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA). He served NOACA as either Acting Executive Director or Executive Director since 1989. Prior to NOACA, Mr. Maier held other public and private sector positions, including Director of Planning and Development for the City of Cleveland Heights . As a result of NOACA’s policy-based regional transportation planning process, NOACA received the 1999 Overall Achievement Award from the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations and the Major Metro Achievement Award from the National Association of Regional Councils in 2008. During his tenure at NOACA, Mr. Maier has received a number of professional awards. They include the award for “Excellence in Planning Leadership” from the Ohio Chapter of the American Planning Association in 1991, the Senator George V. Voinovich Public Works Employee of the Year Award from Build Up Greater Cleveland in 2011, and most recently, the Walter F. Ehrnfelt, Jr. Award for Outstanding Regional Contribution from NOACA in 2012. He is immediate past president of the Ohio Association of Regional Councils and former Treasurer of the Northeast Ohio Sustainable Communities Consortium. He served on the Board of the Senior Transportation Connection of Cuyahoga County. Mr. Maier has a B.A. (Economics) and a Master of City Planning both from Ohio State University and a Masters in Public Management from Case Western Reserve University. He has taught city planning, public administration, and transportation planning and policy courses at Cleveland State University .

The AIG Ordinance explicitly authorized the incumbent Inspector General, Nailah K. Byrd, to have the right to continue to serve as the County’s first Inspector General without confirmation of Council until June 30, 2016. Inspector General Byrd previously worked as a federal prosecutor in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio. Prior to that, she practiced law in the litigation group at the international law firm of Squire Sanders & Dempsey, and then served as senior counsel at National City Bank/PNC, where she managed outside litigation counsel. She started her legal career as an Assistant District Attorney in New York County after graduating from law school. Inspector General Byrd is admitted to practice law in New York, New Jersey and Ohio. A graduate of the 2004 Bridge Builders class, Inspector General Byrd is also a member of Kaleidoscope Magazine’s 40 under 40. She previously served on the Magistrate Selection Committee for the Northern District of Ohio. She has been recognized as a top lawyer in Ohio Super Lawyers Magazine and was selected by Crain’s Cleveland Business Magazine as a 2011 Women of Note finalist. In 2011, Inspector General Byrd was also honored by the Northeast Ohio African American Library and Cultural Center in their annual Young, Gifted, and Black with ties to Black History Program. Most recently, she was featured in Cleveland Magazine’s Most Interesting People 2012 article.

Bruce Rinker is a shareholder of Mansour, Gavin, Gerlack & Manos Co., LPA and has extensive, well-rounded experience as a litigator and practitioner for cases involving eminent domain, planning and zoning, land use, vacancies, and administrative review by local governmental agencies, boards, commissions and councils. He was a labor relations representative, state appellate court law clerk, Assistant County Prosecutor in the felony criminal division and has been a trial attorney for over 30 years. His education includes a B.A. from Hamilton College and a J.D from Case Western Reserve University School of Law. He is licensed in Ohio and has been admitted to the Ohio and U.S. District Courts. He is a member of the American and Ohio Bar Associations, the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, the American Planning Association, Urban Land Institute and The City Club. Noting that he frequently passes himself coming and going, Mr. Rinker divides his time between two busy and separate duties as Mayor of Mayfield Village (since 1993) and a commissioner on the three-member Board of the Cleveland Metroparks. He and his wife Laura, a registered nurse, have raised three children, several dogs, and continue their active involvement in the Mayfield and Greater Cleveland communities. He is a swimmer (moonlighting for years as the meet announcer for the Mayfield Wildcats swim team), a duffer - your lawyer really shouldn't be a good golfer... He loves the arts (especially music) and true to his nature, enjoys dabbling in landscape architecture.

David Hartt formed D.B. Hartt, Inc. in 1979 with a vision of providing innovative planning and development services and to this day, the firm continues to provide planning, zoning, and development consulting services to public and private clients. Mr. Hartt's more than 45 years of professional experience includes public and private planning and development positions. He has managed and worked on projects involving clients with specialized needs in comprehensive planning, zoning consultation, zoning code development, and has provided expert witness testimony on more than 100 occasions. Under his direction the firm has completed more than 35 zoning code updates and more than 30 comprehensive plans. Services have been provided to more than 200 communities in Ohio alone. Mr. Hartt had a Bachelor of Architecture (1965) and Master of City Planning (1967) from the University of Michigan. He served as a citizen member of the Shaker Heights Planning Commission for 19 years – from 1991 to 2010. He is Chair of Cleveland’s Historic Warehouse District Board, a Board Member of the Downtown Cleveland Alliance and a regular volunteer speaker at numerous planning and zoning seminars throughout the state. In 2009, the Ohio Chapter of the American Planning Association awarded Mr. Hartt the “Outstanding Planner of the Year Award” for his contributions to planning throughout his career.

Working under Mayor Frank G. Jackson, Marty Cader is an advocate for bicycle, pedestrian, and health friendly initiatives. He is currently involved in the implementation of the Cleveland Bikeway Master Plan. Adopted in 2007, the plan calls for the creation of over 180 miles of multi-purpose trails, bike lanes, and bike routes. The Master Bikeway Plan was the city’s first, and is incorporated into the Connecting Cleveland 2020 Comprehensive Plan. In addition to his work at the city, Mr. Cader is also involved in active transportation through organizations such as Bike Cleveland, the Ohio City Bicycle Co-op, and the Sustainable Transportation Action Team (STAT 2019). He traces his love for bicycles back to age 6 when he received his first bike, a Schwinn Stingray with high-rise handle bars and a banana seat!

As a city planner, Associate and senior urban designer at the Cleveland-based architecture and city planning firm City Architecture, Matthew Schmidt, AICP, LEED AP, manages and develops city master plans, multi-modal transportation studies, strategic neighborhood redevelopments and streetscape designs in communities throughout the region. His level of involvement in various urban design plans ranges from initial design concepts to project implementation, allowing him to bring a holistic grasp of design, organization and community engagement to his work. Mr. Schmidt’s beliefs and experience in neighborhood revitalization, sustainable development and community engagement are evident in the work that he undertakes. His work has provided him with the opportunity to unite multiple aspects and viewpoints within projects – bridging economic development initiatives and multi-modal infrastructure planning with a wide array of input from community members and stakeholders. Mr. Schmidt studied architecture at Kent State University, and completed his graduate degree at the Kent State Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative, where he began his work with urban design and city planning.

Ann Klavora, AICP, is Principal Planner for the City of Shaker Heights, where she works on a variety of long-term planning projects, grant writing and staffs the Landmark Commission. Current projects include the Lee Road Traffic Study & Corridor Plan, Lake-to-Lakes Trail, the Shaker Heights Bike Route Plan and Transit Village. Prior to joining Shaker Heights, Ms. Klavora worked for the Summit County (Ohio) Planning Commission and D. B. Hartt, Inc., Planning and Development Consultants. She has been active in the American Planning Association (APA) for over 13 years, currently serving as Director of the APA Cleveland Section and Vice President of the APA Ohio Board of Trustees. Ms. Klavora received a Master of Urban Planning, Design and Development degree from the Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University, and a bachelor’s degree from the Miami University (OH) School of Interdisciplinary Studies.

James Kastelic received a Bachelor of Arts degree in geography from the University of Kansas and a Master of Arts degree in urban geography from Kent State University. He has over 40 years of experience in city planning, land use regulation, public management, environmental resource assessment and site analysis. In his current position as Senior Park Planner for Cleveland Metroparks, his responsibilities include identifying and evaluating opportunities to conserve open space consistent with the Park District’s mission and developing local and regional partnerships through outreach with public, private and non-profit stakeholders. He has served on a number of statewide and regional organizations, including the Ohio Coastal Resource Advisory Council, the Cuyahoga Valley Communities Council and the Ohio Coastal Resource Management Project. Mr. Kastelic is also an adjunct professor at the Maxine Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University, where he teaches courses in community and regional planning.

Lynn Garrity is currently the Trail Planner at Cuyahoga Valley National Park. She has over 17 years of experience in park, trail and watershed planning and implementation, land acquisition, and contracts management of park improvements. She has worked with a variety of government and non-profit organizations through her career, including the National Park Service, Denver Service Center, Cuyahoga County Planning Commission, Cuyahoga Soil & Water Conservation District, and the Trust for Public Land. Ms. Garrity holds a Bachelor's degree in landscape architecture from the Ohio State University and a Masters in environmental management from Duke University's Nicholas School of Environment

John DeMuth, AICP, served as the Deputy Director of the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission prior to his retirement in 2009. His professional planning career spanned over thirty years with public and private sector employers in numerous counties throughout northeast Ohio where he was engaged in a variety of regional and community planning activities. Early in his career he worked as an environmental planner in the Cleveland office of Madison-Madison International. Early in 2010, Mr. DeMuth worked briefly as a Naturalist with Cleveland Metroparks. Since then he has been employed as a Park Ranger in the Division of Interpretation, Education, and Visitor Services with the National Park Service at the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. He holds a B.S. in Geography from Ohio University and completed additional graduate program coursework in Geography and Public Administration at The University of Akron and Cleveland State University, respectively. Mr. DeMuth is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners and the Cleveland Section of the American Planning Association.

Donna L. Studniarz has worked for Cleveland Metroparks for 17 years and is currently the Chief of Strategic Initiatives. She collaborates with the Executive Director to develop, direct and implement the Cleveland Metroparks Strategic Plan, with an emphasis on system-wide land acquisitions and grant programs. One of the strategic directions of the park is trails and greenways and she is developing trail criteria to be able to prioritize and implement trail projects as the park looks towards the next decade. Ms. Studniarz graduated from Baldwin-Wallace College with a BS in Earth Science and went on to receive her MBA from John-Carroll University. In her free time, she can be found hiking and cycling the region’s trails.

Joyce Braverman is the Director of Planning for the City of Shaker Heights. Joyce has experience in project management and serves as the manager for the Warrensville/Van Aken transit-oriented development project and for the redevelopment of the Shaker Town Center area, including the Avalon Station project. Areas of expertise include long and short range planning, parks planning, grants and funding, zoning, land use, design guidelines and public participation. She has a Master’s in Public Administration from Cleveland State University, Levin College of Urban Affairs and a Bachelor’s of Urban Planning and Design from the University of Cincinnati College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning. Ms. Braverman has been active in APA at both the state and section levels, as a Past President of the APA Ohio Board of Trustees, OPC Cleveland Section Director and OPC Cleveland Section Zoning Workshop Chair. She has also served on various committees including awards, nominating and teller, and strategic planning.

Dru Siley is the Director of Planning and Development and Building and Housing for the City of Lakewood. Prior to serving the City for the past four years, Mr. Siley spent nearly a decade as a planner in the Denver and Washington D.C metro areas and Northeast Ohio. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Akron and a Master’s degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Colorado, Denver.

Cheryl Stephens is the Director of Acquisition, Disposition and Development at the Cuyahoga County Land Reutilization Corporation, commonly referred to as the Cuyahoga Land Bank. After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree and later a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Dayton, she began her career in public administration and fell in love with development. She has held manager and director positions with the City of Cleveland’s Department of Economic Development, the City of Cleveland Heights Department of Planning and Development, the Cuyahoga County Department of Development, the National Development Council, and leadership Cleveland as well as service as a member of the Cuyahoga County Board of Revision. She is often called on by members of the Ohio business community to provide research and strategic development services. Ms. Stephens has been a key player in ushering more than $100,000,000 of investment to growing businesses and real estate developments in Ohio. Cheryl has served on volunteer committees, boards, and commissions over the years and in 2009 Cheryl was elected to the City of Cleveland Heights’ City Council. She currently serves as one of seven members of the Cleveland Heights City council and is Chair of the Finance Committee.

Jordan Yin, AICP, is a faculty member of the Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University. He has worked with a wide range of planning agencies and community organizations on issues including comprehensive and land use planning, community development, and local economic development. His most recent book is Urban Planning for Dummies (Wiley, 2012).

Eric J. Johnson is a partner with Walter & Haverfield LLP, a general services law firm of approximately 50 attorneys based in Cleveland. In addition to serving as the Head of Walter & Haverfield’s Labor & Employment Department, he is a member of the Firm’s Management Committee. Eric represents public and private sector employers – in employment litigation, employment counseling and traditional labor matters. In his practice, Eric regularly advises clients on how to address technology concerns in the workplace, including the wide-ranging challenges presented by social media. Eric’s recent professional accolades include being named to Crain’s “40 Under 40” class for 2009, selected as a “Rising Star” by Ohio Super Lawyers magazine and featured as one of Cleveland’s “Young Legal Leaders” by Inside Business. Eric is a graduate of Denison University and earned his law degree from Duke University.