Community Builder & Visionary: Chris Ballentine at Willow Valley Communities Chris Ballentine isn't just an enthusiastic ambassador for Willow Valley Communities; he's a passionate visionary shaping the future of Lancaster City. As Community Relations Manager, cultivates enthusiasm and understanding about Southern Market, and Mosaic, the innovative 55+ senior living expansion. Avidly, Chris conveys the benefits and combined impact of these transformative projects; especially how they are reshaping an underutilized location into a vibrant community hub and destination gateway to southern Lancaster. Chris’ expertise shines through as a passionate community advocate, connector, and storyteller, but his impact extends far beyond his title at Willow Valley Communities. He is a deeply embedded community servant, and proudly served as a Lancaster City Councilor from 2017 to 2020. Today, he continues to make a difference through impactful roles like Presiding Chair of Leadership Lancaster, Board Member of the Spanish American Civic Association (SACA), Trustee of Lancaster General Health (LGH) Foundation, and Advisory Committee member for Discover Lancaster. These are just a few of the numerous community coalitions to which he actively contributes. A Bloomsburg University graduate and true Lancaster native, Chris embodies the dedication and spirit of his hometown. Chris's professional journey has equipped him with a diverse skillset spanning graphic design, social media, event planning, public relations, and community outreach. Beyond his professional accolades, he cherishes his role as a proud father of two teenage daughters. He knows the importance of balancing ambition with genuine connections, even when those treasured connections involve navigating the ever-changing moods of teenagers, by communicating through TikTok.

Ian Smith is the founding principal of IS-DG, an award-winning design architecture firm in Philadelphia, PA. Ian’s combined accomplishments include architect, author, and educator. Ian continues to serve the civic discourse through teaching occasionally at local universities in addition to his current appointments on the Philadelphia Preservation Alliance Board, PhilaNOMA, and the Edmund Bacon Urban Design committee. Ian seeks to identify and interlace the invisible emotional narratives within which the built environment is perceived. Ian continues to serve the civic discourse through teaching occasionally at local universities in addition to his current appointments on the PhilaNOMA, Philadelphia Preservation Alliance Board, Inglis House, and was recently initiated into The Carpenter’s Company, is the oldest extant craft guild and professional association in the United States. IS-DG will be marking their 15th year in business in July 2023.

Jennifer Waters, PE, LEED AP, has been with Urban Engineers for over 20 years and serves as a vice president and Philadelphia regional manager for the firm's Philadelphia headquarters and Montgomery County location. In her role as a regional manager, Jen is responsible for the viability and success of the firm’s Philadelphia and King of Prussia offices. She provides leadership to – and works directly with – general managers in all areas of project management, business development, training, mentoring, and other tasks necessary for the growth of the firm in the region. She also works with Urban’s regional market and service leaders to improve business acquisition processes and procedures. Additionally, Jen is leading several initiatives at Urban including multi-million dollar project pursuits, a companywide innovation team, client-focused task forces, and a supplier diversity committee. Jen connects regularly with her internal and external contacts with the goal of successfully accomplishing projects that will improve our region. Jen is a registered Professional Engineer in six states and has years of diverse environmental and sustainability experience. Her background includes providing sustainable solutions to complex infrastructure, residential, commercial, industrial, educational, and recreational property development/redevelopment projects. Her engineering background includes environmental assessments, environmental permitting and compliance, sustainability studies and smart technology studies. She has performed numerous training courses on topics including NEPA assessments, Brownfields, asbestos, soil management, Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments and delegation. She earned her bachelor’s degree in environmental systems engineering from Penn State and her master’s in engineering management from Drexel University. Jen is currently a board member of the Society of Women Environmental Professionals Philadelphia Chapter and is also co-chair of Urban’s Women’s Professional Network, an organization whose mission is “to provide professional guidance to all women within Urban through mentoring and networking.” Education • Pennsylvania State University | B.S., Environmental Systems Engineering • Drexel University | M.S., Engineering Management Boards/Committees/Civic Participation: • Women Transportation Seminar (WTS) – Board Member and Director of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee • Great Valley Forge Transportation Management Association (GVFTMA) – Board Member • Forum of Executive Women - Member • Urban’s Women’s Professional Network – Board Member and Co-Chair • Urban Land Institute – Awards Committee • American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) – Member and Contributing Author for the 2022 Pennsylvania ASCE Infrastructure Report Card • Society of Women Engineers – Former Board Member

Eric Goldstein is founding President & CEO of the King of Prussia District, a private, not-for-profit organization that works with 431 commercial, industrial and multifamily property owners to keep King of Prussia economically viable and vibrant. Eric’s efforts have contributed significantly to a $4B economic development boom in King of Prussia since 2010 and, as a result, Eric was named to the Philadelphia Business Journal’s 2017 Power 100 list, cited as a “Change Agent,” and was named the 2016 Best Visionary by Philadelphia Magazine. In December 2022, Eric was also named one of Philadelphia Business Journal’s 25 Most Admired CEOs. Eric is a skilled fundraiser, having leveraged more than $16M in addition to the $14M in assessment fees billed since 2011. Eric is a current member and former board member of the International Downtown Association (2016-2022), sits on the Urban Land Institute Phila. Chapter Advisory Board and serves as Co-Chair of the Awards Committee. Eric is also on the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Middleman Family Pavilion and Valley Forge Park Alliance Fundraising Committees. He lives in Mount Laurel, NJ and is a Professional Landscape Architect (PA, NJ) and Professional Planner (NJ).

Matthew A. Heckendorn, AIA, LEED AP, NCARB; is President of Heckendorn Shiles Architects. Matt’s professional design experience encompasses a wide variety of project and facility types, including: corporate workplace, educational and childcare, healthcare, therapeutic, residential, athletic/recreational, banking, foodservice/restaurants, convention/conference centers, airports, data centers, retail as well as campus master planning and adaptive reuse. Matt has lectured extensively to industry leaders, delivering seminars at Forum for Architecture and Design, Design on the Delaware, Greenbuild, Pennsylvania Brownfields Conference, the Urban Land Institute, and the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. Matt has also served as an Adjunct Associate Professor at Drexel University and is a member of the three-hundred-year-old Carpenters’ Company of the City and County of Philadelphia. Beyond architectural design expertise, Matt also has extensive familiarity with educational facility planning, workplace strategy, zoning, land development, regulatory approvals and green/sustainable design. As a past Adjunct Associate Professor, Matt understands the mission of educational facilities as both a designer and an end user. Similarly, as a past member of the Haverford Township Planning Commission, Matt understands the priorities and goals of land development and regulatory approvals from many vantage points. Matt has served on a number of additional professional and community and non-profit roles including: 2020-2024 Board of Trustees for Stratford Friends School – Clerk of Property Committee, 2019 Arts and Business Council of Philadelphia, 2018 Urban Land Institute Next, co-chairperson of the 2016 AIA National Convention Tours Committee, 2006-2015 Haverford Township Planning Commission Member, committee membership for Greenbuild 2013 Convention in Philadelphia, Coach for Havertown Hoops, Den Leader and Committee Chair for Cub Scouts Pack 462 and Ad-hoc Committee Member for the Haverford CREC design.