ULI Philadelphia: Breaking Down Silos - Duolingo for Developers, Designers, Financiers, and Policymakers

When

2025-03-13
2025-03-13T08:30:00 - 2025-03-13T10:00:00
America/New_York

Choose Your Calendar

    Where

    Oxford Mills 100 W Oxford Street Philadelphia, PA 19122 United States

    Pricing

    Pricing Members Non-Members
    Private $60.00 $80.00
    Public/Academic/Nonprofit $50.00 $70.00
    Retired $50.00 N/A
    Student $30.00 $40.00
    Under Age 35 $40.00 $55.00
    A developer, a policy maker, and a designer walk into a bar…think you've heard this one before? Join the ULI NEXT cohort as we pull back the curtain for a candid conversation about how these disciplines could better communicate with one another—and the public—to get high-impact projects completed more successfully. Come for a discussion and robust Q&A between leaders with cross-disciplinary experience to learn about common misunderstandings, unhelpful jargon, what they’ve always wanted to say to their counterparts, and how to better speak each other's language. Networking time with fellow attendees will offer a chance to practice some of what you learn.

    Speakers:

    • Martha Cross, MAKE Advisory Services
    • Nancy Gephart, CEI-Boulos Capital
    • Job Itzkowitz, Old City District
    • Meagan Whetstone, Mosaic Development
    • Moderator: Ben Willis, Union Studio
    To increase the visibility of your firm and support the delivery of this program, please consider sponsorship. Click here to learn more about sponsorship opportunities for this event.

    Speakers

    Panelist

    Meagan Whetstone

    Senior Vice President of Development, Mosaic Development Partners JV

    Meagan Whetstone is the Senior Vice President of Development at Mosaic Development Partners JV, LLC. With over fifteen years of experience ranging from architecture to real estate strategy and commercial project management, she leverages this background to successfully execute MDP's projects throughout their lifecycle with an eye for long-term value and community reinvestment. Her experience working at DIGSAU Architecture + Urbanism and Watchdog Real Estate Project Management make her an advocate for quality spaces and impactful stakeholder engagement. She leverages these skills to ensure Mosaic's mission and values are embedded in the built environment through successful project visioning and execution. Meagan received her Master of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania and Bachelor of Arts in Architecture & Urbanism from Smith College. Outside of Mosaic, Meagan serves on the boards of the Community Design Collaborative and the University of Pennsylvania Weitzman School of Design Alumni Association as recruitment co-chair. She is part of the 2024 - 2026 ULI NEXT Cohort and has been an invited juror and lecturer for University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, and Temple University graduate and undergraduate studios on architecture and real estate development.

    Panelist

    Job Itzkowitz

    Executive Director, Old City District

    For the past eight years, Job Itzkowitz has served as Executive Director of the Old City District. In this role, Job oversees the day-to-day operations of the business improvement district for Old City, Philadelphia, which includes clean and safe, marketing, and economic development endeavors. Prior to joining Old City District, Job served as Deputy Chief of Staff and Director of Policy and Legislation for Councilwoman Cindy Bass. In that role, Job oversaw matters related to legislation, policy, zoning and development. Immediately prior to his work at City Hall, Job was an attorney at Ballard Spahr for eight years, where he practiced in the complex commercial litigation and government relations practice groups. In addition to his work experience, Job is active in the civic arena. Job is a co-founder of Young Involved Philadelphia, a grassroots civic organization aimed at providing a voice to the City’s young and young-at-heart. Job has also served on the boards of Operation Understanding, the Friends of Love Park and Philly Fellows. Additionally, he is a founding board member of USA250, an organization that aims to plan, promote, advocate and coordinate the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of our United States of America and the signing of the Declaration of Independence and to promote Greater Philadelphia as the host for the celebration. And if you’re wondering, Job is 6’7.

    Moderator

    Ben Willis

    Associate Principal, Union Studio Architecture & Community Design

    Ben is a licensed architect who helps create places that empower communities and ecosystems to thrive. Since 2014 he has been a part of Union Studio, drawn to their mission-driven work at a variety of scales, their commitment to the civic & environmental responsibility of buildings, and their dedication to bringing traditional & regional building practices into contemporary times. He has worked on community planning initiatives, existing building retrofits, and affordable, modular, multifamily, student, and net-zero housing projects across the country. He is actively involved in expanding the office’s culture of mentorship and inclusive sustainability. In the fall of 2019, he and his husband relocated to the mid-Atlantic, where Ben now leads Union Studio’s Philadelphia office. An occasional writer, he has contributed essays to the Common Edge Collaborative, a national website that connects the public to pressing issues in the built environment. When not behind a computer screen, he’s a runner, sings with the Chestnut Street Singers, and serves with the Community Design Collaborative and as a vestry member at St. Peter’s Church, a progressive Episcopal parish in Philadelphia.

    Panelist

    Martha Cross

    Principal, MAKE Advisory Services

    I have a background in community development, real estate, planning, and management in mission-driven organizations and a passion for teaching, mentoring, and working in service of my greater community. I am presently a principal with MAKE Advisory Services, LLC. MAKE provides real estate consultant services with a focus on capacity building, strategic planning, affordable housing, community development, and preservation. Most recently, I was an Acting Deputy Director of the City of Philadelphia's Department of Planning and Development. In my role, I worked with the City Planning Commission, Historical Commission, Art Commission, and the Zoning Board of Adjustment. Prior to that, I led development activities for a non-profit real estate company in Baltimore, MD and NJ and worked as an urban design and planning consultant in eastern PA and NJ. I hold a Bachelor of Architecture from Carnegie Mellon University, a Master of City Planning from the University of Pennsylvania, and an MBA from the Villanova School of Business. Outside of the office, I am often teaching an Urban Design studio in the Architecture Department at Drexel University. I also chair the Steering Committee (and volunteer regularly) for the volunteer-based InKind Baking Project which creates an opportunity for people to bake for their neighbors as a sign of welcome, community, and solidarity.

    Event Sponsor

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