Statewide Leadership

The Statewide Leadership Committee has overall responsibility for the conduct of the four regional Reality Check events scheduled for May and June 2006. Statewide Leadership Committee members have a diverse set of backgrounds and interests with respect to growth issues in the State of Maryland. What they do all have in common, however, is a strong regional and/or statewide perspective on the issues. Their collaboration has helped set the tone for the overall effort and has provided assistance as needed to the regional organizing committees throughout the planning process.

• Co-Chair: Gerrit Knaap (National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education)
• Co-Chair: Chris Kurz (ULI-Baltimore)
• Co-Chair: Dru Schmidt-Perkins (1000 Friends of Maryland)
• John Bailey (Smart Growth Alliance)
• Buzz Bartlett (University of Maryland)
• John Bambacus (Frostburg State University)
• Noreen Beatley (Enterprise Community Partners)
• Wayne Bell (Washington College Center for the Environment and Society)
• Robert J. Boonstoppel (U.S. Army Northern Regional Environmental Office)
• Russ Brinsfield (Maryland Center for Agro-Ecology)
• Torrey Brown (Intralytix)
• Suzanne Cartwright (Urban Land Institute)
• Arnab Chakraborty (National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education)
• Laura Cole (ULI-Washington)
• John Frece (National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education)
• Petey Green (Prince George's Black Chamber of Commerce)
• Richard E. Hall (Maryland Chapter, American Planning Association)
• Scott Hancock (Maryland Municipal League)
• Frank Jaklitsch (Marrick Properties)
• John Kortecamp (Home Builders Association of Maryland)
• Ron Kreitner (Westside Renaissance, Inc.)
• Eugene Lauer (private consultant)
• Kevin Malachi (Prince George’s County Economic Development Corporation)
• Susan Matlick (Maryland-National Capital Building Industry Association)
• Jessica Millman (Coalition for Smarter Growth)
• Bob Nilsson (Turner)
• John Porcari (University of Maryland)
• Michael Sarbanes (Citizens Planning and Housing Association)
• Andy Scott (Greater Washington Board of Trade)
• Bryce Turner (ULI-Baltimore/BCT Architects)
• Jim Upchurch (Interfaith Housing Alliance)
• John Wilson (Coastal South)

The Statewide Leadership Committee has also established four major subcommittees that are working in conjunction with each regional leadership group to tackle tasks that extend beyond regional boundaries. The subcommittees include:

• Communications and Outreach. This subcommittee is chaired by John W. Frece, Associate Director of the National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education, and is responsible for organizing the overall media and public relations effort. The subcommittee has also played a major role in organizing the initial regional leadership committees.
• Fundraising and Budget. The Fundraising and Budget Subcommittee is coordinating the effort to raise money from statewide and regional non-profit foundations and private businesses to cover the full cost of the effort. Please contact us if you would like more information about sponsorship opportunities.
• Implementation Strategy. This subcommittee is looking to answer the question: “What’s next?” Currently chaired by the effort's executive committee, the subcommittee is already working to ensure that the results of the regional exercises and the statewide vision they create are not simply put on a shelf to collect dust.
• Data and Analysis. The Data and Analysis Subcommittee is co-chaired by Arnab Chakraborty, a doctoral candidate and research assistant at the National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education, and Richard E. Hall, president of the American Planning Association’s Maryland Chapter. This subcommittee is working in conjunction with the regional leadership groups to collect the data and develop the maps that will be the basis for the Reality Check exercises in each of the regions. The subcommittee will ensure that the results provide data that can be aggregated and analyzed at both a statewide and regional level, despite variations in how the exercises are played across the regions.