Founder | Executive Director
My Block My Hood My City
Carol Coletta
Bloomberg Public Innovation Fellow
Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation
Carol Coletta has spent a lifetime championing public life, the joy it creates and the community it forges. She is a Fellow with the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation, Johns Hopkins University where she is exploring how public space can foster social connections to achieve more opportunity-rich and unified communities.
This year, she was awarded the Urban Land Institute Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development. In 2024, she received the LaGasse Medal by the American Society of Landscape Architects for her work on Tom Lee Park while she led Memphis River Parks Partnership.
She served in senior leadership roles at Kresge Foundation, Knight Foundation, ArtPlace, CEOs for Cities and the Mayors’ Institute on City Design. Coletta was named one of the top 100 urbanists, past and present, by Planetizen in 2017 and 2023. As host and producer of the public radio show, “Smart City,” she interviewed almost 1000 urban experts.
This year, she was awarded the Urban Land Institute Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development. In 2024, she received the LaGasse Medal by the American Society of Landscape Architects for her work on Tom Lee Park while she led Memphis River Parks Partnership.
She served in senior leadership roles at Kresge Foundation, Knight Foundation, ArtPlace, CEOs for Cities and the Mayors’ Institute on City Design. Coletta was named one of the top 100 urbanists, past and present, by Planetizen in 2017 and 2023. As host and producer of the public radio show, “Smart City,” she interviewed almost 1000 urban experts.
Chanell Scott Contreras
Chief Executive Officer
Build From Within Alliance
Chanell Scott Contreras is CEO of the Build from Within Alliance (BfWA), a national network advancing entrepreneurship to revitalize disinvested neighborhoods from within. She leads efforts to strengthen small business ecosystems, expand access to capital, and ensure entrepreneurs in low-income communities have the tools to create wealth and transform their neighborhoods.
With 20 years of experience in community economic development, Chanell is known for equity-driven leadership. Prior to BfWA, she served as CEO of Michigan Saves, where she expanded equitable access to energy efficiency and clean energy financing. As Executive Director of ProsperUs Detroit, Chanell led the organization’s transformation into Michigan’s first Black-led certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) loan fund.
Earlier in her career, Chanell worked with Evergreen Cooperatives and as a National Urban Fellow at The Cleveland Foundation. A University of Michigan alumna, she also holds a Master of Public Administration from Baruch College (CUNY).
With 20 years of experience in community economic development, Chanell is known for equity-driven leadership. Prior to BfWA, she served as CEO of Michigan Saves, where she expanded equitable access to energy efficiency and clean energy financing. As Executive Director of ProsperUs Detroit, Chanell led the organization’s transformation into Michigan’s first Black-led certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) loan fund.
Earlier in her career, Chanell worked with Evergreen Cooperatives and as a National Urban Fellow at The Cleveland Foundation. A University of Michigan alumna, she also holds a Master of Public Administration from Baruch College (CUNY).
Dr. Brian Corbin
Executive Vice President
Catholic Charities USA
Dr. Brian R. Corbin is Executive Vice President for Member Services at Catholic Charities USA, previously serving as Senior VP for Social Policy. He spent 27 years with the Diocese of Youngstown as Executive Director of Catholic Charities Services and Health Affairs, overseeing migration, refugee support, poverty initiatives, and global relief efforts. Nationally, he served as Secretary of CCUSA’s Board of Trustees and chaired the U.S. Bishops’ National Advisory Council. He has held roles on multiple boards, including the Common Wealth Revolving Loan Fund, the National Emergency Food and Shelter FEMA Board, and the National Catholic School of Social Service Board of Visitors. At CCUSA, he leads programs, Catholic identity, ethics, disaster operations, and government relations. Dr. Corbin also teaches ethics at Walsh University and holds advanced degrees in leadership, health policy, and social welfare. He is married to Dr. Donna DeBlasio.
Katie Delp
Chief Network Officer
Purpose Built Communities
Katie Delp is the Chief Network Officer for Purpose Built Communities. As a senior executive, Katie leads the Network Engagement and Success team. To ensure Network Members have coaching and resources, her team brings a strategic suite of support to Network leadership to accelerate and deepen their work in neighborhood transformation.
Katie has committed her career to developing communities into thriving socially, economically and racially equitable neighborhoods. She previously served as Executive Director of Focused Community Strategies (FCS) and led multiple initiatives creating mixed-income housing, economic development, job creation, youth development and food security in neighborhoods on Atlanta’s south side.
Katie holds a Bachelors in Business Administration in Management from Texas Tech University and an MBA in Real Estate from Georgia State University.
Katie has committed her career to developing communities into thriving socially, economically and racially equitable neighborhoods. She previously served as Executive Director of Focused Community Strategies (FCS) and led multiple initiatives creating mixed-income housing, economic development, job creation, youth development and food security in neighborhoods on Atlanta’s south side.
Katie holds a Bachelors in Business Administration in Management from Texas Tech University and an MBA in Real Estate from Georgia State University.
Elizabeth Demetriou
Sr. Director, Economic Development
LISC
Elizabeth Demetriou is a leader in inclusive economic development with more than 18 years of experience strengthening local economies nationwide. As Senior Director of Economic Development at the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), she oversees national initiatives that support entrepreneurs, revitalize business districts, and empower community-based organizations in underinvested areas.
She previously held leadership roles at the New York Empire State Development Corporation and the Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Corporation, where she continues to serve on the Board. Elizabeth also serves on the Redefining Equitable Economic Development Advisory Committee of the International Economic Development Council.
She holds a Master’s in Urban Planning from Hunter College (CUNY) and an Executive Certificate in Economic Development from the Harvard Kennedy School.
Based in Red Hook, Brooklyn, with ties to Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, Elizabeth draws inspiration from both urban and rural landscapes. She lives with her partner and their daughter.
She previously held leadership roles at the New York Empire State Development Corporation and the Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Corporation, where she continues to serve on the Board. Elizabeth also serves on the Redefining Equitable Economic Development Advisory Committee of the International Economic Development Council.
She holds a Master’s in Urban Planning from Hunter College (CUNY) and an Executive Certificate in Economic Development from the Harvard Kennedy School.
Based in Red Hook, Brooklyn, with ties to Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, Elizabeth draws inspiration from both urban and rural landscapes. She lives with her partner and their daughter.
Shawn Duncan
Founder
Congruence Consulting
Dr. Shawn Duncan is the Founder of Congruence Consulting where he serves as an advisor, strategist, and ally to social impact teams across the country. Shawn spent over a decade leading the Training and Consulting division at FCS | Focused Community Strategies where he worked with hundreds of leaders and organizations seeking healthier ways to partner with neighborhoods in pursuit of racial equity and economic justice. A trusted voice and advocate for place-based strategies for social change, Dr. Duncan helps teams understand how the ecosystem of place works and how to become partners in their prosperity. Shawn's academic research has focused on pedagogies for social change where he has examined how systems, organizations, and communities produce values-centered, mission-driven leaders.
Lisa Early
Director of Families, Parks, Recreation, Children and Education
City of Orlando
In 2003, Orlando’s Mayor appointed Lisa Early to serve as the City’s first Director of Children and Education and, in 2005, to also serve as Director of Families, Parks and Recreation. Ms. Early oversees all Orlando parks, athletic programs/facilities, neighborhood centers, and children’s programs.
Ms. Early has embedded evidence-based practices across the full spectrum of the City’s children’s programs with an unwavering commitment to racial and economic equity. She founded Orlando Kidz Zones in 2006, created My Brother’s Keeper Orlando in 2014, and Orlando’s Community Violence Intervention Initiative in 2022.
Prior to this, Ms. Early graduated from Cornell University and lived overseas for 10 years, developing/directing children’s programs for Save the Children, UNICEF and USAID. Upon relocating to Orlando, Ms. Early worked for Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children managing a host of federal, state and foundation-funded children’s programs. She is fully bilingual in English and Spanish and semi-fluent in Swahili.
Ms. Early has embedded evidence-based practices across the full spectrum of the City’s children’s programs with an unwavering commitment to racial and economic equity. She founded Orlando Kidz Zones in 2006, created My Brother’s Keeper Orlando in 2014, and Orlando’s Community Violence Intervention Initiative in 2022.
Prior to this, Ms. Early graduated from Cornell University and lived overseas for 10 years, developing/directing children’s programs for Save the Children, UNICEF and USAID. Upon relocating to Orlando, Ms. Early worked for Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children managing a host of federal, state and foundation-funded children’s programs. She is fully bilingual in English and Spanish and semi-fluent in Swahili.
David Edwards
Policy Advisor for Neighborhoods
City of Atlanta
David Edwards is the Senior Policy Advisor for Neighborhoods in the Office of the Mayor of Atlanta. He is also the Founder and Co-Director of the Center for Urban Research and a Professor of Practice in the School of Public Policy at Georgia Tech. Previously, he served as CEO of Purpose Built Communities, leading nationwide efforts to revitalize distressed urban neighborhoods. Edwards was the Chief Policy Advisor to the City of Atlanta during Mayor Shirley Franklin’s two terms. Before that, he spent eight years in management consulting, most recently with the Boston Consulting Group. He began his career in the Office of Management and Budget in the Executive Office of the President and later served as Associate Provost for Academic Affairs at Columbia University.
Vanessa Elias
Founder
Block Party USA
Vanessa Elias helps people build relationships and community both within and outside their home. Vanessa is a human connection and mental health activist, certified parent coach, and speaker featured in the WSJ, NPR, PBS, and in the NYT best seller Never Enough. She serves as a parent support group facilitator for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).
In 2023, she founded Block Party USA as a free, simple, and actionable cure for our country’s loneliness, social isolation, divisiveness, and the youth mental health crisis.
Block Party USA was featured by the Office of the U.S. Surgeon General as part of Dr. Vivek Murthy’s "Recipes for Connection" initiative and named an Aligned Organization of Jonathan Haidt’s NYT best seller The Anxious Generation.
Vanessa is Chief Neighborhood Activator with the US Chamber of Connection and a member of The Aspen Institute’s Weave Social Fabric Project Speakers Bureau.
In 2023, she founded Block Party USA as a free, simple, and actionable cure for our country’s loneliness, social isolation, divisiveness, and the youth mental health crisis.
Block Party USA was featured by the Office of the U.S. Surgeon General as part of Dr. Vivek Murthy’s "Recipes for Connection" initiative and named an Aligned Organization of Jonathan Haidt’s NYT best seller The Anxious Generation.
Vanessa is Chief Neighborhood Activator with the US Chamber of Connection and a member of The Aspen Institute’s Weave Social Fabric Project Speakers Bureau.
Courtney English
Chief of Staff
Atlanta City Hall
Courtney English serves as the Chief of Staff for Mayor Andre Dickens. His responsibilities encompass some of Atlanta's most urgent issues, such as affordable housing, economic development, youth engagement, neighborhood revitalization, and addressing the city's persistent equity gaps. Courtney holds the distinction of being the youngest Chairman in the history of the Atlanta Board of Education. A native of Atlanta, English is a former classroom teacher who obtained his BA in political science from Morehouse College and a MA from Columbia University.
David Erickson
SVP and Head of Community Development
Federal Reserve Bank of New York
David J. Erickson is Head of Outreach and Education at the New York Fed, where he leads the community development and economic education teams. His research focuses on community development finance, affordable housing, economic development, and institutional change to support low-income communities. He helped spearhead a major collaboration between the Federal Reserve and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, resulting in more than 50 conferences and numerous publications linking health and community development.
Erickson is the author of The Housing Policy Revolution (2009) and co-editor of several influential volumes, including Investing in What Works for America’s Communities (2012), What Counts (2014), What It’s Worth (2015), and What Matters (2017). His most recent book, The Fifth Freedom (2023), explores expanding opportunity for all children.
He holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of California, Berkeley, and a bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College
Erickson is the author of The Housing Policy Revolution (2009) and co-editor of several influential volumes, including Investing in What Works for America’s Communities (2012), What Counts (2014), What It’s Worth (2015), and What Matters (2017). His most recent book, The Fifth Freedom (2023), explores expanding opportunity for all children.
He holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of California, Berkeley, and a bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College
James Fritze
President & CEO
NewTown Macon, Inc.
James Fritze is an experienced financial and business leader who uses his creative flair to craft deals and solve problems that further NewTown’s mission of Investing time, resources, and money in local people and businesses to revitalize Downtown Macon.
James, a CPA with a B.B.A and M.B.A from the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia, has over 25 years of experience and has succeeded in various industries like healthcare, business services, and construction materials. In 2018, James joined the NewTown team as its Chief Financial Officer. As the result of James’ leadership, NewTown has doubled its size from $18m to $36m in assets, closed over 40 loans with local entrepreneurs and developers, sourced $30m in loan capital, and strengthened its overall financial structure so that NewTown is in a position to facilitate Macon revitalization for the next several decades.
James, a CPA with a B.B.A and M.B.A from the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia, has over 25 years of experience and has succeeded in various industries like healthcare, business services, and construction materials. In 2018, James joined the NewTown team as its Chief Financial Officer. As the result of James’ leadership, NewTown has doubled its size from $18m to $36m in assets, closed over 40 loans with local entrepreneurs and developers, sourced $30m in loan capital, and strengthened its overall financial structure so that NewTown is in a position to facilitate Macon revitalization for the next several decades.
Robert (Rob) Garris
Executive Director, Trinity Leadership Fellows
Trinity Church NYC
Robert (Rob) Garris is the Executive Director of the Trinity Leadership Fellows program and Managing Director of the Leadership Development initiative on the philanthropies team at Trinity Church in New York City. These interconnected initiatives develop the leadership capacities of people of faith, empowering them to more effectively serve urgent needs in their communities and congregations. Rob has built innovative international education and professional training programs at universities and foundations for more than twenty years, working for Schwarzman Scholars (a leadership development program in China), the Rockefeller Foundation, Columbia University, and Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. He also serves on the boards of education-related companies and non-profits in the U.S. and abroad. Rob received his Ph.D. in European History from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where he specialized in immigration and urban policy.
Debi Ghate
Partner
Steadfast
Debi Ghate is a Partner at Steadfast, an LLC that works to support mission-driven non-profits working to ensure individuals can thrive in flourishing communities. With combined experience in law, non-profit management and philanthropic leadership at several foundations, Debi and her team provide fractional leadership and non-profit execution support for key functions, including organizational infrastructure, strategy, governance, fundraising and communications.