Blissfully Retired Technical Research & Resilence Advisor from the Urban Land Institute. Twenty years of experience in environment and resource conservation policy, law, science and practice with specific leadership in transportation and land use planning, smart growth, policy reform. Experience in conference, workshop and event planning, coalition building, group organization, cultivating productive, positive relationships among diverse stakeholders, strategic planning, training, outreach, moderating and meeting facilitation. Excellent writing and public speaking/presentation skills, specializing in persuasive messaging. Trained in conflict resolution and negotiation. Strong ties with key players in local, state and federal transportation, resource and land management agencies as well as regional nonprofit organizations.

Charity Dean is the Director of Civil Rights, Inclusion, and Opportunity (CRIO) for the City of Detroit. This office monitors the inclusion of large scale Detroit Based Contractors and Detroit Residents on a multitude of development projects happening throughout the City of Detroit.

Ali Saad a Partner and Co-owner of Starter's Bar and Grill. As a child, he honed his talents in the kitchen alongside his father, who taught him the importance of customer service, respect, discipline, and work ethic. Ali's father opened Starter's Bar & Grill on Detroit's Westside in 1977. Ali took over as the owner of Starter's Bar & Grill in 1999 and has four locations (Detroit, Midtown, Harper Woods, Dearborn) with a new location opening in Southfield, MI, at the end of 2020. Starter's has been the primary source of food, fun, and entertainment in Michigan for nearly three decades. Ali credits this accomplishment toward the family dynamic that exists at each location. The restaurant business can be grueling, but Ali's sustainability through customer and his extended family (employees of Starter's) is what allows the popular restaurant to stay atop of the places to eat in Michigan. Ali works with non-profit organizations, churches, and youth programs in Michigan. Recently, he partnered with non-profit organization Covenant House Michigan. Ali has been recognized by police chiefs, city council members, and neighborhood organizers for his work in the community. Ali is a graduate of the University of Michigan-Dearborn with a degree in liberal arts and concentrations in management, sociology and psychology.

Terri is an Economic & Community Development Analyst with Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development. In this role, she is the Agriculture Development Division’s food and agriculture innovation lead and is also the business development lead for the Quality of Life Aquaculture Team (a DNR, DEQ, MDARD collaboration). Terri previously worked as a Policy Director in the State Legislature, Food Programs Manager at The Food Bank Council of Michigan. Through the years, she has worked in various places throughout the food supply chain; as a buyer for a multinational grocery chain and a local co-operative, and on permaculture, organic and biodynamic farms.

Kristen Fulmer, Founder of Recipric, is a sustainability expert, focused on driving efficiency in the built environment. With an undergraduate degree in Urban Planning and Architecture from Virginia Tech and a Master’s Degree in Sustainable Design from the University of Texas, she has worked with a variety of scales in the building industry. Prior to launching Recipric, Kristen was on WeWork's Global Sustainability Team and managed customized sustainability solutions for Enterprise members, integrating the company's carbon neutrality goal and single-use plastic ban. Previous to WeWork, Kristen was a sustainability consultant, for a third-party consulting firm and in-house for a large construction management and development firm. Over that time, Kristen's definition of ‘efficiency’ has evolved from a one-sided mission of resource conservation in environmental sustainability to a multi-faceted approach to deliver the best outcomes with a solution that minimizes harmful impacts.

After 18 years on Wall Street, including 10 at Goldman Sachs as a Partner, Paul Scialla’s interest in sustainability and altruistic capitalism led him to found Delos, which is merging the world’s largest asset class – real estate – with the world’s fastest growing industry – wellness. Since the company’s inception, Paul has become a leading voice in the sustainability movement, serving as a keynote speaker at prominent green building, real estate, and technology forums and conferences around the world.

As Regional Food Hub Director, Christine’s primary role includes the activity and volume of the Wholesale Market, connecting growers with new markets while using every imaginative logistical option available. In 2020, to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic, Christine and her team built an online platform to deliver Eastern Market’s produce and value added items in a curbside pickup program. In addition, they built a Food Box for Health program to deliver to the healthcare workers at Detroit-area hospitals. Also, Christine and team was an awardee of the USDA Farms to Families Food Box program, delivering 2000 produce boxes per week to food insecure families in Detroit. To date, Christine continues to work with Eastern Market’s partners in the good food space to create economic democracy for food and farm businesses alike.