Ben Grobe is a design principal for the Detroit office cultural studio. He focuses on crafting buildings, creating refined and elegant solutions that are threaded throughout a project from overall concept to individual details. His design approach is rooted in a research-based, multi-disciplinary approach with thoughtful consideration to context, history, and climate—offering holistic design solutions. His recent work includes the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House Administration and Visitor Center Building, in Grosse Pointe Michigan, which received a 2022 AIA Michigan Honor Award among many other accolades.

Jacqueline is a partner in PwC’s real estate assurance practice in Chicago. Jacqueline’s area of expertise is working with real estate clients in both the public and private sectors (public and private REITs, joint ventures, close-ended funds, investment advisors and other real estate companies). The majority of her career has been spent serving public equity REITs and thus has extensive experience with SEC reporting, Sarbanes-Oxley, REIT conversions, and various capital market transactions.

Dessa Cosma is the founding director of Detroit Disability Power. She is a long-time social justice organizer, fortunate to spend her career working for reproductive, racial, economic and disability justice. She is committed to bridging the gap between disability inclusion work and other social justice efforts in order to build big, powerful movements that dismantle interlocking systems of oppression. In addition to organizing, Dessa also enjoys facilitating workshops, gardening, cooking and reading. She lives in Detroit with her partner, their cat, and copious plants.

September, 2017 Dr. Katherine Beebe, Retired Katherine Beebe formerly was President and CEO of the Greater Downtown Partnership in Detroit and recently retired as president of her own real estate consulting firm. Beebe's preceding work experience was with The Smith Group and Coopers & Lybrand, where she directed real estate consulting for private sector and local government clients. Her project experience includes market analysis and development feasibility studies, institutional real estate portfolio review, corporate site selection and project management. Representative of her experience are the Orchestra Place project and Mayor's Land Use Plan in Detroit, a re-investment strategy for downtown Miami, Florida, and recommendations for Downtown Development Authority public-private partnership projects in more than twenty Michigan communities. Most recently she created the Lower Woodward Improvement Agenda, which the City of Detroit adopted as their improvement plan for generating a residential core in the Central Business District and preparing for Super Bowl XL in 2006. She has directed real estate feasibility studies for residential, retail, mixed-use and entertainment uses, including the Detroit Opera House, Troy Civic Center and Detroit's Harmonie Park district. Dr. Beebe has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Michigan Business School and the College of Architecture and Urban Planning. She also taught architecture and directed Masters thesis candidates at the Lawrence Institute of Technology. Katherine Beebe holds a doctorate in architecture from the University of Michigan, Master in Urban Planning and BA in economics. Recently elected to the Board of the International Downtown Association, she also is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, the Board of the Michigan Metro Girl Scouts, the Algoma Land Conservancy and the University of Michigan Taubman College of Governors. She is active in the Urban Land Institute where she has served on nationally selected ULI Advisory Service Panels charged with preparing Smart Growth recommendations for Las Vegas and Sarasota County. Her honors include being a University of Michigan Rackham Scholar, being named a Commercial Inc. "Real Estate Mogul", Crains Detroit's List of 100 Most Influential Woman and a recipient of the American Institute of Architects Charles Blessing Award. Dr. Beebe is married to Robert Beebe, owner of Acme Abrasive Co., and lives in Birmingham, Michigan. Their five children live in Maine, San Francisco, Washington D.C. and Birmingham.

ERIC B. LARSON In mid-2014, Mr. Larson took over the role of CEO of The Downtown Detroit Partnership; an organization whose board he has been a member of since 1995. The Downtown Detroit Partnership (DDP) is a private/public partnership of corporate and civic leaders that supports advocates and develops programs and initiatives that create a clean, safe, and inviting Downtown Detroit community. DDP is involved with a large number of enterprises within Downtown Detroit. The Downtown Detroit Business Improvement Zone (BIZ) is a special assessment district formed by property owners that provides cleaning, safety and landscaping services. Examples include safety and security initiatives such as Project Lighthouse and Clean Downtown, which provides litter and graffiti removal and landscape maintenance. The Detroit 300 Conservancy is a subsidiary of the Downtown Detroit Partnership and raised more than $20 million to create, design and construct Campus Martius Park. Opening in 2004, the park was the recipient of the first ever 2010 Urban Land Institute’s Amanda Burden Open Space Award. It has more than 2 million annual visitors and stimulated an estimated $1 billion in new investments downtown. The Conservancy is also activating, improving and programming three other historic downtown parks and public spaces including Grand Circus Park, Capitol Park and Paradise Valley’s Beatrice Buck Park. Another of DDP’s initiatives is the Detroit Experience Factory (DXF), which is a physical storefront, open six days a week, in the heart of downtown Detroit, that connects people to resources that help them live, work and engage in the city. Eric is also the founder, president, and chief executive officer of Larson Realty Group (established in 1999), a privately owned, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan based company engaged in real estate investment, development, asset management and leasing. Mr. Larson has over 30 years of experience in real estate and prior to establishing Larson R

Mark LoPatin has been the company President and Broker/Developer of LoPatin & Co. since 1977. He earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan. Mark was admitted to the Michigan State Bar Association in 1977 and was also a founding member of the Urban Land Institute, Detroit Regional District Council.

Highly regarded for her planning and design work in the urban realm, Saundra Little has completed many award-winning projects in adaptive use, renovation, and redevelopment. She is a founding member of the Advisory Board of Design Core Detroit; an organization established to promote and celebrate Detroit’s architectural legacy. Design Core’s achievements include having Detroit named as a UNESCO City of Design. Saundra’s distinctive portfolio spans the research and revitalization of historic districts, including African-American suburban neighborhoods, to the sustainable design of 21st-century educational, cultural, and workplace environments, including cutting-edge co-working spaces. Her extensive volunteer work and commitment to community includes mentoring students interested in architectural careers.