President - Scott Benson
City Council Member, Detroit, MI
Scott Benson is an Urban Planner with a strong commitment to real estate development in Southeastern Michigan. Scott has 18 years of experience in commercial real estate, municipal planning, and the community and economic development industries. Mr. Benson’s most recent experience is with Midtown Detroit, Inc. where he manages small business development in Detroit’s Midtown area by providing technical assistance, financial packaging, marketing support, business plan development and façade grants. Scott is responsible for over $30 million in development, the creation of over 300 direct jobs and 200,000 square feet of commercial and residential space on Detroit’s eastside.
Scott currently serves, and has served on several boards and committees such as: the Osborn Neighborhood Association, International Institute of Metropolitan Detroit, Community Legal Resources, City of Detroit Brownfield Redevelopment Authority’s Community Advisory Committee, Northeast Guidance Center’s Real Estate Committee, and the Shore Bank Enterprise Façade Grant Loan Committee to name a few.
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President Emeritus - Mike Suarez
City Council Member, Tampa, FL
Prior to his election to the Tampa City Council in 2011, Councilman Suarez worked with with Senator Bob Graham's office, eventually taking the Central Florida District Representative position in 1990. Councilman Suarez has served as President of the Guardian Ad Litem Guild (renamed Voices for Children), the subcommittee for Urban Enterprises Initiatives and was Chairman of the Water Resource subcommittee for the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce. From 1997 to 2004 Mike has helped select candidates to the U.S. Naval and Air Force Academies for Senator Graham and since 2005 for Senator Bill Nelson.
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President Emeritus - Joe Buscaino
City Council Member, Los Angeles, CA
DNC Executive Committee Member
Councilman Buscaino (bOO-sky-EE-no) is a member of the Los Angeles City Council, elected on January 17, 2012. In addition, he serves as the Mayor's appointee to the South Coast Air Quality Management District as well as on the Board of Directors for the League of California Cities and the National League of Cities.
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President Emeritus - Cindy Lerner
Former Mayor, Pinecrest, FL
Mayor Cindy Lerner was elected as Pinecrest's third mayor on November 4th, 2008 and re-elected for a second term without opposition on November 6th, 2012. Mayor Lerner currently serves on the Miami-Dade County Community Based Care Alliance, is Vice Chair of the National League of Cities' Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Policy Steering Committee and is the incoming President of the Miami-Dade County League of Cities.
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President Emeritus - Joe Moore
Alderman, Chicago, IL
Former DNC Executive Committee Member
Alderman Joe Moore has represented Chicago's 49th Ward since 1991. Moore recently served on the Board of the National League of Cities (NLC), a national organization that advocates on behalf of America's cities and towns, and now serves on its advisory council. Moore also served on the Executive Committee of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) where DNC Chairman, Governor Howard Dean, appointed Moore to a newly formed DNC Committee on Budget and Finance.
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Vice President - Suzie Nakasian
City Council Member, Northfield, MN
DNC Member
Councilor Nakasian was first elected to the Northfield City Council in 2010 and is currently running unopposed for her third term in office. Prior to being appointed as Vice President of DMO, she served as Chair of DMO's Council of State Chapter Chairs, and as Chair of the Minnesota DMO which she continues to serve as Vice President. Councilor Nakasian is an active member of the National League of Cities Transportation Infrastructure Advisory Committee and Subcommittee on Freight and Passenger Rail. Councilor Nakasian is one of three DMO representatives on the Democratic National Committee and a regular participant in meetings of the Association of State Democratic Chairs (ASDC). In recognition of her passion for DMO and contribution to the organizing of the DMOs State Chapter program, Council Member Nakasian was selected by the DMO Board as the 2015 recipient of the Susan Burgess Memorial Award for outstanding contribution to the Democratic Municipal Officials.
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Representative to the DNC - Greg Pettis
City Council Member, Cathedral City, CA
Councilman Pettis has been a member of the Cathedral City Council since his election in 1994. He has made a powerful impact on the lives of Cathedral City residents by developing a first-time homebuyer program, completing the city's new public library, and assisting the police and other agencies to crack down on drug abuse in the Cathedral City area. He also helped oversee the rejuvenation of the city's downtown area. Greg is currently working on initiatives to improve the health care system, environment, education, and economy.
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DMO Board Member - Pat Furey
Mayor, Torrance, CA
Patrick J. Furey was first elected to the Torrance City Council on June 3, 2008. He garnered the mayoral seat in 2014. As Mayor, he serves as Chair of the State Legislative Advocacy Committee and Federal Legislative Advocacy Committee. In addition, he serves as a member of the Sanitation District of Los Angeles County, the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), and serves as the Chair of the Los Angeles County City Selection Committee. He also is the voting delegate for the National League of Cities. Prior to his election to City Council, Patrick Furey served the City of Torrance as a civil service commissioner and a member of the Mayor's Blue Ribbon Committee on Ethics & Integrity.
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Treasurer - Van R. Johnson II
Mayor Pro Tem, Alderman, Savannah, GA
A graduate and former Vice President of Leadership Savannah and a graduate of Leadership Georgia, Alderman Johnson currently works with the Georgia Municipal Association, National League of Cities, National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, Fraternal Order of Police, Life Member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated, Life Member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP),the International Fraternity of Delta Sigma Pi, Pi Alpha Alpha, and Pi Gamma Mu.
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Finance Co-Chair - Ron Galperin
City Controller, Los Angeles, CA
Ron Galperin serves as Controller of the City of Los Angeles -- working as the watchdog for L.A.'s taxpayers.
As Controller, Galperin launched ControlPanel.LA, the City’s first open data portal -- featuring the City’s checkbook, details on the goods and services the City buys, assets and liabilities, employee compensation, operating indicators and much more. Because of these efforts, L.A. was named the No. 1 Digital City according to the U.S. City Open Data Census. Likewise, Government Technology Magazine recently named Controller Galperin to its list of the Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers of 2015.
Prior to his being elected as Controller in 2013, Galperin built a reputation as a leading voice for government reform. He is the first Neighborhood Council member elected to city-wide office in Los Angeles.
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Council of State Chapters Vice Chair - Jeffrey Slavin
Mayor, Somerset, MD
Jeffrey Slavin was initially elected as mayor of Somerset in 2008 where he was previously a member of the Town Council from 2002 to 2008. Active in Montgomery County’s philanthropic community and nonprofit sector, he has served on a variety of boards and commissions. He is a member of the Maryland Mayor's Association, has been elected to several terms on the Board of Directors of the Maryland Municipal League and has served as a trustee of the Community Foundation for Montgomery County. In 2011 he was named as the county's Philanthropist of the Year. Jeffrey has been a licensed real estate broker since 1983, and for over 25 years had his own property management company.
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State Chapters Co-Chair - Lou LaMonte
Mayor, Malibu, CA
Lou La Monte was elected to the City Council in April 2010 and re-elected to a second term in April 2014. He served as Mayor from August 2012 to June 2013, and again from July 2016 to April 2017.
Since 2013, Councilmember La Monte has served as a presidential appointee to the League of California Cities' Housing, Community and Economic Development Policy Committee. Councilmember La Monte served as President of the California Contract Cities Association from May 2016 to May 2017, and remains on the organization's Board of Directors. In May 2016, on a recommendation from the President of the Los Angeles County Division of the League of California Cities, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors appointed Councilmember La Monte as a member of the Commission on Alcohol and Other Drugs for a three-year term expiring January 1, 2019. In his professional life, Councilmember La Monte is a director and producer of over 3,000 commercials in more than 40 countries for major national and international clients. He also achieved success in Emmy-winning long form dramatic projects and Award-winning children's programming. He is a member of the Directors Guild of America and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
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Political Council Chair - Wendy Davis
City Council Member, Rome, GA
For more than 20 years, Council Member Davis worked right in her backyard and across North America fostering civic engagement. She's served both the public good in the corridors of power in Washington and Atlanta, and served the public at neighborhood restaurants. Along the way, she played a role in modernizing elections, helped reconnect alumni to her alma mater Berry College and was instrumental in bringing minor league baseball to Rome.
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DMO Board Member - Jermaine Reed
City Council Member, Kansas City, MO
Jermaine Reed was first elected in 2011 and assumed office as the youngest city council member in Kansas City history! In 2015 he was reelected by an overwhelmingly majority vote to his second term as councilman for the 3rd District. His public-private development model, focused on renewing urban landscapes, has helped revitalize Kansas City’s urban core with more than $100 million in economic development, which serves as a model for urban centers around the nation.
A first generation college graduate, Jermaine received his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the University of Missouri and more recently his Masters of Public Administration from UMKC’s Bloch School of Management. He currently serves as the Chair of the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee and member of the Small Business, Entrepreneurship & Jobs Committee. He is also on the board of National League of Cities, Mid-America Regional Council, Midtown Housing Advisory board, the American Jazz Museum, and Jazz District Redevelopment Corporation.
Jermaine is also State Director of Young Elected Officials, Board Member of the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials and member of several other community organizations.
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Policy Council Chair - Pam O'Connor
Council Member, Santa Monica, CA
Pam O'Connor was first elected to the Santa Monica City Council in 1994, and recently served her fourth term as Mayor. Council Member O'Connor works with cities throughout the world on environmental, sustainability and climate issues as a member of ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability-USA Board. She is on the Board of Directors of the Local Government Commission, California Transit Association, National Association of Regional Councils and CalCog. She is an active member of the National League of Cities and the US Conference of Mayors.
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Labor Co-Chair - Derek Green
City Council Member, Philadelphia, PA
On May 19th, Councilman Derek S. Green, Esquire won the Democratic primary for City Council At-Large in Philadelphia by receiving over 68,000 votes which was the highest number of votes cast in the election, and on November 4th, he was elected as a member of the City Council of Philadelphia. Metro Philadelphia selected him as one of 6 new young political leaders, and the Philadelphia Daily News named him one of the 10 under 40 rising political stars. Before becoming an attorney, Councilman Green was a consumer and small business lender for Meridian Bank. He also served in a leadership capacity in a number of civic and professional organizations including President of the Center in the Park, Inc. and East Mount Airy Neighbors, Inc. (“EMAN”), First Vice President of the Germantown YMCA, Vice President of Young America Political Action Committee, Co-Vice Chair of the PA Bar Assoc.’s Legal Services to the Public Committee. Further, he served as a Board Director for the Green Tree School, Mt. Airy USA, Urban League of Philadelphia, West Oak Lane Charter School, West Philadelphia YMCA, and served as pro bono counsel for the Family Life Centers of Canaan Baptist Church and Salem Baptist Church of Jenkintown. Councilman Green and his wife, Sheila, co-founded the first Autism Support...
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Media Co-Chair - Kirsten Keith
Mayor, Menlo Park, CA
Kirsten Keith has volunteered with community organizations throughout San Mateo County for twenty years. She served on the Board of Directors of Sor Juana Inez, a battered women’s service agency, and now serve on the Advisory Board of CORA - Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse. She was elected President for two consecutive years by fellow Commissioners while serving on the San Mateo County Commission on the Status of Women, where she served for eight years. She has been a member of the San Mateo County Legal Aid Luncheon Committee, that diligently raises money to help people in our County obtain legal services, for the past fourteen years.
In Menlo Park, she has served on the Community Mediation Services Committee, Housing Commission and Planning Commission. Keith was elected to Menlo Park City Council in 2010, and became Mayor in 2011.
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DMO Board Member - Trevor Ozawa
City Council Member, Honolulu, HI
Trevor Ozawa is a member of the Honolulu City Council in Hawaii, representing District 4. He was elected to the council on November 4, 2014, and was sworn into office on January 2, 2015. Ozawa holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Southern California and a J.D. from Suffolk University Law School. His professional experience includes working as a lawyer with a specialization in civil litigation.
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IGA Liaison - Mark Stodola
Mayor, Little Rock, AR
Mark Stodola was elected as Mayor for the City of Little Rock, beginning his term in January 2007 and re-elected to a 2nd term beginning in 2011, capturing 84% of the vote. The Mayor has partnered with the State Arkansas Economic Development Commission and the Chamber of Commerce to bring over $1 billion in new capital investment to the City and more than 4,100 new jobs since taking office. Currently, Mayor Stodola serves the U.S. Conference of Mayors as Vice-Chair of the Task Force on Immigration Reform and as a member of the Advisory Council, the Community Development and Housing Committee and the International Affairs Committee. In addition, he serves on the Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Policy and Advocacy Committee of the National League of Cities. He has worked with the Big Brothers/Big Sisters Program and is currently a member of the Rotary Club of Little Rock.
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IGA Liaison - Bill Peduto
Mayor, Pittsburgh, PA
Bill Peduto was elected to the office of Mayor of the City of Pittsburgh in the General Election on November 5, 2013. He has worked for 19 years on Pittsburgh City Council, as a staffer and Member of Council representing District 8, and resides in the Point Breeze neighborhood of the city. In addition, Bill Peduto has been directly involved in over $2 billion in transformative redevelopment of the city’s East End. Through his many years of work representing and working in City Council, Bill Peduto has had extensive experience in helping transform Pittsburgh’s economy into a Med/Ed New Economy.
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DMO Board Member - David Mayer
Mayor, Gloucester Township, NJ
In 2010 the Honorable David Mayer became the mayor of Gloucester Township in New Jersey. In 2002 Mayor Mayer was elected to Gloucester Township's Council for one year before running for the State Assembly. He served in the assembly in 2003 and 2005 before returning to the municipal level and embarking on the road to mayor of Gloucester Township.
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Corporate Research Co-Chair - James Mitchell Jr.
Council Member, Charlotte, NC
A Charlotte native, James Mitchell Jr., a democrat, is serving his first term as an at large council member. He previously served from 1999 to 2013 as the district 2 council member. In 2011, James served as the president of the National League of Cities, only the second elected official from North Carolina to serve as the president in the organization's 92 years. Mitchell currently serves as director of business development for Barton Malow Company, where he is responsible for construction opportunities in North and South Carolina.
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Board Member - Ian Baltutis
Mayor, Burlington, NC
Mayor Ian Baltutis, elected in 2015, is a 2008 Business Entrepreneurship graduate of Elon University. He has worked for businesses both large and small in roles that ranged from customer service to technology support to logistics and management. He also managed purchasing, logistics, and ERP system integration for Honda Power Equipment Mfg from 2007-2011. Currently, he owns and manages Vibration Solution LLC, an American product design and manufacturing company that he founded during his studies at Elon. Baltutis is a strong supporter of American manufacturing. He founded his company around the idea of turning the standard business model upside down and creating a company that is lean, efficient and nimble. His foresight and leadership have allowed the company to reach and profit from hundreds of niche markets that other companies cannot serve.
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DMO Board Member - Anita Bonds
City Council Member, Washington, DC
Since December 2012, Anita Bonds has served as an At-Large Member of the Council of the District of Columbia and she is the current Chairperson of the Committee on Housing and Community Development. The Committee has oversight over the DC Department of Housing and Community Development, the District of Columbia Housing Authority, Housing Finance Agency, Housing Production Trust Fund, and the Rental Housing Commission.
Anita has worked on numerous national campaigns to elect Democrats at the national, state and municipal levels. Including; Sen. Carol Mosley Braun, Sen. Edward Kennedy, and Sen. Paul Sarbanes, and served as National Field Director for the Jesse Jackson for President Campaign.
Anita is the current Chairman of the DC Democratic Party and serves on the Executive Board of the Democratic National Committee. Anita is a former Chairperson of the Ward 5 Democrats.
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Board Member - Gary Hansen
City Council Member, Eagan, MN
Gary Hansen began his third term on the Eagan City Council in January, 2015. He served as acting mayor when needed in Mayor Maguire’s absence in 2011 and 2016.
Mr. Hansen is a retired risk management professional and a commercial arbitrator. He previously served on and chaired the Eagan and Dakota County Planning Commissions. He is a past member of the Eagan Athletic Association Board of Directors, and currently is active in the Minnesota State Bar Association as chair of the Legislative Committee.
Councilmember Hansen is the liaison to the Advisory Planning Commission and serves on the Council’s Communications Committee. He represents Eagan on the Dakota Communications Center Board, the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority Board, and the Suburban Transit Association Board. He is president of the Association of Metropolitan Municipalities (Metro Cities) a Metro Cities representative on the regional Transportation Advisory Board, and a League of Minnesota Cities Board member.
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Board Member - LaWana Mayfield
City Council Member, Charlotte, NC
LaWana Mayfield, a Democrat, represents District 3 on Charlotte’s City Council. She was elected in 2011 and is currently serving her third term.
In 2014, Mayfield was awarded the David Bohnett LGBT Leadership Fellowship and completed the Harvard Kennedy School of Government program. Mayfield serves on the National League of Cities (NLC) REAL Race, Equity and Leadership Committee, as president of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Local Officials (GLBTLO) and as board member of Smart Start of Mecklenburg County. She also serves on the Centralina Economic Development Committee and is secretary of the North Carolina Black Elected Municipal Officials.
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Board Member - Candace Mumm
City Council Member, Spokane, WA
Spokane City Council Member Candace Mumm is serving her second term representing Northwest Council District #3, which includes the Five Mile, North Indian Trail, Balboa/South Indian Trail, North Hill, Northwest, Emerson-Garfield, West Central, West Hills and Riverside neighborhoods.
The City's Water System Plan was revamped under the leadership of Council Member Mumm and former Council Member, Jon Snyder. The Plan outlines stepped up conservation methodology, and aligns with the city's massive investment in cleaning up the Spokane River. Mumm worked to gain "green bonds" and a solid financial plan to execute the City's largest ever public works project building a series of combined sewer overflow tanks and higher levels of treatment for used water.
Council Member Mumm has an extensive history of working to improve the city's business districts, parks and neighborhoods. She was twice elected president of the City's Plan Commission, which helped create the city's first Comprehensive Plan. That plan focuses growth in Business Centers and Corridors, established the foundation for the City's Shoreline Master Plan and revised the land-use zoning code. She also served as vice-chair of her Five Mile neighborhood and as stakeholder manager for the City's first neighborhood-specific Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan.
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Board Member - Christopher Roberts
Mayor, Shoreline, WA
Chris Roberts was elected to the Shoreline City Council in 2009, 2013, and 2017 and served as Mayor from 2016 to 2017.
On the Council he serves as a member of the Puget Sound Regional Council Executive Board, the Association of Washington Cities Legislative Committee, and the Sound Cities Association Public Issues Committee.
Before his election to the Council, Chris served as the Legislative Assistant to Oregon State Representative Bill Garrard. Currently he owns a political consulting firm.
Chris is an enrolled member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.
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