Speakers' Bureau
IWPR Group speakers' bureau represents more than 30 renowned thinkers in the fields of new urbanism, home design, architecture, town planning, home building, sustainable living, and urban affairs.
Feel free to search by category or by speaker name from the drop-down menu on the right. Or use the inquiry form here to share with us background on your event.
- IWPR Group Featured Speakers
Ellen Dunham-Jones
Ellen Dunham-Jones, AIA, is director of the architecture program at the Georgia Institute of Technology and co-author of Retrofitting Suburbia: Urban Design Solutions for Redesigning Suburbs (Wiley, January 2009). A world-renowned expert on urban and suburban design, she shows how design of sustainable, walkable places can solve some of the most pressing issues of our times.
Andrés Duany
No. 5 on BUILDER magazine's annual “Power Brokers” list, principal with town planner DPZ, and co-author of Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream.
Marianne Cusato
Ranked the No. 4 most influential person in the home building industry by Builder Magazine for her work in changing the landscape of the housing industry, Marianne Cusato is an expert in the field of architectural design. She speaks on the elements of good design in homes and communities and how design impacts the quality of our lives and the sustainability of the earth's resources.
Catherine Ross
Dr. Catherine Ross is an internationally recognized expert on transportation and urban planning solutions and the author of Megaregions: Planning for Global Competitiveness. She is the director of Georgia Institute of Technology’s Center for Quality Growth and Regional Development (CQGRD) and in July 2009 was selected to advise the Obama Administration on the first-ever White House Office of Urban Affairs.
John Norquist
John Norquist, president of the Congress for the New Urbanism, a former big-city mayor, and author of The Wealth of Cities, speaks around the world on the future of cities and how better design can—and does—make better places to live.
Sarah Susanka
Best-selling author of The Not So Big House® book series, architect, interior designer, and cultural visionary who focuses on quality, not quantity in our homes and lives.
Fernando Pagés
Fernando Pagés speaks around the world on how to build high-quality, affordable and energy-efficient homes. A builder with 30 years experience who has won national green building awards and the author of Building an Affordable House and Affordable Remodel, he is also an expert on building for the multicultural community.
Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk
A founding principal of town planning firm Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company (DPZ), dean of the University of Miami's School of Architecture, and cofounder of the Congress for the New Urbanism.
- More Speakers
Steve Badanes
A founder of the Jersey Devil architecture firm, professor Steve Badanes speaks on the architect as artisan and world citizen. He is an expert on hands-on design and sustainability in architecture.
Christine Brun
Christine Brun is an award-winning interior designer, author and syndicated columnist whose weekly column reaches more than 6 million readers across the country. She is an expert on design for small spaces and speaks on downsizing, remodeling ideas and creative use of space.
Fu-Tung Cheng
Fu-Tung Cheng, one of today’s foremost thinkers in the field of design and the bestselling author of three books, has won more than 20 national awards for his commercial and home design projects. He speaks on timeless, authentic design and works with manufacturers worldwide to collaborate in creating cutting edge products and concepts.
John Connell
Author of Creating the Inspired House, host of a HGTV Pro show, residential architect, artist and educator, Connell is an expert in energy-conserving and environmentally enlightened design/build methods in residential construction.
Doug Farr
An expert in sustainable development, green buildings, and historic preservation, Doug Farr's 15-person architecture and planning firm has designed more Platinum LEED buildings than any other firm in the country.
Anthony Flint
An expert on trends in land and living and the author of This Land: The Battle Over Sprawl and the Future of America.
Larry Garnett
Larry Garnett, an award-winning residential designer for 30 years and author of Home Plan Doctor, is an expert on innovative, yet practical home design.
Jennifer Gilmer
Jennifer Gilmer is an award-winning certified kitchen designer. She has won more than 15 national awards for her work including the “Pinnacle of Design” award for the best overall kitchen in 2009 from the National Kitchen & Bath Association.
Vincent G. Graham
Vince G. Graham, founder and president of the I'On Group, is an expert on creating enduring, aesthetic places with both economic and social value. He speaks to the beauty and practicality of human-scaled urbanism and his experience in developing eight walkable neighborhoods including Newpoint and I'on.
Toby Israel
Founder of the new field of Design Psychology and author of Some Place Like Home: Using Design Psychology to Create Ideal Places, Dr. Israel advises educational and healthcare institutions, homeowners, architects and designers how to create an emotionally fulfilling “fit” between people and their place.
David Johnston
Recipient of the 2007 “International Sustainability Pioneer Award,” author and green building expert David Johnston is recognized around the world as a leading thinker behind the green building movement, transforming the way municipalities, homeowners, building professionals and sustainability advocates think about building.
Marina Khoury
Marina Khoury, director of town planning at Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company, manages new town plans and urban redevelopment plans across the United States, Canada and Europe. She is also an expert on form-based codes, having led DPZ work for Miami 21, an initiative to rewrite the City of Miami's current zoning code into the largest-known application of a form-based code.
Sheri Koones
Sheri Koones is an expert on sustainable design and construction and addresses issues faced by developers, architects and homeowners. She is the author of four books, most recently, Prefabulous: the house of your dreams delivered fresh from the factory, which focuses on the advantages and disadvantages of seven methods of prefabricating homes.
Mark LaLiberté
Trainer, writer and consultant Mark LaLiberté has devoted two decades to educating the homebuilding industry about the benefits of constructing homes that are durable, energy-efficient and healthy.
Diana Lind
The editor and publisher of Next American City, Diana Lind is an expert on current affairs and trends in cities including architecture, sustainable development, politics and art. She is also the author of two design books.
Tom Low
Tom Low, director of Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company's Charlotte, NC office, is an expert on light imprint urbanism, school design, town planning and traditional neighborhood development. He has managed and completed more than 100 New Urbanism projects across the U.S.
Paul Lukez
Paul Lukez, author of Suburban Transformations and principal of Paul Lukez Architecture, speaks on new strategies for transforming edge cities and suburban environments into more sustainable and livable communities.
Steve Maun
President of developer LeylandAlliance, Maun is an expert on the bottom line in building traditional neighborhood developments, trends favoring main street living, environmental sustainability in site planning, and public-private partnerships.
Ed Mazria
An expert on the impact buildings have on climate change and author of The Passive Solar Energy Book, architect Edward Mazria brings 30 years of design experience to show how and why sustainable, energy-efficient building is the solution to humanity's greatest challenge.
Max Reim
Max Reim is an international expert on creating vibrant retail centers in downtowns. He has led or been involved in the planning, developing, and operating of 27 large-scale mixed-use projects in seven different countries.
Katherine Salant
Syndicated columnist and winner of the “Best Column All Media” award from the National Association of Real Estate Editors, Katherine Salant speaks on how to design a house that supports family relationships.
Jeff Speck
Jeff Speck, former director of design for the National Endowment for the Arts and co-author of Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream, is a city planner who advises cities and developers around the world on how to make communities more livable.
W. Cecil Steward
W. Cecil Steward, FAIA, is a world expert on sustainable development and sustainable design. Dean emeritus and emeritus professor of architecture and planning at the University of Nebraska College of Architecture in Lincoln, he is president and founder of the Joslyn Castle Institute for Sustainable Communities. He speaks on issues such as green design of buildings and communities, how to preserve agricultural land, and regional plans for managing growth.
Galina Tahchieva
Galina Tahchieva is director of town planning for the architectural and planning firm Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company, where she has planned more than 70 projects around the world. She is an expert on how best to implement the New Urbanism in suburban retrofits, downtowns and resorts.
Dhiru Thadani
Dhiru Thadani, AIA, is a world-renowned expert on how to create neighborhoods that are walkable and contain a diverse range and balance of workplaces and housing. For 25 years, he has designed university campus towns, urban retrofits and neighborhood revitalizations in North and Central America, Asia and Europe.
Marc Vassallo
Vassallo, an expert on national trends in home design and living, is author of The Barefoot Home: Dressed-down Design for Casual Living, the No. 1 Home & Garden book for 2006. He is also coauthor with Sarah Susanka on two Not So Big House books and speaks on the new informality, sustainable design and the state of suburbia.
Russell Versaci
The leader of the “new old house” movement, traditional architect Russell Versaci is the author of the bestselling book Creating a New Old House and editor at large for New Old House magazine.
Michael Watkins
Michael Watkins, AIA, is the director of town planning for Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company and the town architect for Kentlands, outside Washington, DC. Watkins has designed more than 60 towns and neighborhoods across the world and is an expert on best practices in community design.