2015 MAS Summit for New York City

Kaid Benfield is among the nation’s foremost authorities on how to make cities, towns, and neighborhoods work better for both people and the environment. Kaid serves as senior counsel for environmental strategies at PlaceMakers LLC, a city and town planning consultancy working across the U.S. and Canada. | | Additionally, Kaid is a senior adviser to the Natural Resources Defense Council, where he served as a program director for over 20... Read More →

Ingrid Gould Ellen is the Paulette Goddard Professor of Urban Policy and Planning at NYU’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and Faculty Director of the NYU Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy. Her research centers on neighborhoods, housing and residential segregation. Professor Ellen is author of Sharing America’s Neighborhoods: The Prospects for Stable Racial Integration (Harvard University Press, 2000... Read More →

Ruben Diaz Jr. first entered public office as a member of the New York State Assembly in 1997, and is currently serving his second full term as Bronx Borough President, having been reelected in November 2013 with more than 89 percent of the vote. As borough president, Ruben Diaz Jr. has led the implementation of a robust agenda—on economic development, housing, education, and public safety—in every corner of the borough. Since taking... Read More →

Christy MacLear is the Executive Director of the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation. The Foundation oversees the artwork of Bob Rauschenberg, manages a philanthropic program based on his interests and has recently opened an artist residency on his compound in Captiva, Florida. Her career has been defined by starting up projects or institutions which intersect business strategy with culture in the areas of architecture, design and art. She was the... Read More →