Breakout Speakers
Evan Snow
Evan Snow is the Co-Founder of Zero Empty Spaces, a creative placemaking initiative that transforms vacant commercial properties into affordable working artist studios and cultural hubs. Since launching in 2019, Zero Empty Spaces has opened 34 formerly vacant spaces across 5 states, welcomed more than 900 artists into the program, and helped property owners, cities, and communities reimagine underutilized real estate as a platform for creativity, entrepreneurship, and civic life.
Evan’s work focuses on business development, strategic partnerships, community engagement, government relations, and program expansion. Through Zero Empty Spaces and related initiatives, he works with developers, municipalities, downtown organizations, economic development partners, and arts stakeholders to create low-barrier opportunities for artists while bringing new energy, foot traffic, visibility, and community value to vacant and underutilized spaces.
In addition to Zero Empty Spaces, Evan is the Co-Founder of Choose954, a cultural platform focused on storytelling and community engagement in Greater Fort Lauderdale, and Co-Founder of Art Fort Lauderdale, an immersive art fair on the water that helped reimagine how audiences experience contemporary art. He is also the founder of CreativeZen Talks, a monthly breakfast lecture series inspired by the TED Talk format that brings local voices together to share thought-provoking, relatable, and inspiring stories.
Attendees of Evan’s session can submit real vacancy or underutilized space challenges in advance using this link. Evan will review selected submissions and use one or two examples during the session as live case studies, helping participants think through potential activation strategies, stakeholder alignment, and next steps.
Session: Empty Spaces to Civic Assets - A Practical Masterclass on Vacancy Activation
Daniela de Castro
Daniela de Castro Sucre is a Venezuelan multimedia artist and designer based out of Pensacola, USA. She studied classic oil painting as a teenager, graduated with a Graphic Design bachelor’s in 2019, and began painting murals professionally in 2017. Her conceptual approach colors her diverse artist portfolio. Daniela has painted walls in Spain, Venezuela, England, and USA.
In 2024, Daniela expanded her large-scale art business and rebranded as Daniela de Castro Studio. Her studio brings together artists and experts in their field to create conceptual art installations that are closely tied to the brands and the spaces they inhabit.
Behind the scenes, Daniela pursues continued education in optics, color theory, and art history. She continues to work on her exploratory oil painting series started in 2020.
Session: Creativity in the Age of AI - What Our Community Stands to Gain and Lose
Kristen Regan
Kristen Regan received a Master of Fine Art degree at Savannah College of Art and Design and a Bachelor of Fine Art degree in Photography from the School of Visual Arts in New York. She is currently a Professor of Photography at the Anna Lamar Switzer Center for Visual Arts at Pensacola State College.
Her work has been published in national and international publications as well as several photographic catalogs. She has had numerous solo and two-person exhibitions and has been featured in galleries across the country from New York to Puerto Rico. In recent years her work has focused on environmental issues associated with plastic pollution.
Session: Creativity in the Age of AI - What Our Community Stands to Gain and Lose
Max Musicant
Max Musicant is a leader in developing and activating public and shared spaces that generate both community vitality and economic value. As founder and Principal of The Musicant Group since 2012, he has pioneered a holistic approach to placemaking that integrates design, operations, and events through the lens of user experience, working across 50-story office buildings to bus stops, main streets to strip malls, parks to parking garages.
He operates from a core belief: every space can and should be a great place. The question isn't whether it's possible, it's whether organizations have structures to make it happen.
Committed to translating practitioner knowledge into accessible resources, he has authored several free toolkits and shares insights for placemakers of all stripes without paywall at his Practice of Place substack.
Session: Snowballing - 7 Steps to Turn Your Ideas Into Pilots, Programs, and Permanence
Mayor Allan Branch
Allan Branch is the mayor of Panama City, FL, a third-generation entrepreneur, and a lifelong Bay County resident who has played a key role in the revitalization of downtown Panama City. A 1999 graduate of Bay High School and member of its Hall of Fame, Allan went on to play Division I football before building a career in technology, real estate, and community development.
After achieving early success in the software industry, Allan and his wife Anna began investing in local properties, restoring historic buildings and launching businesses that celebrate the city's heritage. Their work has contributed to the transformation of once-blighted areas into vibrant community spaces.
Deeply committed to his hometown, Allan has hosted educational events, produced storytelling content highlighting local restoration projects, and worked alongside partners to bring new life to downtown through food, hospitality, and residential development. In 2023, he announced his candidacy for Mayor of Panama City, driven by a desire to give back to the community that shaped him. In April 2025, Allan was elected Mayor of Panama City and sworn into office on May 28, 2025.
Allan lives in Panama City with his wife and two children and remains actively involved in local schools, sports, and civic efforts.
Sessions: How to Be Annoying, Kind, and Effective at City Hall | Mayor’s Panel
Mary Kate Norton
Mary Kate Norton is the Mobilization Coordinator and Trainer at Strong Towns, where she supports local advocates in building powerful, durable movements for change. She brings years of experience in grassroots organizing, leadership development, and coalition building across diverse communities. Her passion for supporting and training everyday people as they organize for change has led her to facilitate local, national, and international trainings in community organizing. When she’s not building relationships with her neighbors, you can find her knitting socks, reading, and hiking in her local woods.
Session: The People Pushing You Are the People You Need
Penni Landry
Penni Landry is a Louisiana entrepreneur, licensed REALTOR®, licensed esthetician, and businesswoman whose journey into entrepreneurship began at an early age.
After years of working as a tax preparer, Penni expanded her career into real estate. In 2021, she became a licensed REALTOR®, beginning a new chapter helping buyers, sellers, and investors navigate real estate opportunities throughout Louisiana. Her background in business and finance has complemented her real estate career and strengthened her ability to approach transactions with both a client-focused and entrepreneurial perspective.
A major milestone in Penni’s entrepreneurial journey came in June 2025, when she and her husband, Jacoby Landry, purchased the former Northgate Mall in Lafayette, Louisiana. The acquisition marked the beginning of an ambitious effort to breathe new life into the property and transform it into a thriving destination for businesses, services, fitness, entertainment, and community activity. Penni currently plays an active role in managing the property and its daily operations, working alongside her husband as they continue its redevelopment.
In January 2026, Penni and Jacoby expanded their vision by opening Xtreme Health Club, a full-service fitness and wellness facility located within the mall property. The health club represents another chapter in Penni’s entrepreneurial journey, combining business ownership, wellness, and community development.
The lessons in entrepreneurship first taught to her by her parents continue to influence how Penni approaches business today. Together with her husband, she is focused not only on building successful businesses but also on revitalizing property, creating opportunities for other entrepreneurs, investing in the community, and building a legacy for future generations.
Session: TBD
Jacoby Landry
Jacoby Landry is a Louisiana entrepreneur, real estate developer, licensed contractor, and business owner whose career has been shaped by a passion for building businesses, developing property, and creating opportunities in the communities around him.
One of the defining projects of Jacoby’s career came in June 2025, when he purchased Lafayette’s historic Northgate Mall for approximately $2.8 million. The roughly 20-acre property, located near the highly visible I-10/I-49 interchange, had experienced years of decline and deferred maintenance. Rather than viewing the property simply as an aging shopping mall, Jacoby saw an opportunity to completely reposition it as a mixed-use destination.
He subsequently began transforming and rebranding the property as The Hub, with a long-term vision centered around retail, dining, professional and health services, entertainment, fitness, community gathering spaces, and future residential development. The project represents not only a major real estate investment but also Jacoby’s commitment to helping revitalize North Lafayette and creating an environment where local businesses can grow and thrive.
As part of that redevelopment, Jacoby also launched Xtreme Health Club, a full-service health and fitness concept designed to serve as one of The Hub’s cornerstone destinations. The facility brings together traditional fitness with amenities such as pickleball, saunas, steam rooms, hot tubs, cold-plunge facilities, and other wellness and training offerings.
Jacoby’s development philosophy extends beyond constructing buildings. His goal is to create places that generate economic activity, support entrepreneurship, improve communities, and leave a lasting impact. His redevelopment work has also been connected with the Lafayette Economic Development Authority’s Elevate North Lafayette initiative, which provided mentorship and redevelopment expertise as he pursued his vision for North Lafayette.
Today, Jacoby continues working toward his larger vision for The Hub, Acadiana Development Group, Str8 Paths, and North Lafayette—transforming underutilized properties into thriving destinations, creating opportunities for businesses and families, and helping future generations pursue successful and meaningful futures.
Session: TBD
Christian Wagley
Christian Wagley is executive director of Bike Pensacola, a volunteer position advocating for a safer and more pleasant city for walking and bicycling. He also works for Healthy Gulf, engaging communities around issues of water, energy, land and climate issues along the coast of NW Florida and South Alabama. In 2018 he had the honor of selecting and recruiting speakers for CivicCon, which brought Chuck Marohn to Pensacola as its very first speaker. He previously worked on green building and development issues in both the public and private sector, and in 2022 served as Environment co-leader on Pensacola mayor D.C. Reeves’ Transition Team.
Christian holds a master’s degree in biology/coastal zone studies from the University of West Florida.
Session: Walking a Strong Town - RSVP at this link
Mayor Richard Clemens
Richard “Rick” Clemens Jr. is the mayor of Sweet Springs, Missouri, a community of approximately 1,300 people in west-central Missouri. A longtime business leader, entrepreneur, and community advocate, Rick brings a private-sector approach to local government centered on practical solutions, accountability, community pride, and taking action with the resources a community already has.
Before returning to Sweet Springs, Rick spent years in retail leadership, including eight years as a district manager for Foot Locker, where he led a multi-state district and developed a reputation for building teams, improving struggling operations, and driving growth. He and his wife, Sarah, later owned and operated a successful furniture business in Texas before eventually returning home to Sweet Springs.
Today, Rick owns The Laundry Basket SSMO, a self-service laundromat recognized as Missouri’s Best Laundromat in 2026 and 2027. He transformed the business into an example of how even an ordinary small-town business can create a memorable customer experience, build community pride, and contribute to the life of a community. His involvement in Sweet Springs expanded from entrepreneurship into community development, tourism, downtown revitalization, and efforts to find practical ways to strengthen his hometown.
In April 2026, Rick was elected mayor of Sweet Springs. With no city administrator and a small municipal staff, his first months in office have provided a firsthand look at both the challenges and opportunities facing America’s smallest communities. His administration has focused on aging water infrastructure, neighborhood reinvestment, nuisance and abandoned properties, fiscal accountability, downtown development, and finding incremental ways to make Sweet Springs a stronger and more resilient community.
Sweet Springs was selected as one of four communities participating in the 2026 Strong Towns City Partnership pilot. Rick has embraced the Strong Towns philosophy of starting with what a community has, identifying the next practical step, learning from it, and continuing to build from there.
Outside City Hall, Rick is a competitive obstacle course racing athlete and member of the USAOCR National Team. In 2026, he represented the United States at the World Obstacle Championships in Limerick, Ireland, and was selected to compete on Season 19 of American Ninja Warrior. Whether competing on an obstacle course, running a business, or serving his hometown, his philosophy is much the same: progress comes from showing up, doing the work, and continuing to move forward.
Rick and Sarah live in Sweet Springs and remain deeply invested in the community they call home.
Session: Mayor’s Panel
Nannette Chandler
Nannette Chandler is a Pensacola‑based general contractor, preservation advocate, and founder of Chandler & Co. Construction, a woman‑owned firm dedicated to architectural restoration, sustainable development, and community‑centered building practices. Her work blends technical expertise with a deep reverence for Pensacola’s historic fabric—saving structures from demolition, reviving neglected homes, and championing policies that protect the city’s architectural heritage. A vocal advocate for protective policies, Chandler has spearheaded major community initiatives, including the restoration of The Gilded Lady.
Session: Understanding Historic Preservation in Your Community
Scott Sallis
Scott Sallis is a licensed Florida and Alabama architect and community leader who specializes in the custom design of public and private buildings that continue to please owners and users. He has two decades of experience designing and building residential and commercial structures throughout Northwest Florida and the Southeast. Scott’s extensive knowledge in planning, conceptual and schematic design, and construction of buildings, has led him to successfully design and develop more than 300 projects. His comprehensive portfolio includes high-end residences, commercial buildings, casinos, condos, churches, and many other structures dedicated to improving the living and working space of his clients.
Session: Understanding Historic Preservation in Your Community
Carter Quina
Carter B. Quina, AIA, LEED AP, is a Pensacola Architect and a partner in the firm Quina Grundhoefer Architects, founded in 1984. Mr. Quina has a Bachelor of Architecture from Auburn University and a Masters of Architecture from Tulane University. Mr. Quina’s professional career has been focused on creating architecture in an historic setting, preserving historic buildings, and in neighborhood planning and traditional urban design concepts. Mr. Quina has received 26 Northwest Florida AIA Design Awards and 12 Statewide Historic Preservation Awards for notable projects such as Old Christ Church (1879), Pensacola Cultural Center (1922) and the Old County Courthouse (1916). He has completed projects in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Alabama, North Carolina, and Louisiana. Mr. Quina served on the Florida Historic Commission for 8 years and is served as a member of the City of Pensacola Architectural Review Board for more than 20 years, his last two years as Chairman.
Session: Understanding Historic Preservation in Your Community
Stephanie Norling
Stephanie Norling is the President and CEO of Communities of Resilience & Excellence (C.O.R.E.), formerly Communities of Excellence 2026, a role she has held since 2014. A nationally recognized leader in community systems change and performance excellence, she has played a central role in developing and advancing the Baldrige-based C.O.R.E. Guide, a practical framework that helps communities align around shared priorities, coordinate action across sectors, and deliver measurable improvements in quality of life.
Under Stephanie’s leadership, C.O.R.E. launched the National Learning Collaborative, supporting communities across the country in applying systems thinking and cross-sector collaboration to complex challenges. This work has since evolved into the Impact Pathway, C.O.R.E.’s milestone-based approach to advancing sustainable community outcomes. Stephanie continues to serve as faculty, mentoring community leaders and guiding teams as they move from shared purpose to sustained impact.
Stephanie began her career at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and spent 11 years as an elephant keeper at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and San Diego Zoo. She later earned an MBA with a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from the University of San Diego. Deeply committed to performance excellence, she served for three years as a National Baldrige Examiner and currently serves on the board of the Alliance for Performance Excellence. In 2023, she received the Baldrige Foundation’s Award for Leadership Excellence in recognition of her contributions to the nonprofit sector.
Session: From Alignment to Action - How the C.O.R.E. Framework Is Transforming Communities
Matt Schaeffer
Matt Schaeffer is a trauma surgery and critical care fellow at Washington University / Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. He specializes in the care of critically injured patients at one of the country's busiest trauma centers and is thus keenly aware of the downstream effects of our urban design choices. As a part of the SHIELD research team at WashU, he and his colleagues utilize trauma registry data and partner with local organizations to mitigate risk, minimize pre-hospital transport times, and improve patient outcomes for victims of traffic violence.
Prior to his fellowship in St. Louis, Matt completed general surgery residency at Wright State University / Premier Health in Dayton, Ohio, where he created a community bicycle safety survey that yielded results which were incorporated into the City of Dayton's first ever Active Transportation Plan. He has been a guest on the Active Towns Podcast and has presented on traffic violence and injury prevention locally, regionally, and nationally in an ongoing effort to make streets and places safe for everyone.
Session: Assessing Victims of Traffic Violence - A Trauma Surgeon's Perspective on Safe Streets
Zoe Tishaev
Zoe Tishaev is a City Policy Coordinator at the Institute for Justice, where she works alongside community activists, small business owners, and municipal leaders to advance economic justice and protect the right to earn an honest living through the Cities Work project. Prior to joining IJ, Zoe wrote for Southern Urbanism and organized tactical urbanist projects for pedestrian and cyclist infrastructure on Duke University's campus and in the city of Durham, North Carolina.
Session: Your City Can Do Better - A Working Session on Small Business Regulatory Reforms
Dylan Dellisanti
Dylan serves as an Activism Associate at the Institute for Justice where his research and organizing efforts are dedicated to empowering the plans and purposes of ordinary Americans. He graduated from Hampden-Sydney College in 2014, earned his PhD in Economics at George Mason University in 2019, and subsequently taught economics at the D.C. Jail through the Georgetown University Prison Scholars Program. In addition to his academic career, Dylan worked at award-winning bars and restaurants in Washington, D.C. before coming to IJ.
Session: Your City Can Do Better - A Working Session on Small Business Regulatory Reforms
Joe Vinson
Joe Vinson, a Pensacola native, is a local historian who learned from beloved storyteller John Appleyard before receiving an M.A. in Public History from the University of West Florida. He founded the Pensapedia wiki in 2006 and has led and collaborated on many public history projects, winning awards from the Florida Historical Society and the National Genealogical Society. He is co-editor of the "Righting the Past" project, which won CivicCon's Equity Award and is now a manuscript pending publication by the UNC Press. His social media videos on Pensacola history have millions of views.
Session: A Walk Through Pensacola’s History - RSVP using this link
Monte Anderson
Monte Anderson is managing partner at Neighborhood Evolution, and President of Options Real Estate Investments Inc, a multi-service real estate firm specializing in developing sustainable neighborhoods in Southern Dallas and Northern Ellis counties. He is both an advocate and practitioner of incremental development and is often found speaking and teaching across the country on the Cultivating of Local Neighborhoods. Monte and Options have been recognized by the Dallas Chapter of AIA, North Texas Council of Governments, the American Planning Association, Preservation Dallas, Preservation Texas, and the Greater Dallas Planning Council for their work. Award-winning projects have included Main Station Duncanville, DeSoto Market Place, Tyler Station, the Texas Theatre, Belmont Hotel in Dallas, and MidTowne Midlothian.
Monte previously served on the Duncanville, Texas City Council. He is the founding President of the North Texas Chapter of Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) and was a co-founder of the Incremental Development Alliance. In his spare time, Monte enjoys playing with his grandchildren, his cats, and listening to rap music.
Session: TBD
Erin Rushing
Erin Rushing is a Licensed Landscape Architect and trail development expert with more than three decades of experience delivering high‑impact outdoor recreation infrastructure. As founder and principal of OZTB Consulting and Design in Bentonville, Arkansas, Erin specializes in trail system planning, greenway development, and stakeholder engagement across public, private, and nonprofit sectors.
A graduate of the Fay Jones School of Architecture at the University of Arkansas, Erin began his career in Kansas City before returning to Northwest Arkansas in 2000 to focus on trail and recreation development. His work with CEI Engineering and Alta Planning + Design helped establish early regional connectivity. As CEO of the nonprofit NWA Trailblazers, he led the creation of nearly 400 miles of mountain bike trails and 40 miles of greenways in under a decade, including transformative projects such as the Razorback Regional Greenway, Slaughter Pen, Centennial Park, Coler Mountain Bike Preserve, Back 40, and Little Sugar just to name a few.
Erin’s leadership has positioned Northwest Arkansas as a global cycling destination, distinguished by technical excellence, community impact, and environmental stewardship. His work continues to shape resilient, accessible outdoor spaces across the region and beyond.
Session: Recreation as Strategy - How Northwest Arkansas Leveraged Trails for Regional Transformation
David Criswell
David is a project planner and professional engineer at Toole Design in Northwest Arkansas with a background in engineering, GIS, and active transportation planning. David has worked with communities across the South to advance safe, connected transportation networks through planning, policy, design, and implementation. He specializes in Safe Routes to School, tactical urbanism, bicycle and pedestrian planning, and multimodal concept design. Prior to Toole Design, he worked at the trail development non-profit Trailblazers in Bentonville, Arkansas, where he launched and directed GIS capabilities and led several successful active transportation policies, projects, and programs, including establishing a $7 million regional e-bike incentive program. Outside of work, David enjoys exploring Northwest Arkansas by bike with his family, often riding to the farmers market, library, and local parks.
Session: Recreation as Strategy - How Northwest Arkansas Leveraged Trails for Regional Transformation
Misty Heath
Misty Heath is the Executive Director of the SoDo Main Street District in Orlando, where she leads district-wide revitalization efforts focused on economic development, organizational sustainability, and long-term community value. In this role, she works closely with local businesses, residents, and public partners to strengthen one of the city’s evolving urban corridors.
Misty brings a multidisciplinary leadership background that spans real estate finance, media strategy, and community-based economic development. Earlier in her career, she held senior leadership roles with USAA Federal Savings Bank, where she directed large-scale real estate and mortgage operations, managed complex service networks, and led multi-site teams supporting a national portfolio. That experience continues to shape her pragmatic, results-driven approach to Main Street leadership today.
She holds a master’s degree in higher education administration, grounding her work in organizational leadership, governance, and systems thinking. Across sectors, Misty is known for her ability to align diverse stakeholders, translate vision into measurable outcomes, and build resilient organizations that balance economic performance with community character.
In addition to her professional work, Misty serves on civic and advisory bodies and remains deeply engaged in regional conversations around urban development, placemaking, and the evolving role of Main Streets. She believes strong Main Streets are essential infrastructure for healthy, investable, and people-centered cities.
Session: TBD
Kevin Blanchard
With a background in law, public service, and real estate development, Kevin leads a talented Downtown Lafayette team that focuses on the urban design, place management, development, and programming that drive Downtown Lafayette’s economic and cultural vibrancy. Since Kevin arrived as CEO in early 2024, Downtown Lafayette has launched several key projects including a new Downtown Ambassador program, a redevelopment plan, and the establishment of a new 501(c)3 entity to help broaden Downtown Lafayette’s programmatic and fundraising capacity.
Kevin previously served as Executive Director of the Lafayette Public Trust Financing Authority (LPTFA), coordinating public financing, redevelopment and housing initiatives throughout the City of Lafayette, including the redevelopment of a historic downtown warehouse into the headquarters for a large technology firm and a new apartment project downtown.
Kevin has been the chief operating officer of a large real estate development firm and has served as Public Works Director and Chief Development Officer for Lafayette Consolidated Government. Prior to obtaining his law degree from LSU Law School, Kevin was a journalist covering politics and government in Acadiana.
Session: How Downtowns Can Help Build Consensus in a Chaotic World
Jacob Hyman
Jacob Hyman is a Steubenville, OH based civil-site engineer with the New Urbanist centered–Crabtree Group, Inc (CGI), which provides site engineering services for traditional and infill development across the country and the globe. CGI provides both charette-level civil engineering oversight and detailed construction-level designs for traditional developments. Jacob is also the founder and key leader of Strong Towns Steubenville, a Local Conversation of the national Strong Towns non-profit. For over three years, he has led a team of committed volunteers in grassroots civic revitalization efforts including community bike rides, local election forums, city council reporting, downtown redevelopment initiatives, and more.
Session: Why and How to Power Map - A Tool for Community Organizations and Governments