Conference Speakers
Michael Allan Wolf, Esq.
Professor of Law & Richard E. Nelson Chair in Local Government Law, University of Florida Levin College of Law
Michael Allan Wolf is the Richard E. Nelson Eminent Scholar Chair in Local Government at the University of Florida Levin College of Law. He has been teaching and writing for more than four decades in the fields of property, land use, takings, constitutional, environmental, and economic development law, and constitutional history. He is the author of dozens of articles (many appearing in leading law reviews) and several books, including Powell on Real Property, Land Use Law (with Daniel Mandelker), and The Zoning of America: Euclid v. Ambler.
Carol Coletta
Carol Coletta is a at the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University. Coletta has deep experience driving impactful public-private partnerships, leveraging networks of civic assets, and fostering the prosperity of communities and individuals across the United States. In 2025, Coletta received the Urban Land Institute’s , a prestigious honor in the land use and development community, recognizing her lifelong commitment to shaping inclusive, vibrant, and equitable cities through innovative public spaces and civic partnerships.
Coletta has spent a lifetime focused on public space and its impact on cities. As CEO of Memphis River Parks Partnership, she led the creation of a new riverfront public space concept and the award-winning . As Senior Fellow at Kresge Foundation, she led the foundation's national initiative, Reimagining the Civic Commons, a multi-funder effort to demonstrate that transformative public spaces can connect people of all backgrounds, cultivate trust, create more resilient communities, and generate greater value in neighborhoods nearby. Coletta has previously served as Vice President of Community and National Initiatives for the Knight Foundation, led the start-up of ArtPlace, was president/CEO of CEOs for Cities, and led the Mayors' Institute on City Design. For almost a decade, Coletta created and hosted the nationally syndicated public radio show, “Smart City.â€
Named one of the top 100 urbanists by Planetizen in 2017 and 2023, Coletta was one of just 21 women on the most recent list. She holds a Bachelor of Liberal Studies from the University of Memphis, where she designed a major in Public Issues Management, and completed graduate coursework at the Institute of Design in Chicago and the University of Houston at Clear Lake.
Panelists
- Wade Beltramo, General Counsel, New York Conference of Mayors
- Mary Beth Bianconi, Partner, Delaware Engineering, DPC
- Carol N. Brown, Esq., Professor of Law, University of Richmond School of Law
- Andrew Buck, AICP, ENV SP, Senior Urban Planner & Technologist, VHB
- Donald L. Elliott, FAICP, Senior Consultant, Clarion Associates, LLC
- Peter Feroe, AICP, Vice President - Planning and Land Development, AKRF, Inc.
- Christopher B. Fisher, Esq., Partner, Cuddy & Feder LLP
- Steven G. Leventhal, Esq., Partner, Leventhal, Mullaney & Blinkoff, LLP
- Maximillian R. Mahalek, Esq., Associate, Cuddy & Feder LLP
- Rhea N. Mallett, Esq., Founder, Mallett Law
- Gina Martini, AICP, ENV SP, Senior Project Manager, VHB
- Dwight H. Merriam, Esq., FAICP, Attorney at Law
- Valerie Monastra, AICP, Principal Planner, Nelson, Pope & Voorhis, LLC
- Steven T. Noble, Mayor, City of Kingston
- Victoria L. Polidoro, Esq., Partner, Rodenhausen Chale & Polidoro LLP
- Michael N. Romita, President & CEO, Westchester County Association
- Abigail Rudow, AICP, Senior Environmental Planner, VHB
- Patricia E. Salkin, JD, PhD, Senior Vice President, Academic Affairs and Provost, Graduate and Professional Divisions, Touro University
- Daniel A. Spitzer, Esq., Partner, Hodgson Russ LLP
- Michael D. Zarin, Esq., Partner, Zarin & Steinmetz