Ely Speakers Bureau
Welcome to the Lambda Alpha International Ely-Chicago Chapter Speakers Bureau. Our chapter members offer themselves as a resource for you across a wide variety of land economics industries. Members of LAI Ely-Chicago have a minimum of 10 years of professional experience in their land economics field. They have been selected by their peers as worthy of recognition for their commitment to excellence. Click on a category below to find your next speaker, panelist or moderator from our membership.
If you are an LAI Ely-Chicago Chapter Member, click here to apply for the Speakers Bureau.
Amy is a commercial real estate executive focused on cultivating excellence across all team members so they may provide trusted advisory and intelligent solutions to those they serve and, in turn, create value for all stakeholders.
Since 1997, Amy has evolved as a leader in the commercial real estate industry. With career experience in both ground up development and established retail shopping centers, she now oversees all aspects of day to day operations for Caton. Her background in departmental structures and staff architecture, optimizing sales team performance, professional development and coaching, strategic planning, budgeting and forecasting, land development, shopping center leasing, ancillary income revenue streams, and sponsorship negotiations provide a solid and well-rounded foundation from which to lead. Amy holds multiple ICSC (International Council of Shopping Centers) designations and is an industry speaker and leader. She serves as a facilitator, teacher, mentor and Illinois state Ambassador for ICSC, committee member for The Goldie Initiative, a board of director for the CCIM IL Chapter, and as a panelist and/or moderator varying other industry organizations.
Helen J. Kessler, FAIA, LEED Fellow, WELL AP is Principal of HJKessler Associates and Upfront Regenerative Design. She has over 35 years experience in sustainable design, energy efficiency and renewable energy and is a nationally recognized green building design consultant. She routinely facilitates integrative and regenerative processes for creating buildings and places that will regenerative neighborhoods and ecosystems.
Helen has made over a hundred presentations, written over a hundred articles, teaches regenerative design and sustainability principles at Northwestern University and has an impressive portfolio of over 80 LEED and other sustainability projects. She was in the inaugural class of LEED Fellows.
Lynsey has a love of learning and listening. Spirited, informed debate is a source of inspiration. Hearing and engaging with different view points is where she sees growth and potential.
Ruth Wuorenma is a land use and development expert who has focused her career on helping public, private, for-profit and nonprofit entities align goals and assets for mutual benefit and increased effectiveness. Her work as a land use lawyer and as a developer informs her research, her policy recommendations and her interest in advancing best development practices. Her path has spanned national and international commercial real estate, market-rate and affordable housing, and various civic roles. She has deep experience in land use and entitlements; in the creation of new real estate products and systems that are replicable and scalable; in site selection and development; and has a lifelong passion for community engagement that strengthens a shared sense of place.