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.
Geoff is a real estate and economic development advisor with expertise in public-private finance partnerships, special taxing district (TIF, business district/special service area) establishment, market and financial feasibility, development strategy, and project implementation advisory services. While at SB Friedman, Geoff has assisted Presence Health (now AMITA Health) in securing TIF and New Markets Tax Credit funding to help pay for the relocation of its affiliate, Resurrection University, from Oak Park to Chicago. He has also led numerous projects throughout the country, including a market analysis and development strategy related to the proposed US-19 Corridor roadway improvements in Pinellas County, Florida, redevelopment planning and the formation of public-private partnerships for the City of Joliet, Illinois, and a redevelopment plan and implementation strategy for the Playland Park site in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Geoff is a Series-50 Qualified Municipal Advisor Representative. He holds a B.A. in History from Northwestern University, and a Master of Urban and Regional Planning degree from the University of Michigan. He is a member of the American Planning Association, and serves on the boards of the Illinois Tax Increment Association and Lambda Alpha International-Ely Chapter.
Collete English Dixon has more than 30 years in investment management with a focus on commercial real estate investing. Prior to her current role at Roosevelt University, she was Executive Director - Transactions for PGIM Real Estate (formerly known as PREI), a business unit of Prudential Financial, and co-leader of PREI’s national investment dispositions program. In that role, she oversaw the sale of more than 200 investment properties located throughout the US, with a total value of more than $8.7 Billion, on behalf of PREI’s investment funds. Prior to her role in dispositions, English Dixon was responsible for sourcing more than $2.75B of wholly-owned and joint venture real estate investment opportunities in the Midwestern markets covering all property types, including office, multi-family, hotel, industrial and retail properties. Collete’s experience also includes property development and asset management.
Rick Goldman has been involved in real estate development and construction
for more than 30 years. His passion for the built environment and unique experience combine to provide vision that truly drives value.
Currently a Principal Planner in HNTB’s Chicago office, Diane has professional experience in urban planning, urban design, and architecture, including consulting for municipal and public agency clients, non-profit real estate development, and architectural design focused on transit and public facilities. Diane’s experience covers the spectrum from strategic and policy planning to detailed design solutions with an emphasis on consensus-based and contextually sensitive infrastructure and land use planning for developed areas. Her work with various constituencies and communities has fostered an ability to view planning issues from multiple perspectives, work across disciplines to increase common understanding, and develop visionary yet implementable planning solutions.
Kevin Kramer is the Director of Economic Development for the Village of Hoffman Estates, Illinois in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. He’s worked in this position since 2013 after working as a planner and economic developer for Barrington, IL. He graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in Urban and Regional Planning.
He serves on several committees including the International Council of Shopping Center’s Illinois State Committee and the Next Generation Leadership Network, the International Economic Development Council’s Young Professionals Advisory Committee, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning’s Economic Development Committee and the Young Professionals group for the Illinois Economic Development Association. Kevin has earned his Certified Economic Developer status.
While he loves all things economic development he also loves DIY projects, woodworking ventures, hiking in the mountains (not in Illinois of course), and reading an heroic story while enjoying a craft beer, fine whiskey or sparkling water. Kevin lives in the Chicago suburbs with his wife and four children.
Since 1986, Keith Lord has served as President and General Partner of The Lord Companies, L.L.C., a diversified real estate corporation with consulting, brokerage and development divisions specializing in urban infill and adaptive re-use brokerage, design, and development. The Companies’ clients range from developers, Fortune 500 corporations, banks, law firms, private individuals, and the City of Chicago.…
Established Senior Executive in the Real Estate Industry with over 40 years of Retail Real Estate experience. Proven performer as a strategic leader in Site Analysis, Entitlement, Development, Leasing, Sales and Disposition.
Fran is a trusted economic development advisor with a deep understanding of real estate market analysis and development strategy, financial feasibility analysis, public-private partnership finance and value capture for transportation. Her ability to analyze various market scenarios and recommend strategic redevelopment options that work for both the public and private sectors has been key to informing numerous policy and development decisions. Fran is skilled in evaluating the financial feasibility of development projects and has underwritten or structured over $1.7 billion in public assistance for a broad range of projects. Fran has a broad and in-depth understanding of housing, from national and regional housing market dynamics down to project-level feasibility, and assists clients in formulating housing policies and structuring transactions. Fran holds a Master of Urban Planning and Policy degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Policy from the University of Chicago. She is a member of the American Planning Association, Lambda Alpha International-Ely Chapter, Council of Development Finance Agencies, The Goldie Initiative, Illinois Housing Council, and the Illinois Tax Increment Association. Fran is a Series-50 Qualified Municipal Advisor Representative
Jennifer Tammen is a senior manager in the Indirect Tax team with over twenty years of success in working with developers, property owners, municipalities and quasi-public agencies on all aspects of tax increment financing (TIF), zoning and entitlements, planning, deal structuring, redevelopment agreement negotiation, early-stage project management, and creative approaches to capital and public-private project evaluation and funding.
Will is Vice President at Related Midwest where he specializes in land use planning, economic incentives for historic structures and project management both on the market rate and affordable side. Will has a specific expertise in historic preservation and is responsible for managing and directing all efforts associated with achieving historic tax credits. He has played a major role in redevelopment of Lathrop Homes, the rehabilitation of a Chicago Housing Authority property along the Chicago River into a mixed-income community. He also managed the planning and design process for redevelopment of the National Landmark District of Fort Sheridan and the adaptive reuse of the National Landmark Cleveland Arcade. Previously, he worked for the City of Chicago’s Department of Planning and Development and the Chicago Park District. He is Trustee of the James Marston Fitch Charitable Foundation, on the Board of Directors of Landmarks Illinois, where he served as board chair from July of 2015 through June of 2017, and serves on the board of the Ely Chapter of Lambda Alpha International. Will holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Architecture from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Master of Science degree in Historic Preservation and Conservation from Columbia University.
Richard Wilson is an architect and city planner who leads the City Design Practice of Chicago’s Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture. Richard has 30 years of experience working with public and private sector clients to master plan, design, construct and operate large scale urban districts and neighborhood redevelopments in historic and emergent cities worldwide.
Richard is the 2020-2022 President of the Ely Chapter of Lambda Alpha International. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Friends of the Chicago River, the Regional Advisory Council of the National Parks Conservation Association, and the Regional and Urban Design Knowledge Community of AIA Chicago.