MML Convention Program

Ethan Kent Executive Director, PlacemakingX

Ethan Kent works to support public space organizations, projects, and leadership around the world to build a global placemaking movement. Ethan has traveled to more than 1,000 cities and 60 countries to advance the cause of leading urban development with inclusive public spaces and placemaking. In 2019, he co-founded PlacemakingX to network, amplify, and accelerate placemaking leadership and impact globally. He builds on more than 20 years of working on placemaking projects and campaigns with Project for Public Spaces. Ethan has been integral to the development of placemaking as a transformative approach to economic development, environmentalism, transportation planning, governance, resilience, social equity, design, digital space, tourism, and innovation. Ethan has keynoted well over 100 of the top urbanism conferences and has helped organize dozens of the placemaking conferences that have most shaped the movement. Teri Takai Senior Vice President, Center for Digital Government Teri Takai is the senior vice president of the Center for Digital Government, a national research and advisory institute on information technology policies and best practices in state and local government. She worked for Ford Motor Company for 30 years in global application development and information technology strategic planning. From Ford, she moved to EDS, a subsidiary of General Motors. Teri’s interest in public service led her to the government sector. She has held CIO positions in the states of Michigan and California and was subsequently the first woman appointed to CIO of the U.S. Department of Defense. She then served as the CIO for Meridian Health Plan. Teri has won numerous awards, including Governing magazine’s Public Official of the Year, CIO magazine’s CIO Hall of Fame, Government Technology magazine’s Top 25 Doers, Dreamers & Drivers, the Women in Defense Excellence in Leadership Award, and the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service.

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