Speakers
Speaker Jen Hughes
Jen Hughes currently serves as the acting director of Design and Creative Placemaking for the National Endowment for the Arts. Hughes provides oversight on grants for design and creative placemaking projects, and oversees key leadership initiatives that include the Mayors’ Institute on City Design and the Citizens’ Institute on Rural …
Jen Hughes currently serves as the acting director of Design and Creative Placemaking for the National Endowment for the Arts. Hughes provides oversight on grants for design and creative placemaking projects, and oversees key leadership initiatives that include the Mayors’ Institute on City Design and the Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design.
In her dual role as community solutions specialist, she manages federal, philanthropic, and local relationships to strategically integrate arts and cultural strategies that ultimately drive community and economic revitalization across the nation. Hughes has over six years of experience in the NEA Design and Creative Placemaking program and has held previous NEA positions managing the Our Town and Design Art Works grant programs. She has served on more than 40 public panels on the topic of design and creative placemaking, and was invited to represent the United States at the Edinburgh Festivals International Delegate Programme.
Previously, she worked as an urban planner for the District of Columbia and has held communications and business consulting positions in the private sector. Hughes was recognized by Impact Design Hub’s 40 under 40, honoring innovative leaders working at the intersection of design and public good. A Philadelphia native, she has a bachelors in management from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a masters in city planning from University of California, Berkeley with a focus on community development and design.
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Speaker Brian A. Friedman
Brian is the president of Plan F Solutions. Plan F Solutions is a consulting company lending expertise to organizations and businesses focused on transforming communities through Community Redevelopment, Creative Placemaking, Non-Profit Organizations, and Small Businesses Startups. Plan F Solutions expertise helps these organizations maximize impact in their communities. Prior to …
Brian is the president of Plan F Solutions. Plan F Solutions is a consulting company lending expertise to organizations and businesses focused on transforming communities through Community Redevelopment, Creative Placemaking, Non-Profit Organizations, and Small Businesses Startups. Plan F Solutions expertise helps these organizations maximize impact in their communities. Prior to launching Plan F Solutions, Brian was the Executive Director of the Northeast Shores Development Corporation. Over the last ten years, he developed and implemented programs to increase commercial and residential investment in the neighborhood. A significant initiative of Northeast Shores is the development of the Waterloo Business District into a regional arts and entertainment district. Recently, Northeast Shores advocated and received over $9 million in public and philanthropic support to move this initiative forward. Brian A. Friedman is a graduate of both The College of Wooster and The Ohio State University. He is a founding board member for CAN Journal, Cleveland Neighborhood Progress and the Lakeshore Intergenerational School.
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