Dr. Warren J. von Eschenbach is a distinguished academic leader and philosopher, currently serving as the President of the University of North Texas at Dallas. In this role, he oversees the university’s academic, administrative, and financial operations, setting strategic visions, ensuring financial stability, and fostering a robust academic environment. His tenure has seen significant achievements, including the establishment of the University’s Inaugural Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning, and the implementation of strategic budgeting processes aligning unit-level budgets with key performance indicators.

Prior to his current position, Dr. von Eschenbach served as Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of North Texas System, where he supported curricular and programmatic innovation across campuses. Before coming to the UNT System, he spent nearly 14 years at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, as a faculty member and administrator. He served in various leadership roles within the Provost’s Office at Notre Dame, including as the Associate Vice President and Assistant Provost responsible for overseeing Notre Dame’s 11 international locations and 48 study abroad programs, Academic Director of the Notre Dame London Global Gateway, Senior Advisor to the Provost, and was instrumental in launching the Notre Dame Technology Ethics Center as the Inaugural Managing Director.

During his tenure at Notre Dame, he successfully created the University’s first multidisciplinary minor in technology ethics; fostered partnerships internationally to support faculty research and collaborations across campus; implemented a new core curriculum for international programs; opened the University’s Center in Rome; and increased experiential learning and research opportunities for students and postdoctoral fellows. In 2015, Dr. von Eschenbach and his team in London were awarded the Presidential Team Irish Award for exemplifying the University of Notre Dame’s core values.

Dr. von Eschenbach’s academic journey is marked by his profound engagement with ethical and normative issues, particularly in the realm of technology. As a faculty member at the University of Notre Dame, he taught a wide array of courses including “Existentialist Themes,” “Ethics & Politics,” “British Moral Philosophy,” “Philosophy of Art and Aesthetics,” and specialized courses in the ethics of data and business analytics. His teaching extends to the Business School, where he developed and taught courses such as “Ethics of Data Analytics”, “Ethics of Business Analytics” (MSBA), and “Ethics of Business and Data Analytics” (MBA).

His scholarly contributions are extensive and impactful. Dr. von Eschenbach has published articles in Philosophy & Technology, The Journal of Global Ethics, Culture e Fede: Journal of the Pontifical Council for Culture, The Journal of Value Inquiry, America Magazine, and Indigo Humanities Journal. He is a contributing author to Encountering Artificial Intelligence: Ethical and Anthropological Explorations (Pickwick Press, 2024) and Virtues in the Public Sphere: Citizenship, Civic Friendship, and Duty (Routledge, 2019). These publications reflect his commitment to advancing philosophical discourse and ethical practices in technology and education.

Dr. von Eschenbach holds a PhD in Philosophy from The University of Texas at Austin, specializing in ethics and 19th and 20th-century European philosophy; an MA in Philosophy from Marquette University; and a BA in Philosophy from Trinity University. He is a member of the executive committee of the North America Association for Philosophy & Education; a member of the AI Research Group at the Vatican Center for Digital Culture, Vatican Dicastery for Culture and Education; and a reviewer for Philosophy & Technology, Synthese, and the Journal of Philosophy. His dual citizenship in the United States and Italy underscores his global perspective and dedication to international collaboration.

Dr. von Eschenbach and his wife, Rachael, who is co-founder of Mindful U, LLC., have been married for 25 years and have three wonderful children.

April Allen is President and CEO of the Southern Gateway Public Green Foundation, where

she leads Halperin Park, a new public space built over Interstate 35E near the Dallas Zoo

that reconnects West and East Oak Cliff. An Oak Cliff resident for more than twenty years,

April brings experience across business, nonprofits, education, and politics to the work.

At the heart of her work is a larger question: Can civic infrastructure help rebuild what

infrastructure once disrupted - trust, belonging, economic opportunity, and the

relationship between people and the places they call home?

April trained as a mechanical engineer at the University of Waterloo and earned an MBA

from Harvard Business School. She is increasingly sought out for her perspective on

infrastructure, public space, community trust, and what it takes to reconnect communities

divided by infrastructure.

Terrence Maiden is widely recognized for his executive leadership and

vision in the commercial real estate development industry. With nearly

two decades of experience, Terrence has poured his energy, creativity

and expertise into the development /project leasing of over two-million

square feet of retail. As Executive Vice President of Development at

Corinth Properties, he is at the forefront of implementing the growth

strategy for the company, as a real estate owner and developer.

Terrence’s most notable projects to date are Glen Oaks Crossings, The

Canyon in Oak Cliff, Red Oak Crossings, and the redevelopment of

Southwest Center Mall.

Terrence Maiden began his real estate career with The Woodmont

Company, spending several years project leasing and developing projects

throughout Texas, New Mexico, Louisiana, and North Dakota. He subsequently worked within corporate real estate

at two well recognized companies, Panda Restaurant Group (Panda Express) and Panera, LLC (Panera

Bread/Paradise Bakery). During Terrence’s three-year tenure with Panda, he was the top producer, accounting for

over 60 restaurant openings. Terrence was also the recipient for the 2004 Panda IMPACT Award, 2004 Most Store

Openings Award, and 2005 Most Store Openings Award. At Panera Bread, Terrence served as the Director of Real

Estate, responsible for managing Panera’s real estate development efforts and opening over 95 company/franchise

cafes throughout the central United States, including 11 states.

Terrence Maiden received a Bachelor of Science and Engineering degree from Texas Christian University, where he

and his identical twin brother were standout football players for the Horned Frogs. He is actively involved in several

professional and civic organizations in Dallas and Fort Worth, including Mayor Star Council, Coalition of African

American Professionals and Organizations (Co-Chair), Real Estate Council (Board of Directors), Urban Land

Institute, Texas Christian University National Board (Former Vice President – National Alumni Board), Texas

Christian University Legacy Committee, International Council of Shopping Centers, Dallas Black Dance Theater

(Board Member), and many more. In 2005, Terrence co-founded Two-Wins Foundation with twin brother Tim. Two-

Wins Foundations is a non-profit organization that invests thousands of dollars within inner communities through

educational and community revitalization programs.

Terrence has been named to the distinguish list of D CEO Power Broker for seven consecutive years (2012-2017).

In addition, he was awarded “Minority Business Leader of the Year” (Dallas Business Journal-2009), a finalist for

“2011 One Man Dallas”, Dallas top executive under the age of forty (Dallas Business Journal- 2013), Tomorrow’s

Leader – Texas (Real Estate Forum Magazine - 2014) . In 2014 Terrence was the recipient of the Thomas L.

Houston Award for his community service and 40 under Forty by Dallas Business Journal. In 2015, he along with his

identical twin brother were inducted in Texas Christian University‘s Hall of Fame. Both Terrence and Tim were

recognized by WFAA (ABC News) and Cadillac for Shaping DFW. Terrence is also a featured writer for D

Magazine’s CEO Real Estate Daily.

Stewarding Space is a North Texas real estate development firm founded by Michaella Ramler. The firm focuses

on historic properties, commercial redevelopment, mixed use projects, and overlooked markets where strategic

investment can strengthen local economies and reactivate community spaces.

A native of Monroe, LA, Florsheim is a graduate of the University of Louisiana at Monroe in

Business Management and the University of Oklahoma’s Economic Development Institute. He

has an MBA from Louisiana Tech University and is an alumnus of Leadership Louisiana,

Leadership Arkansas and Leadership North Texas. He received his IOM designation from the

Institute of Organization Management, a four-year program of the United States Chamber of

Commerce. Florsheim recently served as Chair for the Southeast Institute’s Board of Regents,

located at the University of Georgia. He also served as a board member for the Texas

Association of Business and Texas Chamber of Commerce Executives, and represented the

United States Air Force at a national level in the Air Education & Training Commander’s Civic

Leaders Group. Florsheim completed the U.S. Chamber Foundation’s Business Leads

Fellowship, which focuses on innovation in education and workforce development around the

country. During Florsheim’s career in economic development and non-profit management,

organizations under his leadership have won several national and statewide awards for

marketing and economic development and landed over $1 billion in capital investment for their

communities.

A creative problem-solver, Florsheim has nearly 30 years of economic development and

Chamber leadership experience and a history of developing successful strategic partnerships.

Henry and his wife Kimberly have six children, and have served as foster parents to many other

children in need.

Peter S. Brodsky is an investor and business executive who, through a majority-owned company, owns the Shops at RedBird (formerly known as Southwest Center Mall and, prior to that, Red Bird Mall). He is investing in the property to restore it to a place of pride and quality in the community.

Prior to acquiring RedBird, Peter was a founder and partner of HBC Investments LLC, a firm focused on investing both third party capital and the capital of its principals in growth-oriented companies. Prior to co-founding HBC, Peter was a partner at the private equity firm of HM Capital Partners and its predecessor, Hicks Muse, where he was employed for over 15 years.

At HM Capital, Peter focused on the media industry, was responsible for deploying or managing over $2.6 billion of equity investments, and completed over 100 transactions.

In the civic and non-profit arenas, Peter serves as the Board Chair of Housing Forward, the lead agency of Dallas and Collin Counties’ homeless response system. Peter also serves on the Boards of: Commit Partnership; Communities Foundation of Texas; Dallas Assembly; Forest Forward; SMU’s Tate Lecture Series; and Trinity Park Conservancy. Additionally, Peter is a member of the Dallas Mavericks Advisory Council and the President’s Advisory Board of UT Southwestern Medical Center. Formerly, Peter has served on the following Boards: City of Dallas’s Animal Advisory Commission (Chair), which advises Dallas Animal Services, the city animal shelter and control service provider, where he focused on the loose dog crisis in southern Dallas; AT&T Performing Arts Center; Dallas Symphony Orchestra; Greenhill School; KIPP Texas Public Schools; North Texas Public Broadcasting; and Vogel Alcove. In 2023, Peter was awarded the J. Erik Jonsson Ethics Award by Southern Methodist University’s Cary M. Maguire Center for Ethics and Public Responsibility. In 2024, Peter and his wife Lael received the Texas Appleseed’s J. Chrys Dougherty Good Apple Award.

Peter received a BA in Russian Literature from Yale College. Peter and Lael live in Dallas, TX. They have three children.

Dustin Crawford is the Associate Vice President of Capital Projects and Facilities Maintenance at Dallas Zoo, where he leads the planning, design, construction, and maintenance of the Zoo's campus and infrastructure. He oversees the Zoo's long-term capital program, including Safari Trail, and leads multidisciplinary teams delivering complex projects while balancing construction, animal care, guest experience, and long-term asset stewardship in an active operating environment.