Opening Remarks

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  Carlos Ramirez-Rosa

  Carlos Ramirez-Rosa is the General Superintendent and Chief Executive Officer of the Chicago Park District, overseeing the nation’s third-largest park system, which includes more than 8,800 acres of green space, over 600 parks, 230 fieldhouses, and 26 miles of lakefront. Carlos is dedicated to protecting and advancing Chicago's public parks for the benefit of all 2.7 million Chicagoans and the city’s 77 communities. Elected three times to represent Chicago’s 35th Ward, Carlos brings a decade of leadership and a proven track record of building coalitions to deliver significant public policy and community infrastructure wins. As a member of the Chicago City Council, he co-led the successful effort to increase Chicago’s Open Space Impact Fee, securing essential funding for park improvements and parkland acquisition. He spearheaded the $27 million Milwaukee Avenue and Logan Square Redesign project, which expanded green space and created new urban outdoor recreation areas. He also passed legislation strengthening protections for immigrants, the LGBTQIA+ community, women, and workers—advancing equity and justice throughout Chicago. A proud lifelong Chicagoan and product of the Chicago Public Schools, Carlos holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He was recognized by Crain’s Chicago Business as a ‘20 in Their 20s’ in 2016 and a ‘40 Under 40’ in 2023. He lives in Avondale with his husband, Bryan, and their rescue pit mix, Itztli. Outside of work, Carlos enjoys hiking, kayaking, and exploring Chicago’s rich cultural landscape.

  Chicago Park District

  General Superintendent and CEO

  Keynote

  Carlos Ramirez-Rosa

  General Superintendent and CEO

  Chicago Park District

The Home Field Advantage

Destination Placemaking in a Modern Age

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  Larry Blouin

  Senior Director Capital Programs

  Northwestern University

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  Eric Nordness

  Managing Principal

  Marquee Development

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  Steven Haemmerle

  Steven Haemmerle is the EVP of Development Advisory Services at Hunden Partners. He joins the Hunden executive leadership team as a senior real estate professional with over 30 years of public, private, and not-for-profit real estate experience, including strategic planning, the development of high-profile mixed-use projects, large-scale project management, architecture, and real estate operations. Steve has a unique understanding of real estate strategy, is skilled at organizing and completing complex projects, leading experienced teams of professionals, and developing projects in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors. Steve is the former Managing Principal of Strategic Redevelopment Advisors, a company that he formed in 2019 to provide advisory services to public sector, commercial, and not-for-profit clients enabling them to conceptualize and realize their real estate development objectives. Services include strategic planning, project implementation, program management, and design and project management. Steve served as Executive Vice President of Navy Pier, Inc. from 2011 to 2019, and was responsible for all real estate development at Navy Pier. During Steve’s tenure there, he worked with the Urban Land Institute to gather recommendations for the redevelopment of Navy Pier; helped form the not-for-profit, Navy Pier, Inc.; directed the creation of the Centennial Vision, the framework plan for the redevelopment of Navy Pier; and hosted an international design competition that resulted in the hiring of James Corner Field Operations, who gave shape to Navy Pier’s Pierscape. Much of the transformation of Navy Pier has been completed, including its exterior public spaces and the retail portions of the interior. Steve negotiated agreements with the architects, consultant, and contractors for the project as well as leases with Chicago Children’s Museum and Chicago Shakespeare Theater that allowed them both to expand their presence at the Pier. Steve sourced and negotiated a complex air-rights lease with a private entity for the development and operation of a hotel and rooftop venue at the Pier’s historic East End. All told, nearly $375M has been invested in Navy Pier since 2010. Steve graduated magna cum laude from the University of Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Architecture degree and holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

  Hunden Partners

  EVP, Development Advisory Services

  Steven Haemmerle

  EVP, Development Advisory Services

  Hunden Partners

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  Karen Grossett

  Karen Grossett is a structural engineer and Principal at Thornton Tomasetti. Thornton Tomasetti, a wide-ranging firm of technical experts, has contributed to many of Chicago’s most prominent sports venues. Karen’s particular focus is that of largescale steel design, having collaborated on the design of several such projects across the aviation, commercial, and sports markets. Recent projects of hers in the Midwest include the new Ryan Field and renovations at Comerica Park in Detroit.

  Thornton Tomasetti

  Principal

  Karen Grossett

  Principal

  Thornton Tomasetti

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  Andrew Totten

  Vice President of Sports, Entertainment & Special Use

  McHugh Construction

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  Andrew Elmer

  As Director of Sports and Recreation, Andrew leverages his experience to expand HDR’s sports and recreation design practice and complement a team of multidisciplinary architects, interior designers, planners and engineers. Having dedicated his career exclusively to athletic facility design, Andrew understands the positive impact quality design and access to recreation can have on individuals, teams and communities. His project management and design leadership experience ranges from sports facility planning, programming, and design for university architects, planners, facility managers, and athletic administrators. His recent work includes sport-specific stadiums, arenas and playing fields at the University of Mississippi, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and The Ohio State University. An active member of design and sports communities, Elmer has contributed bylined articles to Athletic Business and regional publications and speaks at national conferences and industry events on the evolution of sports and recreation environments.

  HDR

  Director, Sports and Recreation

  Moderator

  Andrew Elmer

  Director, Sports and Recreation

  HDR

The Chicago of It All

Exploring the city’s rise in tourism, visitation, and national attention through the lens of those defining it

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  Meghan Curran

  Chief Operations Officer

  Shedd Aquarium

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  Tuba Smith

  Festival Director

  Lollapalooza

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  John Mangum

  John Mangum is the General Director, President & CEO of Lyric Opera of Chicago, the fifth in the company’s history. Having joined Lyric in the fall of 2024, he has brought more than two decades of leadership experience in the arts, most recently as Executive Director/CEO of the Houston Symphony, where he served from 2018 to 2024. During his tenure at Houston, the organization raised significant funds to renovate its hall, strengthened its balance sheet by $60 million, appointed a new music director, and performed in-person and virtually for more than 1.1 million people during the pandemic season. Mangum grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and began his career at the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He subsequently held senior artistic planning roles at several of the country’s leading orchestras — the San Francisco Symphony, the New York Philharmonic, and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. Major initiatives at these orchestras included concert stagings of Fidelio, Peter Grimes, Bluebeard’s Castle, Ligeti’s Le Grand Macabre, John Cage’s Song Books, West Side Story, Company, and Amadeus. He also served as President and Artistic Director of the Philharmonic Society of Orange County, overseeing all aspects of the Society’s operations, including the successful completion of its first-ever endowment campaign. Mangum is an alumnus of the Impact Program for Arts Leaders at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. He holds a Ph.D. in history with a concentration in musicology, in addition to master’s and bachelor’s degrees in history, from the University of California, Los Angeles. His scholarly work looks at the intersection of Italian opera and political power in 18th century German-speaking Central Europe. John Mangum is The Women’s Board Endowed Chair.

  Lyric Opera of Chicago

  President, & CEO

  John Mangum

  President, & CEO

  Lyric Opera of Chicago

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  Larita Clark

  CEO

  Metropolitan Pier & Exposition Authority

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  Kara Bachman

  Executive Director

  Chicago Sports Commission

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  Steve Eskildsen

  Steve Eskildsen leads Mortenson’s business development strategy for the Chicagoland area and drives the vision for the success and growth of the Chicago office. He identifies and develops new business opportunities as well as grows relationships with key customers and partners. Steve has been with Mortenson since the onset of his career, starting in our Chicago office. He has led both private and public projects across various market sectors including higher education, healthcare, manufacturing, sports + entertainment, institutional, office, and data centers. Steve is passionate about positioning Mortenson as a long-term partner and has been instrumental in developing meaningful relationships with customers here in Illinois. Steve holds a bachelor’s degree in construction management from North Dakota State University. He is an active member of the American Heart Association, Executives’ Club of Chicago, Chicago Building Congress, and Construction Owners Association of America.

  Mortenson

  Director Of Business Development

  Moderator

  Steve Eskildsen

  Director Of Business Development

  Mortenson