Robert J. Augustine, Program Co-Chair, is the partner in charge of the local government practice initiative in the Atlanta office of Holland & Knight LLP. He has worked on a variety of major projects requiring local, regional, and federal approval. In addition to his law practice, he is chairman of the DeKalb County Development Authority.

Charles F. Palmer, Program Co-Chair, chairs the Legislative and Administrative Law Practice Group at Troutman Sanders LLP. His major development engagements include representation of Verizon Wireless in obtaining local development approvals for its cellular network and Delta Airlines in the current expansion of Hartsfield International Airport. He is on the board of MARTA.

Robert H. Freilich, Kickoff Address, is a founding partner of Freilich Leitner & Carlisle. He also is a Professor Emeritus of Law at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law, Editor of The Urban Lawyer, and author of From Sprawl to Smart Growth: Successful Legal, Planning and Environmental Systems. He has represented more than 200 cities, states and counties across the country.

Doug Baughman is a Senior Environmental Scientist at CH2M Hill where he has worked on a variety of water resource planning and environmental impact studies. Last year, he managed watershed assessment project for Forsyth and Hall Counties and the City of Gainesville which won the Region IV US Environmental Protection Agency’s inaugural environmental merit award.

Sally Bethea, the Founding Director of the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, was appointed by Governor Roy Barnes to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources in 1999. In 1997 Atlanta Magazine named her its “Best Eco-Warrior” and in 1998 she received the Southern Environmental Leadership Award from the Southern Environmental Law Center.

Harold A. Dawson, Jr. is President and COO of the Harold A. Dawson & Co. which specializes in mixed-use and transit-oriented development for urban infill areas. For example, it developed City Plaza, the first mixed-use luxury apartment development in Atlanta’s South Central Business District.

Benjamin R. DeCosta manages the day-to-day operation of the world’s busiest airport. As Aviation General Manager of Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport, he is responsible for implementing the airport’s current expansion plan.

G. Douglas Dillard of Dillard & Galloway specializes in zoning, land use and local government law. He serves on the Georgia Department of Community Affairs Planning and Growth Management Task Force.

Michael A. Dobbins, Commissioner for Atlanta’s Department of Planning, Development & Neigh-borhood Conservation, is responsible for the City’s planning, zoning, housing, human services, economic development, HUD programs, building permitting and inspection, code enforcement; and city coordination for the Empowerment Zone, Atlanta Development Authority and Atlanta Housing Authority.

Barbara Faga is Chair of the Board of EDAW, Inc., an environmental, economic, planning and design consultancy with 700 employees and 24 offices worldwide.

Kirk R. Fjelstul is Chief Counsel of Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA).

Nathaniel P. Ford, Sr. is General Manager and CEO of Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA). He previously worked for the New York Transit System (MTA) and San Francisco’s Bay Area Rapid Transit System (BART).

Kevin Green is Vice President for Environmental Affairs at the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. He develops environmental policy for water resources, air quality, and land use. He managed the Clean Water Initiative that led to the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District.

Kevin R. Hanna is the first President of the Atlanta Development Authority (ADA), an independent public authority created by the City of Atlanta to promote the growth of downtown and redevelopment of surrounding communities.

Phyllis P. Harris is Regional Counsel and Director of the Environmental Accountability Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Atlanta. She serves as Chief Legal Counsel and is the Senior Regional Manager responsible for the enforcement, NEPA, tribal, and environmental justice programs within Region 4.

Laura M. Heery is a Co-Founder, President, and Director of Design at Brookwood Group. She currently is working with a number of developers and communities on major mixed-use development projects.

Emily M. Lemcke has served as Chairman of the Cherokee County Commission since 1998.

Rebecca Rowden is Assistant District Counsel to the Regulatory Branch of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. She works with environmental consultants, developers, surveyors, environmental land trust groups, and attorneys in the implementation of permit compensatory mitigation, wetland and streamside mitigation banking, and the implementation of the Georgia Land Trust Service Center in lieu fee mitigation program.

Paul G. Vespermann is the Director of the Office of Transit Related Development for the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA). The department consists of three branches: Property Development, Economic Development, and Real Property.

Robert P. Voyles is Senior Vice President of Hines Interests LP. He is responsible for assignments in the southeast region of the U.S.

Alycen E. Whiddon is the former Assistant Director for Current Planning at Atlanta’s Department of Planning, Development & Neighborhood Conservation. She recently left the Department to join Tunnell-Spangler & Associates.

David L. Winstead is a partner in the Public Law and Real Estate Departments at Holland & Knight LLP. He is an authority on state and national transportation policy. He has served as Secretary of the Maryland Department of Transportation, President of the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials, and as a Special Assistant to U.S. Senator Charles Mathias, Jr. focusing on transportation issues.