Julie Eizenberg, AIA is Principal of Koning Eizenberg Architecture, established in 1981 and based in Santa Monica, Calif. She brings design vision and leadership to the firm’s wide range of projects and is recognized for her expertise involving cities, nonprofit agencies, educational institutions, and private developers. Julie is an astute observer and institutional iconoclast leading investigations that reshape the way we think about the conventional buildings of everyday living. Under her and partner Hank Koning’s lead, the firm has earned more than 60 awards for their projects, including 25 AIA awards. They have refocused architects' attention on the value and design potential of socially responsible projects by demonstrating architectural excellence in the design of many tight-budget affordable housing projects and community buildings. Julie teaches and lectures around the world, is a frequent advisor to the Mayors' Institute on City Design, and is the author of the book Architecture Isn’t Just for Special Occasions, published in 2006 by Monticelli Press.

Rob Forbes is the head of Studio Forbes, which he established in 2007 to further his interests in design, culture, and commerce. He is also the Chief Public Servant and head of Public Bikes, a company dedicated to bringing old world charm to today's bikes. Rob is best known as the founder of Design Within Reach, which he left in 2007, and for the vision of a business that has grown into the leading retail destination for modern design in the U.S. While with DWR, Rob initiated numerous programs that ranged from chair design contests to public conferences linking designers with manufacturers as well as hundreds of community-based events across the country. Rob's previous professional experience includes ceramics arts studio work in the U.S. and abroad as well as retail management experience for Williams-Sonoma, London-based Selfridges, The Nature Company, and Smith & Hawken prior to founding Design Within Reach in 1998. Rob has served or continues to serve as an advisor or board member to Blu Dot, California College of the Arts, Dwell Magazine, ICFF, Mayors' Institute on City Design, Russell Wright Design Center, SFJAZZ, San Francisco Mayors Council on Greening, SFMOMA Architecture & Design Accessions Committee. Rob earned his Bachelor of Arts in Aesthetics from the University of California at Santa Cruz, Master of Fine Arts from Alfred University, and Master of Business Administration from Stanford University.

David Meckel, FAIA is Director of Research & Planning at California College of the Arts as well as principal of his own design consulting firm. His professional work focuses on campus planning, environmental design, and the design of public spaces. Prior to serving as founding dean of CCA's architecture program, David co-founded, with Richard Saul Wurman, the Interior Architecture Program at Otis/Parsons in Los Angeles. David began his career in the office of Charles & Ray Eames, where he designed exhibitions and print graphics. He later spent six years with the Jerde Partnership in Los Angeles, working on all aspects of multiple major urban design projects. While at the Jerde Partnership, he organized and managed the environmental design work for the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. From 1987-1997, David collaborated with graphic designer Michael Manwaring through their multidisciplinary design firm, Ei, to create public-realm projects in Rotterdam, Los Angeles, and Taipei.

Christopher Parsons is the founder of Knowledge Architecture, a knowledge management and information systems consultancy that leverages technology to transform business processes and create strategic insights for architects and engineers. The firm delivers consulting services through packaged solutions and a unique subscription model designed to enable small and mid-size architecture and engineering firms to have access to strategic and technical resources similar to large firms. Christopher has been a leader in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry since 2002, including serving as the Chief Information Officer for Steinberg Architects and the Information Technology Director for SMWM (now Perkins+Will). He is a former board member of the AEC IT Leaders Roundtable and the founder of San Francisco Digital Design (SFDD). Prior to entering the AEC industry, Christopher was a consultant with Experio Solutions (now Hitachi Consulting), a strategic technology consulting practice serving Global Fortune 1000 companies. Christopher earned his Bachelor of Art in history and political science from Wake Forest University.

Laura Weiss is Vice President of Service Innovation for the Taproot Foundation, the largest nonprofit consulting firm in the country. As an early advocate of integrating a business perspective directly into the design process, Laura has shared this view through program management, speaking engagements and seminar facilitation for a wide range of businesses and academic institutions. Laura spent nine years with world-renowned design consultancy IDEO as an Associate Partner and Practice Director, focused on the emergent area of service design. Prior to her consulting career, she was a practicing architect with extensive experience as a designer and project manager for a variety of cultural and institutional facilities. She has held teaching positions in architecture and design at Cornell University, Yale University, and the University of Virginia, and has taught managerial communications at MIT. Laura earned her Bachelor of Architecture with honors from Cornell University, Master of Architecture from Yale University, and Master of Business Administration from the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Allison Williams, FAIA is Design Principal for Perkins & Will San Francisco, where she sets the design strategy for the San Francisco office's major projects including corporate headquarters facilities, cultural institutions and urban, high-rise and civic mixed-use developments. Previously, she served as principal and director of design of the firm AI. Allison has led the design of such nationally significant projects as The San Francisco Civic Center Complex, The San Francisco International Airport Terminal, and currently The African American Cultural Center of Pittsburgh, and The International Museum of Women in San Francisco. Allison was a Loeb Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and holds current appointments to the Harvard Design Magazine advisory board, University of California, Berkeley's Capital Planning Design Review Committee, and on the boards of directors for The Museum of the African Diaspora and The Exploratorium. Allison earned her Bachelors in The Practice of Art and Master of Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley.