Planners for the Third Annual Pottstown Investors Conference on Friday, April 12 (see details below) have confirmed and funded the participation of two notable keynote speakers who were highly recommended by Don Chen, president of the nationally esteemed Surdna Foundation.

Based in New York City, Surdna is an organization which, according to its mission, “seeks to foster sustainable communities in the United States – communities guided by principles of social justice and distinguished by healthy environments, strong local economies, and thriving cultures.”

“This is an incredible opportunity for conference attendees,” said Twila Fisher, director of community and economic development for The Hill School and Hobart’s Run, co-sponsors of the event. “Surdna is renowned as a philanthropic organization that strives to meaningfully improve communities’ quality of life. Their willingness to connect us with experts in this field is both inspiring and gratifying, as they have indicated they are excited about what is happening in Pottstown!”

Presenting their thoughts on sustainable communities – and ongoing efforts to revitalize Pottstown – will be Diana Lind and Alan Berube. Lind is the founding managing director of the Fels Policy Research Initiative. Previously, she was the Director of Digital Audience Development for Philadelphia Media Network, which owns the Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily News, and Philly.com. From 2008 to 2014, she served as Editor in Chief and Executive Director of Next City, the country’s leading independent online urban policy website.

As a writer and urban policy specialist, Lind is working on a book, Brave New Home: The Smarter, Cheaper, Happier Future of Housing (Nation Books), diagnosing the current crisis in American housing and its detrimental effects on inequality, health, the environment, racial progress, community, and democracy. Lind is a graduate of Cornell University (B.A., English) and Columbia University (M.F.A. in Creative Writing).

Berube is senior fellow and deputy director at the Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program. In this role he coordinates and amplifies research from across Brookings Metro on how to strengthen economic opportunity in regions, cities, and communities.

Berube has also authored dozens of Brookings publications on economic and demographic trends in metropolitan areas, social policies affecting families and communities, and the role of cities in a globalizing economy. He is the co-author of Confronting Suburban Poverty in America (Brookings Press, 2013). Berube holds a master’s degree in public policy from the Georgetown Public Policy Institute, and a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Stanford University. He lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife, Cristina, and daughter Erica.

Hobart’s Run is grateful for its connection to Surdna through Hill School Trustee Peter Benedict II ’88 P’21, chairman of The Surdna Foundation, which was founded in 1917 by John Emory Andrus to pursue a range of philanthropic purposes.

For more information about the Pottstown Investors Conference click here.