Diane Davis (Welcome)

Charles Dyer Norton Professor of Regional Planning and Urbanism, Harvard Graduate School of Design

Matthew Smith (Moderator)

Loeb Fellow 2025; Cofounder and Director, Building Common Ground

Raised in the Rocky Mountain West, Matt Smith is committed to rural community development and identifying how planning, design, and construction processes can positively impact small communities.

To further this work, he partnered with other rural practitioners to launch Building Common Ground, an infrastructure accelerator that aims to provide long term support to rural, remote, and Indigenous communities and their leaders. Matt is also a visiting scholar at his alma mater, Montana State University, where he teaches and researches hybrid organizations as alternative models of design practice.

Prior to his current work, Matt was managing director at MASS Design Group where he oversaw global operations from 2015 to 2023, supporting MASS’s ten-fold growth in staff and revenue while ensuring the organization remained mission focused. In 2019, he co-led the opening of MASS’s rural and Native-focused Santa Fe Studio.

Based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Matt is active in his community and serves on the boards of Creative Santa Fe and Atalaya Search and Rescue, where he is also an on-call first responder working in Northern New Mexico’s backcountry. He holds a master’s in development practice from Columbia University and a bachelor’s in business management and philosophy from Montana State University.

Lisa Hicks Gilbert

Mayor, Elaine, AR

Born and raised in Elaine, Arkansas, Lisa serves as the Volunteer Program Manager at the Lee Street Community Center and as the founder and Managing Director of Descendants of the Elaine Massacre of 1919 (DOEM1919)—an organization dedicated to preserving the history and legacy of the 1919 Elaine Massacre.

On December 6, 2022, Lisa made history in a landmark runoff election by defeating the incumbent to become the first Black and first elected female Mayor of Elaine. Sworn in on January 1, 2023, she began her four-year term with a bold vision: to confront the economic, health, food, and educational disparities that have burdened her community for generations.

Lisa holds an Associate’s Degree in Paralegal Technology, providing her with a strong foundation in legal research, documentation, and advocacy—skills she applies daily in her work as Mayor and community restoration.

Her mission is clear—to help build a thriving Elaine for all residents. She leads with a spirit of resilience rooted in community, believing that leadership is not measured by title alone, but by service, sacrifice, and the courage to uplift others—especially in places where silence and struggle have long endured.

Ren Hatt

Mayor, Green River, UT

Ren Hatt is a proud resident of Green River, Utah, and is currently serving as its 33rd mayor. Ren grew up in Green River and has followed the example of many of his family predecessors who also served in elected positions. Ren has spent the majority of his life in rural spaces and understands the importance of strong leadership in helping these areas retain their identity and remain viable places for growth, development, and opportunity. Ren graduated from Case Western Reserve University School of Law in 2014 and lived and worked in many communities before finally returning home to Green River. He currently works as a full-time school teacher, a part-time lawyer, and a when-he-can dungeon master. He lives and works in Green River, Utah, where he spends as much time as possible with his fiancée, Maria Sykes, and their dog, Arya.

Kristine Lott

Mayor, Winooski, VT

Kristine Lott began her political career in 2017 as part of The City of Winooski, Vermont’s Housing Commission, later serving on the City Council before becoming Mayor in 2019. Now in her third term, Mayor Lott has formalized and expanded community engagement for city leaders, shepherded local ordinance changes to expand local voting participation, and increase housing affordability while retaining historic and cultural resources. Major infrastructure projects have kept on track and on budget through the COVID 19 pandemic and beyond including a complete Main Street revitalization, a community pool rehabilitation, and a municipal parking garage, hotel, and workforce housing development project. In addition to serving as Mayor, Lott is the Director of Operations for an education non-profit. Lott was born in Southwest Michigan where she lived until attending Michigan State University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Humanities. Lott relocated to Vermont in 2009 where she met her husband, a lifelong resident of Winooski. Mayor Lott continues to focus on financial sustainability, housing affordability, and community engagement, working with residents, businesses, community partners, and city staff to make progress towards the community vision, outlined in the goals of Winooski’s Master Plan.