| meet the teamDeveloping pioneering strategies for business, government, and community competitiveness, the Creative Class Group is comprised of next-generation thinkers and strategists who offer organizations and regions access to leading-edge knowledge, trends, research, consulting, education, and professional development worldwide.  Entrepreneur, speaker, researcher, and go-to guru, Richard Florida is the founder of the Creative Class Group, a global advisory services firm headquartered in Washington, D.C. His discovery of the “creative class” has been lauded by the Harvard Business Review as one of the major breakthrough ideas of our time and has inspired leading companies like Apple, BMW, and Virgin Atlantic to rethink their marketing and business strategies. In the last five years, Richard has penned two national bestsellers, The Rise of the Creative Class and The Flight of the Creative Class, which launched an intellectual revolution that has changed the way companies, nations, and communities compete and thrive. Combining in-depth analysis, cutting-edge trends, and fascinating personal stories, Richard is one of the world’s most dynamic, engaging, and sought-after speakers. A leading public intellectual on economic competitiveness, demographic trends, and cultural and technological innovation, he was named one of Esquire magazine’s Best and Brightest alongside Bill Clinton, Jeffery Sachs, and other luminaries. Richard is Professor of Business and Creativity at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. Previously, Florida has held professorships at George Mason University and Carnegie Mellon University and taught as a visiting professor at Harvard and MIT. He is a former senior scientist with the Gallup Organization. Richard earned his bachelor’s from Rutgers College and his Ph.D. from Columbia University. He lives in Toronto Canada, with his wife.  David J. Miller is a community facilitator with the Creative Class Group. As a founding developer of the Creative Communities Leadership Project, he brings his vast experience in economic development, real-estate and campus entrepreneurship to help communities achieve greater economic prosperity. Prior to joining CCG, David worked as an adviser to large commercial real estate tenants and multifamily property owners in San Francisco. Before working in real estate advisory services, David was the Director of Internet Operations and Strategy for MachineWeb.com, Inc. and manager of e-commerce and digital music for Rollingstone.com. David also has extensive experience in the global policy arena having served as researcher and writer for Ambassador David M. Abshire, founder of The Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC. David holds an MBA from the University of Chicago, a master’s in international politics of Asia from the University of London (dissertation title: Changing Definitions of Security in the Information Age: The People’s Republic of China and the Internet), and a bachelor’s in international relations from the University of Michigan. Currently pursuing a Ph.D. in entrepreneurship, David lives in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, D.C., with his wife, son, and dog.  Rana Florida serves as CEO of the Creative Class Group and also plays a strategic role in marketing, branding, and communications, having more than 15 years of experience in the field. Rana’s versatile experience in leading corporate communications, integrated marketing campaigns, strategic brand positioning, and partnerships has lead to increased sales and brand awareness. She has worked with some of the world’s most-recognizable brands including Disney, Starbucks, Chrysler, Wolfgang Puck, and Neiman Marcus, to name just a few. Rana most recently directed global strategic communications for a $2 billion company in the travel industry. She worked on both sides of the media, having served as a PR director who worked regularly with international media as well as having her own internationally syndicated advice column in major daily newspapers. She also served as a special televsion guest on WJBK Fox News affiliate for three years running. Rana holds a bachelor’s degree in public relations and communications and an MBA in marketing and management. She lives in Toronto Canada, with her husband and business partner, Richard Florida.  Steven Pedigo provides analysis of economic and consumer trends for the Creative Class Group and works with communities to establish initiatives to attract and retain talent. He is Vice President for Business Attraction and Research for Greenlight Greater Portland, the regional economic development and marketing organization for the Portland-Vancouver metropolitan area. Prior to joining Greenlight, Steven was the research director for the Greater Washington Initiative (GWI). With GWI, Steven authored several comprehensive research studies examining Washington, D.C.'s international economy, creative workforce, and information technology sectors. His research has been featured in such publications as The Washington Post, The New York Times, and The Dallas Morning News. Steven holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at Austin and graduate degrees from the H. John Heinz III School for Public Policy and Management at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He resides in Portland's Pearl District.  Reham Alexander is the operations director for Creative Class Media and handles client relations and management of domestic and international speaking engagements. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Reham has a background in advertising and marketing and has worked as a freelance corporate consultant for the past several years. Reham has been a long time columnist for the Detroit News. She lives in Birmingham, Mi with her two sons.  Lou Musante is a Business Development, Facilitator and Project Leader for Creative Class Communities. He is also the founder and managing partner of Echo Strategies in Pittsburgh, a professional services network of 50 seasoned veterans specializing in innovation management and helping companies grow and increase profits. Key service areas include customer listening®, market research, organizational culture assessments, change enablement, navigating the fuzzy front-end of new product development, B2B marketing, and competitive intelligence, as well as qualitative research and group thinking techniques. Lou is also a founding partner of Catalytix, Inc., a Creative Class Group company and spinout from Carnegie Mellon University. The key services provided by Catalytix include performance measurement, strategic planning, and transformation management for the public sector with a focus on economic development groups and the foundation community. Lou holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and maters degree in information science and lives in Pittsburgh with his wife and five daughters!  Christian Unverzagt is a partner in design and responsible for the brand and image of the Creative Class Group. He is a designer and educator based in Detroit. He heads M1/DTW, a nationally recognized, multidisciplinary studio working at the intersection of design, cultural production, and emerging technologies through the design of objects, artifacts, identities, and spaces. Unverzagt has received numerous awards including I.D. Magazine's Annual Design Review and a "50 Books" award from the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA). M1's work has been published widely and exhibited in Los Angeles, Austin, Detroit, New York, and Boston. Christian teaches design at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, focusing on visual representation and graphic communication.  Sarah Fife is a Community Facilitator with the Creative Class Group in Australia. With a background in Social History and a Masters Degree in Public Policy and Management from the H John Heinz School at Carnegie Mellon University, Sarah is interested in leading initiatives which have a positive impact on communities. Sarah served in a managing role to the Chief Executive of Allegheny County in Pennsylvania. She was instrumental in helping launch The Rise of the Creative Class to the best-seller list. Sarah lives in Sydney with her husband, Tim.  Aleem Kanji works with communities and companies of all sizes on behalf of the Creative Class Group. In this role, he develops capacity for new initiatives, strategies and cutting edge community-building practices. He also leads the Economic Development policy mandate at the Toronto Board of Trade (TBoT), Canada's largest Chamber of Commerce. Before joining TBoT and the Creative Class Group, Aleem served as Senior Economist for the Government of Ontario at the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade. He has also worked with Pricewaterhouse Coopers as a Consultant in their Real Estate Advisory Services Division. Aleem holds a Masters Degree in Economic Development and a Bachelor's Degree in Urban and Regional Planning, both from the University of Waterloo. He was the youngest Canadian ever to be accredited with the Certified Economic Developer 'Ec.D' designation – recognizing industry and academic qualifications of Economic Developers. Aleem lives in Toronto, Canada with his wife Salma.
|
