We hope you are planning to join us this evening (Thursday, August 20, 2020, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm) for the Purple Line NOW Webinar: Getting Ready for the First Purple Line Ride!

(If you forgot to register, you can still do so HERE.)

We wanted to be sure you saw the bios for our terrific slate of speakers tonight! We are looking forward to hearing from each of them about what we can look forward to once the Purple Line is built!

• Casey Anderson, Chair, Montgomery County Planning Board

Casey Anderson has served on the Montgomery County Planning Board since 2011 and was appointed Chair in 2014. He also serves as vice chair of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, the bi-county agency established by state law that regulates real estate development, plans transportation infrastructure, and manages the park systems in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties. Before he was named Chair of the Planning Board, Anderson founded a jury consulting firm after working as a congressional staffer, government relations executive, newspaper reporter, and lawyer in private practice. He has served on the boards of several non-profit organizations, including the Washington Area Bicyclist Association, the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, the Committee for Montgomery, the Woodside Civic Association and the Silver Spring Citizens Advisory Board. Anderson holds undergraduate and law degrees from Georgetown University and a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University. He lives in Silver Spring with his wife Mary Boyle and their two children. He enjoys mountain biking, coaching competitive high school debate, and volunteering with the Boy Scouts of America.

• Vicki Davis, President, Urban Atlantic Development

Vicki Davis is responsible for managing the acquisition, planning, design, and implementation of all Urban Atlantic projects, and asset management of properties that the company owns and its Mid-City Community CDE investment portfolio. With over 30 years of experience in real estate development, she formerly served as Deputy Director of the Maryland Housing Fund at Maryland DHCD. Her experience also includes portfolio management for MNC Financial-South Charles Realty and multifamily development for Trammell Crow Residential. As President of Urban Atlantic Development, Ms. Davis has managed development of over $2 billion in real estate projects and asset managed over $4 billion in real estate investments. She has led the development of large scale, urban, mixed use communities, over 6,000 multifamily residential units and 600,000 commercial square, including eight HOPE VI mixed-use redevelopment projects, as well as transit-oriented TOD mixed-use projects. Ms. Davis holds an MBA in Finance from American University, an MS in Engineering & Construction Management from University of Texas, and a BS in Civil Engineering from the University of Maryland. She taught for 12 years in the Johns Hopkins Real Estate MBA program. She serves as Board member of the DC Building Industry Association; Board member of the Capitol Riverfront BID, and Board member of the ULI Terwilliger Center for Housing and Board member of Cultural DC.

• The Honorable Andrew Friedson, Montgomery County Council Member (District 1)

Andrew Friedson is the District 1 Councilmember representing western and southwestern Montgomery County from the D.C. line to the Frederick County border. He serves on the Planning, Housing, & Economic Development committee and the Government Operations & Fiscal Policy committee. A lifelong resident of District 1, Andrew grew up in Potomac, resides in Bethesda and is a graduate of the University of Maryland – College Park. In 2019 spearheaded landmark legislation to ensure all county bills include a thorough economic analysis and to strengthen financial oversight by requiring a regular review of spending by all county departments and agencies. A longtime volunteer, advocate, and leader with local charities and community-based organizations, Andrew has continued his passionate advocacy for nonprofits while on the Council and awarded the 2019 Phyllis Campbell Newsome Public Policy Leadership Award from the Center for Nonprofit Advancement. Prior to joining the Council, Andrew served as senior policy advisor and deputy chief of staff to the Comptroller of Maryland. Andrew has dedicated his career to making government more effective, efficient, and responsive by holding public agencies accountable and scrutinizing billions in government contracts, securing a dignified retirement for teachers and public servants, and improving customer service to make the public sector actually work for the public.

• The Honorable Dannielle M. Glaros, Prince George’s County Council Member (District 3)

Dannielle M. Glaros (D-District 3) was elected to her first four-year term on the Prince George’s County Council in the 2014 General Election and was re-elected in 2018. After serving for two years as Vice Chair of the Council, Glaros was elected by her colleagues to serve as Council Chair for the 2018 Legislative Year. She is the Chair of the Council’s Planning, Housing and Economic Development (PHED) Committee and a member of the Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy and Environment (TIEE) Committee. Glaros serves as Vice Chair for the Metropolitan Washington Council of Government’s Region Forward Coalition and is the Council’s representative on the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB). Glaros chairs the Prince George’s County Housing Opportunity for All Workgroup and is the co-chair of the Purple Line Corridor Coalition’s Purple Line Caucus.

• Vernon G. Hartsock, PMP, Acting Project Director, Transit Development & Delivery, MTA

Since March of 2020, Vernon Hartsock, as the Acting Project Director for Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) Transit Development & Delivery has been overseeing the design, construction, and commissioning of the Purple Line.  Vernon has served with the MTA for over 28 years, starting in Railcar and Systems Maintenance and joining the Office of Engineering in 1998. Previously, Vernon held the position of Chief Engineer overseeing the design and construction of MTA’s capital projects. Vernon has provided leadership over multiple major transit projects including Light Rail Double Track, Metro SCADA, Light Rail Vehicle Overhaul, Kirk Bus Maintenance Facility, and Metro New Fleet & Signals. Vernon is a published author and speaker and has previously held technical positions with CSX Transportation, General Instrument Corporation, Aircraft Armaments Industry (AAI) in addition to working for 5 years as an Adjunct Instructor and textbook author for Howard Community College. Vernon holds a BS. Degree in Computer Science & Information and a Master’s degree in Software Engineering from the University of Maryland University College. 

• Kipling Reynolds, AICP, Division Chief, Community Planning Prince George's County Planning Department

Community Planning Division Chief for the Prince George’s County Planning Department with over 25 years of experience working in local government in Maryland. Ms. Reynolds has been with M-NCPPC since 2008 in a variety of capacities, most recently as the Division Chief for Community Planning, Prince George’s county Department of Planning. She has a Master’s degree from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in Regional Planning and a Bachelor’s Degree from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs from Indiana University, Bloomington IN.

• John L. Ziegenhein, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Chevy Chase Land Company

John L. Ziegenhein is President and Chief Executive Officer of The Chevy Chase Land Company, overseeing the company’s new development and two-million square feet of commercial and residential properties. John has 20 years of experience in real development and management, most recently as Chief Operating Officer at McCaffery, Inc. He is as a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers, Inc., Urban Land Institute, and National Multifamily Housing Council. John currently serves on the Land Company’s Executive Committee and is active locally serving on the Board of the Arlington Food Assistance Center and Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing.

• Justin Kennell, Development Manager, Bozzuto Development Company

Justin Kennell is responsible for managing the development activities from preliminary financing and entitlements through design and construction for mixed-use and multifamily projects throughout the Baltimore-Washington DC region. He is currently leading the development of Chevy Chase Lake, a two-phase project consisting of 466 apartments, 65 condos, and 95,000sf of retail located in Chevy Chase, MD. Justin is an active member of the Urban Land Institute. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Finance from Towson University and a Master of Science in Real Estate and Infrastructure from Johns Hopkins University.