Dr. Colette Santasieri is the Executive Director of the Center for Community Systems at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), as well as Executive Director of the NJ Brownfields Assistance Center @ NJIT. She has extensive experience and expertise in the planning and design of sustainable and resilient communities, properties, and civil infrastructure systems; regional planning; strategic planning; environmental planning; capital programming; transit oriented development; brownfields redevelopment; and identifying and analyzing a project’s impacts on socio-economic, natural, and man-made settings. Colette holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Planning and Design, a Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering, and a PhD in Urban Systems.

Suzanne Ishee, Director, NJIT Hub for Creative Placemaking at the Martin Tuchman School of Management Suzanne Ishee serves as an Adjunct Instructor for Creative Placemaking, Professional Development/Executive Education, and for the College of Science and Liberal Arts. In addition, she serves as Manager for placemaking-related events held on the NJIT campus and as the convener for NJIT’s film/TV workforce development planning. Suzanne is an Emmy and Drama Desk Award winning producer, actor and playwright veteran of the NY theatre and concert stages. In 2009, she expanded her arts career into the Creative Placemaking field through supporting the formation of Arts Build Communities at Rutgers University as Advisory Board Chairperson. In 2011, she co-founded the Center for Creative Placemaking (CCP) where she continued to advance the field of practice through promotion, thought leadership, and training. She designed and developed Creative Placemaking content for numerous sector-specific workshops including those for professionals who practice Real Estate, Downtown Management, Conservation, Pubic Art, Professional Artists, and numerous others. In 2019, she co-founded the NJIT Hub for Creative Placemaking and has served as its director since its inception. She developed the curriculum for the NJIT’s well-lauded Certificate in Creative Placemaking . She has provided expertise and engagement in numerous CP-related efforts in the region including as Co-Chair of the Livable Task Force for NJ Transportation Planning Authority/Together North Jersey, as an original member of the Western Highlands Scenic Byway Management Board. Suzanne is a long-serving member of the Morris Canal Greenway Redevelopment Working Group and the RWJF Food Insecurity in NJ taskforce. She serves on the stewardship council of the 3-state/9-county Scenic, Wild Delaware River Geotourism Initiative, and since its inception remains an active member of Sustainable Jersey’s Arts and Creative Culture Task Force through evaluation of NJ municipality’s annual submissions.