The Mattie Rhodes Center

Director of Northeast Alliance Together (NEAT), August 2019 to Present

Responsible for economic and community development activities within a six neighborhood area comprising Kansas City’s Historic Northeast area.

University of Missouri Kansas City (UMKC)

Adjunct Professor, August 2019 to Present

Teaching public policy for Masters Candidates at the Bloch Business School

 City of Kansas City, Missouri

City Councilman, 1^st District At-Large, May 2011 through July 2019; Mayor Pro Tem, August 2015 through July 2019; Finance Committee Chair, August 2015 through July 2019; Neighborhoods Committee Vice-Chair, May 2011 to July 2015; Housing Committee Member, August 2015 through July 2019

• Served as Mayor in absence of Mayor Sly James.
• Responsible for passing City’s $1.72 billion Budget in role as Finance Committee Chairman.
• Successfully achieved the City’s Reserve Target of 2 months of operational capital in 2018 and 2019, the first time it had been done in 20 years.
• Passed Legislation Creating the City’s Community Improvement District Revolving Loan Program (2011).  Fund has been used to form CIDs on Independence Avenue, Troost, and Broadway.
• Assisted in getting the City’s Housing Program out of Federal Receivership.
• Brought Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing to Kansas City through City Council Action.
• One of two councilmembers who assisted in the re-constitution of the Kansas City Homesteading Authority.
• Successfully lobbied the Missouri General Assembly for the formation of the Kansas City Land Bank and tighter controls on LLC’s that own vacant and abandoned property in Kansas City.
• Started and continue to lead the discussion on a new City Housing Policy, including the formation of a $75 million Housing Trust Fund.
• Led the effort for the City Council on applying for and executing the Paseo Gateway Choice Neighborhood Project resulting in $30 million from HUD for Chouteau Courts replacement housing.
• Successfully opened the KC Assessment & Triage Center working with Missouri Department of Mental Health, KC Municipal Court, five local hospitals, the Attorney General’s office, the Kansas City Police Department and area Mental Health agencies.
• Led the effort to reconstitute the City’s International Business Office.
• Led the effort with neighborhood and other stakeholders for the City’s first City-Wide Sidewalk Plan, including creating a $150 million funding source through General Obligation Bonds.
• Successfully led and passed two ballot items establishing Hotel/Motel and Rental Property Health Inspection programs.
• Successfully facilitated the migration to a Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) managed by the Mid-America Regional Council.
• Passed necessary legislation that allowed for the redevelopment of the Antioch Shopping Center.
• Helped facilitate the transfer of the Kansas City Museum from Union Station to the Kansas City Parks & Recreation Department.
• Passed two ordinances to facilitate historic preservation of structures in danger of demolition.
• Directed over $150 million in infrastructure dollars to District 1.
• Successfully raised $100 million of local and federal dollars for a new Buck O’Neil Bridge (pending Environmental Assessment and State matching funds).
• Created social media venues and e-newsletters to connect with various constituencies.

Education: B.S. in Agronomy, Missouri State University and Masters in Public
Administration, University of Missouri

Housing and Environmental Design Specialist for MU Extension.  He is a LEED AP and registered architect with an intense interest in sustainable communities and buildings.  He served on the original Springfield Vision 20/20 – Center City committee, more recently on the Field Guide 2030 – Housing Committee and Green Building Taskforce. Over the last 12-years, Jeff has nurtured a collaboration with the Drury Center for Community Studies and MU Extension, resulting in 51 visioning projects for 39 Missouri communities. The visioning efforts have focused on creating the opportunity for ‘Citizen Scholarship’ and building the community’s capacity for change.

Jeff has primarily lived in Springfield since moving from Colorado to attend Drury in 1985, graduating in the 1^st accredited class of the Hammons School of Architecture. Following Drury, he pursued a Master of Architecture at OU in Norman, OK, lived 2-years in Columbia and for the last 20 years as a Rountree resident, all helping him become a ‘student’ of the various neighborhood housing patterns adjacent university campuses. Jeff has been active in the Rountree Neighborhood Association serving as Chair, Board-Member and now as NAC Representative. He has also served as the CPO Housing Committee Chair and as the Springfield Neighborhood Advisory Council (NAC) Vice-Chair.

Jeff’s efforts have helped our community move toward sustainability, by increasing public dialogue through his work as Chair and Board member of the Ozarks Green Building Coalition and his persistence to bring PACE funding opportunities to Springfield, Greene County and the broader communities of Missouri.

Years Experience: 35 years with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources all in the environmental field:
– Technical: conducting water quality sampling, monitoring, and investigations across Missouri.
– Environmental Policy Director for DNR’s Division of Environmental Quality
– Director of the DNR Environmental Laboratory
– Deputy Director for the DNR Division of Environmental Quality focusing on water protection (both water quality and drinking water) and hazardous waste, which included environmental cleanup activities and working with the Missouri General Assembly on environmental issues.
– Extensive experience working with state and federal agencies on environmental issues.
– Work with small communities to assist them in upgrading their wastewater treatment facilities to meet new, more stringent permit requirements.

Education: B.S. in Agronomy, Missouri State University and Masters in Public Administration, University of Missouri

Shomari Benton is an experienced real estate attorney who focuses his practice on real estate transactions and real estate development.  He has represented clients in all aspects of real estate law including development, financing, purchases, sales, leasing, joint ventures, condemnation, planning and zoning, brownfield development and real estate litigation.  He is also an entrepreneur and community activist.

Professional accomplishments:

-Worked on Land Use Development financing tools such as URDs and CIDs.

-Represent neighborhood association in Abandoned Housing/Civil Nuisance cases.

-Represent client on Historic Tax Credit closings.

-General Counsel for statutory agency.

-Litigation – Lead counsel on Unlawful Detainer/Rent and Possession cases.

-Commercial Real Estate – Drafted lease/sublease agreements for corporate entities, termination of easements and similar documents.

-Counseled clients on a number of development related matters including public financing, planning & zoning process, & review of sale and lease agreements.

-Negotiated with City, major University, Developer, and HOA concerning development rights and payments related to multi-level dormitory construction.

-Advised clients on homeowner association formations and execution of rules under By-Laws and Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions.

-Drafted pleadings and conduct negotiations and research in preparation for trial.

-Reviewed and advised client concerning CERCLA, RCRA, and Phase I initiatives.

-Advised client on reclamation/remediation of Underground Storage Tanks (USTs).

-Focused on Environmental Issues as they pertain to state and federal compliance.

-Represent statutory agency on all aspects of tax abatement  management/implementation.

-Property Assessed Clean Energy counsel.

Education:

University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law, Columbia MO | J.D., 2005

University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia MO | B.S., 2002 Political Science

ADMISSIONS: Missouri Bar Association

Senior Vice President of Public Finance with Blaylock Van. Mr. Ly was an investment banker with Piper Jaffray, Benchmark Securities, CastleOak Securities and KeyBanc Capital Markets. 

Previous work with Ferrand Consulting Group, Inc., the parent company of the Munex software where he trained bankers and analysts on bond structuring, and Analyst at Chapman and Cutler as a senior analyst performing arbitrage rebate calculations. Mr. Ly is an Honors College graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago with dual BA degrees in Economics and Finance. He holds FINRA Municipal Securities Representative (Series 52) and Uniform State Law (Series 63) licenses.

David Pickerill is the Executive Director of Missouri Clean Energy District (MCED), a political subdivision. MCED is the administrator of the state wide property-assessed clean energy (PACE) program. . He was appointed to the position in 2011.   Prior to his work with MCED, he ran his own firm, Provident Capital LLC, an independent municipal advisory firm.   He has been involved in municipal finance for 40 years as underwriter and advisor.

Pickerill is the past president of the St. Louis Municipal Bond Club, a current director and the former treasurer and president of Trailnet, Inc., a regional land trust that promotes non-motorized transportation, and is a director of the Missouri Environmental Fund. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois and the University of Michigan’s School of Public Finance.

Pickerill was the Municipal Securities Principal for Wheellhouse Securities Corporation in Clayton, MO. and currently serving on the Goodwill Board of Directors.

John Harris is the Director of Finance for the Missouri Clean Energy District (MCED), a political subdivision. MCED is the administrator of the state wide property-assessed clean energy (PACE) program. . He was appointed to the position in 2011.   Prior to his work with MCED, he ran his own firm, Provident Capital LLC, an independent municipal advisory firm.   He has been involved in municipal finance for 25 years as underwriter and advisor.

Harris attended Illinois State University for undergraduate and graduate school and the Prochnow Foundation Graduate School of Banking.

Harris as served as a Municipal Securities Professional for Midwest banks.

J.L. “Kris” Christopher is the Programs Manager for the Missouri Clean Energy District (MCED).For over 20 years, Kris has been working as an independent accounting consultant for various firms, with experience in both the public and private sectors, including non-profit organizations, where she worked with donors to secure fundraising. She attended the University of Missouri-Rolla, where she studied Mathematics, prior to living abroad, where she learned to speak Spanish. She specializes in administrative technology, including accounting software and organizational apps.

Jeffrey Yung is the Communications Manager for the Missouri Green Banc. Jeffrey holds a BFA in graphic design from Truman State University. Jeffrey has many years of experience generating artwork, monitoring production, and producing high quality work for high profile brands in Missouri.