Laura Brunner

President & CEO of the Greater Cincinnati Redevelopment Authority

Laura Brunner is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Cincinnati Redevelopment Authority, a public, mission-focused development finance agency dedicated to expanding prosperity by repositioning real estate and creating value from land assets in a way that benefits everyone in Hamilton County.

Since her appointment in 2011, Laura has led the 17-year-old organization in strengthening its platform to improve regional economic, social, and environmental conditions and foster greater economic mobility. Laura works closely with the Redevelopment Authority Board of Directors delivering on a three-pronged revitalization approach that guides its work – an innovative Public Finance practice that drives development; a holistic Neighborhood strategy that restores property to productive use and raises quality of life; and an urban Industrial redevelopment initiative designed to create development-ready sites that support next-generation manufacturing and logistics. She launched an impact investing program to support these bold initiatives, creating a Patient Capital Note structure that raises private capital and a revolving loan fund to help distressed neighborhood business districts.

Kevin Wright

Executive Director of Walnut Hills Redevelopment Foundation

Kevin’s work as Executive Director of the Walnut Hills Redevelopment Foundation(WHRF) from 2011-2018 received local honors and was featured in national publications such as The Huffington Post. It was there where he used his diverse background in storytelling and community planning to help a struggling organization develop a new brand and mission and grow from a staff of one contracted employee to seven full-time employees and several interns. Additionally, he grew the foundation’s budget ten-fold and developed a more sustainable and diverse revenue stream. Kevin has led teams in the creation and implementation of dozens of projects ranging from small creative placemaking activities to multi-million dollar real estate deals. These projects have included several public and private partners and a diverse set of public financing tools such as Tax Increment Financing, public loans/grants, and Historic Tax Credits.

Kevin earned a Bachelor’s degree in journalism from Missouri State University and received a Master’s Degree in Community Planning from the University of Cincinnati with a specialization in urban real estate and neighborhood development. Kevin serves locally on the Board of The Community Development Corporations Association of Greater Cincinnati, Cincinnati Neighborhood Business Districts United, is a member of the Urban Land Institute and was recently named to the 40 under 40 list by The Cincinnati Business Courier.

Sydney Fine

Managing Director of Workforce Development at ArtWorks

As Managing Director of Workforce Development at ArtWorks, Sydney oversees the strategic direction and management of professional development initiatives, enrichment, and education for both youth and creative professionals. An East Coast transplant with a Midwestern heart, Sydney has dedicated her career to improving opportunity and outcomes for youth and communities. Prior to joining ArtWorks, Sydney was a Teach for America corps member in Milwaukee, WI. Her experience in the classroom then led her to Future 5, a youth development nonprofit that helps youth with low-income backgrounds achieve their academic, professional, and personal goals, where she led fundraising strategy as Development Manager. Sydney received her BA from the University of Michigan, where she double-majored in Screen Arts & Cultures and Anthropology, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. During her service with Teach for America, Sydney also earned her MA in Education from Alverno College.