Kris Larson

President and CEO, Downtown Houston+ (TX) Kris is the President & CEO of Central Houston, Inc. He’s held positions on the public and private sides of community leadership and served as the President & CEO for the downtown organizations in Los Angeles, CA, Raleigh, NC, and Grand Rapids, MI. He earned an MPA from NC State University, was a Daniel Rose Fellow through the Rose Center for Public Leadership, and is Chair-Elect of the IDA's Board of Directors. The IDA has awarded four Pinnacle Awards to his projects in the fields and Leadership, Planning, Advocacy, and Marketing.

Jon Scholes

President and CEO, Downtown Seattle Association (WA) Jon Scholes is president & CEO of the Downtown Seattle Association where he is responsible for the operations and programs of the DSA, a 650-member association formed in 1958 to create a healthy, vibrant downtown. In this capacity, Jon is also responsible for the management of the Metropolitan Improvement District (MID), which was established by property owners and the City of Seattle in 1999 to provide cleaning, safety, transportation, marketing and public-realm management services across 285 square blocks in downtown. He was appointed president and CEO of DSA in November of 2014 following six years as DSA’s vice president of advocacy and economic development. He has led the growth and expansion of the organization’s services, advocacy agenda and response to the impacts of the pandemic on downtown Seattle. Jon has spent more than 20 years working in nonprofit advocacy, public affairs, local government, and in senior positions on political campaigns at the regional and state levels. Jon serves on the boards of Visit Seattle, the International Downtown Association, and Downtown Emergency Services Center and has served on a number of city and county task forces focused on transportation, homelessness and housing. He was recognized in 2016 as a “40 Under 40” honoree by the Puget Sound Business Journal and named one of Seattle’s most influential people by Seattle Magazine in 2021. Jon is a graduate of Leadership Tomorrow and attended the University of Texas in Austin before graduating from the University of Washington. He lives in downtown Seattle with his wife and their 12-year-old twins.

Judith Veresuk

Executive Director, Regina Downtown BID (SK) Judith Veresuk is the Executive Director of the Regina Downtown Business Improvement District, where she is responsible for overseeing BID operations; designing, implementing and managing programs to ensure Downtown Regina is a clean, safe and friendly destination for visitors, residents and businesses. Since joining RDBID in 2010, Judith has developed and implemented programs highlighting the wide ranging nature of Downtown Regina. These initiatives include tours of Downtown’s history and architectural heritage, arts and cultural programs celebrating local artists through the Urban Canvas initiative, development of community-wide events such as Frost, Grey Cup, Hometown Hockey and Hockey Week Downtown (as part of the Heritage Classic NHL game. Judith continues to work with the downtown property and business owners to make Downtown Regina a vibrant neighbourhood that supports our community’s growth.