Russell Baker

Principal, Black Timber Builders

Russell Baker is a principal at Black Timber Builders, a Northern Colorado development, construction and design firm based in Fort Collins. With a background in land development and residential homebuilding, Russell has been involved in shaping communities throughout Northern Colorado for more than two decades. At Black Timber, Russell focuses on thoughtful land development, sustainable building practices and creating communities designed for long-term impact. His recent work includes Sugar Creek in Loveland, a mixed residential community planned for up to 1,110 homes, as well as The Estates at Donath Lake, an innovative Passive House community in Northern Colorado. Russell brings extensive experience in development, entitlement and community-focused growth, along with a strong understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing Northern Colorado as the region continues to grow.

Steve Byers

CEO, EnergyLogic

Steve Byers is the CEO of EnergyLogic, a Colorado based applied building science company. EnergyLogic serves Colorado and Hawaii with direct services and clients elsewhere via consulting and software services.

Steve is a graduate of the US Air Force Academy and flew C-130s after that. He started his career in our industry as an intern at Southface Institute and has done all the gritty work of a field rater in new and existing homes.

He considers himself very lucky to have worked in a wide variety of areas that he’s passionate about and with people that he values and respects.

He loves trail running, live music and travel. He’s most at home above timberline.

Deb Callies

Director of Housing, Department of Housing Solutions, City of Greeley

Deb Callies’ professional background spans more than 20 years in housing management and development, workforce development, and federal, state, and local grant management. Her experience includes Housing Investment Manager for the City of Longmont and previously the Housing Supervisor for the Loveland Housing Authority. Among her accomplishments, Callies has the ability to develop and maintain collaborative relationships as demonstrated through partnerships with the Boulder Broomfield Consortium and Boulder County Regional Housing Partnership. Callies has also managed multiple Annual Action Plans for HUD entitlement programs including projects that promote the creation and preservation of affordable housing and furthering fair housing initiatives.

Robert Dietz

Chief Economist, National Association of Home Builders

Dr. Robert Dietz is the Chief Economist for the National Association of Home Builders, where his responsibilities include economic forecasting, industry surveys, and policy research. He is commonly cited on CNBC, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post and NPR. He is the nation’s leading analyst of the residential construction industry. Prior to joining NAHB in 2005, Robert worked as an economist for the Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation. He is a native of Dayton, Ohio and earned a Ph.D. in Economics from The Ohio State University in 2003.

Kyle George

Director of business development, EPS Group, Inc.

Kyle collaborates with landowners, developers, brokers, and industry professionals to create customized solutions for civil engineering, surveying, and construction projects. Before joining EPS Group, George spent over 20 years in the new home construction industry, with eight years in a senior leadership position at Lennar. During this time, he helped lead the Colorado division to become a top performer in the market. He is active in the greater Fort Collins area, including Timnath, Colorado. 

Robert Paulson

City Planning Manager, City of Loveland

Bob moved to Northern Colorado in 2006 to become the Planning Manager for the City. He has always had a passion for planning, the built environment, and working collaboratively on innovative design ideas. He studied planning at the University of New Mexico and received a bachelor’s of arts in American Studies at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. He has worked in both the public sector as a planner and planning manager for the City of Albuquerque and in the private sector as a planning consultant for URS and at his own planning consulting business.  Bob is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners and runs the City’s development review team. In his free time, Bob enjoys playing competitive handball and has participated in handball tournaments around the Front Range. He is also an enthusiastic spectator cheering for his children’s soccer teams.

Joe Rowan

Advisor

With a degree in Finance & Real Estate from Colorado State University and 35 years of experience in those disciplines, Joe has trained his focus to identifying and interpreting a broad range of public policy issues.  With keen interest in local and state matters that impact housing affordability, he is able to leverage extensive knowledge of public finance tools and private development techniques to help resolve impediments to achieving a more balanced market.  He plans to keep working decades into the future.

Lori Feild Schwarz

Deputy Director, City of Fort Collins Community Development, Housing and Sustainability Service

Lori Feild Schwarz, AICP is the Deputy Director of the City of Fort Collins Community Development, Housing and Sustainability Service Area as well as the Director of Planning and Development Services.  She manages cross-departmental teams including Planning, Building, Code Compliance, and Historic Preservation. Schwarz joined the City in January 2025 after moving from Texas. Schwarz served as the inaugural Director of Neighborhood Services for the City of Plano, Texas for nine years where she managed teams in neighborhood planning, housing and homeless services, and property standards. She also served as Plano’s Comprehensive Planning Manager and was project manager for the 2017 Daniel Burnham Award winning plan, Plano Tomorrow.  Prior to moving to the Dallas-Fort Worth area in 2013, she served the City of Galveston for twelve years in multiple roles, including Historic Preservation Officer and Interim Director of Planning and Community Development. 

Andy Smith

Redevelopment Manager, City of Fort Collins

Andy Smith is the Redevelopment Manager for the City of Fort Collins, a role he has held since February 2024. He oversees the operations and real estate initiatives of the Fort Collins Urban Renewal Authority (URA), including strategy, acquisitions, assemblages, entitlements, and community partnerships. His current projects include master planning the redevelopment of a North College Avenue superblock anchored by a vacant grocery store, remediation of blighted motels, development of innovative affordable housing finance programs, and public infrastructure improvements. Before joining the City, Andy owned a commercial real estate brokerage and consulting firm specializing in mixed-use redevelopment, historic properties, and multifamily land development. 

DJ Summers

Director of Communications & Research Operations, Common Sense Institute

DJ Summers is Common Sense Institute’s Director of Communications & Research Operations. He oversees CSI fellows and research staff, coordinates with partners, iterates and analyzes projects, and breaks down findings for the public, legislators, and commercial leaders. Prior to CSI, DJ attended the University of Utah and Syracuse University. He worked as a journalist, investigator, and political researcher across the U.S. from Washington, D.C. to Alaska.

Kristin Todd

President and CEO, NoCo Foundation

Kristin leads the NoCo Foundation and guides our efforts as a service provider to philanthropists while helping to inspire impactful community projects. She is a lifelong proponent of philanthropy, and throughout her 29-year career, she’s experienced its ability to have a lasting – and meaningful – impact on communities. She previously served as executive vice president for the Daniels Fund, grew up in New Orleans (Geaux Saints), and earned her master’s degree in public administration from the University of Colorado. Her family relocated from Denver in 2021, and they have fallen in love with the beauty and magic of Northern Colorado. 

Mike Welty

VP of Sales and Marketing, Landmark Homes

Mike Welty leads sales and marketing for Landmark Homes, an entity of LCS Construction specializing in condominiums and townhomes for sale across Northern Colorado, with expansion into Denver underway. Across his career he has guided buyers through the journey of homeownership on nearly 3,500 homes in Colorado, and understands the struggles homeowners face in today’s market. Mike began his career in new home construction in 2006 as an onsite sales representative with Oakwood Homes, selling through the 2008 downturn and seeing firsthand how a volatile, unaffordable market affects both builders and buyers alike. He moved into sales management and was promoted to Director of Sales with Century Communities in 2015. In 2019 he was promoted to President of Homebuilding for Hartford Homes, where over a five-year span he coordinated horizontal and vertical execution across the business, maintaining affordability and profitability despite COVID-era disruption, lumber volatility, and rising interest rates.