Kathy Breedlove, MOVE Alliance Program Chair

Kathy Breedlove, JD, is a consultant in land use and planning. As Director of Planning for the Hotel del Coronado, Kathy managed a team of 15 consultants to re-design the master plan around a fault hazard zone and process entitlements through the City of Coronado and California Coastal Commission.  As approved, the Amended Master Plan includes entitlements for a new 20,000 SF conference center and 144 additional guestroom keys, intended to be sold as condo-hotel units. Kathy also managed the marketing and public relations program for the sale of the first phase release, Beach Village, consisting of 35 condo-hotel units. Previously, Kathy served as Project Manager for a development project located on a private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands, ultimately approved for 100 resort residential units.

Kathy is also an instructor in the UCSD Extension Program, Urban Planning. Kathy serves as Program Chair for the Move San Diego’s MOVE Alliance.

Aaron Contorer, Secretary

Aaron is president of the Contorer Foundation, which focuses on environmental sustainability and wealth studies. He is a partner and board member of San Diego Social Venture Partners, working to increase regional philanthropy, and is cofounder and chair of SDSVP's Environment Accelerator Fund.

He is a board member of Equinox Center, a new environmental policy center for the San Diego region. He served for eight years on the board of Northwest Environment Watch (now Sightline Institute), focusing on sprawl and sustainable economic development, and also helped to build the Kirkland (Wash.) Teen Center.

Aaron is a former executive of Microsoft Corporation, where he helped to build products including Windows, MSN, Visual Studio, and in-house engineering tools. He served on the CEO's staff, and founded the Microsoft Big Gift Club for new philanthropists. He was also an inventor, named in several patents in computer networking and security, and was an executive of three other small software companies.

Aaron holds degrees in computer science and psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  

Marcela Escobar-Eck

Marcela has over 21 years of experience in the land use and development field with various government agencies and elected officials, and is now President of her own land use consulting firm, The Atlantis Group.

In her role as Director for the Development Services Department for the City of San Diego, she oversaw all operations of a complex, regulatory department with a $68.9 million dollar budget and 655 budgeted staff.

Marcela holds a Bachelor of Science degree in landscape architecture with an emphasis in urban and regional planning from the University of California at Davis. Her career with the City of San Diego began as a planner, and she also held the positions of Council Liaison for the office of the City Manager, and private development manager and fiscal development manager for the Community and Economic Development Department. She served as the Planning Director for the City of Carlsbad from September 2005 through September 2006, overseeing daily operations and the implementation of the General Plan, Growth Management Plan, Local Coastal Program, Habitat Management Plan and the California Environmental Quality Act.

Marcela is fluent in Spanish and a trained and seasoned mediator, with extensive experience in conflict resolution. She is also certified by the National Charrette Institute as a Complete Charrette Manager. 

Emily Fulkerson

Emily Fulkerson is a Senior Account Executive for Southwest Strategies, a top Public Affairs/Public Relations firm in San Diego. She has been with the firm since 2005. Fulkerson develops and implements public affairs programs as well as community, government and media outreach programs for Southwest Strategies clients.

She brings her writing and organizational skills and interpersonal and business communication abilities to the company as well as her expertise in planning and executing large special events for clients. Additionally, Fulkerson is responsible for developing and writing client collateral materials such as news releases, websites, newsletters and brochures.

Prior to joining Southwest Strategies, Fulkerson worked for a multi-billion dollar company in San Diego as communications coordinator, developing and executing the company’s internal communications strategy. Fulkerson crafted brochures, fliers, websites and news articles. Additionally, Fulkerson was an event planner, coordinating several week-long conferences at her previous company. She comes to Southwest Strategies with polished public speaking and training capabilities.

Fulkerson graduated from Mt. Holyoke College, a top liberal arts college on the East Coast, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in English with a minor in Communications. She grew up in Massachusetts and moved to San Diego directly after graduation. She participates in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure each year and is a member of the San Diego Chapter of the Urban Land Institute.

Fulkerson has lived in San Diego for the better part of a decade. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, especially with her husband and her younger brother who recently moved here from Massachusetts to attend San Diego State University.

Stephen Michael Haase, Chair

Mr. Haase is Senior Vice President of Forward Planning at Baldwin and Sons, where he provides entitlement support for the company's land development projects, beginning with the entitlement process and including infrastructure improvements and project revisions. He oversees a project team which includes internal staff and professional consultants in the preparation of policy, environmental, and engineering documentation to achieve project approval. He is actively involved in project design and community outreach to achieve the company's goal of delivering the highest quality development.

Prior to joining Baldwin and Sons, Mr. Haase worked for Sudberry Properties, Inc. on retail and mixed-use projects, including the 230-acre Civita mixed-use development in Mission Valley and Watermark in Scripps Ranch. His professional experience includes 17 years in the public sector where he managed large, complex organizations responsible for all aspects of land use, planning and building safety. In March 2002 Stephen was appointed as the director of the Planning, Building, and Code Enforcement for the City of San José. His previous position was with the City of San Diego Development Services Department where he served as acting and assistant director. He has also served as an expert witness in the land use, planning, and entitlement disciplines.

Stephen earned a Masters of Business Administration from San Diego State University (SDSU) in August 1989. His undergraduate degree is also from SDSU where he majored in Public Administration. Stephen is an active member of the American Planning Association (APA), NAIOP, and the Building Industry Association (BIA) of San Diego. Stephen is certified in the field of planning through the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and is an accredited professional under the Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System.

Keely Halsey

Keely Halsey serves as the Director of Legislative Affairs for the City of San Diego. Working with Council President Ben Hueso, she is responsible for managing the City's legislative agenda and performing policy analysis regarding Citywide land use, regional planning, and local governance matters.

Keely's background includes experience in environmental policy and resource management, sustainability and climate change initiatives, as well as elections, ethics, and intergovernmental affairs. She is a graduate of Georgetown University and the University of San Diego School of Law, and is a member of the State Bar of California.

Keely's interest in transit planning stems from her involvement in long-range land use planning and smart growth initiatives. She promotes the development of safe and convenient transit in order to improve the quality of neighborhoods and help the region meet its greenhouse gas emission reduction goals.

Sarah Kruer Jager

Sarah Kruer Jager is a Principal, Investment & Development of Monarch Group, a private real estate investment and development firm. Sarah joined Monarch in 2005 and is responsible for the identification, evaluation, and management of investments as well as various investor relations activities. Sarah is also a founding member of the Monarch Investment Funds real estate private equity funds family.

Prior to Monarch, Sarah worked at UBS Investment Bank in Chicago as an analyst in the Mergers & Acquisitions and Diversified Industrials Groups. In this capacity, Sarah executed financing and advisory assignments across a range of industries, including the diversified industrials, engineering and construction services, consumer / retail, and business services sectors.

Sarah attended University of Michigan, where she was awarded a four-year full tuition athletic scholarship as a member of the Division I Varsity Women’s Golf Team. Sarah’s academic and athletic honors include being named by the National Golf Coaches Association to the Division I All-American Scholar Golf Team and receiving Academic All-Big Ten Conference Honors. Sarah graduated from the University of Michigan Stephen M. Ross School of Business with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with High Distinction.

Sarah is currently involved in the following civic, charitable, and industry organizations: Founding Advisory Board and Membership Committee Member, Run Women Run; Committee Member, San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce Land Use & Transportation Committee; Steering Committee nMember, Herb Klein Leadership Series; Golf Program Volunteer, Pro Kids Golf Academy & Learningn Center; Member, Urban Land Institute (ULI) and ULI Young Leaders; Member, Pension Real EstatenAssociation (PREA). In addition, Sarah was appointed by California State Assembly Speaker Karen Bassnin 2009 to serve as a member of the California Task Force on Youth and Workplace Wellness.

Gary H. London

Gary London is President of The London Group Realty Advisors, a diversified real estate strategic advisory, development management, investment, capital access and analysis firm whose clients include investors, developers, lenders and public agencies.

In practice as an analyst and strategic advisor for four decades, Mr. London is well known throughout the U.S. as a counsel to many of the nations largest investors, lenders and practitioners. He has a reputation as a prescient, forward thinker who translates opportunities (or problems) into profits.

Mr. London is an Instructor at The Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate, University of San Diego as well as an adjunct Professor at Arizona State University’s graduate program in real estate development (MRED). He had taught at the University of California, San Diego Extension for 24 years. Previously, he was West Region Director of Real Estate Consulting for Price Waterhouse and Executive Director of The Goodkin Group. He is a graduate of U.C. Berkeley and received his Master's degree from San Diego State University.

A "Distinguished Toastmaster" in Toastmasters International, Mr. London speaks regularly to industry and business organizations, frequently writes and is often quoted in the media, and is a columnist for the San Diego Business Journal. He is also featured in the San Diego UnionTribune’s weekly “EconoMeter” sharing his views on the great economic issues of our time.

He was featured on CBS Evening News “Eye On America” for his commentary on the real estate market, and has also testified before the House of Representatives Committee on Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs. In 1995 he was featured in the San Diego Business Journal’s “Who’s Who In San Diego”; and was honored as “Member Of The Year” in 1996 from the San Diego Land Economics Society (Lambda Alpha International).  

Andrew Poat is a San Diego native, a 1978 graduate of Patrick Henry High School. He attended The George Washington University in Washington, DC, graduating Phi Beta Kappa in 1982 with a Bachelors Degree in Public Affairs.  He now has over 30 years Professional Work Experience, including:

• 5 years - Vice President for Policy, San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation - leading policy team focused on building the regional economy through workforce, infrastructure and regulatory issues
• 5 years - Government Relations Director, City of San Diego: Directed the City of San Diego’s relationship with the Executive and Legislative branches of Federal and state government - involving over $100 million per year in City revenues as well as legislative and regulatory issues.
• 4 years - Chief Deputy Director, Caltrans:  Second in command of the $9 billion state transportation Department
• 10 years - staff to United States Senator and California Governor Pete Wilson: Direct support to California’s Chief Executive in policy development and implementation, management of state departments, and selected legislative and media affairs. Supported Governor in directing the State response to the Northridge earthquake.

Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP, Pro Bono Counsel
Represented by John Ponder and Mike Hansen

Sheppard Mullin is a full service international law firm with more than 500 attorneys practicing in eleven offices located in California, New York, Washington D.C. and Shanghai. The California offices are located in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego/Downtown, San Diego/Del Mar Heights, Century City, Santa Barbara, Silicon Valley, and Orange County.

Founded in 1927, Sheppard Mullin represents both start-up companies and Fortune 500 companies in a broad range of industries, including 55 of the Fortune 100 companies. It has a team of 60 attorneys throughout California with specialized knowledge and experience in land use, real estate, and environmental law, and an interdisciplinary team of attorneys specializing in global climate change and renewable energy law in California and other jurisdictions. California Real Estate Journal ranked Sheppard Mullin #3 among "California's Major Real Estate Law Firms" in 2007 and Best Lawyers ranked Sheppard Mullin #1 for "Land Use & Zoning Law" in California in 2007.

Mr. Ponder specializes in the representation of clients involved in real estate development. His practice focuses on advising and representing major residential, industrial and commercial developers through all phases of the land use regulatory process and environmental compliance. His land use experience includes real estate due diligence investigations, negotiating and drafting development agreements, processing land use entitlements, and appearing before governmental agencies and commissions. Mr. Ponder's practice includes strong ties to the local, state and national Building Industry Associations.

Mr. Ponder has been active in a variety of civic committee meetings regarding natural resources, employment and real estate development. He has participated in the preparation and implementation of local legislation regarding the Multiple Species Conservation Plan, revisions to the Environmentally Sensitive Lands Regulations to allow impacts to wetlands, updates to the City of San Diego Zoning Code and the Equal Employment Opportunity Ordinance. Mr. Ponder worked with the San Diego Association of Governments Employment Lands Inventory Committee to examine issues surrounding the supply and demand of land that will be available for development of office, industrial and research and development facilities. Mr. Ponder has been appointed by the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority to the Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan Technical Advisory Group. His education includes a J.D. from California Western School of Law, and a B.A. from San Diego State University. He is a registered lobbyist with the City of San Diego, and the San Diego County Airport Authority.

Jim Baross, Jr.
Jonathan Bradhurst
Carolyn Chase
Andy Hamilton
Marla Hollander
Craig Jones
Fredric Maas
Humberto Peraza
Scott Peters, Former San Diego City Council President
Chris Schmidt
Thomas W. Sudberry, Jr.
Reed Lewis Vickerman, Jr.