about

Carol Coletta, President and CEO

Carol Coletta has served as president and CEO of CEOs for Cities since 2005. 

Previously, she served as president of Coletta & Company in Memphis. In addition, she served as executive director of the Mayors’ Institute on City Design, a partnership of the National Endowment for the Arts, U.S. Conference of Mayors and American Architectural Foundation. For ten years, she was the host and producer of the nationally syndicated public radio show Smart City.

Carol was a Knight Fellow in Community Building for 2003 at the University of Miami School of Architecture.  In 2010, she was named Honorary Senior Fellow of the Design Futures Council. She is a highly sought after speaker on the success formula for cities and creative communities and is frequently interviewed as an expert on urban issues by national media.

In 2008 she was named one of the world’s 50 most important urban experts by a leading European think tank.  Most recently, she was named the recipient of the Lambda Alpha International 2009 International Journalism Award for her work with CEOs for Cities and Smart City Radio, and as one of the top 50 urban thinkers of all time by readers of PLANetizen.com.

Bridget Marquis, Program and Partnership Director

Bridget Marquis joined CEOs for Cities as Program and Partnership Director in July 2007. With an MBA in Arts Administration she has more than ten years of experience in the nonprofit sector. In this position she works to develop an expansive urban leaders network in cities across the country to engage both traditional and new urban change agents in the organization’s work. The City Cluster model has developed more fully under her management, creating strong local delegations composed of a cross-sector of leaders in cities such as Boston, Cincinnati, Detroit, Indianapolis, Richmond and Pittsburgh.

As Program Director of the Talent Dividend initiative, Bridget coordinated the 30-city tour and provides regular updates on related news, research, programs and funding opportunities to participants.  She also managed the 101 Wacky Ideas: Reclaiming a Nation of Pre-Graduates project.

Prior to her work with CEOs for Cities, Bridget served as Development Coordinator for Howard County Arts Council outside of Baltimore. In that position she launched individual and corporate giving campaigns, managed membership relationships and provided special events coordination. Bridget also brings expertise in budgeting and financial analysis. In addition to business management, her graduate work included courses in urban and regional planning, culminating in a thesis that revolved around the application of the Urban Institute study Investing in Creativity: A Study of the Support Structure for U.S. Artists in southwestern Wisconsin.

Julia Klaiber, Director of External Affairs

As Director of External Affairs, Julia Klaiber leverages ten years of community development experience in the private, non-profit and public sectors to cultivate strategic partnerships and build capacity for our work.  She also leads overall outreach efforts by developing key messaging, articulating our policy positions and communicating our vision to diverse stakeholders. With her arrival, CEOs for Cities opened a satellite office in Washington, DC where Julia is permanently based. Locating an office inside the Beltway allows CEOs for Cities to more effectively collaborate with its national partners and influence federal policy.

Immediately prior to joining CEOs for Cities, Julia provided business development and strategic marketing leadership to JAIR LYNCH Development Partners, a local urban regeneration company based in Washington, DC. Julia received her master’s degree from the John Glenn School of Public Affairs at The Ohio State University, where she was awarded a Presidential Management Fellowship at the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development. Julia is a native of Columbus, OH and still a Buckeye at heart.

Natalie Campbell, Director of Communications

As Director of Communications, Natalie is responsible for directing, developing and managing all media, marketing and communication efforts for the organization. Additionally, Natalie works to engage local partners, media and stakeholders to share CEOs for Cities’ vision of building next generation cities.

Prior to joining CEOs for Cities, Natalie served as Director of Communications for Chicago Sister Cities International, a non-profit organization that is charged with developing and managing programs with Chicago’s 28 international Sister Cities. In this position, Natalie was responsible for leading all marketing and public relations campaigns for the organization. Natalie has nearly 10 years of public relations and marketing experience with positions at Chicago Sister Cities International, Merchandise Mart Properties Inc. and the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau. She graduated from Indiana University’s School of Journalism in 2001.

Shreya Parekh, Office Manager

Shreya Parekh joined the CEOs for Cities team in December 2008 as the Office Manager.  She holds a Masters degree in Human Resources Management from Loyola University and has five years of recruiting experience in the private sector.  In this position she manages all office functions from supporting the CEO to event planning.  She brings with her an expertise of event production and the ability to develop and manage efficient systems.

Prior to her work with CEOs for Cities, Shreya worked as a Recruiter for McKinsey & Company, a strategic management consulting firm in Chicago.  Realizing that she wanted to make a more direct contribution to the cause of cities and community building, she was immediately drawn to the mission of CEOs for Cities.  She is a lifelong resident of Chicago and truly believes it is one of the best American cities.

Board of Directors

Board Chair: 

Paul Grogan, President and CEO, The Boston Foundation

Board Members:

Rita Athas, President, World Business Chicago

Henry Cisneros, Executive Chairman, CityView

Carol Coletta, President and CEO, CEOs for Cities

Bruce Mau, Chief Creative Officer, Bruce Mau Design

Josh McManus, Co-founder and Creative Strategist, CreateHere

Bob Milbourne, President and CE, RHM Advisors LLC

Kim Walesh, Chief Strategist, City of San Jose

Nancy Zimpher, Chancellor, SUNY