Milwaukee Mayor John Norquist named CNU president and CEO

At CNU XI, CNU’s Board of Directors selected Milwaukee Mayor John Norquist as the organization’s new president and CEO after a national search. Mayor Norquist will assume the post upon his resignation as mayor at the end of 2003. Norquist succeeds Shelley Poticha, who resigned after six years as executive director of the organization. “John Norquist is a national figure and a proven leader on issues ranging from transportation reform and urban design to school choice. Under his leadership, Milwaukee has transformed its downtown, revitalized its neighborhoods, and built world class cultural facilities,” said Hank Dittmar, chair of the CNU Board. “We are delighted to have his help in broadening and deepening the influence of the Congress for the New Urbanism.” In appointing Norquist, the Board also reconfigured the post to name him president and CEO, naming him as a member of the Board. Mayor Norquist is a longtime member of the CNU, having been an original signer of the Charter for the New Urbanism. He has served on the organization’s volunteer Board since 1994, although he stepped down upon applying for the staff position. “While serving as Mayor for more than fifteen years, I’ve seen the power that urban design has to reform neighborhoods,” said Norquist. “I’m delighted to be able to serve the organization that is leading the effort to repair the damage done to cities and countryside by sprawl over the last 50 years. Thousands of cities, suburbs and villages have benefited from ideas generated by the new urbanism. I look forward to working for the organization, leading efforts to restore common sense to the built landscape.” Author, urban planning instructor, public official of the year Norquist is the author of The Wealth of Cities and has taught courses in urban planning and development at the University of Chicago, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Architecture and Marquette University. In naming Milwaukee America’s most underrated city in 2001, the Utne Reader said “Norquist understands what makes cities work as well as anyone.” Governing magazine named him Public Official of the year in 1998. Along with the leadership transition, the CNU will move its headquarters from San Francisco to Chicago over the course of the next year. “Chicago provides better access to our members, and to our growing network of chapters. It’s got good transportation connections, great architecture, and many of its neighborhoods and suburbs are revitalizing with new urbanist principles,” said Dittmar of the planned move. The Twelfth Congress will be held in Chicago on June 24-27, 2004. The California office will remain open to ensure continuous services to its 2,500 dues-paying members and to members of the public who rely on its expertise about accommodating architecture, walkable neighborhoods, and sustainable regions. Until Norquist begins work, Ellen Greenberg will serve as interim director while continuing as Director of Policy. “In the next few months,” she says, “we will continue to work with our allies in engineering, design, and government to answer the tough questions that face people who want to build livable neighborhoods and regions.” Prior to joining CNU staff, Greenberg spent 15 years as a planning consultant in California, specializing in preparation of comprehensive plans and integration of transportation and land use. Ellen holds a BA in Geography, and the degrees of Master of City Planning and Master of Science in Transportation Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley.