Author, strategist, domestic and global regionalist, Marc Weiss made his initial mark in academia, teaching and authoring books on urban development. He was tapped as a key urban policy adviser in the 1992 Clinton campaign and developed national urban policy under HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros. Most recently he founded and now leads the Prague Institute for Global Urban Development, a global cities think tank based jointly in the Czech Republic and in Washington.

Geoff Coats and Edward Melendez founded The Urban Conservancy in New Orleans in 2001.

Before settling in New Orleans, Geoff Coats earned degrees in Telecommunications and History from James Madison University and a M.A. in African History from Indiana University. Geoff received numerous grants and fellowships including a Ford Foundation / Indiana Center for Global Change and World Peace Travel Grant in support of research in West Africa. Geoff taught history at Loyola University in New Orleans before helping establish The Urban Conservancy.

Ed Melendez has lived in New Orleans for 11 years. He also has a background in telecommunications and before helping establish The Urban Conservancy, worked with NeoSoft and NTT Communications. Prior to that he managed retail operations for PJ's Coffee, a New Orleans-based specialty coffee company. Ed is a fellow of The Institute of Politics at Loyola University New Orleans.