Lynn Richards
President & CEO
Lynn Richards is President and CEO of the Congress for the New Urbanism. Previously, Richards had a long and distinguished career at the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), holding multiple leadership roles over 13 years including Acting Director and Policy Director in the Office of Sustainable Communities. She worked with dozens of state and local governments to implement placemaking approaches by developing policies, urban design strategies, and environmental solutions for vibrant, prosperous neighborhoods. Additionally, she produced groundbreaking research on water and land use strategies.
Before joining the EPA, Richards worked briefly in the private sector at a consulting firm. She lived and worked in the former Soviet Republics from 1988 to 1995, helping environmental groups increase their organizational and political effectiveness.
Richards was awarded a Loeb Fellowship in Advanced Environmental Studies at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design in the 2012-2013 school year. She has a dual Masters in Environmental Science and Public Affairs from Indiana University.
Email:lrichards@cnu.org (for scheduling concerns please cc: Moira Albanese)
Abigail Sheridan
Deputy Director
Abby joined CNU in March 2008 as the new Administration and Finance Director. Prior to joining CNU, she received a degree in Biology from Bucknell University and worked as the Director of Administration and Programs for the Neighborhood Technology Resource Center, a not-for-profit located in Chicago. In her spare time, Abby enjoys running along the lakefront and traveling home to Maine.
Email:asheridan@cnu.org
Phone: 312.551.7300
Robert Steuteville
Senior Communications Advisor
Robert Steuteville is founder and executive director of Better Cities & Towns, a 501c3 nonprofit that seeks to educate and raise awareness for more sustainable and livable communities. Steuteville has been writing, editing, and publishing in the field of New Urbanism since 1996, when he founded New Urban News, a trade publication that covered the trend until 2012, when the name was changed to Better Cities & Towns. He authored or co-authored four editions of New Urbanism: Best Practices Guide, which is used for CNU accreditation. He published the Smart Code Version 9 and Manual. He is leading a team that is writing a form-based code, using the Smart Code as a basis, for the city and town of Ithaca, New York. Steuteville is a signer of the Charter of the New Urbanism, which was unveiled in Charleston, North Carolina, when New Urban News was launched. He participated in the Mississippi Renewal Forum, when new urbanists made plans for 11 communities devastated by Hurricane Katrina. He lives in Ithaca, New York, with his family.
Email: rsteuteville@cnu.org
Lisa Schamess
Communications Manager
Lisa is a longtime writer and editor in the fields of community planning and placemaking. As a freelance writer and as founder and owner of The Cooler Minds, she provided writing and communication strategies to clients such as the Urban Institute, the Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech, the National Vacant Properties Campaign, and Smart Growth America, among others.
Lisa began her career as a program assistant at the National Trust for Historic Preservation and later served as communications manager for the Surface Transportation Policy Project (now the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership). She holds a BFA in Theatre from Southern Methodist University and an MFA in Creative Writing from American University. She is a passionate walker and dedicated if mediocre gardener.
Email: lschamess@cnu.org
Phone: 312.551.7300
Liza Mueller
Congress Program Manager
Liza Mueller became Congress Program Manager in January 2018 and is thrilled to be a member of Staff. Before joining CNU, she worked in Georgia. Liza served on the Board of CNU Atlanta for a number of years and is pleased to apply her experience as Co-Chair of CNU 18 in Atlanta to CNU 26. She brings 20+ years of professional business development, design, and marketing experience in a multitude of disciplines for companies, nonprofits, and people to the position of Congress Program Manager. Liza is enthusiastic about the collaborative process, and excited to bring a set of core competencies and a myriad of related abilities and experiences focused on the built environment, and all its component activities, with her to the Savannah Congress.
Email: lmueller@cnu.org
Phone: 404.542.5944
Jay Shepley
Membership Engagement Manager
Jay joined CNU in February 2018 as the Membership Engagement Manager. Jay comes to CNU eager to learn so he can apply his knowledge in his rapidly developing neighborhood. Members are encouraged to barter their NU knowledge for answers to their member-related questions.
Prior to joining CNU, Jay worked at DC area non-profit organizations supporting conservation, global health, and poverty reduction initiatives. Most recently, he served as Manager of Website and Technology for the International Women's Forum.
Jay began his career in film and television production, working on a breadth of feature films, television shows and documentaries. He holds a BA in Communication and Culture from Indiana University. He lives in the Bellevue neighborhood of DC with his son Jackson, where he is enthusiastically advocating for fresh approaches to placemaking. As Membership Engagement Manager, Jay is working to implement member engagement strategies and technology solutions that empower New Urbanists at the local and national level.
Email: jshepley@cnu.org
Phone: 312.551.7300
Moira Albanese
Program Assistant
Moira Albanese earned her Masters in Urban Planning and Policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago where she focused on sustainability and the built environment. Before joining CNU in 2017, Moira worked with sustainability and planning firms, city departments, and non-profits in Chicago to build their sustainability portfolios. She has spoken on community systems design at AICP, USGBC, and Biomimicry Chicago. As program assistant, Moira collaborates with members to create meaningful programming for CNU.
Email: malbanese@cnu.org
Phone: 312.551.7300