On October 6th, bloggers from around the world responded to the same prompt in our 3rd annual group blogging event:

The following thought leaders will expand upon their blog posts and discuss their vision for 2050 in a one-hour webinar on October 14th:

• Rosalind Grymes, Deputy Director of NASA Ames Partnerships Directorate and leads NASA Ames participation in Planetary Sustainability Partnerships
• Boris Karsch, Vice President, Strategy, Cubic Transportation Systems
• Mary Skelton Roberts, Senior Program Officer, Climate, The Barr Foundation
• Justin M. Bibb, Managing Principal, Morris Strategy Group

Archive Recording

Program

Join us in discussing their vision for the future, how we’re going to get there, and how cities – both on Earth and off – might function. We want to hear your ideas, questions and comments in a 30-minute lively Q+A.

Speakers

Justin M. Bibb

Managing Principal
Morris Strategy Group

Justin Bibb is Co-Founder and Managing Principal of Morris Strategy Group, where he leads clients in maximizing their potential through strategic planning in areas related to finance, urbanization and policy analysis. He is also a Senior Advisor at Gallup Inc. where he advises the company on its strategy related to entrepreneurship and urban economic development.

Previously, Justin served as Director of Business Strategy and Development for kgb Inc., the world’s largest provider of directory assistance and enhanced information services, where he was charged with developing partnerships and providing strategic analysis to expand kgb’s business portfolio. He also served as Special Assistant to the County Executive for Cuyahoga County, where he was responsible for implementing strategies to advance education reform and economic competitiveness for Ohio’s largest county.

Justin has been a speaker at the Aspen Ideas Festival, TEDxCLE, and the World Bank. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Urban Studies from American University and the London School of Economics and is currently pursuing his J.D./M.B.A. at Case Western Reserve University.

Rosalind Grymes

Deputy Director
NASA Ames Partnerships Directorate

Dr. Rosalind (Rose) Grymes is Deputy Director of NASA Ames Partnerships Directorate. In addition to these responsibilities, she leads NASA Ames participation in Planetary Sustainability Partnerships.

Rose received her doctorate in Cancer Biology from Stanford University School of Medicine and began her career at NASA as a research scientist. She entered science and policy management at the agency as the Program Manager for Space Life Sciences Outreach, directing education and public outreach for NASA Life Sciences missions from 1994-2000.

Recruited to the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI) in 1997, she developed the infrastructure and collaborative models of this ‘virtual’ Institute and managed NAI through its formative first decade, becoming Executive Director. Rose also initiated and lead NAI’s International Partners program and is the first elected Honorary Lifetime Member of the Astrobiology Society.

In 2006, Dr. Grymes was ‘loaned’ by NASA to the University of California, Santa Cruz as founding Director of the Advanced Studies Laboratories, a partnership combining the interests and capabilities of two science and technology powerhouses, one federal (NASA Ames) and one Californian (UCSC). Under her leadership, ASL grew to include 13 research teams from academic, federal, and international non-profit and commercial organizations. For her entrepreneurial accomplishments and the initiation of innovative science projects, NASA awarded her the agency’s Outstanding Leadership Medal.

Rose briefly served as Associate Director of the Institute on Science for Global Policy, a non-profit think tank initiative housed at the University of Arizona, producing that organization’s Study Plan for Energy Sustainability. From 2008 she has led sustainability initiatives at NASA Ames, completing a fellowship with the General Services Administration in Sustainability in 2013.

Boris Karsch

Vice President, Strategy
Cubic Transportation Systems

Boris Karsch is the vice president, strategy for Cubic Transportation Systems. He leads the execution of Cubic’s NextCity vision for the integration of payment and information systems with direct responsibility for strategy development, partnerships and acquisitions.

Previously the capability development director for Cubic’s worldwide organization, Boris was responsible for Cubic’s research and development programs including Cubic’s Urban Insights data analytics capability. Boris brings over 15 years of experience in leading product strategy and development in electronic payments and transaction systems.

Boris has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering with Honours Class 1 from the University of New South Wales, Australia, and an MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Management.

Mary Skelton Roberts

Senior Program Officer, Climate
The Barr Foundation

Mary Skelton Roberts is a Senior Program Officer for Climate at the Barr Foundation, where she focuses on transportation and land use – two critical levers for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Mary’s grant making aims to maintain and modernize our transit systems and to help communities transform themselves into more walkable, connected places, where all residents have attractive alternatives to driving and spend far less time and money traveling by car.Prior to joining the Barr Foundation in April, 2009, Mary was a consultant specializing in problem solving and dispute resolution of complex corporate, environmental, and public policy issues. She has worked extensively with nonprofit, government, and private sector clients in the United States and internationally.

Mary has a Master’s in City Planning with concentrations in consensus building and environmental policy and planning from MIT. She also holds mediation and facilitation accreditations from the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, and from the Center for Dispute Resolution in London, England, where she served as lead faculty. Mary is bilingual, bi-cultural, and a native Spanish-speaker.