Faculty
The folks who teach our workshops
Alli Thurmond Quinlan is an architect, landscape architect, and small infill developer. She founded and runs Flintlock Ltd Co (a multi-disciplinary design practice) and Flintlock Development (an urban infill real estate development company) in Fayetteville, Arkansas. She also served on the Fayetteville Planning Commission and the Construction Board of Appeals, as well as being known to occasionally teach urban design with a focus on advanced grading and stormwater in the Landscape Architecture Department of the Fay Jones School of Design at the University of Arkansas.
Alli grew up on a large working cattle ranch in western Oklahoma and believes strongly in being hands-on in your farm. She believes that small developers have the potential to be advocates for their neighborhoods, leading the redevelopment of communities in a way that protect and include long time residents while welcoming new, diverse neighbors. As part of this approach, she recently completed a tactical urbanism project to make walking to the community center easier for neighborhood kids, located nearby to Flintlock Development’s South St Cottages.
Working as in a range of roles (architect, land planner, owner, developer, and city administrator) over a wide variety of development projects has taught Alli to cut through the voodoo of pro formas and zoning / building code to create beautiful, lovable, walkable projects that make sense for communities and make money for investors. Her work solo and with the University of Arkansas Community Design Center has been honored with national and international awards from the Congress for New Urbanism, the American Society of Landscape Architects, the American Institute of Architects, Architizer, and the American Planning Association.
Marques King is an architect, urban designer, and proud Detroit native dedicated to building sustainable, equitable neighborhoods in his hometown. As Economic Development & Design Manager for EJDevCo, a nonprofit developer focused on Detroit's Eastside, and founder of Fabric[K] Design, Marques works to make good design accessible to everyday people and foster a "Detroit Neighborhood Renaissance."
Raised in Detroit, Marques was inspired by the contrast between the city he knew and stories of its prosperous past told by his grandparents. This drove him to pursue architecture and construction at Lawrence Technological University, where he earned dual Bachelor of Science degrees in Architecture and Construction Management. After graduate studies at the University of Maryland—where his thesis explored urban deconstruction as a means to preserve Detroit's history—he worked with renowned urban designer Dhiru Thadani on award-winning projects including The Seaside Nolli Plan and masterplans in Nanjing, China and Westside Atlanta, both recognized by the Congress for the New Urbanism.
As a licensed architect, Marques has worked with leading firms across the country including Bonstra|Haresign Architects, Thadani Architects + Urbanists, Anderson|Kim Architecture + Urban Design, and others on complex residential and mixed-use projects. Through Fabric[K] Design, he leverages this experience to create neighborhoods that honor Detroit's character while meeting its future needs—bringing his passion and expertise back to the city that raised him.
Iván is a bilingual urban planner, historic preservation officer, and small-scale developer that has over ten years of experience in administering, designing, and implementing planning and development projects from the public and private sector. Originally from the Midwest(Iowa), Iván is based out of Fort Worth, Texas where he serves as President of Place Strategies and is a founder of Brixton Development Group. Iván has a deep knowledge of zoning and subdivision code administration from his many years as a public official in small, medium, and large public municipalities.
Iván has served as a historic preservation officer, commissioner, and liaison within various municipal organizations and is passionate about reinvigorating historic housing within walkable urban cores. Iván uses adaptive reuse principles, creates funding mechanisms with available tax credits, and utilizes partnerships to develop historic properties that can be daunting projects.
Iván attended Iowa State University College of Design and holds undergraduate degrees in Community + Regional Planning and International Studies.
Aaron Lubeck is a designer + builder practicing in Durham, North Carolina. A former resident of seven college towns, he specializes in complex neighborhood infill projects, zoning codes, and incremental development.
Aaron is the author of Green Restorations: Sustainable Building in Historic Homes (New Society), and a former lecturer at Duke University’s Nicholas School for the Environment.
"Aaron is an excellent speaker. He forces attendees to think as he explores new frontiers for urbanism and community design." - Bob Chapman, New Urbanist developer.
As President of Trinity Design | Build, he presided over multiple ambitious sustainable retrofits, including the first privately-developed LEED Platinum building in North Carolina.
When not sketching site plans on his iPad, he can be seen lobbying for bicycle boulevards, tossing frisbees to his poorly-behaved golden retriever, and singing songs from North Carolina in his cover band.
www.southernurbanism.org
www.faith-housing.org
www.rocketshopnc.com
A former Marine Infantry Officer turned incremental developer, Ryan is a product of the Incremental Development Alliance's training—having attended the very first IncDev workshop in 2015. In 2016, he began the process of transforming several vacant properties in downtown Bryan, TX into a thriving mixed-use development before selling his portfolio in 2023 and re-establishing his company, R+T Studio, in Fort Worth. Ryan brings expertise in construction management, development programming, and the strategy of subdividing large projects into manageable phases—a strategy that allowed him to realize development where others saw only obstacles. His development work is deeply personal, inspired by his military service and driven by a mission to help forgotten communities retrieve their dignity.
Matt Peacock is the owner and principal architect of Peacock Design, LLC, a Norman and Oklahoma City-based design and engineering firm. He has served in that role since 2015, and holds a Bachelor of Science in Architecture, with a minor in Philosophy from the University of Oklahoma.
Over the years Matt has immersed himself in leadership and civic engagement beyond design. He is an alumnus of Leadership Oklahoma, Leadership Oklahoma City, Leadership Norman, the Nature Conservancy’s Leadership Academy, the Citizen's Police Academy and Citizen’s FBI Academy. He has served on the boards of several nonprofit organizations including the Norman Arts Council, and has previously served as a Planning Commissioner for the City of Norman. He is currently serving his 3rd term as Norman City Councilmember and Mayor Pro-Tem. In that capacity, he chairs the Business & Community Affairs Committee and has been able to intersect both his skills and his passions to advocate for better policy in his hometown.
Professionally and civically, Matt’s driving passion is placemaking — championing smart growth, walkability, sustainability, arts and culture, and thoughtful reinvestment in the built environment. He seeks to align people and resources around a common vision that reinforces a healthy, vibrant community identity and quality of life.
“Most leaders worth following are successful because they gave themselves first. They identified passions in their community, and focused their efforts into making those their realities.”
This quote captures Matt’s philosophy: success isn’t just about projects or titles — it’s about meaningful stories worth telling, and turning those stories into lasting communal impact.
Joel Dixon is Co-Principal of Urban Oasis Development, a real estate company focused on residential and commercial development on Atlanta's south and westside, where he oversees Community Development, Business Development, and Investor Relations. Born and raised on the westside, Joel is dedicated to building secure, inclusive neighborhoods in the community that raised him.
Growing up in a neglected neighborhood during the war on drugs, Joel witnessed predominantly African American communities suffer from disinvestment. This experience shaped his commitment to ensuring that as Atlanta progresses, development remains inclusive to all. He holds a B.S. in Symbolic Systems from Stanford University and a Certificate in Mandarin Chinese from Beijing Language and Culture University. After beginning his career in tech, Joel shifted to real estate in 2011 as widespread gentrification began reshaping Atlanta, determined to create neighborhoods that better accommodate growth and diversity.
In 2017, Joel graduated from the Urban Land Institute's Center for Leadership and discovered the Incremental Development Alliance. "That solidified it. This was exactly the type of work we wanted to do and exactly the way we wanted to do it," he recalls. Working with his business partner and in-house construction partner Sims REG, Joel has developed multiple for-sale single-family homes while securing numerous investors. He joined the Alliance's Atlanta mentorship cohort and later became Alliance faculty, embodying the organization's core philosophy: from the neighborhood, for the neighborhood.
Joel believes in living within the communities he develops. "We wanted to create a model where we were actively living in the community so there was more intimacy," he explains. "We're eating our own dog food. We're going to be impacted as much as anyone else." Currently, Urban Oasis Development is renovating and building seventeen properties—including duplexes, ADUs, and single-family homes—that will be permanently affordable and encourage community diversity.
As faculty, Joel brings his deep experience working in disadvantaged, gentrifying neighborhoods to the Alliance, staying connected to developments nationwide while motivating others to take action in their own communities.
Jenifer Acosta is a solutions-driven community developer recognized for revitalizing historic buildings and catalyzing economic development. Passionate about preserving underutilized spaces, she bridges the old and new to create dynamic, thriving communities with a strong sense of place.
Since 2016, Jenifer has led real estate development projects across the Great Lakes Bay Region, sparking additional investments and inspiring local action. As the Lead Consultant for Housing Forward, Midland, she provides data-driven strategies to address attainable housing needs, offering hands-on technical assistance, coaching, advocacy, and strategic communications.
Believing that the best solutions emerge from local people leveraging local resources, Jenifer prioritizes projects that balance community connection, environmental impact, and fiscal responsibility.
She holds a B.A. in Sociology from Southern Illinois University, an M.A. in International Administration & Sustainable Development from the University of Miami, and a Graduate Certificate in Real Estate Development from New York University.
Jenifer’s work has received multiple awards for historic preservation and economic development, reflecting her commitment to thoughtful, sustainable growth.
Eric Kronberg is a zoning whisperer. He specializes in balancing and blending the often competing needs of urban design, architecture, and development in a potent cocktail for better places. He specializes in breaking down and demystifying regulations to find ways to make great projects possible while helping others navigate the redevelopment maze. He uses his skills for the force of good as a principal at Kronberg Urbanists + Architects (KUA), leading the firm’s skilled practitioners to help our development partners create better places for all.
Ivy is a planner and designer with many years of experience in town planning both in New Hampshire and nationally. She works on charrettes, planning projects, code review, master planning, public engagement, and comprehensive planning. Ivy is certified as a planner by both the American Planning Association and the Congress for the New Urbanism.
She is a 42-year resident of New Hampshire, and served on her own town’s planning board for more than a dozen years, providing her an up-close look at the process for improving zoning regulations to increase housing choice. She particularly enjoys helping citizens articulate their vision for their place.
Ivy is a member of the Incremental Development Alliance team working on Phase Two of the Vermont Homes for All Toolkit. She is a faculty member for IncDev, where she teaches would-be developers the ins and outs of such topics as good design standards, understanding the finances of building, and how to understand both building codes and zoning codes.
Ivy has worked on housing needs assessments, code audits, and regulatory revisions for a number of New Hampshire towns including Dublin, Lebanon, Winchester, and Newmarket most recently. For the Town of Newmarket Ivy wrote a completely new form-based code for the Main Street and adjacent neighborhoods; the town has begun the shift to a totally form-based code in the entire town, a project Ivy is currently spearheading.
In her own life she is a small developer, having turned her house into a three family, and the original carriage house into a duplex. She currently has a 14-unit project which just completed the entitlement process. This experience has shaped her understanding that zoning codes have to work within the economic framework of their place: if the buildings allowed by the code are not financially viable they will never be built, no matter how much the townspeople wish they would appear.
Sharon Woods is the founding Principal and President of LandUseUSA | Urban Strategies. Her specialty is studying the lifestyle preferences of migrating households, forecasting market opportunities, and developing strategies for cities, urban planners, and developers. She focuses on target markets and their cravings for downtown shopping, urban housing formats, placemaking amenities, and social interaction.
Sharon is an active proponent and advocate for urbanism, placemaking, and aesthetics through good building form and design. She contributes to the urbanism cause by developing housing and residential market studies, retail market studies, and land use strategies. Her personal mission is to inform and encourage communities, developers, and investors on ways to create vibrant urban places that are engaging while helping them intercept target market households who are on the move across the nation.
Sharon serves as a faculty member with the Incremental Development Alliance, a non-profit and volunteer-based organization focused on teaching developers how to reinvest into their communities, and with small projects that incrementally add value. She is also serves as the Vice President for the Michigan Chapter of the Congress for the New Urbanism; and on the Resource Council for Smart Growth America's Form Based Codes Institute. Last but not least, she also serves on the Board of Directors for her local Downtown Development Authority (Laingsburg DDA).
Sharon began her career with twelve years in leadership positions at four Fortune 500 retail corporations; and developed expertise in location intelligence, site selection, revenue forecasting, and market analysis. She grew up in the Historic Seward Neighborhood of Minneapolis and has worked in four downtowns, including Minneapolis (Target), Cincinnati (Macy's), Detroit (GM), and Lansing (consulting). These urban places were inspirational, and in 2000 she decided on the career change that has enabled her to make an invaluable contribution to the urbanism cause.
Meet Bruzenskey Bois, a highly accomplished professional in the Real Estate Investment sector, based in Tampa, FL. A first-generation Haitian American with roots in Miami, FL, Bruzenskey’s journey is defined by resilience, determination, and success. He holds a degree from the University of South Florida and is accredited by the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU-A) from the University of Miami, reflecting his expertise in urban development.
With a strong foundation in property management, Bruzenskey specializes in managing commercial and multifamily real estate portfolios valued at over $23 million. As the founder of Bois Enterprises, LLC, he leads projects in Florida, Georgia, and Oklahoma, further establishing his presence in the industry.
Beyond his real estate ventures, Bruzenskey is deeply committed to social justice and urban development. He plays a key role in the Congressional Black Caucus for New Urbanism, advocating for walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods and accessible public spaces that foster community engagement and positive change in urban areas.
As a founding member of the Black Resilience Network, Bruzenskey actively supports a collaborative effort uniting Black organizations and leaders, as well as allies from outside the Black community. This initiative is dedicated to strengthening disaster and climate resilience while promoting racial justice. The impact of the Black Resilience Network was recognized at the highest levels of government, with an invitation to the White House in February 2023 to collaborate with agencies such as FEMA.
Additionally, Bruzenskey serves as a board member for the P.L.A.C.E. Initiative (Proactive Leadership Advocating for Climate and Equity), an organization focused on addressing the intersection of climate change and equity. P.L.A.C.E. aims to foster partnerships and advocate for policy changes to ensure people-centered solutions to the climate-driven challenges of the future.
Bruzenskey also contributes his expertise as a faculty member of Incremental Development Alliance, Inc., where he educates and mentors future leaders in the field of real estate development, further solidifying his commitment to shaping the next generation of industry professionals.