Articles

Keynote Speakers - August 2022

Rosa Fleming, Director of Convention and Event Services - City of Dallas

John Loughran, Assistant Vice President- WSP USA

Topic: Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas (KBHCCD) Master Plan Project

A proven public servant, Rosa Fleming has more than 29 years of progressive work experience in municipal government, business administration, fund development, contract management, contract compliance and hospitality.

Rosa is currently the Director for Convention and Event Services. In this role, Rosa is responsible for a portfolio which includes contract and capital projects management for the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas (KBHCCD), the Eddie Bernice Johnson Union Station, American Airlines Center, the Omni Dallas Hotel, and contracts with entities like the city’s tourism arm, VisitDallas. In this capacity, Rosa oversees an annual operating budget of over $114 million, a capital budget of $62 million, and is currently working with several departments on a multi-layered master plan for an approximate 2-mile area around the convention center.

Rosa holds several certifications in business administration and contract management. She is currently also active with the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA), International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM), American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), and the National Forum for Black Public Administrators (NFBPA). Rosa also serves as a board member with VisitDallas, the Dallas Tourism Public Improvement District, and Beyond the Ball.

Born in Brownsville, Texas, Rosa holds degrees in political science and English from Southern Methodist University (SMU). She also attended graduate school at the University of Texas at Arlington where she focused on city and regional planning.  Additionally, she earned a Master of Liberal Arts at SMU.

Rosa enjoys spending time with her family, writing, reading, and gardening.

John offers extensive experience in urban design, planning and architecture, which he applies to transit-oriented development (TOD) and redevelopment projects. John has a passion for linking placemaking, society and economics to leverage transportation and infrastructure investments that build communities. He is passionate about design, but also understands city building is shaped by other external forces that need to be in place for cities to thrive and be equitable places where people want to be. With over 30 years’ experience as an architect and urban designer, John has led the preparation of a wide range of large-scale TOD studies, urban design plans, and development plans and entitlements for large mixed-use developments. Project experience includes design guidelines for Hudson Yards in New York City, visioning for the LA River and Guidelines for Equitable Transit Oriented Development in Raleigh.

John holds a master’s in business administration from Baruch College and Bachelor of Science degree in architecture from the Catholic University of America.