1. Michael S. Davidson
5430 N. Sheridan Road, Unit 807, Chicago, Illinois 60640
773-550-7927  michaelsaberdavidson@gmail.com  www.linkedin.com/in/michaelsaberdavidson
Summary of Expertise
Urban planning and sustainability professional with over 15 years of multidisciplinary experience in mission-driven organizations.
Creative leader with experience in organizational management: business operations, strategic planning, program development, project
management. A systems thinker. Able to synthesize complex elements of the built and natural environments. Skilled at large-group
facilitation and working with diverse interests. Strong communicator with exceptional writing and public speaking skills. Extensive
experience with fundraising and proposal writing. Expertise in long-range municipal planning, zoning policy, regional planning,
sustainability as a planning framework, climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Urban Planning & Sustainability Policy Consultant, Chicago, October 2011 – Present
 The Chicago Community Trust, Chicago. February 2012 – present. Sustainable Development Program Manager (contractual)
 Review and evaluate sustainable development proposals. Work closely with candidate organizations during proposal
evaluation; recommendations presented to Trust peers, Sustainable Development Board Subcommittee, and Board
 Represent the Trust’s sustainable development interests at events as needed
 Designed and managed Impact Chicago donor briefing on architecture & ecology; wrote briefing paper on Trust
support for sustainable building design
 Represented the Trust on steering committee of transportation stakeholders to bring gold-standard bus rapid transit
to Chicago
 ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, Office of World Secretariat, Bonn, Germany. December 2011 – April 2012.
Project Manager, Energy Safe Cities Japan. (contractual)
 Managed fundraising and program development in coordination with ICLEI World Secretariat and Japan Office for
multi-year initiative to build planning capacity for Japanese local governments to implement renewable energy
systems for wind, solar, tidal, hydropower, geothermal, and biofuel
 The Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development, October 2011 – present. Sustainability Fellow (contractual)
 Advise the Institute on strategic direction to support the growing field of municipal sustainability practice in the
Chicago region
 Administer the Prairie State Local Government Sustainability Network
 Support Institute leadership on grant proposals and RFPs, program development, and networking
Midwest Director, ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability USA, Chicago, April 2010 – October 2011
 Managed business operations for ICLEI USA’s Midwest regional staff to deliver customized support to local governments on
planning for energy, climate mitigation, climate adaptation, and sustainability performance
 Developed and executed a Midwest regional strategic plan to meet the diverse needs of 90 innovative member local
governments in 13 states
 Managed an annual budget of $300,000—coordinating with ICLEI USA executive leadership on fundraising
 Designed and administered technical trainings for local government staff using ICLEI USA’s patented tools and resources
 Built and sustained close working relationships with top-level staff in member local governments, providing technical support,
networking platforms, best practices information, policy analysis, and funding opportunities
 Launched and administered peer networks of local government sustainability staff in three regions of the Midwest, totaling
over 60 cities and counties
 Instituted Midwest-specific ICLEI USA promotional campaigns for local government recruitment and retention
 Developed strong partnerships with nonprofit and private sector supporters, federal agencies, and regional sustainability
stakeholders in the Midwest to better serve local governments
Urban Planning & Sustainability Policy Consultant, Chicago, January 2009 – April 2010
 The Chicago Community Trust, Chicago. October 2009 – April 2010. (contractual)
 Conducted a strategic assessment of the Trust’s grant-making strategy for sustainable development
 Performed grant-making analysis between 1999 and 2010 to identify strategy effectiveness and operational
inefficiencies

2.  Surveyed key stakeholders in the government, civic, and business sectors to assess community development and
regional growth needs
 Identified points of entry in sustainable development for the Trust’s core expertise in human needs and services
 American Planning Association, Chicago. January 2009 – November 2009. (contractual)
 Provided expert review and content analysis for the American Planning Association on Becoming an Urban Planner: A
Guide to Careers in Planning and Urban Design, published in December 2009 by John Wiley & Sons
 Edited 22,000-entry dictionary for urban and regional planners for the American Planning Association, published in
2010 by John Wiley & Sons
Program Officer, Great Lakes Protection Fund, Evanston, Illinois, August 2008 − January 2009
 Responsible for advancing grants to improve the physical, biological, and chemical integrity of the Great Lakes—a complex
industrial ecosystem governed by two countries, eight states, and two provinces, and impacted by thousands of municipalities
 Working with the Director of Programs, served as an entry point on project development—facilitating grant-making through
the Fund’s unique approach of leveraging market principles to solve environmental issues
 Evaluated grant proposals for invasive species, water conservation, energy efficiency, and more, based on quantifiable
outcomes and the potential to affect long-lasting change
 Designed work to support the implementation of the Great Lakes Compact, an historic legislative decree by two federal
governments to preserve and protect the Great Lakes water supply
 Wrote request for proposals for the 2008 funding cycle, the effect of which would employ real-time technology to change
human behavior and industrial systems in the Great Lakes basin above and beyond government compliance
Manager, Campaign for Sensible Growth, Chicago, March 2006 − June 2008
 Coordinated operations for the state’s only sustainable growth coalition—governed by an action-oriented, multi-sector
steering committee of 12 organizations and co-chaired by the Metropolitan Planning Council and the Chicago Metropolitan
Agency for Planning
 Implemented the Campaign’s first-ever strategic plan and policy agenda
 Helped pass and/or implement legislative initiatives to build authority and/or capacity for county-wide stormwater
management, regional water supply planning, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Neighborhood
Development (LEED-ND), and capacity-building for the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning
 Leveraged the coalition’s network to provide hands-on technical assistance to dozens of local governments with specific
development challenges
 Responsible for an annual budget of $400,000—coordinating with the steering committee on fundraising and development,
and growing coalition membership to 2,000 individuals and 200 organizations
American Planning Association (APA), Chicago, June 1997 − March 2006
Manager, Planning Advisory Service (PAS), 2001 − 2006
 Managed PAS staff of six in the APA research department to provide technical information on best practices in urban and
regional planning policy to diverse practitioners in all sectors, with 1,500 subscribing organizations and more than 4,000
research inquiries annually
Editor, Zoning Practice, 1997 − 2006
 Produced Zoning Practice, a unique and popular monthly magazine featuring best practices in zoning and land-use policy
Research Associate, 1997 − 2001
 Carried out the functions of the Planning Advisory Service (PAS) to help urban planning practitioners set development goals
and policy, gather and evaluate information, and develop alternatives for action based on the evaluation of that information
Professional Development
Education
 Master of Science in Public Service Management (with honors), DePaul University, Chicago, 1996
 Bachelor of Science in Marketing, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois, 1991
Writing & Production
 Published author of more than 20 works on long-range municipal planning, land use, and zoning policy. For a compendium of
production and published work visit www.linkedin.com/in/michaelsaberdavidson
Committee Participation & Engagement
 Involved in numerous professional organizations and activities over the past 15 years. For a compendium of committee
participation and professional engagement visit www.linkedin.com/in/michaelsaberdavidson