Brooks Rainwater serves as President and CEO of the Urban Libraries Council, an outcomes-driven research and innovations network of nearly 200 leading North American public libraries. Under his leadership, ULC champions the future of public libraries by engaging and uplifting members, strengthening the essential role of public libraries as dynamic places for innovation, equity, and opportunity. Rainwater advances the core vision that urban libraries are the key civic anchor institutions that provide critical resources for transforming lives and strengthening communities. Throughout his career, Rainwater has worked to advance urban policies that expand local democracy and provide funding for local programs related to economic opportunity, entrepreneurship, literacy, and equitable growth. He has advised city governments in the US and globally on a range of key urban issues. Prior to joining ULC in July 2022, Rainwater served as Senior Executive & Director, Center for City Solutions at the National League of Cities where he drove the organization’s research agenda and oversaw technical assistance efforts and leadership education. He holds a Master of Public Administration from The George Washington University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Chicago Public Library Commissioner Chris Brown is passionate about redefining what public libraries can bring to the communities they serve. This mission is particularly vital for CPL—its 81 locations make it one of the world’s largest library systems. Brown came to CPL in 2021 after more than a decade serving in Californian districts. Throughout his career, he has prioritized equity and the democratization of access to information, including nontraditional patrons and resources beyond traditional library materials. He is currently spearheading collaboration with neighborhood safety groups, City departments, and outside partners in order to establish safe spaces for youth. He has also initiated CPL’s first organized analysis of its processes with the goal of improving equity for patrons. This work began with the opening of CPL’s first regional library on Chicago’s West Side since the 1970s. Such leadership has earned Brown national recognition. He was named a Library Journal Mover & Shaker in 2016 and has received the Urban Libraries Council Top Innovator Award, the California Library Association PRExcellence Award, and a John Cotton Dana Award from the American Library Association in both California and Illinois. Most recently, he served on the California Library Association Board.

A seasoned business executive, marketing and strategic thought leader with more than 30 years of experience, Michael joined Clayco, one of America’s largest fully integrated design and engineering centric builder and real estate development firm across the commercial, industrial and residential sector as its first ever Chief Growth Officer and President of Chicagoland in early 2024. Prior to this role between, Michael led as President and CEO World Business Chicago, the City’s economic development organization, with more than 100 C-Suite executives from all over Chicagoland on its business centric board between 2020 and early 2024. The organization’s core focus is on growing its industry sectors by supporting the expansion of existing Chicagoland based companies and by attracting new corporate relocations to the region, all with a focus on equitable economic prosperity across all 77 neighborhoods and the region. Additionally, Michael worked alongside the Mayor’s Office as the Chief Marketing Officer to ensure that all marketing, branding, and business development activities for the city were aligned with Mayor Lightfoot’s and then Mayor Johnson’s economic growth plan focused on inclusive growth across Chicago’s 77 neighborhoods.

Michael Fassnacht is a prominent figure in Chicago's civic community, known for leading crucial pro bono initiatives. His contributions include rebranding the Chicago Public Library and its foundation, developing the city's bid for Amazon HQ2, supporting the City's Census 2020 efforts, and spearheading "Boards of Change," an award-winning voter registration campaign. He recently co-chaired Mayor Johnson's transition subcommittee on Economic Vitality & Equity. Michael’s extensive board service includes the Chicago Public Library Foundation, The Civic Consulting Alliance, CURRENT, Illinois EDC, the Executives' Club of Chicago, and World Business Chicago. He also advises P33 and The Chicago Prize by the Pritzker/Traubert Foundation. He is a 2022 Daniel Burnham Fellow.

Michael was born in Germany and made his way stateside in college where he met his wife, Dr. Rhonda Duffaut. They currently reside in Chicago and have two children, Maya and Ryan.

Tommi Laitio is an internationally recognized leader and expert on public life, cities and public innovation. Tommi’s advisory and consultancy builds on his background as a city executive and a researcher. Tommi was the City of Helsinki’s first Executive Director for Culture and Leisure where he led a team of 1,800 professionals delivering over 20 million annual arts and culture, sports, public library and youth work experiences. Based on his innovative leadership, he was appointed as the inaugural Bloomberg Public Innovation Fellow at Johns Hopkins University where his international research focused on the partnership capabilities of local governments in creating public spaces.