Ed McMahon is an attorney, community planner, lecturer, and author. He holds the Charles E. Fraser Chair on Sustainable Development at the Urban Land Institute (ULI) in Washington, DC where he is nationally known as a leading authority on economic development and land use policies and trends. As the Senior Fellow for Sustainable Development, McMahon leads ULI’s worldwide research and educational activities on environmentally sensitive development policies and practices. McMahon is also the Chairman of the Board of Main Street America. Before joining ULI in 2004, McMahon spent 15 years as Vice President and Director of Programs for the Conservation Fund, a national land conservation organization that has purchased and protected more than 8 million acres of land of historic, natural, or cultural importance. McMahon led The Fund’s technical assistance, training and education programs and was widely recognized for his innovative approaches to community planning, land conservation and growth management. McMahon is also the founder and former President of Scenic America, a national non-profit devoted to protecting America’s scenic landscapes. Before that he taught law and public policy at Georgetown University Law Center and served in the US Army both at home and overseas. McMahon is the author or co-author of 15 books, over 600 articles, and dozens of monographs or reports on topics as varied as sustainable development, conservation finance, historic preservation, green infrastructure, and innovative approaches to community development. McMahon has an MA in Urban Studies from the University of Alabama and a Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University Law School. He has been named an Honorary Member of the American Society of Landscape Architects and has received numerous other awards and recognitions.