Dr. Edward J. Blakely is Professor of Urban Policy in the United States Study Centre at the University of Sydney, Australia. He has held academic positions in teaching, research, academic administration, and economic development policy for more than 30 years, including Dean of the Robert J. Milano Graduate School of Management and Urban Policy and Dean of the University of Southern California School of Policy, Planning, and Development. He is a leading scholar and practitioner in the fields of planning and local economic development. Dr. Blakely served as a policy adviser to the mayor of Oakland and adviser to the Los Angeles Public School District. He was appointed by President Clinton as Vice Chair of the Presidio Trust, where he played a key role in the development of the former army base into a profitable civic facility. He has served on the Board of Directors of the American Planning Association, the Nature Conservancy, and Fulbright Association. In January 2007, Dr. Blakely was appointed by the Mayor of New Orleans to head the recovery effort following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.