CHiFA is led by an accomplished group of practitioners
from the fields of impact finance, heritage preservation, architecture, urban design and community development.
Founders and Directors
Laurie Beckelman
DirectorMs. Beckelman has led preservation and capital buildings projects for cultural institiutions in New York City for many years, serving as Chair of the New York Landmarks under Mayors David Dinkins and Rudy Giuliani. She was a Loeb Fellow at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University, and most recently served as Associate Director of The Shed.
Bonnie Burnham
Founder and PresidentMs. Burnham led the World Monuments Fund from 1985 through 2015 and is presently its President Emerita.
Gary S. Hattem
Co-Founder and Managing DirectorMr. Hattem helped to pioneer neighborhood strategies to reclaim abandoned properties. He founded the Community Development Finance Group at Bankers Trust, whose success led to the creation of the Global Social Finance Group at Deutsche Bank.
Derek A.R. Moore
Co-Founder and Senior AdvisorDr. Moore, FAIA is a Principal at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP in New York whose work focuses on urban design and large-scale transportation projects. His research focuses on urban development in Europe and around the Mediterranean.
Keith Wright
Co-Founder and DirectorMr. Wright is a strategic advisor and mentor in the financial services sector, acting as a consultant for innovation labs and SMEs, based in New York City. His firm, Square Shaped Circles, is active in the USA, Europe and Australia.
Consultants
Norma Barbacci
Project ConsultantMs. Barbacci, a heritage conservation consultant has 30 years' experience in the field, working as program director at World Monuments Fund from 2001-17 and prior at Beyer Blinder Belle, New York.
Amy Iwasaki
Program Manager, Urban Heritage AcceleratorMs. Iwasaki specializes in international heritage contexts, with experience in program support, research, and data analysis at ICCROM, Getty Conservation Institute, and World Monuments Fund. She holds a Geography BA from UCLA and a Heritage Studies MPhil from the University of Cambridge.
Guido Licciardi
Mentor, Urban Heritage AcceleratorDr. Licciardi is an Italian architect and urban planner who has worked extensively at the nexus of heritage conservation, the regeneration of historic cities, and sustainable urban development. A Senior Operations Officer at the World Bank, he supports the CHiFA Accelerator on a personal basis.
Eduardo Rojas
Mentor, Urban Heritage AcceleratorDr. Rojas is a Chilean architect and planner specializing in heritage preservation, urban rehabilitation, low-income housing, and municipal governance. He lectures at the Weitzman School of Design of the University of Pennsylvania and previously worked at the Inter-American Development Bank.
Alison M.B. Weidman
Communications & OperationsMs. Weidman is a cultural strategist and preservationist with a focus on community-led development, adaptive reuse, and the power of place. She brings a decade of experience in philanthropy, programming, and design-forward storytelling to her work, with a passion for bridging heritage and innovation. She holds a BA in American Studies from Emory University and Master of Science in Historic Preservation from Pratt Institute and leads projects that center equity, sustainability, and cultural memory.