Lynn M. Ross

Lynn M. Ross is a nationally recognized urbanist and the founder of Spirit for Change Consulting, LLC where she works across sectors with organizations on a mission to create the equitable policies and practices that sustain just places.

The work of Spirit for Change takes many forms, including leading the Knight Foundation’s engagement with Reimagining the Civic Commons—a national initiative demonstrating the power of equitable public spaces; partnering with the City of Akron, Ohio, to set a new course for equitable community development by establishing its Office of Integrated Development; and serving as the senior fellow for the Housing Playbook Project—an effort to reimagine the federal role in housing policy that resulted in the release of New Deal for Housing Justice in 2021.

Dedicated to serving mission-driven organizations, Lynn has more than 20 years of leadership experience, including past roles as Vice President, Community and National Initiatives at the Knight Foundation;  Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy Development at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; Executive Director of the Urban Land Institute’s Terwilliger Center for Housing; Chief Operating Officer for the National Housing Conference and Center for Housing Policy; and Manager of the Planning Advisory Service at the American Planning Association.

In addition to her domestic experience, Lynn has provided strategic advice to global leaders in housing, planning, and placemaking. In 2017, she became a Fellow of the Salzburg Global Seminar at Session 574, The Child in the City: Health, Parks and Play. In 2019, Lynn was named one of 50 “Women of Influence” by the Royal Town Planning Institute’s The Planner magazine. She’s also a sought-after facilitator and speaker for organizations including AARP, American Planning Association, American Society of Landscape Architects, City Parks Alliance, Cornell University, Knight Foundation, Urban Institute, Urban Land Institute.

Lynn serves on the boards of KABOOM! and Next City as well as the program advisory committee for the National Academy of Medicine’s Culture of Health Program. She is also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Working Group on Civic Infrastructure.