Think Tank

Jeff began his career in public transit at the age of 22, when he became transit planner at the Rock Island County Metropolitan Mass Transit District (MetroLINK). Three years later, he was promoted to general manager, and began transforming the organization into the award public transit agency it is today. During his 35 years as general manager, his strategic focus has been on implementing cutting edge programs with an emphasis on economic growth, sustainability, technology, and workforce development.

Recently Jeff completed a highly anticipated multi modal development in downtown Moline, IL, which will support passenger rail service from Chicago to Moline. Jeff facilitated the convergence of multiple private and public stakeholders to create a unique public-private partnership in support of a mixed use multi modal passenger rail station, which includes The Element Hotel, retail and restaurant space, and a passenger rail waiting area.

Jeff has been actively involved with the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) for three decades, serving in a number of leadership positions. Currently he serves as Chair of the APTA Board of Directors, a position he will hold through November of 2022.

Alexandra Elias is the current President & CEO of Renew Moline, a non-profit corporation that works closely with the City of Moline to advocate for redevelopment of downtown. Alex joined Renew in 2018 after a 25-year career working in local, state and federal government.

During almost nine years at the Centre City Development Corporation, the City of San Diego’s downtown redevelopment arm, Alex was CCDC’s project manager for the North Embarcadero Visionary Plan, a $280m waterfront improvement plan; and she managed a comprehensive update of the Downtown Community Plan. She later worked for the Navy’s Southwest Region for seven years, managing land disposals, real estate contracts and executing land conservation agreements in Nevada and California with entities such as The Nature Conservancy and the Trust for Public Land.

Alex has an undergraduate degree in Political Science and French Literature from the University of Iowa. She also holds a Master of Science in City and Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Alex has received several awards, including the San Diego Chapter of the American Institute of Architects Community Design award in 1999, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Realty Division’s National Land Conservation Award in 2011 and the Rock Island Preservation Society’s 2015 award for a house restoration in the National Register Historic Broadway District, where she currently lives.

Dr. Schwieterman is a Professor in the School of Public Service, Department of Public Policy, and Sustainable Urban Development programs. He is an expert in the fields of public policy, transportation and urban planning, and is the author of numerous books and peer-reviewed articles on the development of cities and transportation.

Dr. Schwieterman has consulted with prominent national organizations on planning and development issues, and advised national trade groups and research organizations on trends in transportation. In addition to serving as the Director of the Chaddick Institute, Dr. Schwieterman serves as president of the Chicago Chapter of the Transportation Research Forum.

In addition to having published more than 40 technical articles, Dr. Schwieterman has authored five books, including The Politics of Place: A History of Zoning in Chicago, which won an independent book publishers award. His most recent book, Terminal Town, offers an illustrated history of Chicago’s airports, bus depots, and train stations since 1939. Since joining DePaul, he has also published an illustrated history of planning for the Chicago region, “Beyond Burnham,” and a book about the abandonment of American railroads, When the Railroad Leaves Town, which was a finalist for the prestigious George Hilton Award.

Dr. Schwieterman is frequently seen and heard on radio and television, making appearances on Chicago Public Radio, and WBBM’s Noon Business Hour. His work through the Chaddick Institute has also been featured in USA Today, Bloomberg News, and the Chicago Tribune, among other national publications.

With 30+ years of project planning, design, management, and creative experience at leading architecture firms in Chicago, Kerl LaJeune’s leadership combines his vast knowledge and experience in strengthening projects of quality with great attention to detail. He has developed an acute professional capability in dealing with complex design problems and technical challenges. The familiarity and focus on project excellence and constructability have been the foundation of his career both professionally and academically.

At the PBC, Mr. LaJeune’s senior management as the Deputy Director of Planning and Design oversees new and renovated, municipal, commercial, K-12 educational projects, for public facilities and infrastructure on behalf of the City of Chicago per the Mayor’s Office, Cook County, and various sister agencies. He provides continued leadership, communication, technical and decision making on design, detailed design coordination, and QA/QC monitoring responsibilities over assigned architectural and engineering consultants.

Kerl’s past experiences have included over 13+ years as an Adjunct Professor in Architecture with a focus on design and technology at the three major architectural institutions in Chicago; UIC, IIT, and Archeworks. His active involvements and volunteerism have stretched from community-based organizations to not-for-profit groups, student enrichment with mentoring, and other affiliated activities linked to professional practice. The various executive-level Board of Director positions continue to be a worthwhile experience where he shares strategic opportunities, coupled with critical thinking for a unique perspective.

Dave serves as the President and CEO of Visit Quad Cities. Visit Quad Cities is the region’s official destination marketing and management organization (DMMO) and is charged with driving positive economic development opportunities through tourism. Herrell leads the vision, strategy, and day-to-day operations of the private non-profit, community-based organization.

The Visit Quad Cities professional team is responsible for sharing the QC story as well as competitively positioning the region for identity and growth while developing the overall visitor experience. Under Herrell’s leadership, Visit Quad Cities has produced record annual visitor expenditures of $954m and has set an ambitious plan toward the future. A proven executive with more than twenty years of experience, Herrell has a background in destination and brand marketing, administration, operations, strategic planning, business development, fundraising, government relations, communications, and non-profit management.

Prior to Visit Quad Cities, Herrell led the City of Jacksonville’s Office of Sports & Entertainment as their Sports & Entertainment Officer. He was responsible for Sports, the Office of Special Events, the Film & Television Office, and the city’s public access venues. A Mayoral appointee, he served as the city’s senior level director within the sports, entertainment, and publicly owned facility space. Herrell led the operation of annual signature events such as the Florida-Georgia Game, Jacksonville Jazz Festival, and the Sea & Sky Airshow to name a few. He further managed the City’s Sports & Entertainment Complex Capital Maintenance Fund and was a principal on the $90m TIAA Bank Field stadium renovation project which included the creation of Daily’s Place (outdoor amphitheater and Jacksonville Jaguars’ practice facility).

Herrell has held leadership positions with the Arizona Sports Foundation, the Nashville Sports Council and Music City Bowl, Inc. Throughout his career, he has been involved with hundreds of projects that have yielded more than $800m in direct economic impact. He further served on the team that created Nashville’s post-season collegiate Bowl game, the Music City Bowl. He was involved with a $292m NFL relocation (Tennessee Titans) and an NHL conditional expansion franchise bid (Nashville Predators).

Active in the community where he lives and industry, Herrell currently serves on the John Deere Classic Board of Directors, Q2030 Regional Vision Board of Directors, Chairman, Illinois Council of Convention & Visitor Bureaus (ICCVB) Board of Directors, and the Iowa Tourism Industry Partners (iTIP) Board of Directors. He has served on the Board of Directors for the JAXSPORTS Council, Board of Governors for the JAX Chamber and as a Board Member of Visit Jacksonville. He also served on the Economic Development Committee for the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce. In addition, he is a Leadership Middle Tennessee graduate and was recognized as a Nashville Emerging Leader Award Winner. He has been a guest lecturer and presenter at industry events, several universities, and civic organizations during his career.



A native of St. Louis and a graduate of the University of Missouri, he earned a bachelor’s degree in communication. He and his wife Connie and their two kids live in the Quad Cities and are proud Quad Citizens.

Paul Rumler has served as the President & CEO of the Quad Cities Chamber since 2018 and has 15 years of Chamber leadership experience. He was recruited back to his native Quad Cities after being in Michigan for two years as the Grand Rapids Chamber’s Chief Strategy Officer. Previously, he had been with the Quad Cities Chamber and its preceding organizations since 2006 serving in roles ranging from talent attraction and retention, community development, public policy and economic development.

Prior to his chamber work, Rumler worked in legislative/government affairs in the Massachusetts State Senate and U.S. Congress. He has a degree in Economics from Georgia State University and also attended Boston University and Black Hawk College.

Legat Architects' Zach Campbell helps clients explore different design options and find cost-effective responses to their facilities challenges.

Sometimes during demolition for renovations, something unanticipated pops up. Zach enjoys taking on the challenge of adjusting the design to respond to these unforeseen conditions while sticking to the client’s budget.

For instance, demolition for a school kitchen makeover revealed an unexpected load-bearing masonry wall instead of a column. A costly option involved removing the wall and adding structural columns. Instead, Zach reworked the design at no cost to the owner . . . plus the revised design is indistinguishable from the original.

Zach volunteers on his church’s council and helps plan youth group events. Also, as housing director of his fraternity’s (Beta Sigma Psi) alumni board, he helps active members plan and draw renovations for their fraternity house.

Zach holds a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.