Michael Maher

Biography: Michael T. Maher is the CEO of the WestEdge Foundation, Inc, the redevelopment entity that is building the WestEdge District. He is also an award-winning architect, city planner and educator. His leadership is bringing to reality the WestEdge District, Charleston’s 21st century commitment to progress and innovation in the art of making a vibrant and diverse city. With the completion of WestEdge’s first phase, the transformation has begun: $450M in private investment, $20M in new public infrastructure, a community anchor that has attracted new jobs, new residents, and a new vitality to the west side of the Charleston peninsula. Prior to his role leading the redevelopment efforts for WestEdge, Mr. Maher was the founding Director of the Charleston Civic Design Center, working to implement the urban design leadership of then-Mayor Joseph P. Riley. Mr. Maher was also the lead representative for the City of Charleston on the Gaillard Center Arts Precinct, a $150M urban redevelopment of a public performance hall and its environs. As a practicing architect, he has collaborated on several award-winning projects, as well as numerous prize-winning entries in international design competitions, and has been nationally recognized for his teaching excellence, receiving the ACSA/AIAS New Faculty National Teaching Award. His professional and academic work has been widely published and exhibited in the United States, and he has lectured on his work and teaching in the U.S. and Europe. Mr. Maher has been a Member of the Urban Land Institute since 2009 and serves on the ULI Public Development and Infrastructure Product Council and the ULI Carolinas Market Impact Council. He has provided numerous programs and served as a panelist for ULI Carolinas events. A native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Mr. Maher received his Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and his Master of Architecture from Rice University. As a practicing architect, he has col