Paul Morris

Biography: Paul Morris’s career is a unique confluence of consultant, developer, investor and government official, setting new standards for corporate investment and social enterprise. He never envisioned a path that would take him from land use planning, urban design and community development to guiding creation of international memorials. He frequently remarks that through these and other tragic events people and governments “are relearning how vital the public realm is to a whole and healthy civic society.” Paul most recently oversaw the Midtown Connector Project, a $1billion infrastructure investment initiative envisioned to integrate multi-modal mobility; resilient environmental stewardship and advanced social equity in the heart of Atlanta. This effort built on his accomplishments as President and CEO of the Atlanta Beltline - the most comprehensive revitalization effort in the history of Atlanta and among the largest most wide-ranging redevelopment projects in the United States - forging non-traditional partnerships that catalyzed more than $15 billion in combined investment. He moved to Atlanta on the heals of serving as Deputy Secretary of North Carolina’s Department of Transportation, where he directed the State’s multimodal transportation divisions, public-private partnerships and land use/transportation integration to move forward a 21st Century transportation system that unlocks economic opportunity, facilitates job creation and improves quality of life for all North Carolinians. At Cherokee Investment Partners, Paul directed sustainable investment policies, programs, and projects for investors of a multi-billion-dollar real estate portfolio across North America and Western Europe. Working at Parsons Brinckerhoff, Inc. (now WSP) from Portland, New York and Washington DC, he served as executive vice president, principal practice leader and global director of strategic consulting, influencing large scale infrastructure and development projects across twenty-five st