David Baker is assistant vice president and chief of staff for the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus. He joined Virginia Tech in the greater Washington, D.C., metro area in 2018 as assistant director of government and community affairs, based in Alexandria. His focus has been on supporting campus leadership through important initiatives with the City of Alexandria and key local stakeholders. He assumed the new role with the Innovation Campus on July 25, 2022. During his time with the Office of Government Relations, Baker served as a primary point of contact for City of Alexandria officials and the local community, including throughout the zoning and entitlement process for the Innovation Campus. He also led the effort to have the Virginia Tech name added to the new Potomac Yard Metro Station, which opened in May 2023. Baker joined Virginia Tech from George Washington University where he served as director of Virginia Government Relations since 2014. He developed the first GW in Virginia Economic Impact Study, quantifying the university’s investments across four communities in Virginia. In addition, he partnered with the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences and Alexandria City Public Schools to develop the first public-private, dual-enrollment partnership in Virginia. The health sciences partnership was recognized as a Governor’s Health Sciences Academy in 2018.

Sven Shockey is an architect and national Design Director at the architecture and engineering firm, SmithGroup. A graduate of University of Rochester and Virginia Tech, he has led the design of a variety of commercial, planning, research, and higher education projects on prominent sites throughout the United States. Sven has a passion for a rigorous idea-driven process that incorporates research and innovative computational analysis methods. His design leadership emphasizes site-specificity, placemaking, and sustainability resulting in numerous awards in architecture, sustainability, innovation, and planning. Recent notable projects include the Princeton Plasma Physics Lab Innovation Center, the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus, and the DC Water Headquarters.

Originally from New England, I settled in the DMV region after attending Georgetown University and grad school in Boston. I've had a life-long passion for architecture and marketable design. As a Project Manager in architecture at Niles Bolton Associates, I thrive on the puzzle that our built environment presents to us daily- and the responsibility it carries with it. New focuses on attainable housing, access to public transportation, flexible home environments, and smart urban planning has directed many of my recent projects and we continue to be challenged by clients looking for these same solutions. A background in urban planning and access to the many resources and great minds of groups like ULI has helped shape much of my focus and continues to inspire me!

Taylor Lawch is the Executive Vice President and Co-Head of Development at JBG SMITH (NYSE:JBGS), a mixed use developer, owner, and operator based in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Taylor is responsible for overseeing JBG SMITH’s development activities. Since joining JBGS in 2014, Taylor has focused on the master-planning and redevelopment of JBG SMITH’s National Landing Virginia portfolio, the Amazon HQ2 pursuit and subsequent HQ2 development, and various multifamily, office, and retail developments throughout the region. Prior to joining JBG SMITH, Taylor worked for Walker & Dunlop and MidCap Financial, financing multifamily, seniors housing and skilled nursing projects across the Country. Taylor graduated from Washington & Lee University with a B.S. in Business Administration.