Shaka Senghor is a New York Times best-selling author, a highly respected and sought-after speaker, a mentor and teacher, a criminal justice reform activist, and an ex-con who works to put a human face to incarceration and show that transformation is possible. 

Karla Henderson is the Chief Operating Officer of the Wright Museum, a position in which she leverages her background in city planning, community engagement, and nonprofit management to grow this important cultural institution. 

When your company's most popular t-shirt says "You will do better in Toledo," you're bound to hear a joke or two if your company is not actually located in the city. Just ask John Amato, whose screen printing business Jupmode is moving from Perrysburg to downtown Toledo this summer.

Leslie Smith is applying her extensive economic development experience from Detroit and applying it in her role as President and CEO of EPIcenter Memphis, a collaborative and community-wide effort to inclusively grow the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Memphis region. 

As the Director of Equity & Strategic Partnerships, Jose Corona works to ensure that the long-term competitiveness of Oakland is directly linked to the vitality and the diversity in the community, and that economic development benefits everyone. 

Napoleon Wallace, an Executive Staff member for Durham's Self-Help, leverages his expertise in investment banking in his work in social justice and policy advocacy.

Akeem Dixon is the 52nd Street Corridor Manager for Philadelphia's Enterprise Center, where he emphasizes the community development practice of doing with instead of doing for or to.

Laura Zabel is Executive Director of Springboard for the Arts in Saint Paul, Minnesota, a community economic development organization that is run by and for artists. 

When we talk about cities, it's easy to focus on the macro – systems and networks, infrastructure and industry. But if you zoom in closer you'll find a very different story – one of passionate people working every day to shape a better tomorrow. This is why we're excited to share People Changing Cities, a new series to spread stories of remarkable individuals leading urban change.