John is President and Chief Executive Officer of O’Brien/Atkins Associates, PA, a multidisciplinary design services firm he co-founded in 1975. 

In addition to leading his company, Atkins serves extensively, typically in leadership roles, on many regional economic development initiatives, boards of directors and civic organizations including, currently, as a member of the board and Treasurer of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, Chair of the Wachovia Bank Durham Advisory Board and First Vice Chair and incoming President of the North Carolina Citizens for Business and Industry.

Jonathan B. Howes became Special Assistant to the Chancellor and Adjunct Professor of Planning and Public Policy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in August 1997.  Prior to that, he served as Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environment, Health and Natural Resources under Governor James B. Hunt, Jr. and as Adjunct Professor of Planning and Public Policy at UNC from January 1993 until August 1997.  As Secretary, he helped to secure funding for construction of the new facility for the North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences, which opened in 2000.  In 1993, he campaigned to win passage of a $35 million bond issue for the state park system, and, in 1995 worked with leaders in the General Assembly to create the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund as a dedicated source of support for the state and local parks of North Carolina.

In addition to his work at the University, Mr. Howes served in local government in Chapel Hill, serving three terms on the Chapel Hill Town Council from 1975 to 1987.  Then he was twice elected Mayor of Chapel Hill, serving from 1987 to 1991.  During his service on the Council, the Town constructed a new Town Hall and public library, entered into joint planning agreements with UNC, Carrboro and Orange County, and preserved many acres of greenways, parklands and open space.   His work with local governments also included service as President of the North Carolina League of Municipalities, Chair of Triangle J Council of Governments, President of the National Association of Regional Councils, and a member of the Board of Directors and Chair of the Advisory Council of the National League of Cities.

By appointment of the Governor, Mr. Howes currently chairs the North Carolina Parks and Recreation Authority, which administers the $50 million dollar Parks and Recreation Trust Fund for improvement of the state park system and for local parks.  He is Past President of the Friends of the Museum of Natural Sciences and is on the Board of Directors of the North Carolina Aquarium Society, North Carolina Audubon, the Triangle Land Conservancy and the Triangle United Way.  He recently completed service as Board Chair of the Carol Woods continuing care retirement community in Chapel Hill.  At the national level, he is a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration and recently served as Chair of NAPA’s Board of Trustees.

Aaron Nelson was appointed Executive Director of The Chapel Hill Chamber of Commerce in March of 2001. After receiving his undergraduate degree in Philosophy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Aaron served for three years as the University’s coordinator of local relations. Aaron is active in the community and serves on a number of local and state non-profit boards of directors including Good Work, Orange County United Way Board of Trustees, El Centro Latino, the Common Sense Foundation, NC-ACLU and the Chapel Hill Downtown Commission.

Ben Taylor is a Senior Architect at Integrated Design, PA. Prior to joining Integrated Design, he was the president of Envirotek, Inc., for over 30 years.

Taylor in involved in number of organizations, and is a board member of many of them. His community and volunteer commitments include, but are not limited to: the American Institute of Architects, the Advisory Committee for Community Planning in North Carolina, Raleigh Planning Commission, NC Design Foundation, NC Theatre, Wake County Schools & Parks, International Visitor's Council, Triangle Land Conservative, Triangle Tomorrow, Triangle Opera, Triangle Smart Growth Coalition, Triangle Growth Strategies, and the Future Neighborhoods Resource Group.

For 16 years, 1988-2004, Jim Roberson served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina,

He has an international reputation as a leader in his profession, having served as the top elected official of both the American Economic Development Council (AEDC) and the National Association of State Development Agencies (NASDA).  He is a Past President of the Association of University Related Research Parks.

In September 2002, Roberson was named the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award of the International Economic Development Council for consistently exemplifying “the highest standards of professional excellence throughout his or her career in the economic development field.”  He received the Career Achievement Award from the Association of University Research Parks in 2000.  The Association named RTP the Outstanding Research Park in 1999.  In 2004 he was named Citizen of the World by the Council on International Affairs.

Roberson has served in cabinet-level positions responsible for state economic development programs in Maryland, Rhode Island and New Mexico, and has acted as a consultant in the design of development programs for states, territories and numerous communities as well as in Europe and Asia.