Jennifer Keesmaat is an entrepreneur, urban planner and real estate developer who has spent the past 15 years leading transformative change from C-suite positions in both the public and private sectors. Jennifer has been named one of the “most powerful people in Canada” by Macleans, one of the “most influential” by Toronto Life, and one of the top Women of Influence in Canada. Following the creation of a national planning practice, she spent five years as Toronto’s Chief City Planner, where she was celebrated for her forward thinking and collaborative approach to city-building.A Distinguished Visitor in Residence Emeritus at the University of Toronto, Keesmaat continues to advance cities of the future. Keesmaat is on the Advisory Board of the Urban Land Institute, Toronto, and is appointed to the International Panel of Experts, Singapore Urban Redevelopment Authority. She is on the President’s Advisory Council for Ohio State University.Over the past twenty years, as a founding partner of the Office for Urbanism and subsequently Dialog, Keesmaat worked in municipalities across Canada and around the world on urban design guidelines, official plan reviews and strategies for creating dense, walkable cities. Keesmaat has been recognized for her expertise in transit planning, heritage preservation, strategy development, communications, housing development, sustainable economic development and the creation of walkable, complete communities.In 2018, Keesmaat ran for Mayor in the City of Toronto on a progressive, visionary platform that included addressing the housing crisis by building at scale on city-owned land and implementing a Rent-to-Own program; neighbourhood-based crime prevention through the development of Community Wellbeing Plans for each neighbourhood in the city; redesigning city streets to prioritize vulnerable users such as children, seniors, pedestrian and cyclists; the development of five Cultural Hubs to instigate renewal outside of the core; and the tearing down of the Gardiner Expressway to build a new walkable, transit-oriented waterfront community.Jennifer is President and CEO of Collecdev-Markee, which has over 7,500 homes in the development pipeline. Jennifer also leads The Keesmaat Group, advising governments at the municipal, provincial and federal level on housing policy. In May 2024 Keesmaat was appointed to the National Housing Council by The Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities.Jennifer’s award-winning and widely acclaimed podcast can be found at invisiblecitypodcast.com.