Dr Richard J Jackson is Professor of Environmental Health at the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health. His strongest public health interest is in developing the next generation of leaders in Public Health. For nine years he was director of the Center of Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Environmental Health in Atlanta. In June 2005, Dr Richard J Jackson received the Presidential Distinguished Executive Award from President Bush for his outstanding leadership and extraordinary achievement in service to the nation, and in particular to improving environmental public health. Dick Jackson has published widely on the impact of the built environment on health, and is co-author of the book Urban Sprawl and Public Health. He has served on many medical and health boards, and in September 2005 he was selected to serve on the Board of Directors of the national American Institute of Architects (AIA).

Robin Moore   is professor of landscape architecture and director of the Natural Learning Initiative, North Carolina State University, and a principal in the firm of Moore Iacofano Goltsman. Prof. Moore is an international authority on the design of children’s play and learning environments, user needs, and participatory design programming of urban environments. He is a member of the Growing Up in Cities UNESCO-sponsored, international participatory action research team. He was a student of Kevin Lynch in urban planning at MIT and also holds an architecture degree from London University

Helen Woolley is  Director of Green Space and Director of the Centre for the Study of Childhood and Youth at The University of Sheffield.  Helen is a strategic advisor for CABE Space and sit  on steering groups (including one about young people and open space).  She is also a member of the Play Research Network in Britain and Chair of the Steering Group for the award winning, £6.75 million, Restoration of Sheffield Botanical Gardens, where the partnership is now in its tenth year.  Helen gave verbal evidence at the House of Commons sub-committee who heard evidence about the revision of PPG17, which is planning policy guidance about Open Space, Sport and Recreation. 

Catharine Ward Thompson is Professor at Edinburgh College of Art, UK and Director of the OPENspace; the research centre for inclusive access to outdoor environments.  Catharine has managed research contracts and grants worth over £1.2million in total, and directed major research projects for clients such as SDA/Scottish Enterprise, British Technology Group the Forestry Commission and the Countryside Agency. She is currently working on an international project supported by the British Academy, exploring teenagers’ use of open space, comparing urban centres in Scotland and the USA. She is also leading a consortium on an EPSRC-funded project – I’DGO, inclusive design for getting outdoors - which particularly focuses on older people.