Thompson Gooding

Vice President at Oracle Consulting Services

Mr. Gooding is a real estate development and construction professional with over 14 years of experience in developing a wide range of affordable and market rate multifamily housing, single-family housing revitalization, new construction, renovations, historic rehabilitation, and on- and off-campus student housing, including other auxiliary collegiate facilities such as dining halls and bookstores. Mr. Gooding’s experience includes the development of over 750 multifamily units and 2,700 student beds, totaling over 1.6 million square feet with a total development cost of more than $171 million. He is a legacy LEED AP and has experience with both the Energy Star and Enterprise Green Communities green building certification programs. His capabilities and experience in project financing include traditional mortgage financing, Low Income Housing Tax Credits (federal and state), HUD 221(d)4 loans and tax-exempt bond financing.

He is responsible for leading Oracle’s real estate development activities in the southeast, with primary focus on the states of Georgia, South Carolina and Alabama. Mr. Gooding’s expertise begins with market and site selection, developing project concepts and pro forma financial modeling, and continues through final design and engineering, financial commitments and closing, entitlements, permitting and construction. He is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science in Building Construction and a Certificate in Engineering Entrepreneurship.

Brittany Collins

Community Development Advisor at Purpose Built Communities

Brittany Collins, a versatile and experienced education professional and advocate, serves as a Community Development Advisor for Purpose Built Communities. She supports current Network Members and prospects across the country dedicated to breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty through holistic community revitalization.

Previously, Brittany spent five years as an educational leader within the city of Atlanta in various roles. She joined Teach for America in 2009 and taught elementary school as the grade level chair within the Atlanta Public School System. Her passion for not only teaching students, but also coaching adult learners influenced her role as a mathematics instructor for novice Pre-K – 5 teachers across Metro Atlanta through Teach for America’s Teacher Leadership Development Program. She was also selected as a Demonstration Classroom teacher with the APS Department of Learning Excellence, and her responsibilities included demonstrating model lessons, researching and implementing effective instructional strategies, conducting formal classroom observations, and providing feedback to peers. Brittany was selected as Teacher of the Year in 2013 by peers based on a successful history of increasing student achievement, attainment of the school systems strategic goals and increasing leadership capacity within her school. She has thoroughly enjoyed her work in the early childhood education field, as she has always wanted to make a difference in the lives of children and young adults in the urban core beyond the classroom walls.

Brittany currently serves as a mentor for Spelman’s Alumnae-Students Professional Mentoring Program and Chair of the STEM Committee at Vanderlyn Elementary School. She graduated from Spelman College with a B.A. in Psychology and earned a Master of Early Childhood Education with honors from Georgia State University.

Doug Farr

President and Founding Prinicipal of Farr Associates

Doug Farr is Founding Principal and President of Farr Associates, the 2012 AIA Chicago Firm of the Year. He is a national leader in designing sustainable neighborhoods and buildings, being elevated to the AIA College of Fellows in 2014. Under his leadership, Farr Associates has designed and certified a total of seven LEED Platinum buildings, two of which also achieve net-zero energy, and four LEED-ND Developments. Doug was the founding chair of the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED-ND Core Committee and is currently serving as the Chair of the Congress for the New Urbanism Executive Board.