Keynote Speakers
This year's keynote address was presented jointly by John Knott, president and CEO of the Noisette Company, LLC, and Dr. John Kelly, vice president for Public Service and Agriculture at Clemson University. Knott and Kelly highlighted the latest advances in the development of Noisette, a sustainable community being constructed on 3,000 acres of the former Charleston Naval Base. Knott also spoke about the challenges in converting Noisette and turned attendees’ eyes to the future of sustainable development.
In addition, at the close of the conference a tour of Noisette highlighted various aspects of the keynote address, as well as the Hunley submarine, a civil war era navy fighter submarine raised from the ocean floor in 2000.
John L. Knott, Jr.
As President/CEO and co-founder of the Noisette Company, LLC, John Knott leads the Noisette Project development team, which is collaborating with the City of North Charleston, South Carolina, in the sustainable restoration of 3,000 acres of the city’s historic urban core and areas of the former Charleston Naval Base. A third-generation developer, Knott has 38 years of experience in urban redevelopment, historic preservation, and community rehabilitation. He specializes in ecologically-sound development, emphasizing energy-efficient design in the holistic development of sustainable communities.
Among numerous other appointments in the non-profit, business, and government sectors related to sustainable development, Knott is also co-founder of the Harmony Project and the Sustainability Institute in the Charleston region and serves as the CEO/Managing Director of the Island Preservation Partnership, which developed the 1,206-acre Dewees Island, an oceanfront retreat dedicated to environmental preservation. Knott has been honored for his work by such organizations as the South Carolina Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council and the State of South Carolina. He has been named an environmental champion and one of the world’s leading design visionaries by publications such as Interiors & Sources and Metropolis respectively.
John W. Kelly, Ph.D
Dr. John Kelly is the Vice President for Public Service and Agriculture (PSA) at Clemson University and serves as one of the three mission vice presidents at the University. At Clemson, Dr. Kelly also serves as Director of the Clemson University Experiment Station, Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service (CUCES), and South Carolina Botanical Garden (SCBG), and as Administrative Technical Representative for the McIntire-Stennis Forestry Program. Additionally, he serves as Executive Director of the Clemson University Restoration Institute (CURI). Located on 82 acres in North Charleston on the former Charleston Navy Base, CURI is driving economic growth by creating, developing, and fostering restoration industries and environmentally sustainable technologies in South Carolina.
Alongside his academic and outreach activities, Dr. Kelly is active in community and professional organizations. Currently, Dr. Kelly serves as Chair of the Board for the American Distance Education Consortium, South Carolina Nutrition Consortium, and Animal Co-Products Research and Education Center (ACREC), and as President of the Administrative Heads of the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges (NASULGC). He also serves on the Boards for the Pate Foundation, South Carolina Forestry Association, and South Carolina Biotechnology Alliance. Additionally, Dr. Kelly is a Fellow and former Chairman of the Board of Directors of The American Society for Horticultural Science. Having published more than 50 scientific journal articles and over 100 popular press articles, Dr. Kelly has received a number of significant awards from the American Society for Horticultural Science, notably the award for Outstanding Research, the L. M. Ware Distinguished Research Award, and the Leadership and Administration Award.
I2SL would like to thank John Knott and Dr. John Kelly for making significant contributions toward the planning and promotion of the Labs21 2007 Annual Conference by providing our keynote speech, assistance with the tour of The Navy Yard at Noisette, and helping to develop a Roll Up Your Sleeves roundtable presentation.