Stewart Schwartz has served as the Executive Director for the Coalition for Smarter Growth since its creation in the spring of 1997. Mr. Schwartz is responsible for the strategic direction of the organization and the regional coalition. His leadership has taken the Coalition from a one-person coordinating office to a seven person staff and the lead regional organization on smart growth issues.

The Washington Business Journal recognized him as one of six Businesspersons of 2002 and he serves as one of only a few non-profit members on their Advisory Board.

An attorney with experience in environmental, land use, and transportation law, Mr. Schwartz has worked for the President’s Council on Sustainable Development, the Land Trust Alliance, the Southern Environmental Law Center, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the Department of Justice. A 22-year veteran of active and reserve service in the US Navy, Mr. Schwartz earned a B.A. and J.D. from the University of Virginia and an M.A. from Georgetown. He is a member of the Virginia Bar Association.