Ed Blackely is an urban planner, author, and professor. Blackely earned his bachelor's degree from the University of California Riverside, his Master's in Latin American History from UC Berkley, and his PhD in Education and Management from UCLA. Blackely was the Executive Director of Recovery Management for the city of New Orleans and Chair of the Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of California, Berkley from 1986 to 1994. Blackely has authored ten books and over one hundred scholarly articles, some of his publications include My Storm: Managing the Recovery of New Orleans in the Wake of Katrina, Fortress America, and Separate Societies: Poverty and Inequality in U.S. Cities.