The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation announced today the formation of two drafting committees that will participate in the planning for a World Trade Center memorial: the Memorial Mission Statement Drafting Committee and the Memorial Program Drafting Committee. Each committee will be comprised of 11 individuals representing various points of view - including victims’ families, survivors, first responders, residents and employees of Lower Manhattan and representatives of cultural and architectural institutions.

The Mission Statement Drafting Committee will draft a mission statement that will be used to guide the development of the memorial at the World Trade Center site. The Committee will use as its starting point a preliminary mission statement created by the LMDC Families Advisory Council.

The Program Drafting Committee will work with LMDC staff to create a draft memorial program that identifies elements to be incorporated into guidelines for a future international memorial design competition. LMDC will provide the committee with research materials on other memorial programs throughout the world, as well as a report of the public comments received to date.

In carrying out their work, both committees will consider the extensive public input the LMDC has received through Advisory Councils, public forums in every borough and New Jersey, a questionnaire sent to relatives of every World Trade Center victim, and thousands of emails sent to LMDC.

Both committees are expected to complete their work by early next year, followed by the launch of an international design competition. The draft Mission Statement and Program will be subject to public comment, through LMDC’s Advisory Councils, posting the documents on LMDC’s website, mailing the documents to relatives of every person killed at the World Trade Center and other public outreach initiatives.

LMDC Chairman John C. Whitehead said, “These two special committees are crucial to developing our plans for the World Trade Center memorial. The mission statement and the memorial program will become invaluable guidelines for the upcoming design competition.”

LMDC President Louis R. Tomson said, “As these committees embark on their important work, I want to thank the LMDC Families Advisory Council for the tremendous effort they dedicated to creating a draft mission statement. They helped articulate a vision for the memorial and sparked a thoughtful public dialogue on how we remember the victims of September 11th. I also want to thank the committee members for agreeing to volunteer many hours of their time.”

In recent months, LMDC has been engaged in extensive research of other memorial programs around the world to inform the process of creating a memorial at the World Trade Center site. Research included a tour of memorials in New York City, meetings with key planners of other memorials and a memorial speakers series. In early October a group of LMDC staff, Board members, and families of victims visited over 15 memorials in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, Washington DC, Oklahoma City, and Montgomery, Alabama.

LMDC Memorial mission statement drafting committee

Member	Affiliations and biographical notes
Kathy Ashton	LMDC Families Advisory Council member; Victim’s family member, Queens, New York resident.
Lt. Frank Dwyer	New York City Police Department; First responder to WTC site. Queens, New York resident
Tom Eccles	Director and Curator, Public Art Fund; Brooklyn, New York resident
Capt. Steve Geraghty	Captain, Ladder Company 11, New York City Fire Department; Victim’s family member, Rockville Center, New York resident
Meredith Kane	LMDC Resident Advisory Council; Partner, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison; New York City Tribeca resident
Michael Kuo	Project Coordinator, Imagine New York, Municipal Arts Society; Hunter College graduate student in urban planning; Victim’s family member; New York City resident.
Julie Menin	LMDC Restaurants, Retailers & Small Business Advisory Council; President, Wall Street Rising, Lower Manhattan resident.
Dr. Antonio Perez	LMDC Arts, Education & Tourism Advisory Council member; President, Borough of Manhattan Community College; New York City resident.
Nikki Stern	LMDC Families Advisory Committee; Public relations and communications specialist in architecture industry; Victim’s family member; New Jersey Governor’s 9/11 Victim’s Families Liaison; Imagine New York Steering Committee member; New Jersey resident.
Elizabeth Thompson	LMDC Arts, Education & Tourism Advisory Council member; Executive Director, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council; Community Board 1 board member; New York City resident.

LMDC Memorial program drafting committee

Member	Affiliations and biographical notes
Diana Balmori	Founder, Balmori Associates; New York New Visions; Civic Alliance member; New York City resident.
Frederick Bell	LMDC Development Advisory Council; Executive Director, American Institute of Architects New York Chapter; New York City resident
Paula Grant Berry	LMDC Families Advisory Council; Victim’s family member; Brooklyn, New York resident
Max Bond	Partner, David Brody & Bond, Architects; Architect of Birmingham Civil Rights Museum & Malcolm X memorial; New York city resident.
Albear Capsouto	LMDC Restaurants, Retail & Small Businesses Advisory Council Community Board 1 board member; Proprietor, Capsouto Freres; Lower Manhattan resident.
Christy Ferer	LMDC Families Advisory Council; Victim’s family member; Mayor’s Representative for the families; New York City resident
Father Alex Karloutsos	St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church (located next to WTC and destroyed), New York City resident
Richard Kennedy	LMDC Transportation & Commuters Advisory Council; Senior Director, Cushman Wakefield; Community Board 1 board member; Lower Manhattan resident
Tom Roger	LMDC Families Advisory Council; President Board member, Families of September 11; Victim’s family member; Vice President and Project Executive, Gilbane Building Company (contractor for WWII memorial in Wash. D.C.); Connecticut resident.
Jane Rosenthal	Co-Founder, Tribeca Film Festival; New York City resident
Christopher Trucillo	Inspector, Port Authority NY & NJ; Representative of victim family members; New Jersey resident