Urban Land Institute

Michael Samuelian is the Founding Director at the Urban Technology Hub at the Jacobs Institute and Director of Campus Planning and Sustainability at Cornell Tech. He is an urban planner, real estate developer, educator and before joining Cornell, was the President of the Trust for Governors Island. From the rebuilding of Lower Manhattan after 9/11 and the creation of a new neighborhood in Hudson Yards to the activation of Governors Island; he’s helped plan, design and develop some of the most transformative projects in New York City.

While he was the President and CEO of the Trust for Governors Island he played a pivotal role in overseeing the planning, development, and ongoing operations of Governors Island. From 2005 through 2016, Michael served as Vice President at Related Companies, where he led large-scale mixed-use real estate development projects. Notably, he was a central figure in the planning and design of Hudson Yards, a transformative $25 billion development initiative on Manhattan's West Side. In the aftermath of 9/11, Michael was the Director of Lower Manhattan Special Projects at the New York City Department of City Planning. In this position, he played a crucial role in facilitating the allocation of federal funds dedicated to the recovery and rebuilding of Lower Manhattan.

Michael received a Master of Architecture in Urban Design from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Architecture from Cooper Union. Michael is a Fellow of the AIA, member of the Advisory Board of ULI New York and a former member of the New York State Board for Architecture. His contributions to New York City have garnered public recognition, including the prestigious John Q. Hejduk Alumni Award and induction into the Cooper Union Alumni Hall of Fame in 2018. More recently, in 2023, he was honored as a Power Player in Climate, Energy, and Sustainability by NYPolitics.com and acknowledged as a Notable LGBTQIA+ Leader by Crain’s New York.