Ask Me About... Areas of Work

For nearly 20 years, I have been working in marginalized communities and with their planners and policymakers to help shape just and sustainable neighborhoods.

• Just Planning Strategies (Reparative and Regenerative Planning)

• Planning for Health and Wellness

• Creative Community Engagement

• Transportation Equity

• Affordable Housing and Anti-Displacement

• Inclusive Economic Development

Sometimes referred to as 'community engaged arts' artistic practices has historically been collabortative with communties, focused on broader civic and urban themes. The goal is co-design and co-creation.

I spent many years both in and outside of the classroom as a youth worker, working with at-risk youth and young adults. In the process, I not only support the young people in my programs, but the support extended to their families. In the process, I have keen expertise in creating programs and designing currculums in the development of our future leaders.

I have been teaching on racial and social equity for 25 years, focusing on defining the terms and concepts of equity and justice, and clarifying the difference between equality. Further, my workshops engage participants in strategies to impelment equity as a series of outcomes which improve and enhance impact. Change occurs at every level, institutional, interpersonal, and individually.

Personally impacted by both the earthquakes in Haiti and Japan (2010 and 2011, respectively), I conducted research on not only best practices for post-disaster recovery in select physical and social typographies, I also worked with local leaders and artists exploring ways to support the social regeneration in communities impacted.

As a policy researcher, community organizer and political advocate, I have built up a roster of working with over 20 coalitions and networks suporting campiagns focused on public health, jobs, housing and environmental justice.