What is your current job and why did you choose this profession?
I am currently an urban planning consultant with Leland Consulting Group (LCG) in Portland, OR. I became interested in urban planning while I was working in research and marketing at a multifamily real estate brokerage, where my responsibilities included understanding and communicating housing and tenant policies, financial analysis, and administration of a database of multifamily properties and developments. In 2021, I left that job to do an Executive Master in Urban Planning program at USC, where I was able to work with other planning and real estate professionals from across the country. In my current position, I focus on the market and economic sides of planning as well as economic development strategies. I enjoy working on a wide variety of projects and traveling around the Pacific Northwest, Mountain West, and Midwest to learn about the unique needs of different cities.
What more do you wish to accomplish in your professional career?
I would like to continue to hone my skills in urban planning and financial analysis, gaining enough expertise to share my knowledge at conferences and/or in classrooms. This October I will be presenting at the Oregon APA conference about community-led planning, which I know will be an exciting challenge.
Tell us about a decision or change you made that turned out to be a positive career move or life change.
In 2014, I was teaching two-year-olds at a daycare in Montana, where my partner at the time was stationed in the Air Force. I decided to move to Portland to live with a friend, having never been to the Pacific Northwest. Moving to Portland gave me the opportunity to change my focus and my career in a way that I did not expect.
What sort of service activities do you enjoy/philanthropic causes do you support, and why?
I am Vice President of the board of Portland: Neighbors Welcome, an all-volunteer, grassroots pro-housing and pro-tenant organization in Portland. Being a volunteer and now a board member with Portland: Neighbors Welcome has been extremely rewarding. I get to organize with really smart people who deeply care about housing affordability, housing abundance, and tenant rights. Through this organization, I have advocated for changes to the residential zoning code as well as the historic resources code. Currently, we are working on a plan to increase the zoning in Portland's relatively exclusive inner eastside neighborhoods. By working with the community and the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, we were able to get this plan included in the city's Housing Production Strategy. I am moved to work on making it easier to build housing in more places because of the impact housing and housing affordability have on families, communities, transportation, and climate resilience.
How has Haverford (or Haverford values) figured into your life?
Haverford helped me think about the world in a different way. My friends and professors at Haverford taught me how to view the world using a social justice framework that greatly informs the work that I do. The skills I learned - particularly writing and analysis - help me every day in my work.
How did your time at Haverford influence who and/or where you are now?
Haverford has played a huge role in my life. My move to Portland was encouraged by a friend who lived here already - my freshman (and sophomore and senior) year roommate from Haverford! I also think the values I learned as a Haverford student inform my professional and organizing work.
What advice would you give to those interested in doing what you do, either professionally or with respect to your service/philanthropy?
For students who want to do what I do professionally, I would say that you don't have to come at it from a linear path. If you didn't study urban planning in college, that is okay. Your life and career experience outside of planning will help you take a more holistic view. I can say that I would not understand the childcare crisis as well as I do if I hadn't been a preschool teacher, and now I can use that experience when I speak with cities about their community needs. If you want to get involved in grassroots organizing around housing or any other topic, just do it! You don't need to know about zoning codes to advocate for housing - there is likely an organization in your city or region that needs your unique skills. If you're passionate about it, go for it!
Got any leadership advice? Words of wisdom born of experience?
Leadership is about listening. I was recently presenting on behalf of Portland: Neighbors Welcome to a room full of folks that included Black residents of Portland neighborhoods that were hardest hit by segregation, displacement, and gentrification. They were skeptical of me, of my organization, of the City, and of the affordable housing industry. They have every right to feel that way based on their experiences. In other rooms with people who have different experiences, it can be helpful to bring facts and data in to try to change perspectives. In that room, however, I knew that my job was to genuinely listen and provide opportunities for them to learn more and have their voices heard by people with more power than I have. Listening and incorporating a diversity of viewpoints are essential components of policy and advocacy work.