Sierra’s interests lie in the interdependence between institutions and the resulting impact on environmental sustainability, equity, and economic development.

While working for the Southern Economic Advancement Project (SEAP), Sierra conducted research to identify infrastructural gaps between environmentally sustainable policy and application. Focusing on air quality, energy, watersheds, and waste management, she created a database tracking sustainable legislation in these sectors. Additionally, she was tasked with analyzing municipal climate change initiatives in the Southeastern U.S. and identifying applicable funding sources provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. After reading over 300 city plans, she co-produced a report that was subsequently published, identifying almost 150 plans from 38 cities across 12 Southeastern states, and created an appendix identifying 71 funding sources.

In her urban design studio at the Georgia Institute of Technology, she was on a team that partnered with the Georgia Conservancy and the Habersham County Government in order to create a growth management plan. For this project she created a Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) program for the county and redesigned the county’s zoning map in order to encourage development along industrial corridors.

Sierra has a Bachelor of Science in Music Management and an Urban Studies Minor from the Georgia State University, and a Master of City and Regional Planning from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Nick provides analytical and advisory services for clients in the commercial real estate development and asset management sectors, helping to facilitate the creation and implementation of equitable and purpose-driven real estate strategies.

Nick joins the firm’s growing Knowledge Economy Practice in Atlanta, GA as a Senior Analyst. He was previously an Asset Manager with Trimont where he gained extensive experience in commercial real estate loan servicing and construction administration while working on the Credit Administration and Asset Management Team. As an Asset Manager he worked in a cross-functional capacity assisting with the completion of transitional projects and community revitalization efforts in the Atlanta market and nationwide.

Before working with Trimont, Nick worked as a Senior Associate for SitusAMC providing market research and analysis, financial modeling and analytics, and reporting and compliance services for a portfolio of commercial real estate properties across all asset classes.

Nick holds a Bachelor’s of Business Administration from Georgia State University, where he earned a degree in finance from the Robinson College of Business.

Sofia provides research and analytical support to projects related to economic development.

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Before joining HR&A, Sofia graduated from the University of North Carolina with a Master’s in City and Regional Planning. While in school, she supported economic development analyses and policy development for rural and disadvantaged communities as well as indigenous tribes in North Carolina as a research analyst for NCGrowth. Sofia is passionate about equitable economic development and policy. Her Master’s project focused on analyzing the impact of the 2021 expanded Child Tax Credits on poverty alleviation in North Carolina through proxy measures of poverty.

Sofia has a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a Bachelor of Science in International Food and Resource Economics from the University of Florida, and a Master’s in City and Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Jayla provides research and analytical support for a variety of real estate projects, with an interest in advancing affordable housing and sustainable community development.

Prior to joining HR&A, Jayla interned with The Bridges Collaborative, a nationwide school and neighborhood integration project at The Century Foundation. During her internship, she reported on progressive education policy and worked with various school districts and fair housing organizations. Jayla also served as co-chair of the Resident Staff program at the University of Virginia where she led a campaign to increase food access for resident advisors and strengthen organizational equity. Additionally, Jayla has conducted social psychology research for several years, with a focus on how perceptions of racial history influence policy support. When she isn’t at work, Jayla is a poet and spoken word artist who loves to bake and read.

Jayla has a Bachelor of Arts in Sociopolitical Psychology and a Master of Public Policy degree from the University of Virginia.

Maile drives collaboration and coordination across diverse stakeholder groups to ensure digital inclusion for all.

As a Director in the Broadband and Digital Equity practice, Maile applies her deep familiarity with United States broadband policy and funding programs to HR&A’s work expanding broadband access and adoption among underserved communities.

Maile comes to HR&A from the Microsoft Airband team, where she managed partnerships with Internet Service Providers, nonprofits, and other digital equity stakeholders, bringing four million unserved rural Americans under broadband coverage in less than five years. She also led development and publication of the Digital Equity Dashboard, designed to empower state agencies and digital equity leaders with data to guide decision making and investments. She has 15 years of experience in the digital inclusion space, including a background in youth digital skills, computer science education, and youth media production. She began her career as a Teach For America corps member, teaching middle school language arts in Phoenix, Arizona.

Maile holds a Bachelor of Arts in Romance Languages from Mount Holyoke College, a Master of Education from Arizona State University, and a Master of Philosophy in European Literature from the University of Cambridge, St. John’s College, where she was a Gates Cambridge Scholar.

Olivia Simpson contributes research and analysis to projects that expand housing opportunities with a focus on affordable housing finance and funding strategies.

Before joining HR&A’s Washington D.C. office, Olivia supported community-oriented real estate projects including a neighborhood stabilization effort and multifamily Low-Income Housing Tax Credit development at Self-Help, a national community-development credit union. She was previously the Housing Services Coordinator at the Community Empowerment Fund in Durham, North Carolina, a non-profit organization that supports those experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity. While in Durham, she also provided volunteer data analysis for tenant organizers and was a member of the city’s Continuum of Care Citizen’s Advisory Committee.

Olivia holds a Bachelors in Sociology from Duke University and a Master of City and Regional Planning from Rutgers University with a focus on housing, land, and finance. In her graduate work, she contributed to strategic planning for a Habitat for Humanity affiliate in New Jersey and collaboratively developed an acquisition strategy for the Western Queens Community Land Trust in New York City.

Allie brings extensive experience in economic and workforce development, where she uses quantitative analysis to increase inclusive economic prosperity and reduce geographic disparities.

Before joining HR&A, Allie worked at CIC, a social enterprise that develops innovation campuses that provide shared wet labs, public civic spaces, industry hubs, and initiatives to help startups grow. As a member of the expansion team, she identified, evaluated, and pursued opportunities in new cities, partnering with commercial real estate developers as well as academic institutions, community organizations, and local stakeholders.

Previously, Allie worked at Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC), a national nonprofit focused on expanding economic prosperity in under-resourced communities. At ICIC she worked on the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program, a public private partnership that helps small businesses grow and create jobs in their communities. Allie led data analysis for the team, using quantitative analysis and mapping to increase equity within the program. She also led the launch of the program’s first ever rural site, which became a model for future site launches. Allie also worked as a researcher and community organizer for a union in Boston, where she focused on issue-based campaigns around wage theft and other economic and workforce issues.

Allie has a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from UCLA, where she focused on economic and workforce development and quantitative analysis. She received her B.A. in Geography from the University of Washington.

Miriam is interested in creating equitable, resilient communities via inclusive economic development planning.

Miriam is an Arkansas native who relocated to Atlanta in 2021. Growing up in rural Arkansas, her experience in grassroots organizing for immigrant communities around the state is where her passion for community development began. Growing up in a small one-factory town and navigating equity issues in Arkansas’s Hispanic immigrant communities pushed Miriam to explore solutions that would help communities rise above systemic disparity, which led her to economic development planning.

At HR&A, Miriam is interested in supporting our Inclusive Cities, Urban Tech and Innovation, and RealEstate Advisory practices. She welcomes the opportunity to learn how to create equitable, resilient communities for the benefit of all, while also encouraging growth and systematic change within the communities we advise.

Miriam earned her Master’s in City and Regional Planning at Georgia Tech, with concentrations in Economic Development and Land Use.

Nisha joins the TXO as a Research Analyst and is passionate about developing innovative, community-based solutions to problems facing cities today.

Prior to joining HR&A, Nisha worked at the Center on Global Cities at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. At the Center, she collaborated with residents and global leaders on We Will Chicago, Chicago’s first citywide planning initiative, and conducted extensive research on municipal policy to build heat resilience. She also studied in Berlin, Germany, where she did extensive fieldwork in historical preservation and building inclusive communities.

Nisha holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and International Relations with Honors from Claremont McKenna College (CMC). At CMC, Nisha won Best Thesis in International Relations for her thesis on the intersectional impact of urban planning and migration policy on refugee integration in Beirut and Istanbul.