Susy is a strategic HR leader with nearly two decades of experience across diverse industries, the majority of which has been in professional services. She specializes in driving organizational success through holistic people strategies.

In her previous role, Susy played a pivotal part in overseeing the people team for a $1 billion business. Leading a team of professionals, she served as a strategic partner to executive leadership, contributing to the success of the organization. Susy’s expertise extends to the talent management life cycle, including onboarding, talent review, compensation strategy development, well-being strategies, leadership preparedness programs and retention efforts.

With a dynamic background that includes roles at RSM, Deloitte, Kate Spade, and Pace University she brings a rich blend of experience to her HR leadership roles. She holds an MBA in Human Resources and International Business, along with a BBA in Business Management and a minor in Latin American Studies, both earned at Pace University.

Home for Susy is Ridgefield Park, NJ, where she enjoys creating memories with her vibrant 8-year-old son and her supportive husband. Guided by her favorite quote from Maya Angelou — ‘I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.’ — Susy strives to leave a lasting positive impact on everyone she encounters.

Chae draws on her experience in community development, urban planning, and public policy to promote equity and resilience in cities.

Prior to joining HR&A, Chae was a Fellow with the Kresge Foundation’s American Cities Program based in Detroit, where she led citywide grants initiatives and multi-city collaborations to scale community development innovations. Prior to Kresge, Chae worked as a consultant in Deloitte’s Government and Public Services group based in Washington D.C. where she served clients spanning federal agencies, nonprofits, social enterprises and international organizations. She contributed to organizational digital transformations as well as the implementation of the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) Rule, helping jurisdictions undo patterns of segregation and foster inclusive communities as part of the Fair Housing Act. Beyond US domestic work, Chae was a graduate intern at the United Nations Office of the Secretary-General, where she worked with UN leadership teams on strategic planning and policy research.

Chae has also written about housing policy. She co-authored a report analyzing housing production across the country with the Terner Center for Housing Innovation. For the  Greenlining  Institute, she co-authored a policy brief highlighting inequitable home lending practices across California.

Chae has a Master of City Planning from the University of California, Berkeley and a  Bachelor of Science in International Business and Marketing from Georgetown University.

Wala brings extensive expertise in real estate advisory and strategic planning, catering to both private clients and public institutions to actualize their visions into economic successes.

As a business strategist and consultant, Wala has provided viable recommendations to real estate investors, enhancing their competitive advantage, and assessing the economic impact of infrastructure projects on local communities.

Prior to joining HR&A, Wala managed a real estate technology and advisory firm. Her consultancy revolved around diverse client needs, strategically analyzing infrastructure projects to stimulate economic development and foster inclusive growth. A central focus of her work involved aligning real estate projects with equity principles, achieved through robust community engagement, partnership cultivation, policy advocacy, and thorough social impact assessments. She collaborated with government agencies to assess projects aimed at fostering job creation and providing recreational and education training spaces for the youth.

Wala holds a Master’s degree in Urban Policy from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts in International Development Studies at UCLA.

Prince is passionate about equitable development and justice. He is an experienced economic development policy researcher and advocate; he has provided research and policy analysis support initiatives ranging from economic development and public banking to strengthening commercial tenant protections.

Prior to joining HR&A, Prince worked as a Senior Policy Associate at a Los Angeles-based community development financial institution, Inclusive Action for the City (IAC). At IAC, he specialized in coalition management and stakeholder outreach; he also advised local and federal elected officials on strategic economic development initiatives and policies to curb small business displacement and expand access to non-extractive capital to consumers and commercial borrowers.

Prince holds a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Cincinnati and a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Sharon has focused her career on advancing socioeconomic mobility by creating vibrant cities. With experience spanning local government, research and advocacy, she specializes in developing strategies that blend data-backed approaches with real-world pragmatism to achieve concrete results.

Prior to HR&A, Sharon served eight years in economic development leadership roles in the District of Columbia Mayor’s Office. As chief of staff of the agency responsible for growing and diversifying tax base, supporting businesses and increasing affordable housing in Washington, DC, Sharon oversaw budgeting, business operations, legislative and program functions and led pivotal interagency initiatives, including Mayor Muriel Bowser’s post-pandemic economic development and downtown transformation strategy, the Housing in Downtown program, the District’s first upward mobility action plan, and deployment of a half billion dollars of grants to local businesses and affordable housing providers.

Before public service, Sharon spent a decade in the nonprofit sector, including at the Urban Institute, where she served as chief of staff, and the Michigan Suburbs Alliance, where she facilitated regional cooperation around shared urban challenges in metro Detroit.

She holds a masters in public policy from New York University and a bachelors from University of Michigan.

Amelia’s research and analytical skills, coupled with her passion for cities, support HR&A’s mission to make more vibrant, sustainable, and equitable communities.

As an Analyst based in HR&A’s New York City office, Amelia’s work focuses on community and economic development projects that leverage both public and private support. Amelia’s prior work has also centered around advanced quantitative and qualitative analyses of the built environment. As a Product Trainer and Product Development Consultant for Social Explorer, a leading cloud-based demographic insights tool, Amelia conducted training for clients and advised on the platform’s growth opportunities. Before joining Social Explorer, Amelia served as the Post-Baccalaureate Fellow for the Barnard College Empirical Reasoning Center where she conducted an empirical suitability analysis recommending equitable distribution of small plazas across New York City in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Amelia holds a Master of City and Regional Planning from The University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design where she specialized in Land Use and Environmental Planning and Urban Redevelopment techniques. Amelia also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies with Honors from the Barnard College of Columbia University.

Kelly is invested in community-grounded and data-driven approaches that build more equitable, just cities. She works on projects ranging from affordable housing and equitable economic development to cultural placemaking.

Based in HR&A’s New York office, Kelly provides research, data analysis, and narrative building to inform urban policy and planning recommendations for public and non-profit sector clients. Prior to HR&A, Kelly was an analyst in the Strategic Transactions Group at Barclays, where she focused on structured financing and trading transactions. Additionally, she researched urban digital equity initiatives to support local advocacy efforts in Baltimore at the 21^st Century Cities Initiative at Johns Hopkins University.

Kelly holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies with a concentration in Economics from Johns Hopkins University, where she wrote a thesis examining the state-sponsored project to expand financial inclusion through digital financial services in China.

Isabel Saffon is a civic strategist specializing in spatial justice and reparative planning.With a background in community planning, urban design, public policy, and architecture, her recent work focuses on demystifying complex issues to enhance government trust and open decision-making.

Prior to joining HR&A, Isabel played a key role at the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), bridging trust gaps through user research, innovative culture change, and impact-focused metrics. At the Center for Justice Innovation, she led participatory design for the Mayor’s Action Plan (MAP), reimagining public safety through community well-being, art, and culture. Before focusing on public housing, as a consultant at Karp Strategies, she designed, managed, and implemented community engagement strategies for projects in coastal resiliency, flood protection, library innovation, and digital equity. Isabel also served as an architect at WXY and Taller Arquitectura de Bogotá, adding valuable architectural expertise to the way she approaches her work with the built environment.

Isabel holds an MS in Design and Urban Ecologies from Parsons The New School for Design and a Magna Cum Laude Professional Degree in Architecture from Universidad de Los Andes (Bogota, Col.). She is a Fellow at the Urban Design Forum and Design for Public Spaces.

Nancy is oversees administrative tasks, manages office supplies, coordinates schedules, and handles day-to-day operations in our Los Angeles Office.

Nancy plays a vital role in maintaining a functional and efficient workplace by handling various administrative, operational, and managerial tasks. Her knack for juggling multiple responsibilities is unparalleled. Her versatility allows them to address various needs, from organizing meetings to implementing efficient office procedures, ultimately contributing to the overall productivity and success of the office.