Prior to joining HR&A, Tara worked as Head Bookkeeper at Brocade Creations, where she managed the accounts, secured revenue, and managed the business’s cash flow, accurately verifying and processing all monetary transactions. Tara holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Saint Thomas Aquinas College.
Prior to HR&A, Sophia was an intern with Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, where she provided research support on station upgrade prioritization based on ridership trends. She has also interned with a real estate appraisal firm, where she helped with market research for HUD contract renewals.
Sophia received her Master of City Planning from University of Pennsylvania and her B.S. in Urban Studies from Cornell University.
Melida joins HR&A after earning a bachelors degree in Business Administration and Marketing from Manhattan College in Riverdale. A native New Yorker, born and raised in Inwood, Manhattan, Melida interned at several leading investment firms such as Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch where she facilitated the day-to-day operations and business ventures of several executives such as financial advisors, money managers and overall firm-wide staff gaining widespread experience in administrative assistance.
Across all of his work, Austin center’s HR&A’s mission to make cities function better for the residents that inhabit them. This includes enhancing the quality of multi-modal transportation through thoughtful development patterns, advising clients on how to better deliver and maintain affordable housing, and leveraging real estate value to celebrate and honor the history, arts, and culture of culturally significant neighborhoods throughout the country.
Since joining HR&A, he has supported numerous affordable housing transactions through our support of Amazon’s Housing Equity Fund and public sector partners, enabling the delivery of over 4,100 affordable homes and deployment of over $450 million in gap financing. He has also worked with numerous cities in developing plans to address their housing affordability needs, including Memphis, Raleigh, Holly Springs, Athens, and Greensboro.
Austin also supports cities throughout the southeast, including Atlanta, Raleigh, and Richmond, in developing plans for transformative transit-oriented development and establishing thoughtful implementation strategies to realize those plans. His work includes supporting the Greater Richmond Transit Company (GRTC) to develop and implement a plan to construct a permanent Downtown Transfer Hub that will advance transit-oriented development (TOD) in Downtown Richmond. He also worked with the Maryland Department of Transportation to craft a TOD plan for the MARC Penn Line commuter rail line that connects Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland.
Further, Austin is a leading member of HR&A’s Raleigh office, ensuring that we are supporting the communities where we have a significant physical presence. He has worked with GoTriangle to support the development of the Raleigh Union Station (RUS) Bus Facility, the City of Greensboro in developing an update to their affordable housing plan, Gateway Research Park in Greensboro to undergo a visioning exercise for their innovation campus, and the City of Raleigh Museum to craft an expansion strategy as they aim to find a permanent location for their space. He is also a former local government appointed volunteer, serving on the Durham Planning Commission for three years, including two years as Chair.
Ana is a leader in the Broadband Equity Partnership where she supports projects working to provide effective, efficient, and equitable broadband. Before joining HR&A, she worked in the Office of Commissioner Martha Guzman Aceves with the California Public Utilities Commission, analyzing broadband access and the digital divide highlighted by COVID-19. Ana began her career working with the Obama White House Office of Presidential Personnel where she led leadership and professional development programs for over 3,000 political appointees. Since then, Ana has bridged advocacy efforts with government support on local, state, and federal levels. She has supported research on various policy issues in her capacity at the Arizona State Senate, the City of Oakland, and the California State Assembly Committee on Budget.
Ana holds a Masters of Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley, a Bachelor of Arts in Global Studies, and a Bachelor of Science in Sociology from Arizona State University. Ana is also a graduate from the Public Policy and International Affairs Program at Princeton University.
She works across various HR&A practice areas, including Inclusive Cities, Climate, and Parks & Open Space. In her recent projects, she focuses on advancing a just transition, conducting inclusive community outreach, fostering cultural equity in placemaking and policy, ensuring public safety through community investments, and supporting small businesses in emerging, green industries.
Prior to HR&A, she supported projects that focused on identifying populations that are the most susceptible to climate change and proposed solutions that uplift the needs and agencies of these groups. Previously, as a Research Assistant at Penn’s Institute of Urban Research, she proposed a green port system for the Galapagos Islands. She received a Master of City and Regional Planning from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Science in Earth Sciences from the same university.
Aram combines rigorous analysis with strategic planning to address a variety of issues facing urban communities, including housing affordability and economic inclusion. With an eye toward implementation, he focuses on developing pragmatic, equity-centered strategies that are firmly grounded in economic, fiscal, and political realities.
Prior to joining HR&A, Aram worked for three years as an urban planner, during which he consulted governments across the country on various community development issues. Earlier in his career, he also worked on an anti-displacement program for the City & County of San Francisco and performed extensive data analysis for the UC Berkeley Urban Displacement Project.
Aram holds a Master’s Degree from the London School of Economics & Political Science and a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of California, Davis.
Prior to her role at HR&A, Laura worked as an Analyst for Shorewood Real Estate Group on projects in the New York Metropolitan area. She researched market data for and underwrote potential acquisitions, and provided analytical support during property due diligence and predevelopment.
Prior to her work in Real Estate Development, Laura was a Staff Engineer at Langan Engineering, where she performed due diligence for site civil work and supported permitting efforts for projects in New York City. Laura coordinated with team members to solve issues in the field and inspected contractor site work during construction.
Laura holds a Master of Science in Urban Planning and a Master of Science in Real Estate Development from Columbia University, and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Notre Dame.
Carlos Xavier Bonilla is a Senior Analyst based in HR&A’s New York office. He works across housing, broadband, infrastructure, and economic development projects, applying technical analysis to help clients make informed, real-world decisions. Carlos brings a deep background in geographic information systems (GIS), programming, and data visualization, and often builds custom methods and tools to help clients better understand where to invest, how to prioritize, and what the potential outcomes could be.
Carlos currently supports Clark County, Nevada in expanding broadband access across the region. He developed a planning tool that combines internet coverage data, demographic need, and infrastructure readiness to help the County target public investment and align with evolving funding opportunities. His analysis has informed capital planning decisions and helped position the County for competitive state and federal broadband funding. Building on that work, Carlos also supported a national fixed wireless provider in identifying broadband expansion opportunities across nine U.S. states. Using similar analytical techniques, he created tools to evaluate market demand, assess funding competitiveness, and shape significant investment in public funding proposals.
In addition to infrastructure strategy, Carlos supports economic and fiscal impact analysis for clients across sectors – helping measure the long-term value of major projects and development plans. His
work includes modeling job creation, tax revenues, and return on public investment, supporting both internal decision-making and public communications. Carlos frequently works with tools like Python, SQL, and R to build data-driven workflows. He is also active in strengthening HR&A’s internal mapping and analytics capabilities.
Carlos holds a Bachelor’s degree from Temple University and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Data Science and Analytics from Western Governors University.
Anna has worked to develop affordable housing plans and policies across various regions in the United States. Her experience uniquely blends housing with practical economic, environmental, and equity insights. She brings a wide range of expertise in market research, fiscal analysis, and community engagement.
Prior to joining HR&A, Anna served as an AmeriCorps VISTA with Capital Clubhouse and CNHED. At Capital Clubhouse, she built partnerships with business and civic organizations to increase access to employment opportunities for DC residents living with mental health challenges. She brings additional experience from internships with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, PYXERA Global, and the City Government of Philadelphia.
Anna graduated from the George Washington University with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and International Affairs and a minor in Sustainability.