Anika leverages her cross-sector experience to plan for more equitable, just, and accessible cities. She is passionate about centering joy, healing, and environmental justice in her work.

Prior to joining HR&A, Anika worked for the Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability at Harvard. She also interned with the United Nations’ Urban Mobility team in Nairobi, Kenya to develop sustainable urban mobility plans and accessibility guides for walkable streets. Anika is originally from Baltimore, Maryland, where she has worked for their Planning Department’s Office of Sustainability, coordinating the City’s Connecting Children to Nature program to advance equitable access to green space and forming partnerships between mental health and environmental programs. Anika was also formerly a summer fellow with HR&A.

Anika holds a Masters in Urban Planning from the Harvard Graduate School of Design, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Science & Policy and Cultural Anthropology from Duke University.

Kirthi brings her background in research, geospatial analysis, and data science to support our inclusive cities, housing affordability, and transit-oriented development practice areas.

Prior to joining HR&A, Kirthi served as a research assistant at Columbia University, where her work focused on developing a computer vision tool to empower planners to leverage street view imagery, commerce data, and geospatial analytics for the ethnographic study of enclaves in major US cities. During her time at the Center for Spatial Research, she focused on leveraging data to uncover valuable insights and inform evidence-based decision-making, and translated complex data sets into visualizations that effectively communicated information to diverse stakeholders. At SOM, she contributed to urban planning and design initiatives alongside the New York and Washington D.C. teams. Additionally, she gained valuable experience during internships at architectural firms in India and Japan while pursuing her undergraduate degree while also freelancing as a UI/UX designer.

Kirthi holds a Master’s degree in Urban Planning from Columbia University and a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from Anna University.

Ella Brady advises public and private sector clients on advancing equity and innovation in government systems. She develops strategies to foster vibrant digital ecosystems across states, counties, cities and communities.

Ella specializes in orchestrating stakeholder engagement initiatives, analyzing both qualitative and quantitative data, and drafting comprehensive plans and reports. Ella is a Senior Analyst in the Broadband and Digital Equity practice at HR&A, focusing on both increasing broadband adoption across all populations and innovating how we bring digital equity to affordable housing across States. Ella’s recent work includes managing stakeholder engagement for the Massachusetts Digital Equity Plan and supporting the design of affordable housing broadband retrofit programs in multiple states.

Ella comes to HR&A with a background in regional planning for digital equity, having worked on the Digital Access team at the Metropolitan Area Planning Council while studying as a Master’s candidate in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning at Tufts University. Prior to her work at MAPC, Ella was a Mayoral Fellow for Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot in the City of Chicago, as well as Tisch Fellow at the MassHousing Finance Agency during her undergraduate studies at Tufts. Ella grew up in Evanston, Illinois and also focuses on projects within the Greater Chicago region.

A native Washingtonian Lea brings 10 years of administrative background from assisting with high-ranking government officials to tech, and small business in previous roles.

Lea manages the DC office while also overseeing our North Carolina, and Atlanta offices. From managing calendars, travel arrangements, and whatever other admins’ needs come her way while keeping the office intact!

As a director based in the Los Angeles office, Alex is advising state and local governments on planning, strategy, and inclusive stakeholder engagement for historic, federally-funded broadband infrastructure and digital equity initiatives.

Previously, he created and led the SF Digital Equity Initiative at the City and County of San Francisco, bringing free fiber Internet and digital skills training to low-income and public housing residents throughout the city. In this role, he also coordinated connectivity projects for the city’s pandemic response and served as staff on the COVID-19 Economic Recovery Task Force and Emerging Technology Working Group.

In the nonprofit sector, he has served in various director roles at the Asian Youth Center, overseeing operations and programs at a community-based organization serving immigrant and system-involved youth and families across Los Angeles County. He supported the organization’s expanding work in youth-led advocacy, employment, community health, restorative justice, and addressing anti-Asian hate.

Earlier in his career, Alex managed digital transformation projects internationally at the Asia Foundation and directed a college outreach project at UCLA. He holds a Master of Public Policy degree from UC Berkley’s Goldman School of Public Policy and a B.A. in Political Science from UCLA.

As a member of HR&A’s Growth Team, Belema supports strategic communications by leveraging storytelling to advance the company’s growth and impact.

Prior to joining HR&A, Belema worked with the 100 Black Men of Greater Washington D.C. While there, she developed and implemented initiatives that support the development of social, emotional, and educational needs of African American youth in the metropolitan area. She also worked with Future Now Action and Clean Cities Coalition. Her previous roles ignited a passion for storytelling through communication channels to promote company growth and prosperity. Her work is rooted in philanthropy and giving back, and she particularly enjoys mentoring and community engagement.

Belema is an honors graduate of Howard University where she received her Bachelors in Strategic, Legal & Management Communications. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, cooking, and learning new skills.

Asha develops equitable, innovative, and future-ready infrastructure in collaboration with public and private stakeholders.

She helps public actors, and the residents they serve, benefit from emerging technologies – from energy storage systems, to fixed-wireless internet service, to artificial intelligence tools. Asha is supporting Maine in the implementation of a State-wide program to help communities leverage underutilized energy infrastructure to advance economic activity and create family-sustaining jobs connected to clean energy uses. She co-authored a study on the availability of electric vehicle charging infrastructure in New York City, demonstrating the ways in which NYC stakeholders can collaborate to reduce emissions from for-hire-vehicle fleets. Asha also worked with ConEdison to assess the efficacy of building envelope upgrade incentive programs.

Asha leads the development of digital equity and broadband infrastructure strategies for a range of clients, from cities and states, to philanthropies, to mission-driven internet service providers. Together with Methodist HealthCare Ministries, she designed and launched a $22M digital equity grant program that will directly impact over 100,000 residents in South Texas. She has most recently supported the City of Chicago in releasing its first Neighborhood Broadband Request for Proposal to bring affordable, quality internet service to underserved residents. Asha also partners with Results for America to design and facilitate training programs to help city staff responsibly deploy and govern artificial intelligence.

Prior to HR&A, Asha supported the Philadelphia Navy Yard in the development of a new master plan, as well as their first Smart Cities plan. She has worked in creative and cultural industry planning, including leading the spatial analysis for a GIZ-sponsored pandemic recovery plan for creative industries in African and Middle Eastern cities. Before planning, Asha worked in advertising technology helping companies optimize their data governance strategies. Asha has a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and International Affairs from the George Washington University and a Master of City and Regional Planning from the University of Pennsylvania, where she received the Smart Cities Award from the School of Design.

Sori brings experience in research and data analysis to support creative and equitable economic development strategies for both private and public sector clients.

Prior to HR&A, Sori served as a community planning fellow at the Manhattan Community Board 2, deepening her understanding of the NYC DOT Open Street program’s impact at the community level and witnessing the transformation of streets into valued civic resources and a catalyst for economic development. Prior to her studies in urban planning, Sori was a high school geography teacher in Seoul, South Korea. She also worked briefly as a 3D modeling consultant for the Seoul Metropolitan Government, working closely with city agencies in developing emergency management plans.

Sori holds a Master’s degree in Urban Planning from Columbia University and a Bachelor’s degree in Geography Education from Ewha Womans University.

Alexandra (Lexi) joins HR&A’s GPO team in NYO and brings nine years of administrative experience ranging from immigration to the fashion industry.

Lexi has interned with Betsy Johnson-fashion house, as a production intern specializing in the international market. Soon after, Lexi worked with the Wholesale company Liu Sun Enterprises, specializing in soft accessories and swimwear for the likes of Tory Burch, Coach and Marc Jacobs.

In addition to her professional experiences, Lexi is a graduate of the University of New Haven and a founding sister of the University of New Haven chapter of Hermandad de Sigma Iota Alpha, Inc.