Roles: Boston Chief of Planning & BPDA Director, HUD, City of Detroit
Tell us a little about where you grew up?
I grew up at Watson Farms at 693 Main Street #14. We were the first tenants in our unit. It was a new development in the town I grew up in: Amherst, Mass. Amherst is a quintessential New England college town with an activist heart.
How did that experience shape you as a person/how did that impact the path that you followed in life?
That experience is why I pursued planning and development as my life’s work. When I started my career in the 1990s, I wanted to be part of solving the crisis of obsolescence in public housing because I knew that it had been a launching pad for my family and it could be that way for others. That mission led me to explore many other aspects of building the “American City” and my career in planning and development.
Why is affordable housing important now?
Affordable housing is always important. In this moment, the challenge is making sure every community has a place for people of all incomes. Affordable housing in an area of high opportunity was a key reason for my success. It is also what inspired me to become the professional that I am today.
Affordable housing is always important. In this moment, the challenge is making sure every community has a place for people of all incomes.
