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I grew up in big cities with the benefits of close-knit neighborhoods. Pittsburgh’s steel industry, ethnic neighborhoods, Earth Day, and the civil rights movement shaped my values of economic, racial, environmental, and social justice and equity. Living in Washington D.C. as a teen, I witnessed homelessness grow to scale as a symptom of how our real estate system segregates winners and losers by race, income, and ability. I focused my academic studies on how to correct land-use policies and practices to create safe, secure, healthy, and equitable communities.
Community development became my professional home because of its orientation toward community-based wisdom and solutions. The community development toolbox offers versatility to design and create the social, economic, and physical infrastructure that promotes healthy and inclusive communities, when grounded in environmental and racial justice. Creating new or breathing life into old spaces, structures, and neighborhoods for people to participate fully in society creates positive ripple effects for all of us.
Through a progressive land-use policy lens, CommonLand brings pragmatic project development experience to assist clients with research, planning, and implementation. CommonLand also forms collaborations with a wider network of consultants to benefit clients, aimed at sustaining a healthy rural society. CommonLand Solutions brings to every client and project:
an energetic and nimble partner to connect with the people and harness the funding resources that result in multiple benefits for neighborhoods and communities.
a broad network of colleagues in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors that can assist with any community development challenge if there is a clear vision and purpose.
expertise in project planning, coordination of partners and professional services, financial packaging, grants, and property development/redevelopment for affordable housing, infrastructure, and community facilities.
a trustworthy and reliable thinking partner.
To see a list of my full credentials and experience, please click here.
Services include creating toolkits, project planning, convening partners, grant writing and financial packaging, leveraging non-traditional resources, and managing the development and compliance processes to make housing, infrastructure, and community facility projects happen.
Strategic Consulting Partnerships
I value the trusting relationships I have formed with my strategic partners. It allows Commonland Solutions the opportunity to collaborate with industry leaders, while offering a broader network and more depth of expertise and services in:
building energy commissioning and energy engineering
capital planning
owner's representation/construction project management services
and leveraging additional services such as cost estimating, and historic preservation scopes.
The development of entire communities takes just that - a community.
I have the pleasure of working with partner organizations to bring additional services to clients, including: PCI,Inc. Capital Project Consulting and Red Bird Integrated Consulting. The work we do together positively impacts the projects and residents of Vermont communities, preserving pillars of Vermont history and culture.
CommonLand Solutions is an approved consultant for the VT Housing & Conservation Board's Rural Economic Development Initiative. REDI is a program that assists rural and farming communities in the discovery of funds for community and business development. This initiative was the driving force behind the redevelopment of CommonLand portfolio projects including East Calais General Store, Maquam Bay of Missisquoi, and the Town of Ludlow skatepark and the Salisbury Town Hall.