Each year, our Forefront Fellowship selects a diverse cohort of emerging leaders to investigate how design can address a social or political challenge facing New York City. This year’s interdisciplinary cohort will explore how to build a more age-friendly city.
Made up of architects, planners, designers, developers, aging advocates and artists, our eighth Forefront class draws talent from 28 early-to-mid-career professionals, each engaged in work shaping New York City’s future. Fellows are leading community programming at DOROT; helping steer disability policy at the Department of Housing Preservation and Development; reimagining the Cross-Bronx Expressway; practicing oral histories and healing arts; designing senior housing projects to meet 2080 sea-level standards; and much more.
We thank our selection panel of Forefront alumni and city partners for their careful consideration of many excellent candidates: Arielle Goldberg, Sarah Leitson, Daphne Lundi, Gabriella Malavé, Astrid Mayak, Christopher Rice, Mallory Taub, Daniel Vieira and Ebony Wiggins.
Kristina Arakelyan
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Public Service, NYU Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
Kristina Arakelyan is a long-time New Yorker who has worked in the public and non-profit sectors on immigration, social service, domestic violence, human trafficking, and labor policies and programs. She teaches coursework in public policy and the humanities at local universities.
Collyn Chan
Senior Planner, Transit-Oriented Development, Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Collyn Chan is an urban planner with a decade of experience in climate infrastructure, renewable energy, and transportation decarbonization. Her work at the MTA focuses on increasing access to low emissions mobility options and realizing transit-oriented communities. Elsewhere, Collyn can be found writing about Asian America, snapping photos, or desperately learning how to sew pants.
Yvette Chen
Program Manager, The Center for NYC Neighborhoods
Yvette Chen’s passion for housing policy is grounded in racial and economic justice. She has worked on a multitude of housing issues including ensuring fair housing compliance, creating more equitable disaster housing recovery policies, and advocating for more affordable homeownership development in NYC.
Nicole Cheng
Public Realm Planner, NYC Department of Transportation
Nicole Cheng is a landscape architect and interdisciplinary artist living in Bed Stuy. They currently work as a Public Realm Planner at the NYC DOT, exploring how transforming our streets can bolster collective public life. As a fellow, they are interested in focusing on what it looks like to foster multigenerational community amongst queer and trans folks.
Kavyashri Cherala
Project Architect, Dattner Architects
Kavya Cherala is an architect, researcher, and writer based in New York City. As Project Architect at Dattner Architects, she focuses on energy-efficient, resilient social housing. Her design experience includes urban planning, institutional, commercial, and coastal resiliency projects in India and the United States.
Allison Cook
Founder, Better Aging and Policy Consulting
Allison Cook is the founder of Better Aging and Policy Consulting. Passionate about improving the quality of life of older adults and those who care for them, her experience spans directly providing care, navigating health coverage, implementing new policies, and identifying gaps to be filled by for-profit, non-profit, or government.
Kristen Corey
Research Coordinator, Montefiore Einstein
Kristen Corey is a researcher, program planner, and mental health professional committed to advancing health and wellness equity. She has worked as a Licensed Creative Arts Therapist in clinical and educational settings with people of all ages and abilities. Kristen is dedicated to supporting personal autonomy, growth, and healing for all.
Allison Currier
Community Engagement Manager, The High Line
Allison Currier grew up right here in NYC, and has been community organizing ever since. She’s passionate about bringing people from different backgrounds and generations together, from environmental justice to activating public spaces. She loves to dance and be silly, and is always excited for a new adventure.
César Delgado Rodríguez
Senior Urban Designer, NYC Department of City Planning
César Delgado Rodríguez believes design is an opportunity to mend landscapes and settlements through spaces and policy that empower those in disadvantage. He currently focuses on increasing the amount of affordable housing and achieving greater access to waterfronts. Cesar holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Tecnologico de Monterrey and a MSc in Architecture and Urban Design from Columbia University.
Stanley Delva
Development & External Affairs Manager, Brooklyn Arts Council
Stanley Delva is an artist and arts administrator who believes deeply in building equitable communities and supporting resource gathering to strengthen underserved communities. A Brooklyn bred native New Yorker, Stanley is passionate about supporting diverse communities through his freelance fundraising work and has worked directly with organizations like Brooklyn Arts Council.
Wei Du
Public Program Manager, Queens Botanical Garden
Wei Du has worked for nonprofits in London and New York in various project management roles over a gamut of issue areas. China born and England raised, he runs events at Queens Botanical Garden as their Public Program Manager by day, and moonlights as a Capoeira teacher by night.
Joan Encarnacion
Senior Communication Designer, IDEO.org
Joan Encarnacion is a New York-based graphic designer from the Dominican Republic. At IDEO.org, he designs tools, brands, and campaigns for health and financial services aimed at underserved communities. He holds a BFA in Electronic Design and Multimedia from The City College of New York.
Danielle Hendricks
Program Manager, Center for Justice Innovation
Danielle Hendricks graduated Cum Laude from CUNY Medgar Evers College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration. Passionate about event planning and bringing bold ideas into the physical that positively impact the community, she currently works as an Engagement Coordinator for the Center for Justice Innovation’s Neighborhood Safety Initiative program.
Katie Hine
Director of Caregiver Supports Western Queens, Sunnyside Community Services
Katie Hine is the Director of Caregiver Support Western Queens at Sunnyside Community Services. Katie received her Master’s in Social Work from Columbia University’s School of Social Work, and has been passionately helping caregivers and their families since she joined the program as a caregiver support specialist in 2014.
Meg Kalinowski
Visiting Assistant Professor, Pratt Institute, School of Architecture
Meg Kalinowski is a New York City-based architect and educator with 15 years of experience in research, strategy and design implementation across diverse stakeholders locally and internationally. Meg specializes in architecture, urban design, adaptive re-use, and is always striving to provide innovative and sustainable solutions through collaborative community visioning.
Andrew Lange
Senior Advisor, Disability Policy, NYC Dept of Housing Preservation and Development
Andrew Lange is dedicated to promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities through evidence-based and participatory policy making. He has over 12 years of experience in this field, with the last 5 years working to improve accessibility and ensure equitable access to affordable housing for people with disabilities at HPD.
Adrien Logeay
Project Developer, Monadnock Development
Adrien Logeay is a project developer at Monadnock Development, specializing in affordable housing in NYC and brings expertise in real estate finance, design strategy, and sustainability. Previously an urban designer, he led global projects at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in London. Adrien holds degrees from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (MArch) and Pratt Institute (MS).
Charles Li Markham
Program Manager, Onsite & Special Programs, DOROT
Charles Markham develops and implements wellness programs to alleviate social isolation and deepen opportunities for enhanced equity and inclusion, as a Program Manager at DOROT, a social service organization for older adults. He fosters strategic community partnerships, promoting lifelong learning, community building, and culturally relevant, competent program engagement.
Nicole Marrocco
Senior Project Manager, West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing
Nicole Marrocco collaborates with a range of stakeholders to develop deeply affordable supportive housing for seniors, including older adults with a history of homelessness. She is passionate about improving senior housing and its residents’ well-being through thoughtful design and programming. Nicole holds a Master’s in City and Regional Planning from Rutgers.
Rachel Neches
Data Researcher, Center for an Urban Future
Rachel Neches is the Data Researcher at the Center for an Urban Future. Her work has focused on topics such as supporting older New Yorkers, increasing economic mobility, and addressing the digital divide. She holds a BA in Urban Studies (Economics) from Barnard College and previously managed research and advocacy at the Times Square Alliance.
Rebecca Noble
Director, Strategy & Innovation, NYC Emergency Management
Rebecca Noble is the Director of Strategy & Innovation at NYC Emergency Management, working at the intersection of strategic planning and disaster preparedness. Her emergency management experience includes responding to COVID-19, Tropical Storm Isaias, Post-Tropical Cyclone Ida, and NYC’s asylum seeker operations. She holds an M.S. in Urban Planning.
Rashmi Pendse
ESG, Impact Investing, & Social Enterprise Specialist
Rashmi Pendse’s career has centered on directing private capital into sustainable and socially responsible initiatives. She currently focuses on place-based philanthropy. Previously, she launched an impact investing venture capital fund and promoted economic and community development in the U.S. and abroad. Rashmi has studied at Johns Hopkins SAIS and Yale University.
Jennifer Romeo
Architect and Senior Associate, Perkins Eastman
Jennifer Romeo’s work focuses on the planning, programming and design of complex projects across a range of educational, healthcare, residential, and senior living clients. In particular, she draws upon her prior career as a User Experience Strategist to link space with user needs and create more meaningful spaces where outstanding, innovative and sensitive design can flourish.
Fatemeh Shirpour
Project Designer, nARCHITECTS
Fatemeh Shirpour is a Project Designer who uses architecture as a tool to create spaces that act as multifaceted systems in order to address profound societal issues. She has experience with a number of public projects in NYC. Most recently at nARCHITECTS, she has been working on an HPD Low-Income Senior Housing Development in Brooklyn which provides a comprehensive supportive environment for aging residents.
Lauren Smalls-Mantey
Senior Environmental Systems Scientist, NYC Department of Health
Lauren Smalls-Mantey is an urban climate researcher for the NYC Department of Health. With a background in chemical and environmental engineering, her research focuses on climate mitigation, adaptation and resilience strategies. At DOH, she specifically works on urban heat where she examines the connections between the climate, urban environment and health.
Bethania Viana
Community Organizer, Caregiver, Mil Mundos
Bethania Viana is a community organizer and caregiver based in New York. As co-director of Mil Mundos in Bushwick, Brooklyn, Bethania collaborates with other community members to develop and maintain sustainable systems of mutual care in response to community needs.
Ambar Wortham
Senior Transportation Planner, Nelson\Nygaard; Founder, Dandelyons Studios
Ambar Wortham is a senior transportation planner at Nelson\Nygaard with a decade’s worth of experience stewarding teams and multimodal plans across the U.S. She’s also founder of Dandelyons Studios, an oral history practice connecting individuals and families to their roots so their stories blossom across generations.
Haikun Xu
Landscape Architect, UX/UI Designer
Haikun Xu is a landscape architectural, UX/UI, and floral art designer with over 7 years of experience. She excels at transforming challenges into innovative design opportunities. Passionate about age-friendly spaces, Haikun integrates new technologies and fosters connections, reimagining public spaces for a brighter future for all.