Urban Design Forum is thrilled to announce the 48 Fellows in the inaugural Global Exchange cohort: our new fellowship for mid-career executives who will survey the world to shape New York City’s future, starting with our housing crisis.
Over the next nine months, these leaders across design, development, policy, law, advocacy and journalism will build bridges between New York City and its peer cities, uncover cutting-edge projects and demand courageous public policy. The cohort will visit Berlin in September for a 3-day study trip to explore the city’s radical approach to easing affordability, creating new supply, decarbonizing its housing stock and integrating migrants. Fellows will conduct research on peer cities taking big swings to address their housing crises, strategize a narrative change campaign to connect with decision makers and energize the public conversation, and present findings and recommendations in a culminating event in March 2025. Made possible with lead support from Kohn Pedersen Fox, Turner Construction and our Global Circle, Urban Design Forum will complement the work of the cohort with a speaker series of experts from global cities beginning in fall 2024.
“It’s time for New York City to take some big swings to confront its housing crunch,” said Daniel McPhee, executive director of Urban Design Forum. “We’re thrilled to create space for leaders from different backgrounds and fields to learn together, debate, and shape the future of our city. I am confident our 48 fellows will make important new connections with courageous housing leaders and inspire new thinking about what’s possible here in New York.”
“The inaugural cohort of the Global Exchange program is particularly well-positioned to investigate the challenges of New York’s affordable housing needs, coming from backgrounds in government, design, development, law, and more,” said James von Klemperer, UDF Board of Directors Co-Chair and Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF) President. “We expect great synergies as this group cross-fertilizes their knowledge with those who are leading innovative efforts in other parts of the world.”
“The housing challenge in New York has never been more significant. Through the Global Exchange Fellowship Program, Big Swings, the Urban Design Forum has convened an unparalleled cohort to study the international landscape and drive housing policy into the future,” said Lisa Hickerson, Business Development Manager of Turner Construction. “Turner Construction is proud to be a founding circle member of this program, continuing our commitment to ensuring that New York remains the pinnacle of innovation, with room for everyone who wants to call it home.”
We welcome the 2024 Global Exchange Fellows and look forward to sharing their ideas for the future of the city
Zayba Abdulla, Senior Advisor, Office of the Mayor
Polina Bakhteiarov, Senior Director, The National Housing Partnership Foundation (NHPF)
Heather Beck, Senior Advisor, New York City Housing Authority
Maia Berlow, Senior State and Local Government Affairs Adviser, Urban Institute
Laura Capucilli, Director of Operations, Esusu
Julie Chou, Principal, Purpose by Design Architects
Julian St. Patrick Clayton, Director for Policy & Public Affairs, Center for NYC Neighborhoods
Allan Co, Program Director, Centre for Public Impact
Jacob Dugopolski, Associate Principal, WXY Architecture + Urban Design
Koray Duman, Principal, Büro Koray Duman Architects
Erik Forman, incoming Director of Housing Policy, AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust
Rachel Goodfriend, Partner, Ametrine Group
Palak Kaushal, Associate Vice President, Kasirer LLC
John Kimble, Co-Founder & Senior Advisor, NYC Fund to End Youth & Family Homelessness
Teddy Kofman, Lead Urban Designer, WSP-USA
Joel Kolkmann, Senior Vice President, Real Estate Development and Planning, Empire State Development
Allison Lane, Senior Associate, NYCHA/Multi-family Studio Lead, AECOM
Kenny Lee, Senior Economist, Streeteasy
Emily Lehman, Vice President of Real Estate, Settlement Housing Fund
Rebecca Macklis, Senior Manager (Lead), Strategic Initiatives, The Municipal Art Society of New York (MAS)
Samantha Maldonado, Senior Reporter, THE CITY
Hallie Martin, Director of Operations, Division of Special Needs Housing, NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development
Maulin Mehta, New York Director, Regional Plan Association
Alexa Mendel, Project Manager, Huntington Bank
Sylvia Morse, Senior Program Manager, Research & Policy, Pratt Center for Community Development
Nasra Nimaga, Senior Associate / Architect, Perkins Eastman
Delma Palma, VP of Design and Construction Management, Empire State Development
Marcelle Pena, Sr. Director, Design and Strategy, Win NYC
Franz Prinsloo, Senior Associate Principal, Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF)
Sadia Rahman, Deputy Director, Chhaya CDC
Neil Reilly, Executive Director, Policy Development & Special Initiatives, NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development
Doug Rose, Director, NYC Department of City Planning
Amy Schaap, Virtual Design & Construction Engineer, Turner Construction
Wendi Shafran, Principal, Director of Affordable Housing, FXCollaborative Architects
Ellen Shakespear, Senior Project Manager, Fairstead
Kavya Shankar, Co-founder & COO, Trust Neighborhoods
Ashley Smith, AVP Performance & Policy, Maimonides Medical Center
Sarah Solon, Principal, HR&A Advisors
Adán Soltren, Supervising Attorney, The Legal Aid Society
Lauren Stander, Assistant Program Director, Community Access
Jennifer Tausig, Independent Consultant – Economic, Community, Workforce Development
Eli Tedesco, Vice President, CAMBA Housing Ventures
Catherine Vaughan, Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director, Abundance New York
Silvia Vercher Pons, Senior Associate, Perkins Eastman
Nicole Vlado Torres, Policy and Planning Fellow, Design Trust for Public Space
Laura Sara Wainer, Assistant Professor Architecture and Urbanism, City College of New York
Trax Wang, Associate, Fogarty Finger
Pablo Zevallos, Staff Attorney, Housing Justice Unit, The Legal Aid Society
About Us
Urban Design Forum connects and inspires New Yorkers to design, build and care for a better city. We are a member-powered organization of 1,000+ civic leaders committed to a more just future for our city. We believe the built environment—our neighborhoods, buildings, public spaces and infrastructure—shapes our city’s health, culture and economy. We bring together New Yorkers of diverse backgrounds and experiences to learn, debate, and design a vibrant city for all. Learn more at urbandesignforum.org.
Learn more about Global Exchange here.
PRESS CONTACT: Hadley Stack, hadley@urbandesignforum.org
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