Our People

NCSG Team

Kate (Kathryn) Howell headshot

Kathryn Howell, Ph.D.

Executive Director

Nicholas Finio, Ph.D.

Associate Director

Natalie Roach

Policy Associate

Seth Hanley

Business Coordinator

Chester Harvey, Ph.D.

Director, Transportation Research Policy Group (TPRG)

Michelle Kokolis

Director, Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS)

Willow S. Lung, Ph.D.

Director, Small Business Anti-Displacement Network (SBAN)

Sheila Somashekhar

Director, Purple Line Corridor Coalition (PLCC)

Ariel H. Bierbaum, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Urban Studies & Planning

Tara Burke

Director, Smart Cities Initiatives

Casey Dawkins Ph.D.

Associate Dean for Research ; Professor

Gerrit-Jan Knaap, Ph.D.

Professor, Urban Studies & Planning

Katy June-Friesen, Ph.D.

Associate Director of Communications & Research, SBAN

Jamie Shanker-Passero

Associate Director of Member Engagement & Programs, SBAN

Alejandra Gonzalez Ariza

Operations & Finance Administrator, SBAN

PLCC
Planning Fellow

Student Fellows

Eram Ahmed

PhD in Urban and Regional Planning and Design

Maya Assaker

Master in Urban Studies and Planning

Rebecca Garman

PhD in Urban and Regional Planning and Design

Felix Hernandez

Master in Landscape Architecture

Sarah Kamei Hoffman

Master in Urban Studies and Planning

Sophie McManus

PhD in Urban and Regional Planning and Design

Alex McRoberts

Master in Urban Studies and Planning

Finn Meggit

Master in Urban Studies and Planning

Lauren Meyer

Master in Applied Anthropology

Siddhi Pawar

Master in Urban Studies and Planning

Caitlin Rice

Master in Urban Studies and Planning/Landscape Architecture

Cole Shultz

Master in Urban Studies and Planning

Fayla Sutton

Master in Urban Studies and Planning

Laura Sweeney

Master in Landscape Architecture

NCSG Affiliates

Anna Alberini, Ph.D.

Professor of Agricultural & Resource Economics, University of Maryland

Uri Avin, Ph.D.

Research Professor, University of Maryland

Matthew J. Bell, Ph. D.

Professor of Architecture, University of Maryland

Ralph Bennett

Professor Emeritus of Architecture Program, University of Maryland

Carson Bise

President, TischlerBise

Arnab Chakraborty, Ph.D.

Professor of City & Metropolitan Planning, University of Utah

John Driscoll

VP, Institute for International Urban Development

Ronit Eisenbach

Professor of Architecture, University of Maryland

Sevgi Erdoğan, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Information Studies, Syracuse University

Kerry Fang

Associate Professor of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Charles Field, Ph.D.

Lecturer, School of Public Policy, University of Maryland

Steven R. Gehrke, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Geography, Planning, and Recreation, Northern Arizona University

Mohammad Gharipour, Ph.D.

Director of Architecture Program, University of Maryland

Vonnette Harris

President and CEO, Kairos Development, LLC

Marccus Hendricks, Ph.D.

Director, Stormwater Infrastructure Resilience and Justice (SIRJ) Lab

Marie Howland, Ph.D.

Professor Emerita of Urban Studies & Planning Program, University of Maryland

Ming Hu, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor at the School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, University of Maryland

Clara Irazábal, Ph.D.

Program Director, Urban Studies and Planning Program, University of Maryland

Hiroyuki Iseki

Director, Urban and Regional Planning and Design Ph.D. Program, University of Maryland

Seema Iyer, Ph.D.

Senior Director, Strategy & Data for Public Impact Initiatives, John Hopkins University

Elijah Knaap, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Urban Planning and Public Policy, University of California Irvine

Rebecca Lewis, Ph.D.

Director, Institute for Policy Research and Engagement, University of Oregon

Erik Lichtenberg

Professor of Agricultural & Resource Economics, University of Maryland

David Newburn, Ph.D.

Professor of Agricultural & Resource Economics, University of Maryland

Manuel Ochoa

Principal & Founder, Ochoa Urban Collaborative

Glenn Robinson

Research Scientist, Institute for Urban Research, Morgan State University

Mary Corbin Sies, Ph.D.

Associate Professor Emerita and Founding Director of Museum Studies and Material Culture Program, American Studies, University of Maryland

Yan Song

Professor and Director of Program on Chinese Cities, University of North Carolina

Thomas Luke Spreen, Ph.D.

Associate Professor at School of Public Policy, University of Maryland

Brendan Williams, Ph.D.

Emeritus Professor of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy, University College Dublin

Priscila B. R. Alves

Lab Manager, Stormwater Infrastructure Resilience and Justice (SIRJ) Lab; Assistant Research Professor, Urban Studies & Planning, University of Maryland

Work With Us!

NCSG Affiliates and Fellows are individuals who work alongside its core faculty and staff to form a network of researchers and practitioners who advance equitable Smart Growth in regional, national, and international spheres. NCSG Partners are organizations that collaborate with NCSG toward shared goals. NCSG welcomes members of the University and broader community to be affiliated with it in ways that both strengthen the Center’s impact and provide access to the resources and opportunities it offers.

Interested in learning more about NCSG’s Affiliate program? Email NCSG’s Executive Director or Associate Director with your research interest.