On Wednesday, September 6th, the NYC Housing & Planning Fellowship officially welcomed a new cohort of nine young professionals to the program.
The NYC Housing & Planning Fellowship is a two-year interagency program that seeks to foster New York City’s next generation of leaders in the fields of affordable housing, planning, and economic development through first-hand work experience and unique educational opportunities across City government.
Over the course of the program, the Fellows will rotate across six-month assignments at each of the four participating City agencies, including the New York City Housing Development Corporation (HDC), the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), the Department of City Planning (DCP), and Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC).
Each placement will provide fellows with the opportunity to work on critical agency initiatives aimed at fostering the development of more affordable and equitable communities, cultivate leadership skills, and deepen their knowledge of New York City government, as well as the dynamics that impact policymaking at the local level.
Read more about each of the NYC Housing & Planning Fellows below:
Samantha Chui
Samantha Chui is a recent graduate of Villanova University, where she earned both her M.A. and B.A. in Political Science with a concentration in community development and public administration. Prior to the fellowship, Samantha interned with Philadelphia’s Diamond and Associates, where she worked on securing financing, planning, and closing on several projects aimed at housing elderly, minority, and disabled residents. Born and raised in Queens, Samantha has also spent the past six summers working for the New York City Parks Foundation, where she received the Billie Jean King Junior Achievement Award for her efforts to bring social change through sports programming in underserved communities.
“As a born and raised New Yorker, I know both personally and professionally how crucial affordable housing is. I was drawn to this opportunity because it provided a chance to directly impact housing in New York for the better.”
D’Shandi Coombs
D’Shandi Coombs is a current law student at Brooklyn Law School and has devoted her career to urban planning to foster the growth of sustainable, inclusive, and resilient communities. Prior to law school, D’Shandi worked as a Community Organizer with Transportation Alternatives, as a Community Planning Fellow with the Fund for the City of New York, and as a Peace Corps Volunteer. D’Shandi has facilitated significant collaboration with community boards and council members to advance several climate justice initiatives in New York City. D’Shandi earned her Master of Urban Planning from New York University and her Bachelor of Economics from Baruch College. In her free time, D’Shandi enjoys attending Broadway musicals, visiting museums, traveling, and finding free activities in New York City, such as kayaking and rock climbing.
“I am looking forward to learning more about real estate finance. It is an area that I do not have much experience in and can seem daunting. However, it is a critical skill to have especially when having discussions with community members about why certain housing initiatives may or may not be practical or sustainable.”
Erica Copeland
Erica Copeland is a recent graduate of the Bloustein School of Planning & Public Policy, where she received her Master of City & Regional Planning with a concentration in Community Development and Housing. Prior to Bloustein, Erica served as a Housing Fellow with the Gateway Cities Council of Governments, a regional planning agency based in Los Angeles County, where she advocated for affordable housing development in the region. Erica also previously worked as a community organizer and a nonprofit program manager in South Los Angeles, where she advocated for better neighborhoods and educational equity for communities of color. Over the course of her career, Erica plans to work with public and private institutions to build more just, livable, and socially equitable cities for underrepresented populations. In her free time, Erica enjoys reading, exploring new cityscapes, trying new cuisines, and spending time with friends and family.
“I believe that this fellowship will open doors of opportunity for me by giving me the access, exposure, and experience that I need to make a lasting difference in the fields of planning, affordable housing, and economic development. I hope that through this fellowship, I’ll gain stronger skills to amplify my social impact in the future.”
Katrina Deloso
Katrina Deloso is a recent graduate of UCLA’s dual Master of Urban and Regional Planning and Master of Public Health program. Katrina first became interested in urban planning while working as a policy advocate at a public health nonprofit in Oakland, CA, where she witnessed the importance of affordable housing and accessible transportation in advancing health equity. During her time in graduate school, Katrina worked on homelessness programming in the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office and sustainable transportation projects at a consulting firm. Katrina also worked for the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, where she collaborated on several active transportation initiatives and supported a grant proposal that would invest in projects that advanced both affordable housing goals and sustainable transportation. Katrina earned her B.A. from the University of Chicago. Katrina is excited to be in New York City and explore various bookstores, running paths, and bike trails across the city.
“Through this fellowship, I believe that I will grow my technical skills and my understanding of the inner workings of New York City government. This will prepare me to continue the work of serving in the public sector and working across agencies to ensure that all New Yorkers can live in homes that are safe and affordable, and well-connected to friends, families, schools, and jobs.”
Amanda Lafferty
Amanda Lafferty recently earned her master’s from the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University, with a concentration in housing and community development. During graduate school, Amanda served as a project manager for Main Street Highland Park and was an organizer with the Central New Jersey Tenants Union. She was also a member of the Bloustein School’s Social Justice Committee. Previously, Amanda was a former chef and DJ, and received her B.A. in Urban Studies from Trinity College. In her free time, Amanda loves to walk around and explore neighborhoods throughout New York City. Amanda looks forward to furthering her passion for housing and social justice by participating in the fellowship.
“I applied to the NYC Housing and Planning Fellowship because I want to further expand on my experiences with policy and program implementation and formation, especially such policies that directly benefit communities across the city.”
Naomi Robalino
Naomi is a recent graduate of the Harvard Graduate School of Design, where she received her Master of Urban Planning with a concentration in Housing, Community, and economic Development. Naomi previously received a Fulbright Award to teach English in South Korea for three years and worked in higher education research before moving abroad. Naomi first discovered her passion for advancing equitable housing strategies when she worked for an affordable housing non-profit in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. There, she worked in community organizing and supported efforts to strengthen and expand community land trusts in the area. Naomi earned her B.A. in Public Policy and Global Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and calls North Carolina and Flushing, New York home.
“I’m most looking forward to the nuts and bolts of building and financing affordable housing. Coming from graduate school, I’m excited to see how theory and case studies I learned in the classroom play out in real time with complicated stakeholders and systems.”
John F.K. Smith
John F.K. Smith recently graduated with a Master of City and Regional Planning from Rutgers University. Prior to the Fellowship, John worked as an organizer at the Association of Neighborhood and Housing Development (ANHD) and Rutgers AAUP-AFT. John also served as a researcher with CP Planning and the Voorhees Center for Civic Engagement, as well as a Community Strategies Fellow at New Jersey Community Capital (NJCC). Previously, John was a carpenter apprentice with Liuna Local 183 and Carpenters Local 27.
“I’m interested to see how economic development and community benefits are delivered through housing and development in ways that stabilize NYC neighborhoods and their communities, as opposed to increasing their risks of displacement. The Fellowship offers a window into how quasi-public & public agencies intervene in the housing market to achieve equitable development outcomes.”
Dominick Tanoh
Dominick Tanoh is a recent graduate of Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs, where he specialized in International Development. Prior to graduate school, Dominick was a human resources officer for the U.S. Department of Labor. Previously, Dominick also served as a Youth Development Volunteer in Morocco with the Peace Corps. Dominick earned his B.A. in International Politics and Economics from Middlebury College in Vermont. In his free time, Dominick enjoys martial arts, writing, and watching classic films.
“I look forward to doing tangible work with effects that I can see in my community. Although I enjoyed doing work at the international and federal level, the scale of that work meant that the impact could sometimes feel very remote. Here, I’m eager to directly engage with issues that affect the day-to-day life for myself, my neighbors, and the city as a whole.”
Larry Q. Wu
Larry Wu recently earned his Master of Public Administration from the City College of New York. Larry first gained exposure to New York City’s affordable housing industry while interning for the Policy Development & Special Initiatives team within the Department of Housing Preservation & Development (HPD). A Brooklyn native, Larry brings experience from the fields of finance, commercial real estate, and real estate law and has worked on various community outreach projects in New York City. Larry earned his B.A. from Binghamton University. In his free time, Larry enjoys exercising, spending time outdoors, and is a lifelong Knicks fan.
“I am a native New Yorker and my family is a product of affordable housing. I am utilizing this fellowship as an opportunity to serve a stakeholder community that I identify with.”
