APA Congressional Fellows

2006

Brad Cantor
Brad Cantor received his B.A. in Urban Studies and Planning at the University at Albany and went on to receive his M.S. in Urban Planning with a concentration in land use and design from Hunter College, City of New York.

In 1999, Cantor was a planning intern for Albany's downtown Albany Business Improvement District (BID) where he researched and assisted in the design of a marketing package for business recruitment and retention in the district. Later, he was a planning intern for the Bronx Borough President's Office, Department of Planning where he researched the Harlem River waterfront and made recommendations for its future prosperity based on relevant history, previous plans and studies, stakeholders, demographics, open space access, and zoning.

For two years, Cantor worked as Planning Aide in the Suffolk County Planning Department in Hauppauge, New York. In this position, Cantor represented the planning department at various town and board meetings and assisted in the first county-wide affordable housing auction for prospective low-income homeowners. Since 2003, Cantor has worked as a research technician and planning consultant in Long Island where he has written planning reports on zoning and fire codes, sewage and wastewater disposal, and environmental impact. He has also performed research to calculate the socio-economic profile of various communities within the county in order to develop economic development plans for those lagging communities.

Cantor has recently written a preliminary design report addressing affordable housing, community empowerment, and alternative transportation for East Patchogue, and is also working on projects for the Long Island Fund for Sustainable Development.

He worked for the House Livable Communities Task Force, hosted by U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer.

2005

Alice Yates
Ms. Yates received both her Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and Master of Science in Technology and Policy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She is currently working towards her Master of Science in Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Alice comes to DC with an extensive work history in the areas of environmental and economic policy consulting. She has worked on smart growth analysis and policy development for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and managed numerous real estate development projects as Vice President of MassDevelopment, the state of Massachusetts's economic development authority.

Ms. Yates worked in the office of Senator Carl Levin of Michigan as a staff assistant for the Senate Smart Growth Task Force, an initiative of the bipartisan Northeast-Midwest Senate Coalition.

C.J. Laffer
Mr. Laffer received his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Michigan and has just completed his Masters of City Planning from the University of California at Berkeley's Department of City and Regional Planning. C.J. has years of experience analyzing local land use controls and regulations, with a focus on rural Western communities. Previously, C.J. worked for a research and consulting firm in Denver, Colorado where he participated in projects to assess various land use impacts on local community economies. Most recently, C.J. worked for the Urban Land Institute compiling case studies of Bay Area developments and highlighting best practices for a trade association publication.

Mr. Laffer worked in the office of Representative Earl Blumenauer of Oregon as a staff assistant for the House Livable Communities Task Force. Both fellows will work on promoting federal legislation related to smart growth planning and community development.

2003

Daniel Persky
Daniel received his undergraduate degree from Oberlin College, received his master's in urban planning at the University of Iowa and is currently finishing his last semester in law school at the University of Iowa. Daniel is a visiting student at the George Washington University Law School. Daniel has an extensive work history in both the legal sector and in urban planning. He has worked with the Metropolitan Planning Council in Chicago, updating zoning ordinances, and worked as a Student Attorney for the City of Iowa providing legal advice on planning and zoning. Daniel is currently a research assistant for the George Washington University Center on Sustainable Development, researching the environmental effects of informal settlements in megacities.

Mr. Persky worked in the office of Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan as a staff assistant for the Senate Smart Growth Task Force, an initiative of the bipartisan Northeast-Midwest Senate Coalition.

Craig Raborn, AICP
Craig received his undergraduate degree from Kansas State University, completed his planning degree from the University of Texas at Austin, and is currently a law student at George Washington University. Craig is a second-generation planner and has a work background that is mixed with planning and policy. He spent three years as a Political Analyst and Russian Linguist for the U.S. Task Force in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Craig co-taught an undergraduate Introduction to Planning course before graduating from planning school and worked for two years as a Project Manager at a Texas planning firm. Craig is currently working as a consultant and passed the AICP exam this past summer.

Mr. Raborn will work in the office of Rep. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon as a staff assistant for the House Livable Communities Task Force. Both will work on promoting federal legislation related to smart growth planning and community development.

2002

Michael Donovan
Michael is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and recently received his Master of City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was a Fulbright Scholar in 1999 and worked on urban planning issues in Bogota, Columbia. Michael has extensive interest and experience in international planning issues having worked with U.S. Agency for International Development, the United Nations Development Programme in Costa Rica, and the Centre for Housing Rights and Evictions in Geneva, Switzerland. He is a native of Washington State and a member of APA.

Mr. Donovan worked in the office of Rep. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon as a staff assistant for the House Livable Communities Task Force. Both will work on promoting federal legislation related to smart growth planning and community development.

Mary Grace Folwell
Mary Grace received her undergraduate degree from Swarthmore College, undertook graduate work in planning at Temple University in Philadelphia, and is currently a law student at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. She spent five years on staff with the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Philadelphia working on development and revitalization projects in North Philadelphia. She is currently working with the Center for Sustainability and Regional Growth at George Washington University.

Ms. Folwell worked in the office of Sen. Susan Collins of Maine as a staff assistant for the Senate Smart Growth Task Force, an initiative of the bipartisan Northeast-Midwest Senate Coalition.

2001

Heather Smith
Heather is a graduate of Macalester College and Columbia University. She currently resides in New York City where she works as a planner for Brooklyn Borough Office. Heather has also worked for the City of Chicago as an intern in the Department of Planning and Development, as a research intern for a state legislator in Minnesota, and as an administrator for the Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights. She is a Chicago native and member of the American Planning Association.

Ms. Smith worked in the office of Senator James Jeffords of Vermont as a staff assistant for the Senate Smart Growth Task Force, an initiative of the bipartisan Northeast-Midwest Senate Coalition.

James Koski
James received his undergraduate degree from the University of Oregon and is in the process of completing his master's degree in planning from the University of Texas. James is a CPA and spent six years working for KPMG before deciding to pursue professional planning. During his stint in planning school, he has worked for two private sector planning and economic development consulting firms in Houston and Austin, Texas. James is a Seattle native and member of the American Planning Association.

Mr. Koski worked in the office of Representative Earl Blumenauer of Oregon as a staff assistant for the House Livable Communities Task Force. Both will work on promoting federal legislation to help states reform and revise planning enabling statutes.