Stephen Abbott, Research Assistant
Stephen Abbott is a second-year student at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy. Mr. Abbott is in the master of public policy program, concentrating in political processes and institutions. He is currently working on a project with IRCT that is investigating innovation in local and regional economic development. After graduating from the Bloustein School he hopes to pursue a doctoral degree in political science.

Mr. Abbott has a bachelor of arts in history and political science from Rutgers University.

Nagla Bedir, Research Assistant
Nagla Bedir has been with IRCT for several years and is currently working on the Innovations in Local and Regional Economic Development project and assisting with the YouthBuild Innovation and Replication Initiative.

Ms. Bedir will receive a bachelor of arts in history and psychology from Rutgers University in May 2012. She is also enrolled in the Rutgers Graduate School of Education and will complete a master’s in K–12 social studies education in 2013.

Katie Brennan, Research Assistant
Katie Brennan is a second-year student in the master of city and regional planning program at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy; she is concentrating in community and economic development. Ms. Brennan’s prior professional experience includes housing advocacy in Chicago with a focus on foreclosure and promoting impact investing and social returns at a community development loan fund in New York.

At IRCT, she is working to implement an economic development strategy in Plainfield, New Jersey, as well as to expand and assess the New Jersey replication sites of the YouthBuild community development program. Upon graduating from Bloustein, Ms. Brennan hopes to continue advancing community and economic development by exploring the role of capital, both monetary and human, in wealth creation and affordable housing.

Kate Davidoff, Research Assistant
Kate is a second-year doctoral student at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy. She is interested in housing policy and community development. Prior to attending Bloustein, she worked in Washington, D.C., as a housing planner at the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, working with local governments and nonprofit housing organizations to address the foreclosure crisis.

Ms. Davidoff has a master of urban and regional planning degree from the University of Michigan and a bachelor of science in design and environmental analysis from Cornell University.

Akira Drake, Research Assistant
Akira Drake is a second-year doctoral student at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy. Prior to joining IRCT, Ms. Drake gained experience with all three levels of the government as a public sector consultant. She has also worked as a compensation consultant in the private sector. Ms. Drake is currently an intern at an economic consulting firm in Philadelphia that specializes in local government consulting.  

Ms. Drake has a master of public administration from the Fels Institute at the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor of science in economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.   

Jessica Lau, Research Assistant
Jessica Lau is a first-year student in the master of public policy program at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy. Prior to joining IRCT, Ms. Lau spent six years as a state budget specialist at the New Jersey Office of Management and Budget (OMB), an executive branch agency. During her time at OMB, Ms. Lau advised public officials on fiscal issues and helped prepare and administer the annual state budget. At IRCT, Ms. Lau works on the Innovations in Local and Regional Economic Development Project.

Ms. Lau holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Rutgers University.

Neha Patel, Research Assistant
Neha Patel is currently a third-year undergraduate student at Rutgers University. She is majoring in public health and minoring in both nutrition and anthropology. After she graduates from Rutgers, Ms. Patel hopes to pursue a masters of public health and pursue a career in the field. At IRCT, she is working on the Innovations in Local and Regional Economic Development Project as well as assisting with the YouthBuild Innovation and Replication Initiative.

Jess Remington, Research Assistant
Jess Remington is currently an undergraduate student at Rutgers University. She recently joined IRCT as a research assistant and has worked on numerous projects, including an application to host the Hubert Humphrey Fellowship Program and a policy report for the YouthBuild Innovation and Replication Initiative. During her college career, Jess has interned with the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, the Independent Pharmacy Alliance of America, and Bloustein School professor Julia Sass Rubin.

Ms. Remington is majoring in planning and public policy and minoring in economics. She looks forward to a career that combines her interests in entrepreneurship, community planning, policy analysis, political philosophy, and social media.

Areej Sabzwari, Research Assistant
Areej Sabzwari is a first-year master of city and regional planning student at the Bloustein School, concentrating in real estate and law. In addition to her work with IRCT she is an intern architect at an architecture and engineering firm in Piscataway, New Jersey. At IRCT, she is currently working on the Hubert Humphrey Fellowship proposal and a review of literature concerned with innovation in the field of community economic development.

Ms. Sabzwari holds a bachelor of architecture from New Jersey Institute of Technology, where she minored in business; she hopes to pursue a career combining the fields of architecture, planning, and law.