I am an executive strategist and team leader, working at the intersection of economic development and emerging technology. My career as an urbanist has earned national recognition for building solutions to inclusive growth, innovation, and workforce challenges.

I founded Tulsa Innovation Labs, a nonprofit deploying over $215 million in programmatic capital to grow northeast Oklahoma’s tech economy. Previously, I launched Cyber NYC at the New York City Economic Development Corporation, which The New York Times called “among the nation’s most ambitious cybersecurity initiatives.” And, earlier in my career at the Urban Land Institute, I built a national resilience program for cities combatting the effects of climate change.

I am currently a visiting scholar at UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs, where I am writing a book on inclusive economic growth, under contract with HarperCollins.

Born and raised in a working-class New Orleans family, I completed my undergraduate studies at Northwestern University and, as a Sage Fellow, earned a master’s degree in African American studies from Cornell University. Drawing upon urban planning and critical race studies, my graduate research investigated post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans revitalization efforts. More recently, I completed executive leadership training at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business.

My writing has appeared in Newsweek, Fast Company, Urban Land Magazine, Next City, and Stanford Social Innovation Review, among other publications. I have been invited to speak at conferences around the world, including South by Southwest EDU, Fast Company’s Innovation Festival, Stanford University’s Nonprofit Management Institute, the Aspen Institute’s Festival of the Diaspora, Cyber Tech-Tel Aviv, Smart Cities-New York, Working Nation, and MIT’s Solve.

I am a member of the International Economic Development Council, the Urban Land Institute, and the Fast Company Impact Council.

I am currently based in Los Angeles with my husband, Dr. Christopher Chandler.

You can access my CV here.