LEADERSHIP
Charles T. Brown, MPA, CPD
Founder & CEO
Charles T. Brown is the founder and principal of Equitable Cities, a minority- and veteran-owned urban planning, public policy and research firm focused at the intersection of transportation, health and equity. He is also an adjunct professor at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University.
Charles is an award-winning expert in planning and policy and has been interviewed by several notable outlets including the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, the Guardian, VICE and Bloomberg CityLab. He is highly regarded as a keynote speaker and leads workshops on transportation, health and equity for audiences worldwide.
Charles previously served as a senior researcher with the Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center at Rutgers University, where he authored several groundbreaking national and local studies that redefined how experts analyze the role of race and racism in transportation and mobility. In 2020, Charles was part of the inaugural class of the Public Voices Fellowship on the Climate Crisis, which is managed by the Yale School of the Environment.
Charles is a military veteran and a recipient of the Mississippi Commendation Medal and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal. He has a Master of Public Administration degree and graduate certificate in urban and regional planning from the University of Central Florida, where he received the 2020 Alumni Achievement Award for Public Administration. He also has a Bachelor of Science in Management degree from Belhaven College, where he received the James W. Park Academic Achievement Award. He is a certified instructor with the League of American Bicyclists, received a Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design Professional Designation (CPD) from the National Institute on Crime Prevention and is also a proud and active member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated.
For inquiries, please contact Charles at the email below.
Samuel Kling, PhD
Director of Cities and Communities
Samuel Kling, PhD, is Director of Cities and Communities at Equitable Cities. He is a planning and policy professional and researcher who has worked with cities, public agencies, city networks, and international think tanks to advance equity, sustainability, and democratic participation. His written work and research has appeared in Bloomberg CityLab, The Journal of Planning History, Journal of Urban History, WNYC’s On the Media, and several newspapers. Previously he served as Director of Research for Global Cities at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. He earned his PhD in urban planning history at Northwestern University.
STAFF
Eric Tuvel
Graphic and Communications Lead
(he/him)
Eric Tuvel is an urban planner and graphic designer who is passionate about making communities safe for biking and walking. He has over 10 years of experience in various areas of planning including bicycle & pedestrian planning, bicycle safety & education, program management, wayfinding, and land use development. Eric utilizes his background in graphic design to translate technical information into data visualizations that help build consensus for projects that impact the community. Before joining Dresdner Robin, he was a Senior Planner with Alta Planning + Design working on bicycle and pedestrian master plans, safe routes to school programs, and project management. He also managed wayfinding for SF International Airport, bicycle parking for the SF Municipal Transportation Agency, and education programs for the SF Bicycle Coalition. Eric received a dual master’s degree from Rutgers University in City and Regional Planning and Public Policy and has over 10 years of experience in graphic design.
Tyra Montour, PhD, MPH
Social Media Strategist and Marketing Coordinator
As a passionate health communicator, Tyra is dedicated to bridging the gap between complex health information and the general public, empowering individuals to make informed decisions about their well-being. With a deep-rooted commitment to public health advocacy, she combines her expertise in communication with a strong understanding of public health to create impactful messages that resonate across diverse audiences. Tyra is currently a health education PhD student at Texas A&M University and has a background in communications and public health. Her research focuses on health communications, health disparities, and socio-economic factors that influence the health literacy, knowledge, and awareness in vulnerable or immigrant populations.
Prior to Equitable Cities Tyra worked as a graduate research assistant working in systems science and community engagement. Working with professionals studying the complex interplay between various systems and their impact on communities. Several projects sought to bridge the gap between scientific research and community needs, driving positive change through collaboration and interdisciplinary approaches.
Tyra earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications and New Media from Gardner-Webb University and a Master of Public Health from Morehouse School of Medicine. Also a proud and active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.
Ziwei Liu
Associate
Ziwei Liu is a recent graduate of Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University, where she earned her master’s degree in City and Regional Planning. She brings the skill set to the role, including expertise in data analysis, mapping, and design.
From 2021 to 2023, Ziwei expanded her academic experience by working as a research assistant with the Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center (VTC). Her focus was on data analysis, visualization, and network analysis using but not limited to ArcGIS for statewide projects. She also supervised, archived, executed data cleaning and weighting for bus survey data in the statewide project, “Analysis of Local Bus Market”. Earlier in 2020, Ziwei served as a GIS assistant at Shanghai Grand Planning & Design Co., Ltd. Her role involved coordinating mapping and strengthening the quality of the housing and land use database for the local government. Less than a year later, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in management.
Currently based in New Jersey, Ziwei is driven by her passion for the vision of non-motorized and transit-friendly communities. When not immersed in work, Ziwei is an avid photographer with a keen interest in street, landscape, and aerial photography. Her passion for capturing life through a lens mirrors her dedication to urban and transportation planning.
Nellie Graham, MS
Senior Associate
(she/her)
Nellie is dedicated to addressing complex equity issues at the intersection of public health, transportation, and climate planning to enhance living conditions for underserved communities. With expertise in community development, active transportation, and resilience, she specializes in crafting solutions that balance equity and clean mobility. As a planner at Equitable Cities, she contributes to research projects, community engagement and outreach, curriculum development, and collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders.
Nellie holds a Master’s of Science in Community Development from the University of California, Davis. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of California, Berkeley, and an Associate of Arts in Spanish from Santa Rosa Junior College. Nellie lives in Berkeley, California, where she enjoys running and watercolor painting.
Valeria Menendez
Senior Associate
Valeria joins us with an impressive interdisciplinary background, holding a Master’s degree in Environmental Policy and Planning. Her comprehensive understanding of environmental and social dynamics, coupled with enthusiasm for interdisciplinary collaboration, makes her a perfect fit for our mission as well. Valeria’s expertise underscores her commitment to creating positive change in our field. She is currently working on the Virginia Walkability Institute in collaboration with Virginia Department of Health, and with various communities around the country through the DOT’s Thriving Communities Program. Outside of work you can find her dancing.
Katherine Wegrzyn
Planner
Katherine is committed to making active transportation accessible and enjoyable for all by helping create policy and design communities that make walking a biking a priority. She is pursuing her PhD in Planning at Florida State University. Her research focuses on gendered issues in active transportation.
Since 2021, Katherine has worked as a research assistant and instructor at Florida State. Last year she had the opportunity to teach a Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning course at the undergraduate level.
Katherine earned master’s degrees in public health and urban planning from Florida State. She currently lives in Philadelphia and enjoys exploring the city on foot and trying new restaurants.
Reba Oduro
Senior Transportation Planner
Reba is a civil engineer with extensive expertise in transportation planning, construction management, and project oversight. She earned both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Civil Engineering from Rutgers University, where her passion for equitable transportation was ignited. Her master’s thesis focused on using shared automated vehicle technology to reduce transportation inequities in underserved communities. Growing up in a car-less household in New Jersey shaped her commitment to creating accessible and inclusive transportation systems.
Reba’s career began at WSP, where she contributed to Manhattan’s Second Avenue Subway project. She later spent 7.5 years at the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT), advancing safety and mobility projects for pedestrians and cyclists. As a Project Management Specialist, she also managed critical permits for state route developments.
Currently pursuing her Professional Engineer (PE) license, Reba is dedicated to improving transportation systems for all. Outside of work, Reba enjoys a variety of creative pursuits, including interior design, and hands-on crafts like sewing, knitting, and woodworking. She also enjoys attending live music events, watching films, and spending time with family and friends.
Alyia Gaskins
Consultant
Alyia is the Founder and CEO of CitiesRX LLC, which focuses on building physical, social, and economic health through community partnerships. She is a creative visionary with over a decade of professional experience developing and executing the strategy for large-scale initiatives focused on building healthy, equitable communities.
Known for her thought-provoking insights, Alyia is sought after for her experience helping cities advance progressive policies to break down the systems that make it hard for people to be healthy. Her subject matter expertise includes public health, urban planning, municipal finance, and community investment. She has worked on hunger policy at D.C. Hunger Solutions and health issues at the National League of Cities, managed an affordable housing investment program at the Center for Community Investment, and was most recently a Senior Program Officer at the Melville Charitable Trust, a national philanthropic organization devoted to ending homelessness.
Alyia graduated from Vanderbilt University, where she majored in medicine, health, and society. She earned a master’s degree in public health at the University of Pittsburgh and further honed her policy chops with a master’s in urban planning at Georgetown and a Professional Certificate in Municipal Finance from the University of Chicago.
As a result of her leadership, she has been recognized as a Washington Business Journal 40 Under 40, Alexandria Chamber of Commerce 40 Under 40, and a Next City Vanguard. She is the recipient of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women Ebone Image Award and the Center for Nonprofit Advancement Phyllis Campbell Public Policy Leadership Award. She lives on the West End of Alexandria with her husband, son, daughter, and beagle.
Isa Gaillard
Senior Transportation Planner
Isa Gaillard is an urban planner and policy professional with experience in environmental justice, sustainable transportation, and capacity building. He studied public policy at the University of Michigan and received a Martin Luther King Jr. Spirit Award for his efforts engaging diverse communities to promote cross-cultural collaboration. As a Graham Sustainability Scholar, he developed a proposal to combat university carbon emissions by planting old-growth trees in a permaculture system.
During his time in the Bay Area, Isa completed an Environmental Justice Fellowship at the Center for Environmental Health and worked on regional transportation and safe routes to schools programs at TransForm. He then earned a master’s in city planning from UC Berkeley, developing a framework for how cities can integrate environmental justice into their planning processes. During his graduate studies, Isa completed fellowships with the Robert & Patricia Switzer Foundation and the Foreign Language Area Studies Program, concentrating on Latin America.
Prior to Equitable Cities, Isa developed and lead the Towards Equitable Electric Mobility (TEEM) Community of Practice and supported the Greenlining Institute’s capacity building projects. Isa lives in Austin, Texas, where he enjoys exploring nature, playing basketball, and reading science fiction.
Matthew Meyer
Associate Urban Planner
Matt earned his Master’s in Urban and Community Planning at Pratt Institute. Originally from Las Vegas, he is passionate about the intersection of social justice and the built environment. With experience in urban planning, nonprofit lending, and architectural design, Matt is dedicated to advancing equity through community ownership, economic resilience, and equitable development within transportation, housing, and third places.
Matt has a strong community engagement and research background and is skilled in management, GIS, and design. Before joining Equitable Cities, Matt was a fellow at the Nonprofit Finance Fund, where he led research on racial equity in lending and conducted GIS training for the organization. Additionally, Matt contributes to research with the Pratt Center in partnership with the Racial Impact Study Coalition, analyzing trends in New York City’s developments and affordable housing.
Outside of planning, Matt enjoys traveling, music, and exploring the intersection of sound and technology.
Saumil Sanghavi
Planning Intern
Saumil holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Kamla Raheja Vidhyanidhi Institute for Architecture and is currently pursuing his Masters of Science in Urban Planning at Columbia University.
Originally from Mumbai, India, Saumil’s work has been towards exploring the multi-scalar intersections of housing policy and its implications on equity, transportation, health, public life and urban streetscape, with experience in Urban Planning, Architectural and Urban Design, Placemaking, Participatory Planning and Climate Justice. In his free time, he likes to travel, read books, cook and walk around cities.
Diya Padhi
Finance & Accounting Associate Intern
Diya Padhi is a Finance & Accounting Associate Intern at Equitable Cities, where she supports the organization’s core financial operations, including budgeting, invoicing, and accounts management. She is currently pursuing her Master of Science in Finance at the University of Arizona and brings over two years of experience in finance and accounting, with prior roles at MITTS Consultants and WeWork.
Originally from India and now based in Phoenix, Arizona, Diya is passionate about using numbers to solve problems, inform decision-making, and tell meaningful stories. Outside of work, she enjoys watching documentaries, meeting people from diverse backgrounds, and exploring new cuisines.