In this webinar, we dive into the findings of our Zoning for Equity, Volume II: Examining Planning and Zoning Impediments to Housing and School Diversity report as well as our work with local organizers and professional planning consultants to create a vision for Fair Share in Glastonbury.

Slides

• Erin Boggs, Open Communities Alliance
• Sam Giffin, Open Communities Alliance
• John Guskowski, TYCHE Planning and Policy Group

Speakers & Bios

Erin Boggs, Executive Director, Open Communities Alliance. Erin Boggs has worked on issues of equity, particularly in the context of housing, for almost 20 years.  After dedicating six years to a range of fair housing issues, such as the foreclosure crisis, the housing challenges faced by people with disabilities, and housing discrimination based on a range of characteristics such as the presence of children, the use of government housing subsidies, and race and ethnicity, Ms. Boggs recognized the need for an organization specifically focused on the intersection of inequality and geography.

Sam Giffin, Policy and Data Analyst, Open Communities Alliance. Sam Giffin is the lead author of Zoning for Equity: Volume II. He has a master's degree in city planning from UC Berkeley, where he studied affordable housing and land use policy. Sam worked for the Terner Center for Housing Innovation, conducting research on public housing redevelopment and analyzing anti-exclusionary zoning policies.

Pamela Lucas, T.A.L.K. (Truth in Action with Love and Kindness). Executive Board Member and Co-chair of TALK’s Social Justice committee, Pam has been living in Glastonbury for the past 30 years after a decade in the Bronx and Brooklyn, NY. She practices immigration law in Hartford, and previously worked for the Connecticut General Assembly’s Office of Legislative Research. 

John Guszkowski, AICP, LEED, ENV-SP; Co-Founder & Principal, TYCHE Planning and Policy Group. John has been a Planner for twenty years. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Fairfield University and a Master’s Degree in Natural Resources Management & Engineering from UConn. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and holds accreditations from the US Green Building Council (LEED-AP) and the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ENV-SP). He serves both private sector developers and municipalities. In addition to serving as Consulting Town Planner for Deep River, Chester, Essex, Clinton, and Hampton, CT, He also serves as Economic Development Coordinator for Hebron and Willington, and has written numerous planning documents and special studies for over 20 towns and cities in Connecticut. Prior to his work with Tyche, John worked for CME Associates (a CHA Company), served as Town Planner in Woodstock and Thompson, CT, and as a Planner with the Capitol Region Council of Governments. For the past seventeen years, John has also served on the Board of the nonprofit Connecticut Resource Conservation & Development Council (RC&D), the last thirteen years as President. He also serves on the Executive Board and as Co-Chair of the Government Relations Committee of the Connecticut Chapter of the American Planning Association (CCAPA).

Steven Hernández, Commission on Women, Children and Seniors. Steven Hernandez, Esq. is the executive director for the Commission on Women, Children and Seniors.  Mr. Hernández previously served the CT state legislature as director of public policy and research for the Connecticut Commission on Children.    Prior to joining the Commission, Mr. Hernandez served seven years as legislative and budget director in the office of Washington, D.C., Councilmember Jim Graham.  Mr. Hernández served as a clerk to two judges in the District’s Court of Appeals and as a consultant to the Washington law firm Baker & Miller, PLLC. He received a bachelor of arts degree from Bennington College in Vermont in 1995 and a juris doctor degree from the Washington College of Law at American University.