Leadership

David Edwards is the founding executive director of the Center for Urban Research and a professor of practice in the School of Public Policy at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He also serves as the policy advisor for neighborhoods in the Office of the Mayor in the City of Atlanta. He is the former chief executive officer of Purpose Built Communities, a nonprofit focused on revitalizing distressed urban neighborhoods. Edwards also served as the global offerings manager for IBM’s Smarter Cities program and served as the chief policy advisor for the City of Atlanta during the two terms of Mayor Shirley Franklin. He spent eight years in corporate management consulting, most recently at the Boston Consulting Group. Prior to his management consulting career, Edwards led the strategic planning team at Columbia University while serving as the Associate Provost for Academic Affairs. Edwards began his career at the Office of Management and Budget in the Executive Office of the President in Washington D.C. He is the author of numerous articles and white papers on the topics of public administration, neighborhood revitalization, public safety, and the relationship between poverty and place. He earned a Master’s in Public Policy from Duke University and Bachelor of Arts degrees in Economics and History from Franklin and Marshall College.

Brian An is an assistant professor, director of the Master of Science in Public Policy program, and co-director of the Center for Urban Research. His research examines how institutional and policy design affects management processes and policy outcomes at all levels, from local and regional organizations to national governments across the globe. His policy research area spans urban and housing, energy and environment, and public finance. 

An has consulted or worked for international and U.S. organizations, including the United Nations, International Finance Corporation (the World Bank Group), the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Enterprise Community Partners, Brookings Institution, Fulton County Government, and Atlanta Mayor’s Office, among others. His work has been cited or featured in the U.S. President's 2024 Economic Report, Fox News, WSB-TV, WABE FM 90.1 (Atlanta Metro NPR), Georgia Public Broadcasting (Statewide NPR)'s All Things Considered, Fortune Magazine, Yahoo News, Pew Charitable Trusts, Atlanta Journal Constitution, and Atlanta Civic Circle among many other media outlets. He has a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Management from the University of Southern California, a Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and International Studies from Yonsei University.

Ishita Chordia, Associate Director 

Ishita Chordia is the Associate Director of the Center for Urban Research. She is an equity-driven urban researcher and data analyst dedicated to alleviating the systemic conditions that perpetuate poverty. Ishita has collaborated with nonprofits, local governments, academic institutions, and technology companies to address disparities in public safety, health, housing, education, and economic mobility. As Associate Director, Ishita collaborates with the City of Atlanta to measure and evaluate the city's neighborhood revitalization strategy. Inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s vision of the "Beloved Community," her work integrates social justice principles, data-driven policymaking, and community engagement to support neighborhood flourishing. Ishita has a Ph.D. in Information Science from the University of Washington, a Master's in Computer Science from Georgia Institute of Technology, and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Duke University.  

Kaye Husbands Fealing

Kaye Husbands Fealing is the assistant director of the social, behavioral, and economic sciences at the National Science Foundation (NSF) and co-chair of the Subcommittee on Social and Behavioral Sciences of the Committee on Science of the National Science & Technology Council (NSTC). She is the former dean of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts at the Georgia Institute of Technology and a former chair of the School of Public Policy at Georgia Tech, where she currently holds the title of professor. She specializes in the science of science and innovation policy, the public value of research expenditures, and broadening participation in STEM fields and the workforce.

Cassidy Sugimoto

Cassidy R. Sugimoto is a professor and Tom and Marie Patton School Chair in the School of Public Policy at Georgia Institute of Technology. Her research examines the formal and informal ways in which knowledge is produced, disseminated, consumed, and supported, with an emphasis on issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Sugimoto was a professor of Informatics in the School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering at Indiana University Bloomington from 2010-2021 and served as the program director for the Science of Science and Innovation Policy program at the National Science Foundation from 2018-2020. She has received the Indiana University Trustees Teaching award (2014), a national service award from the Association for Information Science and Technology (2009), and a Bicentennial Award for service from Indiana University (2020). She holds a bachelor’s in Music Performance, a master’s in Library Science, and a doctoral degree in Information and Library Science all from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Chris Burke

Christopher Burke is an educator, strategist, and public relations professional with more than 20 years of experience in education, urban planning, and community development. Burke began his professional career working as a housing coordinator for The Atlanta Project, a non-profit created by former President Jimmy Carter focused on improving living conditions in some of Atlanta’s most challenged neighborhoods. It was this experience that spurred Chris’s interest in understanding the impact housing policies have on equity and quality of life. In April 2011, Burke joined the Georgia Tech Office of Government and Community Relations as director of community relations, and in 2019 became the executive director of community relations. In this position, Burke works with local government, educators, religious, business, and civic leaders to assure that Tech plays an integral part enriching the metro-Atlanta region, particularly the communities closest to campus. 

Shirley Franklin

Shirley Clarke Franklin is the former mayor of the City of Atlanta (2002-2010). She held key executive positions in the administrations of Mayor Maynard Jackson and Mayor Andrew Young (1978-1991). Franklin’s executive experience includes five years with the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games and 10 years as Executive Chairman of Purpose Built Communities. In these positions, Franklin developed and led dozens of community engagement and community development programs working directly with all stakeholders toward accomplishing their strategic goals.

Egbert L. J. Perry

Egbert L. J. Perry, a native of Antigua and Barbuda, is the chairman and chief executive officer of The Integral Group, a company he co-founded in 1993. Integral is a 300-person, community development and commercial real estate development & investment company with projects and investments in more than 18 U.S. cities from as far west as San Francisco, California to as far east as Baltimore, Maryland. Under Perry, Integral has earned a solid reputation as an innovative developer and investor with public and private partners and investors alike.

Credited with the community development strategy dubbed “The Atlanta Model,” Perry first conceived and then led Integral in collaboration with the company’s public-sector partner to create a legal, regulatory, and financial model that made holistic, mixed-income community developments a legal and financial possibility. The strategy facilitates market rate and affordable rental and for-sale housing, and commercial and retail uses, complemented by early childhood and K-12 education solutions, health, wellness & recreation facilities, and services that help families access job training and employment while pursuing self-sufficiency. The tenets of the model have been replicated more than 250 times across the country.

Michelle Nunn

As the president and CEO of CARE USA, Michelle Nunn leads a global team of 7,000 people working in more than 100 countries to save lives, defeat poverty, and achieve social justice. During her tenure CARE has taken its fundraising and impact to new levels, including FY21 revenue that was the highest in the organization’s history and programs that reached more than 90 million people. CARE is one of the world’s largest humanitarian organizations with a holistic approach to work in crisis response, food and water, health, education and work, climate change and all centered in gender equality. CARE’s work over the decades has demonstrated that poverty cannot be overcome until all people have equal rights.