New Director Appointed at the Center for the Study of Brooklyn
10/23/2007Gretchen Maneval to Lead the Center in its Study of Critical Issues Affecting the Borough
Widely respected city planner and national housing expert Gretchen Maneval has assumed the role of Director of the Center for the Study of Brooklyn. Maneval will succeed Pulitzer Prize winning Professor Paul Moses who has served as the Center's Director since its creation in 2005.
Maneval joins the Center after working for five years with the Fifth Avenue Committee (most recently as FAC's Director of Housing Development), a Brooklyn-based not-for-profit organization with 28 years of community and economic development experience. At FAC, Maneval managed an affordable housing, commercial and community facility development portfolio of over $100 million, with more than 300 residential units in 28 buildings. While at FAC, Maneval's research and advocacy work with inclusionary zoning precipitated a reexamination of this policy tool as a mechanism to ensure the creation of affordable housing with new residential construction in New York City.
"The Center for the Study of Brooklyn welcomes the opportunity to refine and expand on the work done by Paul Moses, "President Kimmich said in announcing the appointment. "Ms. Maneval's keen insight into the issues that shape life in our borough will solidify the Center's unique position as a critical source of important urban research and analysis. We welcome her into our academic family."
Maneval has a Master in City Planning degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Arts with High Distinction from the University of Virginia. Maneval has developed public housing policy at the federal level, first as Senior Research Consultant with Accenture in HUD's Office of Public and Indian Housing, and then as Senior Research Analyst with the congressionally mandated Harvard Graduate School of Design's Public Housing Operating Cost Study.
In 2005 Maneval, a Brooklyn resident, was selected to participate in the year-long Coro Leadership New York program, a highly competitive civic leadership program for mid-career professionals from across the public, non-profit, and private sectors in New York City.
"Brooklyn's socioeconomic ecosystem is dynamic, vibrant and nuanced, reflecting myriad trends that are emerging nationwide with the climate of reinvestment in our inner cities, "Maneval said. "As Director of the Center for the Study of Brooklyn, I am grateful for the opportunity to work with key stakeholders to launch an innovative agenda of research-based initiatives that contribute to New York City, and the nation's, public policy discourse."
The Center for the Study of Brooklyn is the first academic research center devoted exclusively to the study of public policy issues in Brooklyn. It is a primary source of independent, non-partisan research on the complex issues facing the borough and its 2.5 million residents. As Director, Maneval will report to the Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, and will be responsible for the overall management of the Center and its staff. Maneval will work with the Center's Advisory Board to leverage Brooklyn College's exceptional resources, including faculty, students, and staff, while developing partnerships with other research institutions, community organizations, city agencies, and elected officials. Key among Maneval's responsibilities will be identifying new sources of funding for the Center and ensuring that the student body becomes actively engaged in the Center's work.
Professor Moses is finishing a book and will continue to teach journalism at the college.
