Allison Brooks: Managing Director
As Managing Director of Reconnecting America, Allison Brooks is responsible for overseeing all grants and contract work and in helping to guide the overall strategic direction of the organization. Prior to joining Reconnecting America, Allison served as Program Officer for the Livable Communities Program at the East Bay Community Foundation where she spearheaded a number of innovative and collaborative transit oriented development and community development efforts across the Bay Area, particularly in low-income and under served communities. Allison has an extensive background in building broad collaborations, working in partnership with diverse local and regional stakeholders, to foster healthier, more equitable and sustainable communities. She has a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, San Diego and a Masters in Sustainable International Development from the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University.
Natasha Daggs: Program Assistant
Natasha Daggs is a program assistant in Reconnecting America’s Oakland office, where she is involved in research, maintains the website, and coordinates outreach for membership for Reconnecting America and the Center for Transit-oriented Development. She has a BA in International Relations from Mills College and plans to attend graduate school majoring in Urban Planning and Third World Development.
Annie Finkenbinder: Program Associate
Annie Finkenbinder is a program associate in Reconnecting America's Washington, DC office. She performs policy research on the federal and local levels and provides support on technical assistance projects, Previously, she was a Community Planner working on urban design and policy planning processes for neighborhood and commercial corridors in Orlando, Florida. She also served as a Legislative Aide for Congressman Earl Pomeroy, focusing on housing and community development issues. She has a Master's degree in Urban Design from Carnegie Mellon University, where she developed a form-based zoning approach to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in order to support transit-oriented development.
Gloria Ohland: Vice President For Communications
Gloria Ohland is vice president for communications and helps synthesize and disseminate lessons learned from Reconnecting America’s engagements with the public and private sectors in regions across the U.S. She writes and edits reports, case studies and books, and helps coordinate public education and media campaigns. She co-edited and co-wrote The New Transit Town, and “Hidden in Plain Sight: Capturing the Demand for Housing Near Transit,” and is writing a book on streetcars and development. She serves on the national steering committee of Railvolution, the top national conference on transit and development. Previously she headed the Surface Transportation Policy Project's Southern California office, where she did extensive media, organizing and outreach work.
Shelley Poticha: President And CEO
Shelley Poticha is president and CEO of Reconnecting America and oversees all activities of the Center for Transit-Oriented Development. Previously Shelley was executive director of the Congress for New Urbanism, where she guided CNU’s growth into a nationwide coalition with a prominent voice in national debates on urban revitalization, growth policy and sprawl. She also launched a number of key initiatives addressing inner-city revitalization, mixed-income housing, infill development techniques, environmental preservation, alternative transportation policies, and real estate finance reform. She has co-authored The New Transit Town: Best Practices in Transit-Oriented Development, “Hidden in Plain Sight: Capturing the Demand for Housing Near Transit,” the Charter of the New Urbanism, and The Next American Metropolis with Peter Calthorpe.
Mariia Zimmerman: Vice President For Policy
Mariia Zimmerman is vice president for policy and heads up Reconnecting America’s Washington D.C. office. Previously she served as chief of staff for Congressman Earl Blumenauer, a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, serving as his point person on transportation. She has worked extensively on transportation, land use and livable community issues and has authored numerous publications on transportation policy. She serves on the Transit Advisory Board for Arlington County, Virginia. She was a Presidential Management Fellow at the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), where she worked with the Environmental Protection Agency and FTA’s Region 9 office.
Sam Zimmerman-Bergman: Project Director
Sam Zimmerman-Bergman is project director in Reconnecting America’s Washington D.C. office. He is an urban designer with a background in TOD planning and pedestrian-oriented design. Previously he managed regional and site-specific planning and design projects in the San Francisco Bay area and western U.S., including station concept design, a TOD policy framework, and a joint development program for the planned Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit.
Jeffrey Wood: Program Associate And GIS Specialist
Jeffrey Wood is Program Associate/GIS Specialist at Reconnecting America. Jeff does mapping analysis for a variety of projects and conducts research on transit mode funding, technology and the relationship of transit to development. Previous to his work at Reconnecting America, Jeff co-founded Connect Austin, an umbrella organization for nonprofits in Austin that promoted streetcars. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Geography and a Master of Science in Community and Regional Planning from the University of Texas at Austin.