We are excited to welcome the 2026–2027 ANHD Community Development Graduate Fellowship cohort!
Thanks to a major new investment from Morgan Stanley, this year ANHD is pleased to welcome 10 Fellows—the largest cohort in the Fellowship’s 15-year history. This expanded investment is helping ANHD grow the pipeline of emerging community development leaders while increasing the capacity of community-based organizations across New York City.
To date:
- 110+ graduate students have completed the Fellowship, with 84% going on to work in the community development field and 29% now serving in director- or executive-level roles.
- 40+ host organizations have participated in the cohorts—encompass all five boroughs—and annually report meaningful capacity gains, enabling them to expand projects, better engage the communities they serve, and advocate for responsible development citywide.
- Fellows bring fresh perspectives and energy to initiatives addressing the housing affordability crisis, which is critical as organizations strive to strengthen and stabilize low-income neighborhoods.
This year, ANHD paired ten graduate students with ANHD member organizations for 10 months to work on impactful community development projects across New York City. Through the Fellowship, emerging leaders receive hands-on experience, training, and support while contributing additional capacity and expertise to organizations advancing equitable development in their communities.
Our 15th Fellowship cohort will work on a range of issues, including affordable housing development and preservation, cooperative housing, homeownership, commercial space development, community land trusts, economic development, small business support and organizing, and land use.
Meet our 2026-2027 Fellows
Ahthia Waugh (she/her)
School: Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, Rutgers University
Host Organization: WHEDco
Ahthia Waugh is a Master of City and Regional Planning candidate at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University. She holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto, where she double majored in Public Policy and City Studies. Her passion for social justice has grown through her academic exploration of urban planning into a commitment to planning more equitable and inclusive cities for communities that have been historically overlooked and underserved. Ahthia’s work is guided by the belief that the physical environment plays a powerful role in shaping access to opportunity, and that thoughtful planning is essential to ensuring people can thrive regardless of their geographical location. Her future aspirations include addressing the affordable housing crisis through the lens of housing as a human right, and facilitating development without displacement.
Ahthia’s previous roles at the Government of Ontario, as a Student Researcher at the Ralph W. Voorhees Center for Civic Engagement, and most recently at Isles, Inc. have awarded her with a diverse perspective on the intersection of social service delivery and resource provision, policy design, and community revitalization. As a Community Development Fellow, Ahthia seeks to deepen her understanding of resident-driven community development rooted in lived knowledge and cultural capital. She is eager to apply this background to her work with the Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corporation (WHEDco) to support small business sustainability and mixed-use housing preservation in the South Bronx.
Celli Pitt (she)
School: Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, Rutgers University
Host Organization: Cooper Square Community Development Committee
Celli Pitt is a second-year graduate student in the Master of City and Regional Planning program at Rutgers University’s Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy. Celli also holds an MFA in Theatre/Acting and believes that artists should be an integral part of the planning and development of cities and communities- not just as benefactors of planning but as active participants at the planning table. She believes that often artists have been used to enhance and bring vitality and then are often priced and pushed out of those very communities. She intends to work in the areas of development, redevelopment and community development in order to dream, plan and execute housing and communities that are equitable and inclusive–with the spirit of an artist. Celli is very honored to be a recipient of this year’s Progress of Ideas Scholarship! This is dedicated to her mother who continues to watch over her as an ancestor.
Christina Gonzalve (she/they)
School: Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, Rutgers University
Host Organization: Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation, Inc.
Christina Gonzalve (she/they) is pursuing their Master’s in City and Regional Planning at Rutgers University’s Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy. Her passion for furthering environmental justice and equitable community development was sparked by her experience working as Head Editor of “The Meaning of the Seed”, a documentary highlighting the environmental justice issues facing the Ramapough Lunaape Turtle Clan of Ringwood, NJ. While working at the NJDEP Office of Environmental Justice, Christina provided overburdened communities with the tools and knowledge necessary to address longstanding environmental issues. She is driven to help build resilient communities that are led with equity, inclusion, and compassion for the most vulnerable. In their free time, they enjoy hiking, making art, and picking up trash around their community.
Daniela Almonte (she/her)
School: CUNY Hunter College
Host Organization: Fifth Avenue Committee
Daniela is currently pursuing a Master’s in Urban Planning at CUNY Hunter College, concentrating in housing and land use. She has worked in city and state government, supporting constituent services, affordable housing policy, legislative research, and community engagement. Most recently, Daniela served as an intern in the Office of State Senator Brian Kavanagh, where she supported legislative research and constituent resources. She previously worked with the NYC Mayor’s Public Engagement Unit, where she supported New Yorkers with tenant rights, housing assistance, and connections to legal resources. Daniela received her B. A. in Sociology at Hunter College, participating in the Roger Herz Public Service Scholar Program, which provided professional development in public service and nonprofit work. As a born and raised New Yorker, Daniela centers her passion on affordable housing and advocacy to create more resilient and inclusive communities throughout New York City.
Disha Aggarwal (she/her)
School: NYU Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
Host Organization: Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation
Disha Aggarwal is a Master of Urban Planning candidate at NYU Wagner, where she was awarded the Mayor’s Graduate Scholarship, building on an M.Sc. in Real Estate Development also from NYU. She most recently served as a Senior Program Manager in Construction Services at the NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development (HPD) through January 2026, where she advised senior leadership on housing policy and coordinated with DOB, DEP, and the MTA to resolve regulatory bottlenecks and move affordable housing and preservation projects through the pipeline. Her prior experience includes an Asset Management internship at the NYC Economic Development Corporation, where she helped structure a $110 million redevelopment deal for the Hunts Point Produce Market, and research with the NYU Urban Lab developing a housing affordability index to study the links between land-use policy, gentrification, and access. She also volunteers with the Mayor’s Public Engagement Unit, connecting New Yorkers to housing and financial assistance resources. Having spent her career navigating housing systems from inside city government, Disha is eager to bring that operational and policy expertise to community development work — and to learn firsthand how community-based organizations build resident trust and translate local priorities into lasting, equitable neighborhood change.
Marco Barrientos (he/him/his)
School: Columbia University
Host Organization: West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing (WSFSSH)
Marco Barrientos is a Master of Science in Urban Planning student at Columbia University, where I focus on housing, community development, and urban analytics. Prior to coming to New York City, he spent a year working for the Town of Magnolia, North Carolina, where I led development of the town’s inaugural land-use plan, updated land-use ordinances to align with state law, and engaged residents and local stakeholders to help shape housing and economic development priorities.
Marco received his bachelor’s degree in Political Science from UNC-Chapel Hill, where he completed an honors thesis examining whether neighborhood composition influenced upzoning approval rates. At Columbia, Marco continues to research access to safe and affordable housing and explore how urban analytical tools can make housing conditions and public data more transparent and accessible to residents.
Across his academic and professional work, Marco has become especially interested in combining community engagement with data and policy analysis so that residents can play a meaningful role in shaping development in their neighborhoods. Marco is excited to work with the West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing, learn directly from residents and staff, and help translate their experiences and priorities into recommendations that support dignified, inclusive, and responsive housing.
Nathdaniel Rodriguez (he/him)
School: NYU
Host Organization: UHAB
Nathdaniel Rodriguez is a graduate student at NYU Wagner pursuing a Master of Public Administration with a specialization in Financial Management and Public Finance. Originally from San Antonio, Texas, Nathdaniel studied Government and Philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin. His professional experience includes working in personal injury law and, most recently, as an Internal Auditor Intern at MassHousing, where he became particularly interested in the intersection of finance, housing, and public policy. Nathdaniel’s interests include affordable housing, community development finance, impact investing, and equitable access to capital. Through the fellowship, Nathdaniel hopes to deepen his understanding of community development and explore how financial and policy tools can support long-term community wealth and stability.
Pearl Karliner-Li (she/her)
School: CUNY Hunter
Host Organization: Asian Americans For Equality (AAFE)
Pearl is an M.S. student in Urban Policy and Leadership at Hunter College, where her interests center on political economy, housing, and economic development. Prior to the fellowship, she worked in government contracting at the University of California, San Francisco and holds a B.A. in Urban Studies from Barnard College. Pearl is particularly interested in how public policy and economic institutions shape urban development, and in models that expand community ownership and control. Through the ANHD Fellowship, she is excited to gain hands-on experience in affordable housing development with AAFE.
Thaksha Karumanchi (he/him)
School: Pratt Institute
Host Organization: Bronx River Alliance
Thaksha Karumanchi is masters student at Pratt Institute currently studying Sustainable Environmental Systems. He hopes to make the world a more livable place, through research methodologies, policy, and design. With a Bachelor’s degree from SCAD of both Interior Design and Architecture his work has a primary focus in sustainability and equitable design methodologies. He is interested in working in tandem with local government, specifically in relation to Urban Planning and aiding in the zoning of Climate Change resilient infrastructure. Through the fellowship Thaksha hopes to expand his framework definition of sustainability and network of sustainability professionals.
Thomas Gillam (he/him)
School: Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, Rutgers University
Host Organization: Flatbush Development Co.
Thomas Gillam is pursuing a Masters degree in City & Regional Planning with concentrations in Housing/Community Development and Urban Redevelopment from the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. With a Bachelor’s degree in History from St. Joseph’s University on Long Island, his interests combine both LGBTQ+ history and current practices in urban planning and policy. He is interested in working in affordable housing, real estate development, and LGBTQ+ focused community development. Furthermore, he is focused on understanding more about the current decline of third spaces that embrace LGBTQ+ culture in New York City. Thomas is excited to work with the Flatbush Development Co in creating local change.