Mariia Zimmerman is Founder and Principal of MZ Strategies, LLC. With over two decades of experience in the public and private sectors, Mariia has led a wide range of technical, research, and planning efforts addressing such critical community needs as infrastructure policy and affordable housing to community development finance and anti-displacement strategies. Mariia served previously as the Deputy Director for the US Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Office of Sustainable Communities and Housing, and with Reconnecting America where she served as interim director of Transportation for America, and Policy Director for the Center for Transit-Oriented Development. Recent publications to which she contributed include 'Emerging Trends in Regional Planning,' published by the American Planning Association, and 'Communities are Embracing Development Near Transit' with AARP. Mariia is the current Vice Chair for Metropolitan and Regional Planning of the American Planning Association's Regional and Intergovernmental Division, and serves on the Board of Directors for national the Shared Use Mobility Center. She has advanced degrees in Geography from Penn State and Urban Planning from the University of Minnesota, and was a Visiting Fellow with Virginia Tech between 2012 - 2016.