NNIP Welcomes Two New Executive Committee Members in 2021
One of the unique characteristics of the National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership (NNIP) is that the network was founded by the partner organizations and it continues to be led by an Executive Committee of elected partner members who steer the direction of the network. NNIP is pleased to announce two stellar additions to the Executive Committee--Geoff Smith, Executive Director of the Institute for Housing Studies at DePaul University in Chicago, IL, and Mariko Toyoji, an epidemiologist at Public Health Seattle and King County’s Assessment, Policy Development and Evaluation Unit in Seattle, WA (full biographies below). The Executive Committee is the central mechanism guiding NNIP. Along with leadership from the Urban Institute, the six members plan partnership activities, monitor performance under the plan, and advise on ongoing activities and policies of the partnership. The four continuing members are: Caroline Bhalla (Los Angeles), John Killeen (Durham), Katie Pritchard (Milwaukee), and Jie Wu (Houston).
We also want to express our deep appreciation for the members who served through 2020--John Cruz (St. Louis) and Noah Urban (Detroit).
More information on NNIP's governance is available on the NNIP website.
Geoff Smith is the Executive Director of the Institute for Housing Studies at DePaul University. To this role, he brings years of experience producing research on the dynamics of neighborhood housing markets and connecting that research to a broad range of housing practitioners. Under Geoff’s leadership, IHS has positioned itself as a critical resource for timely research, policy analysis and data that inform the local and national policy debates around neighborhood stability and the preservation and production of affordable rental housing. Prior to joining IHS, Geoff was Senior Vice President of Woodstock Institute where he led Woodstock’s research examining the economic health of neighborhood housing markets and factors that threaten the financial security of economically vulnerable communities. He has co-authored research published in journals including Housing Policy Debate and Urban Affairs Review; testified on mortgage lending issues and community reinvestment policy at hearings held by the U.S. House Financial Services Committee, the Federal Reserve Board, the State of Illinois Department of Professional Regulation, and the Chicago City Council.
Mariko Toyoji is an epidemiologist at Public Health Seattle and King County’s Assessment, Policy Development and Evaluation Unit. She currently serves as the primary epidemiologist for the Communities Count program, providing social and health indicators, data and evaluation trainings, technical assistance and data tools to build community capacity to use data in furthering equity work in King County, WA. She has ten years of experience working in community health promotion, health disparities research, community engaged research, and refugee and immigrant health. She is the recipient of the 2020 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation National Award for Outstanding Epidemiology Practice in Addressing Racial and Ethnic Disparities from the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists. She holds a Master of Public Health in Health Services from the University of Washington.