on Dec 10, 2019

HR&A Advisors names longtime Partner Eric Rothman as Chief Executive Officer

New York, NY (December 10, 2019) – HR&A Advisors, Inc. (HR&A), a leading, national consulting firm providing services in real estate, economic development, and public policy, announced that current firm President Eric Rothman will become Chief Executive Officer on January 1, 2020. John Alschuler, who founded the firm and has served as Chairman, will remain an active Partner and Chair of HR&A’s Board of Directors. HR&A’s Vice Chairman Candace Damon will remain an active Partner and lead the HR&A Board’s oversight of business strategy. The announcement accompanies broader strategic management changes to strengthen the firm’s client focus and its growing impact on the vitality of urban communities nation-wide and globally.

“We are thrilled that Eric will serve as CEO of HR&A as a new generation of firm leaders work on the most pressing issues facing American cities over the following decades, including climate change, inclusive growth, and the impact of technology on our cities,” said John Alschuler, CEO and Founder of HR&A. “Since joining the team over twenty years ago, Eric has played a key role in making HR&A a world-renowned firm known for tackling urban challenges across the country. I look forward to him building on HR&A’s mission to improve economic opportunity, quality of life, and the built environment for people in urban communities.”

“I am honored and excited to serve as CEO and lead HR&A’s passionate team of urban development and policy experts, building upon John’s work that advises countless cities, communities and industries about all facets of urban American life,” said Eric Rothman, President of HR&A. “I look forward to expanding HR&A’s impact on quality of life in urban communities through our groundbreaking work on social inclusion policy, promotion of urban tech communities and innovation places, and strategies for climate change adaptation.”

Over the past 40 years, HR&A has grown to a team of over 120 planners, analysts, policymakers, organizers, advocates, economists, lawyers, architects, and urbanists with offices in New York City, Dallas, Los Angeles, Raleigh, and Washington, D.C. HR&A’s growth into a national, multi-disciplinary consulting firm has been driven by the evolving saga of American cities beginning in the 1970s. The firm has been a driving force in the rebuilding and revitalization of urban cores, increasing economic value and kickstarting development. As catalytic problem solvers working at the nexus of city planning, government policy, and financial feasibility, HR&A provides leading public, private, and not for profit clients implementable plans to create inclusive cities, address economic and racial disparities, and tackle affordability challenges and displacement. HR&A is also at the forefront of advising cities and governments about how to best address the challenges of technology and climate change cities are currently facing.

Among a larger body of advisory work, HR&A:

• • Supported the renaissance of Lower Manhattan below Chambers Street into a thriving residential destination
  • Turned aging infrastructure into signature parks like Brooklyn Bridge Park and the High Line
  • Helped transform Washington, D.C.’s Anacostia Waterfront to bring the Nationals Stadium and a mixed-use district
  • Crafted transit funding and transit-oriented development implementation strategies to advance major transit projects on the West Coast, including for Los Angeles Metro and Santa Clara VTA
  • Is advising the California State University system on a forward-looking growth framework that builds the skills of California’s workforce
  • Is working with Rice University to create a Houston Innovation and Tech District
  • Is developing climate adaptation plans and implementation strategies for more than 20 US cities
  • Is advising cities and property owners on the creation of inclusive economic development strategies and vibrant innovation districts in cities including Los Angeles, Boston, New York, Atlanta, Houston, San Jose, St. Louis, and Washington

Eric joined HR&A 22 years ago and brings decades of experience in providing economic development and public-private real estate development consulting, servicing governmental entities, and advising on transportation and public finance projects across North America and the United Kingdom. Eric has led the firm’s efforts on the groundbreaking PlaNYC 2030 sustainability strategy for New York, supported major redevelopment efforts for the former Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.; Union Depot in Saint Paul, Minnesota; and the district adjacent to 30th Street Station in Philadelphia.

Prior to joining HR&A, Eric served as Director of Business Planning for Transport for London. In 2008, Eric was recognized by Real Estate New Jersey as one of their Forty Under 40 rising stars. Eric is a nationally recognized expert in transit-oriented development and serves as Board Chair for the Design Trust for Public Space, Vice Chair of the Urban Land Institute’s national Public-Private Partnership Council, and Board Treasurer for KaBOOM!

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Read Crain’s New York’s coverage of the leadership transition: Urban planner behind the High Line, Brooklyn Bridge Park names his successor