Welcoming the 2026 Class of HR&A Summer Interns!

Ava is passionate about housing affordability, environmental resilience, and community advocacy.

Prior to joining HR&A, Ava served as a Policy and Communications Graduate Researcher at the NYU Furman Center, where she supported critical analysis of New York’s property tax system and rent stabilization, as well as homelessness prevention policy in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Ava holds a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies and Art History from McGill University and is currently pursuing a Master of Urban Planning at NYU Wagner’s Graduate School of Public Service.

Natalia works at the intersection of housing policy, research, and community collaboration to advance urban equity.

Her work focuses on understanding how systems of development, segregation, and historical policy shape access to housing and opportunity within cities. Prior to joining HR&A, Natalia worked as a Summer Research Intern with Princeton University’s Eviction Lab, where she analyzed Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) development patterns, spatial inequality, and housing segregation across major U.S. metropolitan areas using Census and ACS data. Her research explored the relationship between affordable housing placement and concentrated poverty, with a focus on equitable development strategies and long-term housing access.

 Natalia is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Economics with a concentration in Urban Studies at Swarthmore College.

David brings research and analytical expertise across economic development and urban revitalization.

Prior to joining HR&A, David spent three years in investment advisory, transaction support, and strategy consulting. As an Advisory Analyst at CrossBoundary Advisory, he conducted healthcare and supplier market assessments, supported procurement and market-entry strategy engagements, and developed financial and valuation models for debt and equity transactions involving mid-market companies and impact-oriented investment funds.

David is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Quantitative Economics and Econometrics at Northeastern University, where he also works as a Research Assistant on antitrust and industrial organization research examining how mergers and acquisitions affect corporate charitable giving in local communities.

Ethan is interested in innovative, sustainable, and community-based approaches to affordable housing.

Based in the DC office, he brings prior experience in housing policy research, non-profit housing development, and mission-based consulting. As a master’s student, he works for the Housing Initiative at Penn where he conducts qualitative research on PHL Housing+, a first of its kind direct to tenant cash assistance program. Previously he has interned with Mission First Housing Group, Victory Housing, and Enterprise Community Advisors, gaining experiences in housing development, strategy, and technical assistance. 

Ethan is currently pursuing a master’s degree from The Weitzman School of Design at the University of Pennsylvania and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Geography from West Virginia University.”

Shania advances housing equity through research and policy to help build thriving, inclusive cities.

Prior to joining HR&A, Shania was a Senior Program Associate at Enterprise Community Partners in San Francisco, where she led regional and statewide research and data efforts that directly shaped affordable housing policy and budget advocacy in California. Notably, she led the data collection and analysis for the California Affordable Housing Pipeline and the Bay Area Affordable Housing Pipeline.

Shania earned a Bachelor of Arts in urban studies from Stanford University and is pursuing a master’s in urban and regional planning at UCLA. She is a 2025 Merritt Scholar with Merritt Community Capital and a graduate of the UCLA Ziman Center for Real Estate’s Howard and Irene Levine Affordable Housing Development Program.

Jada-Mercy is passionate about integrating transportation, infrastructure, and development to create more sustainable and connected communities.

Prior to joining HR&A Advisors, Jada-Mercy worked as an Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Analyst at Noblis, where she provided research, program management, and technical support for projects under the U.S. Department of Transportation related to ITS deployments, safety, and complete streets modeling and simulation. Jada-Mercy has also interned with The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Jada-Mercy earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, with a minor in Sustainability, from the University of Maryland and is currently pursuing a Master of City Planning at the University of Pennsylvania, concentrating in Public-Private Development.