Hometown: Carrboro, NC
Specialization: Economic Development
Current position : Affordable Housing Director of Development at Mills Construction
Affordable housing developer helping to address housing needs throughout North Carolina. Previous experience in downtown revitalization, business retention, and project management. Emphasis on policy advocacy, stakeholder engagement, and data analysis in a public/private context. Passionate about strategic sector-based economic development policy and building communities that bring people together.
Bio while a student: Bobby developed a passion for city planning through his work at the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership, a local economic development nonprofit, where he has been able to participate in many local planning initiatives. His position allowed him to work closely with alumni, current students, and professors at Carolina Planning, which inspired him to apply to the program himself. In his words, “you can’t beat having one of the top planning programs in the country an easy bike commute from your house!”
In addition to his continued work at the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership, Bobby serves on the board of the North Carolina Downtown Development Association and on the executive and selection committees for Launch Chapel Hill, a local business incubator. Next semester, he looks forward to serving the department on the admissions committee.
Fall semester Bobby became a father, so now any free time is spent bouncing his daughter on a yoga ball (usually at 3 AM) and changing thousands of diapers. Being a new parent in grad school is certainly a challenge, but with a strong support network he finds navigating the program with a newborn manageable.