Autumne Sneed-Lyons is a Marketing and Events Coordinator at NGIN. With a strong passion for cultivating community through event curation, Autumne finds true fulfillment in leveraging their expertise to advance racial and economic justice.  Through Autumne’s tireless efforts, events under their coordination have not only provided memorable experiences but have also served as platforms for promoting dialogue, driving change, and supporting causes that promote equality. They have built a reputation for their dedication to creating safe spaces, fostering collaboration, and amplifying marginalized voices.  In addition to their event coordination skills, Autumne also extends their support to the community as a licensed salesperson, offering real estate services. This multifaceted professional brings a unique blend of creativity, organization, and community-oriented mindset to their work, ensuring that every event they coordinate reflects their dedication to fostering inclusivity and social impact.

Autumne holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of Delaware, where they specialized in Africana and Gender and Sexuality Studies. This academic background has provided Autumne with a deep understanding of social dynamics, community engagement, and intersectional issues.

Please note that Autumne Sneed-Lyons uses he, she, and they pronouns, and any of these pronouns may be used when referring to them.

Betsey Suchanic – As an Advisor, Inclusive Economic Development, Betsey supports local economic development practitioners across the United States to plan for equity in their local cities, counties and regions.

Before her role at NGIN, she was a Senior Program Manager at the Urban Libraries Council where she led peer-learning communities of public libraries across the United States and Canada in building economic opportunity, digital equity, and impact measurement models. Her background includes working in small business development, microlending, marketing, graphic design, and her own experience as a business owner.

Betsey holds a B.S. in Marketing Communications and Studio Art from Mary Baldwin University and an M.P.A from the University of Delaware’s Biden School of Public Policy.

Cuevas Peacock is a community builder with dreams of becoming a poet, for he was once told that they are life’s last true teachers. Hailing from Port Arthur, Texas the only place where oil and water mixes, Cuevas serves as an Advisor, Inclusive Economic Development supporting local economic development practitioners advance equity in their cities, counties and regions.

Prior to NGIN, Cuevas served as the Associate Director of Community Relations for Baylor University, supporting the Solid Gold Neighbor community engagement initiative as it sought to equitably infuse the institution in local economic development, education, health, city growth, and non-profit initiatives. Cuevas background spans across community development, community organizing, economic development, entrepreneurial support, higher education, K-12 education, and place-based development generating a unique perspective of best approaches for advancing inclusive economic development.

Cuevas holds a B.S. in Public Affairs from Texas Southern University a Master’s of Social Impact from Claremont Lincoln University and is a certified as a Professional Community and Economic Developer through the Community Development Institute.

Deirdre (Dee) Shaw is an Inclusive Economic Development Associate, Knowledge Management. Her work at NGIN supports the Inclusive Recovery Initiative. She acts as the project lynchpin, compiling and organizing critical content on the project, key outcomes and learnings, and stakeholder input and feedback.

Dee’s career has been in Economic development, Public Health, and Policy Analysis within State, Local, and Tribal Government. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Florida, and her graduate degree from Eastern Michigan University in the fields of Economics and Public Policy. Dee has lived and worked in South Korea, Costa Rica, and most notably rural Arctic Alaska; she now resides in Central Florida where she is still thawing out.

Dee loves vegan cooking/baking, traveling, hiking, karaoke, and the Disney theme parks.

Jacqueline Robles is an advisor at NGIN that supports local organizations focused on community and economic development with intentions to create more equitable cities. Prior to NGIN, Jacqueline served as a project manager for a Los Angeles consulting firm focused on engaging communities with lived experience and proposing policies to build more affordable housing.

Identifying as both Indigenous and Latina, Jacqueline is set on a career to “level the playing field” for communities of color. Jacqueline’s expertise lies in community engagement, policy, and working with historically disadvantaged communities to make the world a better place.

In addition, Jacqueline has served on various boards and commissions, including the Youth Commission for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Lived Experience for Affordable Housing, and is a volunteer math tutor for inner city high schools.

When Jacqueline is not making cities more equitable, you can find her hanging with her german shepherd and husky, enjoying beaches in Los Angeles, and trying new restaurants.

Jacqueline holds a Master of Public Policy degree from UCLA and a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from California State University Long Beach.

Jessica L. González Martínez is Senior Advisor and Co-Lead for the Inclusive Recovery Initiative project at New Growth Innovation Network.  Jessica leads a National Community of Practice of regional economic organizations working to implement inclusive economic strategies as well as supports Insights and Innovations which aim to generate deep insights through original research and design innovations to advance the field of inclusive economic development. 

Jessica brings experiences across workforce, community, and economic development which build upon solutions that work alongside people and the places they reside. Whether navigating the complexities of gentrification and displacement in neighborhoods in her role at Local Initiatives Support Corporation, or leading federal grant programs at the City of Phoenix (AZ), Jessica utilizes her skills to connect hard to access resources and support to communities most in need. Jessica previously served as Business Librarian at Phoenix Public Library (AZ), establishing greater access points to city services that serve entrepreneurs and leading a team to launch the hive @ central entrepreneurial resource center, aiding entrepreneurs, and small business owners in incubating new businesses.

Jessica holds a MPA from Arizona State University and a B.S. in American Studies & Sociology from Rutgers University. She is currently a PLACES fellow with The Funders Network. 

Mari Kate Mycek is an advisor at NGIN supporting projects that help communities, cities, and regions grow and change intentionally and equitably.

Previously, she worked at a economic development district on their COVID-19 recovery and resiliency plan, covering topics such as childcare and food access, digital equity and inclusion, and creating technical assistance programs. She was the project director for the USDA awarded Mohawk Valley Rural Placemaking Innovation Challenge grant. She also spent many years working as a social researcher and sociology instructor, focusing on topics related to food security, public policy, community engagement, and social capital.

Mari Kate holds a Masters and Doctorate degree in Sociology from North Carolina State University. Together, these experiences help Mari Kate approach economic development from a different perspective that incorporates place-based experiences, social theory, and structural and historical analyses.

Sean Thompson is Director of Operations at NGIN. Sean provides project management leadership across multiple national projects. Additionally, this role leads NGIN operations and organizational administration, strengthening the foundations and internal infrastructure of the organization.

Sean served as the Director of Local Planning Services with the Department of Community Affairs (DCA), where he led the office’s outreach, technical assistance, research, and policy activities. Sean’s experience at DCA encompasses municipal affordable housing compliance with the New Jersey Fair Housing Act (FHA), a Superstorm Sandy CDBG-DR municipal resiliency planning program, redevelopment evaluations for the Local Housing and Redevelopment Law (LHRL), implementation and enforcement of the Statewide Nonresidential Development Fee Act and serving as the state coordinator for the Main Street New Jersey (MSNJ) program. 

In addition, Sean served on a number of boards, commissions, authorities and task force(s), including the NJ State Planning Commission, the Urban Enterprise Zone Authority, NJ Historic Trust Board, Meadowlands Transportation Planning Board, NJDOT Transit Village Task Force, the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, and the Housing Disaster Recovery Task Force. 

Sean holds a Master of City and Regional Planning from Rutgers University and a Bachelor’s Degree from The College of New Jersey.

Swati Ghosh is Vice President, Insights and Innovations at NGIN.  In this capacity, she leads NGIN’s program delivery to deliver insights, best practices and innovations which will advance the field of inclusive economic development.

Prior to NGIN, Swati served as the Senior Director of Research at International Economic Development Council (IEDC), where she led the research department in addition to contributing to technical assistance and training programs.  Swati has nearly 15 years of experience in economic and community development, including analyzing and designing economic development strategies in entrepreneurship and workforce development, inclusive growth, economic recovery and diversification, and organizational capacity building, among others. She has authored several papers and articles on economic development and related topics.

Swati has a Master of Government Administration from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Urban Planning from the School of Planning & Architecture, India.  Swati is also a Board member and Senior Fellow at the Institute for Work and Economy