I'm Deborah Myerson, founder/principal of Myerson Consulting, a premier urban planning firm and certified Women's Business Enterprise located in Bloomington, Indiana.

Since 2003, we have empowered organizational leaders and local governments to achieve real-world impact through comprehensive research, insightful policy analysis, effective stakeholder engagement, and innovative program development.

My work is driven by values rooted in social justice, equity and inclusion.

I embrace the potential for connected communities that welcome people of all ages, abilities, and incomes. As a teenager growing up outside New York City, I loved taking the train into Manhattan and exploring neighborhoods like Chelsea, SoHo, Chinatown, and Little Italy. I had not yet read Jane Jacobs' The Death and Life of Great American Cities, but wandering the sidewalks of Greenwich Village, I instinctively realized what she observed: “Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.”

Jacobs' inclusive vision is relevant in cities and towns of all sizes--not just the Big Apple.  It is an honor for me to work with mission-motivated organizations, local governments, and private sector partners to create more livable, accessible, and equitable communities.

Senior Research and Policy Fellow
Terwilliger Center for Housing
Urban Land Institute
Guide and implement the Terwilliger Center’s research agenda on a wide range of residential land use and development issues.

Executive Director
South Central Indiana Housing Opportunities

• Led the nonprofit’s mission to increase access to affordable housing for low- and moderate-income families in Bloomington, Monroe County, and surrounding counties.
• Developed Switchyard Apartments, a $1.39 million affordable housing project
• Conceived of and launched Housing4Hoosiers.org, a resource for renters and landlords to learn more about their rights and responsibilities in their rental home--attracting over 43,000 users annually.
• Published “Renting in Indiana: A Handbook for Tenants and Landlords” for statewide distribution
• Produced a semi-annual Tenant/Landlord Education Series in Monroe County attracting 200+ registrants

Adjunct Professor
O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs
Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana

• Developed and taught undergraduate courses on housing policy and urban planning for six semesters
• Engaged students in real-life issues via community-based service-learning with local agencies

Education

• Master of Regional Planning, Cornell University
• Bachelor of the Arts, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  

Certifications

• Nonprofit Management Certificate, Duke University
• Certified Rental Housing Development Finance Professional, National Development Council
  
• Member, American Institute of Certified Planners

Civic and Professional Affiliations

• Vice President, Redevelopment Commission, City of Bloomington, Indiana
  
• Divisions Council Liaison, American Institute of Certified Planners Commission
  
• Secretary/Treasurer, Divisions Council, American Planning Association
  
• Communications Committee, Housing and Community Development Division, American Planning Association