Writer

After a nine-year professional soccer career, representing Canada, Orlando City, and FC Dallas, Tesho Akindele made the jump to the world of commercial real estate. He now works as a development analyst for ATCO, the developers of Camp North End. Tesho is a passionate urbanist and hopes to make a career building walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods in Charlotte.

Expertise

• Homelessness
• Public Health
• Social Capital

Maris Bey is a recent graduate of the MSW program at UNC Charlotte. She is passionate about working with survivors of sex trafficking and addressing systems that perpetuate violence.

David Boraks is a veteran journalist who covers climate change for WFAE. See more in our Climate News section. He also has covered housing and homelessness, energy and the environment, transportation, and business. From 2006 to 2015, David published the online community news network DavidsonNews.net and CorneliusNews.net and also worked as a weekend host at […]

Andrew Bowen is the City of Charlotte’s Innovation & Data Officer, overseeing the Innovation & Data division and Smart Cities initiatives. He and his team provide data management, data analysis and data visualization services to departments. The team drives collaborative problem solving with data to projects to improve services, inform decisions, and promote community engagement. […]

Danielle Chemtob has been reporting on housing, development and inequity in Charlotte for over four years, first at the Charlotte Observer and now at Axios Charlotte as an Investigative Reporter. She’s a UNC-Chapel Hill graduate and California native.

Biography Crystal Cockman is director of conservation for Three Rivers Land Trust, formerly The LandTrust for Central North Carolina, which focuses focus primarily on land protection and stewardship in the Uwharrie Region. In her free time she enjoys backpacking, hiking, reading, flyfishing, and pretty much anything outdoors. Education Bachelor of science and master of environmental […]

Asha Ellison is the director of research translation and engagement at the Charlotte Urban Institute. In her role, Asha amplifies the work of Institute leaders, researchers and staff on a local and national level, translating important data for consumption across various audiences, and for the benefit and use of the public and key community changemakers. […]

Expertise

• Housing, homelessness
• Education
• Community Development and economic mobility