PART OF THE SPRING 2023 URBAN STUDIES & PLANNING LECTURE SERIES
LECTURER
LEAH GOODRIDGE, New York City Planning Commissioner and Managing Attorney for Housing Policy,
Mobilization for Justice, Inc., NYC, NY
BIOGRAPHY:
Leah Goodridge is a Commissioner on the New York City Planning Commission. She is also the Managing Attorney for Housing Policy at Mobilization for Justice, where she oversees a team which provides legal representation to tenants in eviction proceedings. Leah also served on the New York City Rent Guidelines Board for three years and advocated for affordable rent. Prior to becoming a housing rights attorney, Leah established the Community Economic Development Project at Medgar Evers College (City University of New York) which taught local residents to launch and sustain nonprofits and small businesses in communities of color. For her work there, she was awarded the prestigious Fulbright Specialist grant and led a three-week presentation series at the University of Malta. Leah is a frequent keynote speaker on housing justice at universities around the world including New York University, McGill University Faculty of Law and Duke University. Her honors and accolades include the 2019 New York County Lawyers Association Public Service Award, 2018 New York Nonprofit Media 40 under 40 Rising Star award, and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund Earl Warren Scholarship.