Shalem Aboody-López

About Shalem Aboody-López

Shalem Aboody-López, Founder of Pueblo Planning, is an Artist and Cultural Strategist who facilitates community storytelling and provides visual and audio art services to advance social justice advocacy and uplift the experiences and vision of Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (QTBIPOC) and other communities who have been marginalized. Shalem utilizes storytelling and participatory art-making to engage communities in the planning and policy process to dismantle unjust systems and co-develop equitable communities. Additionally, they offer workshops on justice-centered storytelling and participatory planning and policymaking rooted in repair, relationships, reciprocity, and respect. For the past 17 years, Shalem has been a social justice planner and policy advocate working on transportation justice, environmental justice, and public space access projects, plans, policies, and designs. Specifically, Monique has partnered with communities to defeat polluting industries, stop freeway expansion and co-develop sustainable alternatives. In addition to their work with Pueblo, Shalem works at the San Diego Air Pollution Control District in the Office of Environmental Justice, supporting communities in addressing the impacts of harmful policies and planning. Monique also brings their justice-centered approach and practice into the classroom as a lecturer at San Diego State University, Antioch University, Pitzer College, and Cal Poly Pomona.

Experience

1. Planning Director & Ethnographic Artist

   Pueblo Studio

   Oct 2017 — Present · San Diego, CA, US

   Applies principles of environmental and social justice in policy, planning, and design through centering the lived experiences of Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), and other communities that have been marginalized. • Uses storytelling and art-making as ways for people to make meaning and share their vision for their community and applies these tools to developing popular education materials and engagement methods. • Manages 5-10 projects at a given time with four staff members, multiple consultants, and budgets to ensure timely, high-quality, and thorough completion of project goals for clients. Solicits and manages contracts from public, non-profit, and private agencies through Requests for Proposals, scope of work development, progress updates, reports, and transparent outcome tracking. • Leads and builds meaningful relationships and partnerships with a wide range of entities, including residents in environmental justice communities, city planners, public agencies, community-based organizations, and tribal governments and communities to co-develop and implement engagement strategies. • Facilitates and organizes local and national cross-sector collaborations through effective meeting leadership and facilitation and relationship-building in order to advance environmental justice, social justice, and equity in planning and policy. • Conducts qualitative and quantitative research and analysis on urban planning challenges to support strategy development and implementation. Writes and designs succinct, detailed, and polished policy memos, reports, and strategic plans to summarize planning recommendations and utilize them as a roadmap for ongoing efforts resulting in millions of dollars of targeted investments in BIPOC communities in the sectors of air quality, transportation, public space, broadband infrastructure, and economic development.

Education

• Kumeyaay Community College

  Certificate, Kumeyaay Studies

  2021 — 2023

• Vanguard University of Southern California

  B.A., History & Political Science

  2000 — 2004

• University of Oregon

  M.C.R.P., Community and Regional Planning

  2010 — 2012

• California State University-Long Beach

  M.A., Political Science

  2004 — 2006