Simon McDonnell

About Simon McDonnell

Almost two decades experience in public policy quantitative research and project management exploring federal, state, and local policymaking in the areas of disaster recovery, resilience, sustainability, and the urban environment. Leveraged academic training & research to aid policymakers develop coherent quantitative analyses & long-term research on wide array of topics. Recently focused on COVID-19 response & NYS Climate Act implementation.Project Manager: Chief Research Officer at New York State Homes & Community Renewal: reporting to Commissioner & COO, lead a team of quantitative & policy researchers: projects include developing analytic frameworks for COVID-19 recovery programs, NYS Climate Act implementation, rent stabilization law (HSTPA) renewal. Research Director at NYS Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery: analytic lead for largest disaster recovery waiver in HUD history; developed NYS’s Annual Reports, HUD Action Plan analyses; Benefit-Cost Analysis for NYS’s $800m disaster resilience application. Previously, urban policy project leader at CUNY Policy Research & land use/transportation Project Manager at NYU Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy with a focus on zoning reform.Policy Analysis: Developed analyses of COVID-19 on housing insecure populations for Federal CARES/ARPA funds. Analytic lead for $100 emergency rental assistance program. Tracking the State’s progress toward its affordable housing production goal. At GOSR: led HUD waiver strategy; storm impact & best practices analyses & federal disaster/resilience reporting. Analytic support for FIX NYC Commission on congestion pricing. Led CUNY work on federal college ratings & Superstorm Sandy.Research: Ph.D. in Planning and Environmental Policy (transportation/environmental economics); 15 internationally peer-reviewed journal publications & three book chapters; multiple policy briefs & presentations at academic conferences on wide range of urban, environmental & transportation policy topics. Managed $1.2 million SUNY Rockefeller Institute of Government research contract.Specialties: CDBG-DR; COVID-19 programs (CARES/ARPA); land use/zoning; public transit & Bus Rapid Transit, environmental taxation & emissions from transport, transportation/infrastructural goal-making.

Experience

1. Chief Research Officer

   New York State Homes & Community Renewal

   Feb 2021 — Present · New York, NY, US

   Primary focus: housing & urban policy support & data management at state. COVID-19 related funds & NYS Climate Act• Working with the Commissioner & Executive Team, leads a team in developing centralized research & analytic capacity across multiple programmatic areas in NYSHCR; work includes supporting existing staff & developing new resources.• Manages the Office of Research & Strategic Analysis (ORSA), including staff allocation & recruitment to specific projects, managing project timelines and deliverables, and coordinating with stakeholders & leadership.• Our team brings improved analyses of administrative/external data, & more efficient/accurate reporting structures to support internal & external stakeholder decision-making (including State’s House NY goal of affordable units).• Works with internal programs (e.g. SONYMA, Section 8, Office of Rent Administration, Tenant Protection Unit, Office of Fair Housing), as well as other governmental stakeholders (e.g. NYSERDA), to identify and answer research questions that aim to support the preservation and promotion of housing affordability across the state.• Provides leadership quantitative & policy support in program set-up and administration related to COVID recovery efforts funded by federal CARES/ARPA funds; including federally required needs assessments, policies & procedures documents, and data analyses and reporting structures to support internal/external reporting requirements.• Staff Co-Chair on the Buildings & Energy Efficiency Climate Action Committee for NYS Climate Act implementation.

Education

• University College Dublin

  PhD, Environmental/Transport Economics

  2003 — 2007

• University College Dublin

  Master of Science (MSc), Planning and Environmental Policy

  2002 — 2003