(she/her) Project Manager
Answer
Mercedes Sharpe Zayas is a community planner committed to movement building and economic justice in the urban form. She cultivated her participatory planning practice as the Planning Coordinator for the Parkdale People’s Economy. She has also worked as a Lead Strategist with Evenings & Weekends Consulting, a Policy Research Intern at the City of Toronto’s Economic Development and Culture Division, a Research Assistant for the Metcalf Foundation’s Inclusive Local Economies Program, a Graduate Research Assistant with The Public Studio, a Consultant with the Parkdale Neighbourhood Land Trust, and a Co-Facilitator with the Power Lab. She holds a Master of Science in Urban Planning from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Arts in Honours Anthropology from McGill University. Mercedes will be leading SPT’s Community Wealth Building Initiative, a partnership with the Atkinson Foundation, aimed at mobilizing community leaders to strengthen and advance community wealth building practices across Toronto through shared learning and collective advocacy.