Diego Degenhart Email & Phone Number

Cambridge, Ma, Us

Virginia, United States

• Lead the management and development of onboarding processes for the Federal Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Reconnecting Communities Institute (RCI), coordinating a 16-person team in executing onboarding workshops.• Support the delivery of RCI technical assistance to communities, interfacing directly with non-profits and local, tribal, regional, and state governments to identify community needs and develop customized technical assistance plans. • Develop grantee outreach strategies, public engagement materials, and group technical assistance offerings while supporting the broader administrative management of the RCI.

Houston, Texas, United States

• Led firm-wide strategic development and implementation of equitable engagement practices, including internal and external capacity building efforts across the urban design, urban planning, and landscape architecture studios• Led development of public engagement plans utilizing community-centered principles including accessibility, equity, diversity, and data, leveraging Social Pinpoint, EngagementHQ, SurveyMonkey, and similar digital tools to complement analog approaches• Planned, coordinated, facilitated, and summarized creative community engagement events with over 200+ attendees, closely managing project team members, sub-consultants, and client teams• Contributed to planning and design in a diverse range of projects, clients, and budgets including corridor studies, small/large area plans, mobility plans, master plans, and vision plans for countywide agencies in the nation’s fourth largest county

2Nd Ward, Houston, Texas

• Developed landscape assessment of organizations in Houston’s Greater East End community through ethnographic research and engagement with agency and community stakeholders, outlining recommendations for fulfilling the Partnership’s core values• Facilitated relationship building between private developers and community organizations, outlining over 50+ community stakeholders and identifying needs and gaps in connections between the Partnership and the community

Houston, Texas, United States

• Led academic advisory and one-on-one mentorship of incoming Rice University students, with a focus on special student populations including transfer and non-traditional students• Served as academic-year long member of advisory team, driving the Office of Academic Advising's mission to foster an environment of exploration and goal-setting by striving to establish close relationships with students and affirming their motivations

Houston, Texas, United States

• Assisted researchers with quantitative and qualitative data analysis and visualization related to connections between undocumented immigration and the American labor market, aiming to produce federal policy proposals• Crafted policy briefs and infographics elucidating ongoing American immigration issues

Greater Houston

• Formulated and implemented co-collaborative project addressing the intersectional impacts of COVID-19, racial tensions, and the 2020 November election on historically-marginalized Houston-area communities through the development of a youth advocacy cohort

• Collaborated with Texas regional team to increase youth political and community engagement by designing annual youth summit• Assisted Houston community leads in driving awareness campaigns regarding issues commonly affecting Latino populations, including immigration, education, and access to public engagement

Spring, Texas

• Delivered customer-centered lifestyle solutions to diverse clients, maintaining customer service at the forefront of all interactions and fostering efficient, honest, and dependable relationships

Houston, Texas, United States

• Analyzed Harris County Election Day Voting Centers using voter experience as a mechanism for defining the efficacy and equity of their effects on Harris County elections• Coordinated with Harris County Clerk’s Office and election experts to consistently formulate and define novel research approach, ensuring continued relevancy and benefit to stakeholder interests

Houston, Texas Area

• Spearheaded honors college student outreach initiatives, coordinating student-led high school and college outreach events and leading presentations on opportunities within honors • Formulated concise and effective outreach strategies, including organizing high school alumni for high school presentations, spanning to new audiences, and streamlining volunteering process

• Worked with fellow delegates in honors seminar dedicated to expanding diplomatic speaking skills, writing skills, and global competencies. • Participated as delegate in NYC summit, collaborating with international students to conceive comprehensive, multilateral solutions for pressing diplomatic issues, presenting political arguments to 200+ delegates committees.

Texas 18Th Congressional District

• Served as intern for Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee’s Houston office, representing the Congresswoman at conferences and community outreach events and facilitating office operations such as communications and constituent representation• Conducted immigration casework, supporting, expediting, and contesting constituent cases with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service in pursuit of resolutions to issues threatening constituents’ livelihoods

China

• Represented Lone Star College and the United States on academic delegation, exploring cultural landmarks and attending conferences and academic lectures in Beijing, Hangzhou, and Shanghai• Participated in networking events with corporate sponsors, university directors, students, and foundation representatives, exchanging cultural beliefs, customs, and academic knowledge

Political Science

Honors Associate Of Science, International Relations And Affairs

Activities and Societies: Honors College Student Organization, National Model United Nations, Hispanic Association of Colleges.