Stephanie Brown

Biography: Stephanie is an urban planner, community advocate, and systems thinker. Since October 2020, she has served as the Executive Director of ULI Minnesota, committed to supporting local leaders as they work towards sustainable, equitable, and thriving communities. Previously, Stephanie worked as an entrepreneur and consultant, founding Yellow House Ideas. There she served as a strategic advisor on housing to the McKnight Foundation, staffed the Governor’s Task Force on Housing, helped design and lead the Itasca Project’s Housing Task Force, led strategic planning for the Center for Economic Inclusion, and worked with major foundations to develop an integrated partnership around criminal justice reform. Before founding Yellow House Ideas, Stephanie spent four years with McKinsey & Company, working as a strategic consultant for infrastructure development and public sector transformations. Her work ranged around the globe, including: redesigning core processes and organizational structures for federal transportation financing/lending programs; federal capital planning and real estate analysis; negotiating financing and implementation for Sierra Leone’s power and water strategy; facilitating an energy competitiveness strategy for the Ohio Business Roundtable; and leading strategic planning for 100 Resilient Cities. She has a BA from Georgetown University, and an MPA and MUP from Harvard University.