Leah Sheppard

Biography: Leah Sheppard is a Senior Manager for the ULI Urban Resilience program. In this role, she manages research initiatives, technical assistance for cities, and convenings that engage ULI's global membership of 45,000 real estate and land use practitioners on the topics of resilience and climate risk. As a classically trained urban planner, Leah is familiar with real estate development practices and cross sector collaboration strategies that are critical to shaping vibrant and sustainable places. Leah is a creative thinker and recognized leader who specializes in topics related to climate and economic resilience in the built environment, such as waterfront development, community engagement, regional planning, and leveraging underutilized spaces for community amenities and flood mitigation. Before coming to ULI, Leah worked in the Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf’s Office, nominating health and environmental focused experts and practitioners for over 800 state-level boards and commissions and facilitating nominees through the senate approval process. Leah began her career in sustainable development advising businesses on green infrastructure implementation strategies amid the role out of Philadelphia’s Green City, Clean Water plan. Leah holds an M.P.S. in Sustainable Urban Planning with a concentration in Climate Change Management and Policy from The George Washington University. and a B.S. in Community, Environment, and Development from The Pennsylvania State University. She is a member of the American Planning Association.