FXM ASSOCIATES - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Associate
• Consultant
• Senior Consultant

Dianne Tsitsos is a consultant in economic development planning. For FXM Associates, she specializes in fiscal and socioeconomic impact analyses and in market studies for public and private investment projects, particularly in housing and transportation. Prior to joining FXM Associates, she was a Senior Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Agency for International Development, where she was responsible for low and moderate income housing and urban development programs in developing countries before becoming a senior manager overseeing a broad range of international economic development projects overseas and in the U.S. Ms. Tsitsos holds degrees in Political Science from Tufts University and Syracuse University. She has a Professional Competence rating in French from the Foreign Service Institute.

Job Titles:

• Associate
• Principal
• Economist and Planner

Mr. Mahady is an economist and planner with over 35 years' experience in community and regional planning nationwide. He is the author of more than 300 reports, journal articles, and presentations in the fields of economic development, transportation, land use and demographic forecasting, and social and economic impact assessment. His clients include state and federal agencies, regional and municipal governments, non-profit organizations, engineering firms, and development companies. Prior to founding FXM Associates in 1991, he was a Senior Vice President of Economics Research Associates, where he led that firm's transportation planning and economic development practice nationwide for 15 years. Mr. Mahady holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard College and a Master of City Planning degree, specializing in economic development, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Job Titles:

• Associate
• Senior Associate
• Planner

Ms. Hallsmith is an urban planner with 35 years of experience working with public officials, private companies, and not-for-profit organizations to improve community, transportation, and institutional facilities. For FXM Associates, she provides expertise in economic development and land use planning. Her prior consultant work includes City of New Bedford strategic projects, facilities development for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and the National Center of African American Artists. She served as Director of Planning, Design and Development for the Boston Housing Authority and Assistant Secretary of the state Executive Office of Communities and Development. Ms. Hallsmith received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a Master of City Planning degree, specializing in environmental design, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Job Titles:

• Associate
• Senior Consultant
• Economist and Associate Professor at Rutgers University

Michael Lahr is an economist and Associate Professor at Rutgers University. He has extensive experience in regional input-output modeling and is the author or co-author of over 80 publications, papers, reports and presentations. Dr. Lahr has developed models to estimate economic impacts of transportation, waterfront, tourism, and historic preservation investments across the U.S. His research spans a broad range of regional economic issues. Dr. Lahr has collaborated with FXM for the past seven years, examining the role in the regional economy of the Peace Bridge between Buffalo, N.Y. and Fort Erie, Ontario and estimating the economic impact of golf courses, among other projects. He is a Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Groningen, The Netherlands. He holds a B.A./M.A. and Ph.D. in Regional Science from the University of Pennsylvania.

Job Titles:

• Senior Consultant
• Planner

Ms. Lee is an urban planner with specialized expertise in residential development financing and management. During the past 20 years, she has worked with several non-profit and community-based sponsors to develop affordable housing in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. For several years, Ms. Lee also managed a $1.2 million program for the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) to improve operating capacity of community development corporations engaged in revitalizing low and moderate income neighborhoods. She served as Asset Management Specialist for the National Equity Fund's $100 million investment portfolio throughout New England, managing related equity investments in residential property. Her previous professional experience includes positions with The Community Builders of Boston, MA and Providence, RI, and the Boston Housing authority. Ms. Lee holds a BA from Wellesley College, a Master of Arts (African American Studies) from Boston University, and an MCP degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.