Dr. Laura Harjo Appointed Assistant Professor of Planning
April 16, 2013
Following a national search, the Community and Regional Planning Program is pleased to announce that Dr. Laura Harjo has been appointed Assistant Professor of Planning.
Laura has a Ph. D. degree in geography from the University of Southern California and received her B. S. degree in geography from the University of Kansas. Prior to getting her Ph. D., Laura worked as a GIS professional for over fifteen years and was head of the GIS operations for the Cherokee Nation. Laura was also a research fellow with the Advancement Project in Washington DC, working on voter protection, inclusive development, and over criminalization of youth. She served as a research associate in the Los Angeles Mayor's Office where her portfolio included fiscal responsibility and management, gang reduction, and neighborhood and community services.
In the 2012-2013 academic year, Laura was a visiting Assistant Professor in the CRP Program teaching community development, computer applications in planning, community participatory methods and intermediate GIS. Laura's interests extend to the use of social media in planning and as well as indigenous planning and human rights. She is active in ethnic studies and engagement and empowerment of marginalized rural and urban communities. In addition to teaching courses in Community and Regional Planning, Laura will work with the Indigenous Design and Planning Institute (iD+Pi) on a number of projects using her background in GIS and indigenous planning.
