Jeanette Nigro is an economic development professional with nearly 20 years of experience in both the private and not-for-profit sectors. Jeanette works with not-for-profits, government agencies, real estate developers, neighborhood based groups and small businesses on enhancing and building their community engagement strategies, connecting to resources to accomplish mission-based goals, and encouraging personal connections as a way to build momentum and encourage project collaboration to completion. She focuses on processes and data to build proof points and leverages the power of networks to gain buy in and build resources for clients.
As a corporate sales manager, Jeanette led highly successful teams in meeting ambitious goals. As a not-for-profit executive, Jeanette managed outcomes based teams across a wide range of public programs, and managed millions of dollars in public and philanthropic programming for the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, New York City’s leading business association.
Jeanette spent nearly a decade central to Brooklyn’s renaissance and neighborhood revitalization. She was part of the early development of the city’s current workforce system, including direct oversight for the NYC Business Solutions, Brooklyn Center, a service of New York City under the Bloomberg Administration to support the growth and expansion of small business through financing, courses, hiring and incentives. During her time at the Brooklyn Chamber, she worked to develop the Chamber’s city, state, and federal advocacy platforms across economic and workforce development disciplines. A leading workforce advocate, Jeanette has worked to build and maintain businesses position on policy such as Paid Sick Leave, Minimum Wage, Immigration, Industrial and Manufacturing Preservation and Expansion, Healthcare Reform and the Workforce Investment Act. She coordinated and led direct on-the-ground services during Hurricane Sandy to assist small businesses in Brooklyn and Queens in accessing grants and loans to rebuild, resulting in millions of dollars of investment back to shore front communities.
Jeanette is most passionate about the power of community involvement in equitable economic development. Born and raised in Canarsie, Brooklyn, she currently resides in the Rockaways, Queens with her partner and family.
James Dean Ellis is an urban planner with experience in community economic development with a focus on stakeholder participation. James spent five years with the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce managing commercial revitalization programs that had him working in over a dozen of Brooklyn's diverse neighborhoods including Bedford Stuyvesant, Crown Heights, South Williamsburg, Park Slope, Dyker Heights, and Red Hook. James currently manages the portfolio of community economic development projects for Perch Advisors, including business engagement and community projects as the Executive Director for the North Flatbush Business Improvement District as well as the lead project manager of the firms BID development portfolio.
A proud Master's graduate of CUNY-Hunter College's esteemed Urban Planning program, James is also an alum of the Coro NY Neighborhood Leadership program, and an active member of his local Community Board in Crown Heights. James is keen on identifying and making connections, strengthening networks, managing diverse stakeholders, and providing opportunities for positive change.
Theodora (Theo) Boguszewski joined Perch Advisors as a Project Manager in 2017, and works across the firm’s workforce and community development projects, serving clients such as the North Flatbush Avenue Business Improvement District, the Red Hook Business Alliance, United Way of NYC, the Elmezzi Foundation, and the Brooklyn Navy Yard. In her tenure with Perch, she has gained a broad view of economic development across New York City, working in diverse neighborhoods and communities. Theo is a proud alumni of Coro’s Neighborhood Leadership program (2018), as well as Coro’s Workforce Systems Leadership program (2020), programs which afforded her the opportunity to make high-level connections in business and government, as well as access a diverse network of spirited leaders.
Theo holds a BFA from SUNY Purchase, and brings to Perch Advisors a decade of experience in community development in the arts, focusing on communications, fundraising, event planning, and social media. Prior to her work with Perch, she worked as a program manager at Make Music New York, organizing large scale music events across the city. Theo currently runs Porch Stomp, a nonprofit folk-music organization which hosts regular programming throughout the year, including their annual Porch Stomp Festival on Governors Island. Theo’s background in working with arts nonprofits has enabled her to seek out creative solutions to challenges, and to be savvy and tenacious when it comes to producing big results with little resources.
Aarti Mehta contributes a diverse portfolio of inclusive community engagement, public space planning, designing qualitative research, and analysis. With an applied urban placemaking lens, she seeks to shape policy and build relationships with the community to help connect and learn from one another. Aarti strongly advocates for place governance and improving quality of life in all of her work. She enjoys being in the field and working with the community to find the unknown and present powerful stories. In her role, she understands the nuances of addressing complex ideas in ways that are meaningful and enjoys collaborating with public, peer, non-profit, and community partners. As an associate, Aarti’s workflow includes research and analysis, database management, facilitation support, creation of visual products.
Born and raised in India, Aarti’s relationship to the importance of place was the impetus for shaping the built environment profession. Her diverse interests and experiences have led her to have a fluidity in building vision, urban space planning and management, and critical thinking. This quality has been exemplified in her involvement with planning for mini plazas at Times Square Alliance (BID) in New York City. A graduate of Pratt, Aarti joined Perch Advisors as a Project Manager in 2022.
Saki Mori contributes over 15 years of program delivery, operations management, and board experience supporting NYC and national nonprofit organizations with core competencies grounded in collaborative leadership, cultivating partnerships, and establishing responsive administrative capacity building resources and sustainable programs. In service, she currently serves as the Vice President of Membership for the National Board of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) and the Interim President of the JACL-New York chapter. She also serves on the Alumnae Board and Alumnae Council on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging for Convent of Sacred Heart in New York City.
She is a born and raised New Yorker who spends her non-work and volunteer time with family and friends and watching a lot of baseball games. She is a graduate of Trinity College (Hartford, CT) with a dual degree in Political Science (International Relations) and French Language & Literature. She is also an alumna of Columbia Business School's Executive Education - Developing Leaders Program for nonprofit professionals.
Wren Drapeau joined Perch Advisors in 2021 as the program manager on its Open Streets, and upon the close of Open Streets season, transitioned quickly into supporting Perch’s work in its BID support portfolio. Wren, originally from Colorado, is currently a student at Hunter College and an avid music enthusiast.
