Ron Shiffman is Professor at the Pratt Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment in the School of Architecture at Pratt Institute and a former member of the NYC Planning Commission. Ron previously directed the Pratt Center for Community Development for forty years, providing architectural and planning assistance to community development organizations throughout New York City. He has served as a Project Director and Field Study Organizer for the Ford Foundation and a consultant to the U.S. Agency for International Development. He has a Bachelor of Architecture degree and a Master of Science in City and Regional Planning from Pratt Institute.