User:Ithaca2013/Michelle Thompson

Dr. Michelle Thompson (born May 17, 1960) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Planning & Urban Studies and Geography at the University of New Orleans. Michelle teaches courses in geographic information systems, community development finance, urban public finance, housing, urban studies, neighborhood and land use planning. She received a Masters in Regional Planning'84 and Ph.D.'01 from the Cornell University Department of City and Regional Planning with a focus on community development and spatial analysis using geographic information systems (GIS). Michelle received her Bachelor of Arts in Policy Studies from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs from Syracuse University in 1982.

Michelle has also worked in both public and private companies related to the finance of residential and commercial real estate. Michelle is the Principal of Thompson RE Consultants, a real estate research and education firm. She previously worked for the RECOLL Management Corporation (Fleet Bank)as well as the Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency (now Mass Housing) as a review appraiser of affordable housing development projects. In addition, she was a licensed residential real estate appraiser in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts providing fee appraisal services. Michelle has a long-term interest in working with community development organizations to provide technical support, market research and evaluation services.

Michelle’s research focuses the application of public participation geographic information systems (PPGIS) in community development and reinvestment. Michelle is the Project Manager of the web-based community mapping service, WhoData.org, which combines parcel level neighborhood condition information with public data to monitor socio-economic and demographic changes. Michelle is evaluating public reinvestment of Louisiana Land Trust Properties through the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority in order to consider a new definition of market value in this weak market city. Michelle is working with the Associated Neighborhood Development to identify areas of potential reinvestment while evaluating community health & safety indicators in Hoffman Triangle. Michelle is providing on-going support to, and is conducting research on, the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative. Michelle was a Faculty Associate with the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and a Visiting Lecturer in the Cornell University Department of City and Regional Planning. Michelle is the Assistant Director of Cross World Africa, Inc., a 504(c)3, providing cultural, education and micro-finance resources in Sub-Saharan Africa.