My name is Dimitri.
I am an urban planner and designer based in Chicago interested in public space management, placemaking, and place marketing. With extensive skills in visualization and communication design, I am also a knowledge translation specialist working to encourage community engagement of urban issues.
At the University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC), coursework in spatial planning, community development practice, geospatial visualization, and international urbanism has prepared me for competent urban policy research, data collection, plan-making, and community outreach. Alongside a post-graduate degree in Urban Planning and Policy, I will have earned a professional Certificate in Geospatial Analysis and Visualization in 2022 from UIC.
Three distinct assistantships have provided me with valuable experiences beyond the classroom. With the Institute for Environmental Science and Policy, I designed professional-level maps for an upcoming publication on Chicago’s public policy injustices. At the Institute on Disability and Human Development, I created visual materials to disseminate research on COVID-19’s impacts on accommodations for women with disabilities working in government. I furthered my knowledge translation skills by helping implement the nation’s first 100%-integrated post-secondary certificate program for students with intellectual disabilities and autism with the Co-Op Program.
My internship with the Chicago Loop Alliance offered me extensive planning experience and creative placemaking projects unlike any other. I managed signage requests for historic downtown retail corridors, coordinated destination marketing campaigns for Loop theatres, and produced monthly reports on business activity impacted by the pandemic. My experience culminated with the successful production of Sundays on State, an open-streets festival concept that brought over half a million attendees and democratized streets so the entire city could access downtown environments.
I hope to use my career to actively apply my planning and placemaking knowledge to implement mixed-use central social districts, inform and engage communities, and to create joy in public spaces both in Chicago and across the world.
Languages:
Skills:
Adobe Creative Suite · Microsoft Office 2007-Latest · ArcGIS (Map, Online) · WordPress · Data Visualization · Event Production · Content Management · Google Workspace
Work Experience
Knowledge Translation Specialist
UIC Certificate in Co-Operative Career Experience | Jan 2021 - Present
- Worked to develop country's first 100%-integrated post-secondary program for students with intellectual disabilities through assistive translation research.
- Modeled innovating knowledge translation strategies for
communicating justice-oriented & equitable placemaking. - Developed curriculum and program administration materials through Universal Design for Instruction principles.
- Identified gaps in evidence-based results and public and community use alongside self-advocacy specialist contributions; actively improved upon processes, systems, and materials.
- Created consistent brand imagery across website and social media.
Lead Event Specialist
LUMA8 | Oct 2021; Oct 2022
- Assisted in spatial organization and implementation of the Light Up My Arts Upside-Down Halloween Parade.
- Maintained event grounds by actively responding to vendor, participant, and attendee needs.
- Coordinated alongside team of other specialists, City of Chicago special event personnel, and Chicago Parks District staff for event production.
Placemaking & Planning Intern
Chicago Loop Alliance | Apr 2021 - June 2022
- Co-produced the award-winning open-streets festival Sundays on State, coordinating 400+ participant vendors and collaborating with marketing and communications.
- Produced and published monthly reports on Loop business activity, tracking eight distinct datasets on the COVID-19 recovery.
- Managed a committee of downtown stakeholders to review signage proposals in the State/Wabash Commercial Corridor for the 42nd Alderman's Office.
- Coordinated banner and planter sign campaigns for State Street, promoting theatre from Broadway in Chicago and Madison Square Garden Entertainment.
- Produced and published a media-cited report on the changes in demographics and populations for the Chicago Loop from the 2020 Decennial Census.
- Managed the permit approval process for a Make Way for People occupation for the Gateway median space in the Chicago Loop.
- Served and assisted on special projects, including the State/Lake CTA Station redesign, Pedway signage revitalization, and the ULI Chicago Technical Assistance Panel on LaSalle Street.
GIS & Mapmaking Graduate Assistant
Urban Data Visualization Laboratory, UIC | Feb 2021 - June 2021
- Partnered with the Institute for Environmental Science & Policy, UIC, for project management and supervision of GIS visualizations.
- Gathered and prepared spatial data on housing, schools, and
homicides for upcoming publication in emancipatory studies. - Applied expertise in cartographic design principles and legibility.
Graduate Research Assistant
Institute on Disability & Human Development, UIC | Aug 2020 - Dec 2020
- Designed and developed user-friendly, accessible website about
academic research on women with disabilities in government. - Created diverse knowledge translation materials from research findings for use in diverse workplaces, forums, and trainings.
Education
Master of Urban Planning & Policy | 2022
Urban Planning and Policy | University of Illinois - Chicago
Certificate in Geospatial Analysis & Visualization | 2022
Urban Planning and Policy | University of Illinois - Chicago
Bachelor of Arts | 2020
International Studies | University of Wyoming
Undergraduate Minor | 2020
French & Francophone Studies | Oregon State University
Associate of Arts | 2019
Social Science | High Distinction | University of Wyoming
Awards & Recognitions
Best New Event of the Year | 2021
Sundays on State | TimeOut Chicago Best of the City Awards
Arts & Sciences Outstanding Student Service Award | 2019
College of Arts & Sciences | University of Wyoming
Willena Stanford Commitment to Diversity Award | 2018
Martin Luther King Jr. Days of Dialogue
Jason Thompson Commitment to Diversity Award | 2018
United Multicultural Council
Chicago Studies Student Excellence Award | 2017
School of Culture, Gender, and Social Justice | University of Wyoming
Committee of the Year - Elections | 2017
Associated Students of the University of Wyoming
Licenses & Certifications
Leadership & Volunteer Experiences
Section Lead
Arts in the Dark, LUMA8 | Oct 2021
- Coordinated between volunteers to produce the Arts in the Dark Upside Down Parade.
- Assisted attendees in wayfinding, experiences, and photography.
- Helped with event logistics, including vendor and participant placement.
Volunteer
The Magnificent Mile Association | Aug 2021
- Assisted in the production of placemaking project, Weddings at Wrigley.
- Coordinated documentation between wedding justices, engaged couples, and hired photographers.
- Promoted Meet Me On the Mile through social media posts, hashtags and media practices.
Member Volunteer
Florida Rights Restoration Coalition | June 2019 - Present
- Promoted electoral rights and civic education to disenfranchised
populations, including formerly convicted persons in Florida through social media, data entry, and online organizing.
Co-Chair
United Multicultural Council | Apr 2017 - May 2018
- Organized educational and activist events for the campus community and in support of minority student organizations.
- Actively participated in conversations about diversity,
underrepresented student voices, and progressive reforms, particularly with university administration and student government.
Event & Outreach Coordinator
Multicultural Association of Student Scientists | Mar 2016 - May 2018
- Managed public relations, design, and social media for student
organization through a variety of promotional materials. - Planned educational events exploring the intersection of minorities’ experiences and environmental issues.
- Organized events improving and expanding the relationship between STEM and STEM-related fields and minority student populations.
Senior Advisor, Co-Chair, Secretary
El Movimiento Estudiantil Chicanx de Aztlan | Apr 2017 - May 2018
- Supervised internal activities, including financial responsibility and
member well-being, and external image by participating in interviews and community discussions on Wyoming Latinxs. - Coordinated and organized cultural, educational, and activist events.
Undergraduate Representative
First Council on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion | Aug 2017 - May 2018
- Advised the Chief Diversity Officer of the University of Wyoming on issues facing marginalized student populations in the inaugural
coordinated diversity initiatives. - Contributed to the Strategic Diversity Plan 2017-2022 for the
University of Wyoming by including student initiatives into programs and advocating student interests in executive structures. - Participated in the formation of a university statement of diversity by advocating for the inclusion of gender identity and undocumented status within the language.
- Communicated student concerns and considered solutions with all
represented university departments, including Residence Life & Dining,
Student Affairs, and Graduate Education.