Ruby Velasco Email LinkedIn Program Manager: Land Use Policy Pronouns: she/her/hers Ruby grew up in Santa Ana, California – a vibrant but underinvested community in drastically segregated Orange County. She is passionate about equity, inclusivity, and being an active member of your community. In the past, she was an assistant volunteer coordinator at The Frida Cinema, an independent arthouse theater, a camp counselor in Eastern Kentucky, and a VISTA at PCRG doing capacity building in Allegheny County. Her professional experience is in community development, resource building, and coalition management. Ruby got her undergraduate degree in French and Global Studies from Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, IN. She wrote her thesis on urban development and segregation in the Paris metropolitan area looking at it through a racial and socioeconomic justice lens. She has worked with Grounded through past employment and is hyped to officially be part of the team! She is excited to put her knowledge and skills to use in advancing equitable development and recycling in Pittsburgh. In her free time, she likes watching movies, reading, painting, and generally bopping around Pittsburgh.