Cheryl Cort
cheryl (at) smartergrowth.net, ext. 112
Cheryl Cort is Policy Director for the Coalition for Smarter Growth (CSG). As Policy Director, Cheryl develops policy initiatives and strategies in the areas of land use, transportation and housing. She leads CSG’s Equitable Development Campaign, working with community activists, non-profit groups and government agencies to promote transit-oriented development, housing choices, economic development and pedestrian safety and access in less affluent communities in the region, especially eastern D.C. and Prince George’s County. She also leads the D.C. Campaign for Mandatory Inclusionary Zoning to ensure implementation of this affordable housing law, and leads policy campaigns to support transit-oriented development initiatives, such as Complete and Green Streets, transportation demand management, and parking policy reform.
Prior to this, she led the Washington Regional Network for Livable Communities (WRN) as Executive Director from July 2002 until January 2007 when the group merged with CSG. She also previously served as President of the Board of Directors of WRN for three years. Prior to her Executive Director’s position, she was the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s (CBF) Manager for Urban and Regional Projects for three and one half years where she managed partnerships for CBF in Baltimore and Washington, D.C. During her time with CSG, WRN and CBF, she has promoted well-designed transit-oriented development, strengthened affordable housing policies, increased pedestrian and bicycle access to transit, and reform of Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority parking and Joint Development policies.
She also worked for four years in the State of Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources focusing on creating and implementing Governor Parris Glendening’s Smart Growth initiatives, implementing the Planning Act of 1992, and the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area Act. Cheryl also worked for several years on international forestry and land use policy issues for World Resources Institute. She holds a master’s degree in Sustainable Development and Conservation Biology from the University of Maryland at College Park, and a bachelors of science degree from the University of California at Berkeley. She has resided in the District of Columbia since 1988.
In November 2006, Cheryl received the Distinguished Leadership for a Citizen Planner award from the National Capital Area Chapter of the American Planning Association.
