Jon helps public and private clients navigate complex market forces and regulatory frameworks to create impactful solutions to urban challenges, from clean energy deployment and carbon reduction to downtown revitalization strategies.
With over 20 years of experience advising governmental and private sector clients, Jon combines rigorous market analysis with deep operational expertise to design programs that address systemic barriers while creating sustainable implementation pathways. He specializes in real estate policy, carbon reduction efforts, and public-private partnerships, bringing balanced perspective from both sectors to development and policy challenges. Whether designing energy efficiency programs or analyzing downtown conversion potential, Jon ensures that strategic recommendations are grounded in operational realities and designed for successful execution across complex stakeholder environments.
Jon leads comprehensive strategies for clean energy deployment and carbon reduction across diverse markets. For Washington State’s Department of Commerce, he assessed energy efficiency needs among households statewide and developed strategies to significantly scale programs while ensuring broad access to housing decarbonization. His work on NYC’s Solar for All program helped the city secure federal funding for a public solar program, resulting in Mayor Adams’ commitment to public solar financing. Jon’s approach demonstrates how thoughtful program design can overcome regulatory, financial, and operational barriers to make clean energy programs effective and scalable at the state and municipal level.
Jon’s expertise in urban policy includes systematic analysis of post-pandemic downtown transformation opportunities. He conducts detailed market analysis and conversion potential studies to help cities identify viable strategies for repurposing underutilized real estate. His framework-driven approach enables municipalities to understand where interventions make economic sense and what policy tools can bridge financial gaps to achieve broader revitalization goals. Earlier in his career, Jon was instrumental in creating the economic rationale for preserving the High Line in New York City, leading analysis that demonstrated the value of transforming the historic structure into public open space rather than demolishing it.
As Chief Operating Officer of the Trust for Governors Island from 2006-2016, Jon directed operations, finance, and capital projects for the 172-acre former military installation’s transformation into a public destination. He successfully deployed $350 million in capital investment on-time and on-budget, negotiated the first commercial and nonprofit leases, and managed annual operating budgets of $12-15 million. This hands-on experience in complex project implementation ensures that his current strategic recommendations are grounded in operational realities and designed for successful execution across diverse stakeholder environments.
Jon returned to HR&A in 2016 after his decade at Governors Island, bringing unique perspective from both private sector real estate development and public sector project management to help clients navigate complex urban challenges.
Jon holds a Masters in Business Administration from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts in Geography from Dartmouth College.
- Urban Land Institute, Member
- Free Arts NY, Board Member
- New Yorkers for Parks, Board Member
Projects
HR&A collaborated with Brookings Metro, Gensler, and Cara Eckholm Studio to develop a comprehensive study on office-to-residential conversions across six U.S. cities for the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This research provides cities with actionable strategies to address housing shortages, repurpose distressed office markets, and revitalize downtowns through data-driven conversion approaches.
HR&A supported the Mayor's Office of Climate and Environmental Justice and the Office of the Comptroller to develop Public Solar NYC, the city's first public solar program for low-to-moderate income residents. Our comprehensive feasibility analysis, program design, and grant application support helped secure $250 million in federal funding, establishing a transformative solar program that addresses equity barriers in NYC's clean energy transition.
As part of the Residential Retrofits for Energy Equity (R2E2) partnership, HR&A is providing training and capacity building assistance for awardees of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Buildings Upgrade Prize (Buildings UP). Separate from this work, R2E2 provides technical assistance to state and local governments, community-based organizations, and other entities to jumpstart energy retrofit programs for both single family and multifamily low- to moderate-income housing (“LMI” housing), especially in frontline communities.
The State of Washington engaged HR&A Advisors to conduct a Needs Assessment for Equitable Energy Assistance to better serve thousands of low-income households that face high energy costs and unhealthy living conditions at home. HR&A presented 15 recommendations and a roadmap to achieve equitable decarbonization by 2050, informed by voices of environmentally burdened communities across the state.
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