Dena Belzer is the founder and President of Strategic Economics. Dena has over 30 years of experience working on urban economic issues ranging in scale from regional growth management strategies to individual development projects. Dena’s specializations include publicly owned real estate disposition strategies, transit-oriented development, economic development, infrastructure funding and financing, and project implementation. Her work has led Strategic Economics to become a national leader in innovative urban economics research and analysis techniques. The firm’s goal is to guide support clients in making policy and investment decisions that are informed by market principles, while also fostering thriving, diverse, and resilient places of lasting value.

Dena was a founding member of the Center for Transit Oriented Development and has served as an advisor or key speaker at activities sponsored by organizations including the Urban Land Institute, the American Planning Association, the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Mayors Institute for City Design. She is on the board of directors for Community Economics Inc., a non-profit organization specializing in affordable housing finance. She also held the Cornish Chair for Regional Planning at the University of California, Berkeley 2019-2021. Dena received her master’s degree in city and regional planning at the University of California, Berkeley and a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Pitzer College.