Ms. Belzer is the founder and president of Strategic Economics. She has over 30 years of experience working on economic and real estate issues ranging in scale from regional growth management to individual development projects. Her work has helped position Strategic Economics as a national leader in innovative urban economics research techniques that guide local public policy decisions based on sound market principles, while fostering sustainable communities and creating places with lasting value.  This work has involved a wide range of clients including cities, counties, transit agencies, metropolitan planning organizations, councils of governments, economic development organizations, developers, and a number of community-based organizations.

Prior to founding Strategic Economics, Dena was a partner at Bay Area Economics (BAE). While there, she managed over 60 projects ranging from small fiscal and market studies to large scale strategic development plans, including the economics portions of several military base reuse plans, a market study informing reuse decisions about the former Stapleton Airport in Denver, and multiple neighborhood revitalization and economic development strategies.

Dena is also president of the Board of Directors for Community Economics Inc., a non-profit organization specializing in affordable housing finance.  She is regularly invited to serve as a featured speaker at conferences and has served on multiple Advisory Panels for the Urban Land Institute and as a resource team member for over ten Mayors Institutes for City Design, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts.

She received her Master in City and Regional Planning from the University of California at Berkeley, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Pitzer College.