Ph.D Candidate
Although Lesli Hoey came to the field of planning by accident, now she can’t imagine being in any other field. Lesli was drawn to Cornell’s Department of City and Regional Planning (CRP) because of its social justice legacy and strength in international studies. Over time, she realized that the action-oriented field of planning is critical to the type of applied research, advocacy, and community engagement of which she always strived to be a part. After receiving her master’s degree from CRP in ’06, Lesli felt she had only begun to tap into the wealth of critical perspectives to be found within CRP and across the larger Cornell campus. Through formal course work, independent study, student groups, conferences, internships, action research, and the lively conversations that continue outside the classroom, Lesli has been able to strengthen and push the boundaries of her original interests. These interests include: program evaluation, food systems, and sustainable development as well as broader questions around inequality, the politics of knowledge, and participation in planning and policy.
