Emily Duseau

Emily enthusiastically joins SRPEDD for the Summer of 2024 as a Comprehensive Planning Intern, eager to both bring her vision to the region and to learn how communities in Southeastern Massachusetts work towards a sustainable future.   

Emily recently graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a B.S. in Sustainable Community Development, certificate in Civic Engagement and Public Service, and a minor in Studio Art. Emily has always been interested in issues related to the built environment, especially as she spoke with friends about how they wished they could continue living in a community that is walkable, connected, and full of open spaces after graduating college.  

 At UMass, Emily pursued a concentration in community health and equitable approaches to planning, focusing on the ways in which planning has historically caused harm but can also rectify past injustices. She applied her knowledge during an internship at a nonprofit domestic violence prevention organization in Western Massachusetts. Throughout her internship, she worked on housing and economic projects, such as researching the challenges for current housing assistance programs to meet the needs of survivors, collecting data through a client and staff survey to assess areas of need, and providing resources for clients’ use of the organization’s computer lab. Emily learned that advocating for system-level changes while providing resources for individual’s immediate needs can help create the healthy, sustainable communities we envision.