Policy Analyst
vgarcia@rhls.org
215-572-7300 (office)
Vanessa joins RHLS after a Fellow position at The Fund for New Jersey where she assisted with grantmaking and special projects – including Census 2020, redistricting, childhood lead poisoning prevention, and environmental justice – to improve the quality of public policy decision-making on the most significant issues affecting New Jerseyans and the region.
Previously, Vanessa worked as an intern and later as a consultant with New Brunswick Tomorrow, supporting small businesses to improve local economic development and conducting research to enact the City of New Brunswick’s municipal ID program. She has also worked as an instructor at Rutgers University, teaching an introductory course to equip first-year students with the tools to become active, engaged leaders.
Vanessa is a two-time graduate of Rutgers University, where she earned a B.A. in Women’s and Gender Studies and an MPP from the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy. She hails from Hudson County, New Jersey and can be found spending her time exploring her new home of Philadelphia, reading a good book, and enjoying the local parks with her dog.