James Dean Ellis is an urban planner with 15 years of experience in community economic development, with a focus on stakeholder participation and neighborhood revitalization. Throughout his career, James has managed commercial revitalization programs and worked across more than a dozen of New York City’s diverse neighborhoods, including Bedford-Stuyvesant, Crown Heights, Downtown Far Rockaway, Hell’s Kitchen, Park Slope, Red Hook, and Union Square.

At Perch Advisors, James manages a portfolio of neighborhood-based community and economic development projects and serves as Executive Director of the North Flatbush Avenue Business Improvement District in Prospect Heights/Park Slope, Brooklyn. He also leads Perch’s BID development portfolio, supporting communities through Business Improvement District formations and expansions, stakeholder engagement, organizational strategy, and planning.

James holds a Master’s degree in Urban Planning from CUNY Hunter College. He spent 12 years volunteering with his Crown Heights Community Board and is a 2012 alum of the Coro New York Neighborhood Leadership program. Most recently, James was appointed Co-Chair of the Coro Alumni Advisory Board.

James is particularly skilled at making connections, strengthening networks, managing diverse stakeholders, and creating opportunities for positive change. He has also gone to Las Vegas to compete in a national 8-ball pool tournament.