Alison Spindler-Ruiz, Planner & Budget Specialist, City of Long Beach
Alison Spindler-Ruiz works as a Planner & Budget Specialist for the City of Long Beach. She is leading the Advance Planning Division’s efforts to update the city’s General Plan Land Use Element and to develop the city’s first-ever Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP). She develops innovative community engagement strategies for the city and fosters cross-departmental collaborations, particularly in her work with the city’s Finance Department where she is leading efforts to bridge long-range planning and city budget concerns. Alison holds a dual Masters in Urban Planning and Public Administration from the USC Price School and now serves as an Adjunct Professor of Planning at USC where she teaches a Planning Studio on Sustainability. Prior to graduate school, Alison was Program Director at the nonprofit Building Impact in Boston where she worked with real estate clients in over 50 office and apartment buildings throughout greater Boston to provide community involvement programs for tenant companies and residents to volunteer, donate and give back to local direct service nonprofits. Alison rides her bike to work most days and tries (with varied success) to grow her own food.