About Our Team

What’s in the Name?

The definition of collaborative is to produce or conduct something by two or more parties working together (New Oxford American Dictionary). At Ochoa Urban Collaborative, we do just that. We collaborate with communities on the ground and we collaborate to find solutions to housing, community, and economic development challenges with non-profits, local government, state government, and the federal agencies. We also collaborate by working with some of the best practitioners in the field including professionals from the National Center for Smart Growth, Local Initiatives Support Corporation, the National Main Street Center, the Lawyer’s Committee on Civil Rights Under Law, and the Urban Institute.

But our work is not centered, if it’s not centered on people. In our early days, we found some wise advice from Lao-Tsu, the great Chinese philosopher from the 5th century. His sage advice guides our work to this day:

Go to the people,

Live with them,

Learn from them,

Love them.

Start with what they know,

Build with what they have,

But with the best leaders,

So that when the work is done,

And the task is accomplished,

The people will say:

“We have done this ourselves.”

Principal & Founder

Expertise

Manuel T. Ochoa has over 25 years’ experience in urban planning, housing, and community development. Manuel is Principal and Founder of the Ochoa Urban Collaborative. Manuel is a leader in the community and economic development field with a rare mix of experience in federal and local government as well as national and local non-profits.

Since its founding in 2019, Ochoa Urban Collaborative has worked on a variety of projects including launching a non-profit in Miami, Florida, preparing fair housing plans for Prince George’s County and the Metropolitan Council of Governments; a HUD Consolidated Plan and housing strategy for the City of Cumberland; a needs assessment and an economic development strategy for Coamo, Puerto Rico; advised the Foundation for Puerto Rico in implementing its Whole Community Resilience Planning program; and prepared a small business support strategy for the Purple Line corridor in Maryland.

Manuel also provides strategic advice to non-profits by helping them develop strategic plans, workplans, and coaching as well as developing larger work collaboratives and strategies to bring together synergies from federal government, local government, national organization, and local funders.

He is a sought-after strategic thinker and advisor to national initiatives such as the Small Business Anti-displacement Network (SBAN) at the University of Maryland’s National Center for Smart Growth, a 20-city learning collaborative of practitioners, experts, and thinkers tackling small business gentrification and displacement in commercial districts across the country. Manuel is also senior advisor to Main Street America’s Disaster Preparedeness and Resilience program, a three-year effort funded by the National Park Service to better prepare historic commercial districts in rural and urban areas.

In addition, Manuel is a highly regarded educator creating courses or served as lecturer at Georgetown University, the University of Maryland, University of Illinois Chicago, and Goucher College.

Background and Experience

Previously, Manuel served as Director of Federal Affairs at the National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders (NALCAB) where he led policy and federal technical assistance and consulting to public housing authorities, local, and state government with particular expertise in disaster recovery, fair housing, rural programs, the CDBG, and HOME programs.

Previous to NALCAB Manuel was Senior Policy Analyst and Program Director at Enterprise Community Partners where he led a national fair housing policy stakeholder group and advanced fair housing policy within the organization. In 2015, Manuel was a key member of the team that provided recommendations to the City of Miami on the use of city-owned land for housing and community development as part of the National Resources Network for Cities.

Manuel has experience on the ground as Regional Director of Homeownership for the Latino Economic Development Center where he led a team of seven housing counselors who served hundreds of clients in Washington, DC and Montgomery County, Maryland during the foreclosure crisis.

Prior to his local work, Manuel also served in significant advisory and management roles at the US Department of Housing and Urban Development where he advised three HUD Secretaries and three Assistant Secretaries. As Deputy Assistant Secretary for Grant Programs in the Office of Community Planning and Development, he oversaw the Community Development Block Grant program, the HOME program, and Environmental Review Office. He was responsible for $30 billion in disaster recovery funds most notably Hurricanes Katrina and Rita as well as the Midwest Floods. During this time, he also led the effort to launch HUD’s first Neighborhood Stabilization Program. Throughout his seven years of service at HUD, Manuel worked with members of Congress, Congressional staff, Governors, and Mayors on a wide variety of issues.

He has been invited to speak as an expert nationally and internationally and has served on pro-bono technical assistance team for the National League of Cities and the Urban Land Institute.

He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, is fluent in Spanish, and lives with his family in Friendship Heights, Maryland. Manuel also enjoys running, gardening, traveling, walking cities, and reading history.

Highlights

Leader with 25 years of experience in urban planning, public policy, housing and community development on the local, regional and national level
Accomplished performance-based manager, team builder, and problem solver
Policy expert in public policy with expertise in fair housing and equity issues
Expert in housing, economic development, community revitalization, and historic preservation
Skilled and successful urban planner
Effective verbal and written communicator
Seasoned facilitator and trainer
Visionary, creative and independent thinker
Respected colleague known for high integrity
Connector with wide network
Committed to community service
Fluent in Spanish with international work experience

Our Strategic Partners

We work with a vast network of trusted partners based on specific project needs. Our partners include:

&Access
Enterprise Community Partners
Lawyer’s Committee on Civil Rights
Local Initiatives Support Corporation
LSA Planning
Partners for Economic Solutions
Plot Strategies
Public Engagement Associates
Urban Institute

mochoa@ochoaurbancollaborative.com | 202-413-6910

What’s in the Name?

But our work is not centered, if it’s not centered on people. In our early days, we found some wise advice from Lao-Tsu, the great Chinese philosopher from the 5th century. His sage advice guides our work to this day:

Go to the people,

Live with them,

Learn from them,

Love them.

Start with what they know,

Build with what they have,

But with the best leaders,

So that when the work is done,

And the task is accomplished,

The people will say:

“We have done this ourselves.”

Principal & Founder

Expertise

Manuel also provides strategic advice to non-profits by helping them develop strategic plans, workplans, and coaching as well as developing larger work collaboratives and strategies to bring together synergies from federal government, local government, national organization, and local funders.

In addition, Manuel is a highly regarded educator creating courses or served as lecturer at Georgetown University, the University of Maryland, University of Illinois Chicago, and Goucher College.

Background and Experience

Manuel has experience on the ground as Regional Director of Homeownership for the Latino Economic Development Center where he led a team of seven housing counselors who served hundreds of clients in Washington, DC and Montgomery County, Maryland during the foreclosure crisis.

He has been invited to speak as an expert nationally and internationally and has served on pro-bono technical assistance team for the National League of Cities and the Urban Land Institute.

He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, is fluent in Spanish, and lives with his family in Friendship Heights, Maryland. Manuel also enjoys running, gardening, traveling, walking cities, and reading history. Highlights

Leader with 25 years of experience in urban planning, public policy, housing and community development on the local, regional and national level

Accomplished performance-based manager, team builder, and problem solver

Policy expert in public policy with expertise in fair housing and equity issues

Expert in housing, economic development, community revitalization, and historic preservation

Skilled and successful urban planner

Effective verbal and written communicator

Seasoned facilitator and trainer

Visionary, creative and independent thinker

Respected colleague known for high integrity

Connector with wide network

Committed to community service

Fluent in Spanish with international work experience

Our Strategic Partners

We work with a vast network of trusted partners based on specific project needs. Our partners include:

&Access

Enterprise Community Partners

Lawyer’s Committee on Civil Rights

Local Initiatives Support Corporation

LSA Planning

Partners for Economic Solutions

Plot Strategies

Public Engagement Associates

Urban Institute

He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, is fluent in Spanish, and lives with his family in Friendship Heights, Maryland. Manuel also enjoys running, gardening, traveling, walking cities, and reading history.

Highlights