People

Toccarra Nicole Thomas, AICP, MAURP, MBA is the Assistant Vice President of Housing and Development | Director of the Center for Zoning Solutions at Smart Growth America. Toccarra is a globally recognized thought leader in housing and zoning reform, advancing innovative and scalable policy solutions adaptable to diverse local contexts. With a multidisciplinary background spanning urban planning, finance, and supply chain management, she leads transformative zoning and planning initiatives that unlock housing opportunities across the United States. Her career spans key planning roles at both city and county levels, where she has championed policy and process improvements that drive measurable impact. Notable accomplishments include: Launching pro-housing initiatives at the local level some examples include streamlined permitting process, Workforce Housing strategies, ADU/Infill Development Ordinances, and pre-approved affordable housing permit process, led the adoption and certification of a 5th cycle housing element in Northern California, reinstating that county’s eligibility for federal funding. Before transitioning into planning leadership, Toccarra worked in finance and supply chain management, where she focused on operational efficiency and systems optimization. She holds dual master’s degrees in Urban and Regional Planning and Business Administration with a concentration in Supply Chain Management. Outside of her professional work, she enjoys reading, painting, hiking, writing, and crocheting. Driven by the belief that housing is a human right, Toccarra is committed to advancing policies that ensure access to safe, affordable housing for all.

Sonja Trauss started the volunteer collective “SF BARF,” the San Francisco Bay Area Renters Federation, in 2014. In 2017, SF BARF split into several organizations, YIMBY Action and YIMBY law the largest among them. Currently Sonja is the Executive Director of YIMBY Law, which works in concert with YIMBY Action and their 67 chapters in 25 states to facilitate community organizing for housing proposals and pro-housing local and state policy. YIMBY Law also supports educational programming, reports on housing policy impact and enforces state housing laws by suing cities, as necessary.Sonja received her Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Temple University, and holds a Master’s Degree in Economics from Washington University in St. Louis.

Rudy joined the pro–housing movement after he and his husband faced housing insecurity in 2020. He quickly became engaged with his local YIMBY Action chapter, Peninsula for Everyone, by working to get endorsed candidates elected. In December of 2020, he officially joined YIMBY Action as staff and built YIMBY Action’s Marketing and Communications Department. His strategy elevated the YIMBY movement by growing and diversifying its membership as well as increasing small dollar donations. In 2021, Rudy served on the Redistricting Commission for San Mateo County and chaired the Redistricting Commission for Redwood City. His work led to the protection of two majority-minority districts in RWC. Rudy has a degree in International Agriculture and Rural Development from Cornell University and now serves as a Redwood City Planning Commissioner.

Vincent has been a housing activist since 2014. He founded of CoderPad, a tool for remote, skills-based job interviews for programmers, and is now effectively retired.

Parag Gupta is the Chief Program Officer at Mercy Housing, the largest US nonprofit affordable housing provider for families, seniors, and people with special needs. Providing affordable housing is the first step, and Parag oversees the wrap-around support provided to Mercy Housing’s residents. Parag has worked in coffee, education, solid waste, sanitation, and other industries with a focus of empowering communities across the world. He returned to San Francisco Bay Area to stand with folks seeking to make the community more inclusive. He lives in San Francisco with his wife and daughter where he attends public meetings and informs neighbors of pro-housing and pro-transportation initiatives.

Jeff has been active in housing policy debates for years, making the case for greater housing production and a revamped social safety net. He periodically writes about housing policy and politics. Jeff was formerly Vice President of Product at Postmates, an on-demand logistics platform. He now works at Hover, a technology firm that builds products for the home construction industry.

In 2018, Nick fundraised to help Josh Harder (D) flip the CA-10 US House seat. Energized by this win, he turned his attention closer to his home of San Francisco. Having built a factory in the city, Nick knew firsthand the punishing impact of the local building regulations, and the burden that expensive housing and limited transit put on his production staff, not to mention most residents of the city. He got involved with YIMBY Action after seeing them effectively build a movement to make change. Nick brings his deep network in the tech and manufacturing communities into the movement to make better, more affordable, and equitable cities across America.

Anthony has been a leader in the pro-housing movement in Los Angeles since 2018, most recently serving as Director of Policy and Research at Abundant Housing LA. His work on housing reform has appeared on the op-ed pages of the Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and Streetsblog. Anthony is a graduate of Harvard College and the University of Chicago MBA program. He is founder and CEO of Revival Homes, a startup that matches homeowners to financing and contractors for ADUs.

Laura Foote became a housing activist in 2014, when she became one of the key founders of the YIMBY movement. As a Founder and the Executive Director of YIMBY Action, Laura has grown the organization into a thriving grassroots political organization with tens of thousands of activists. As of 2022, YIMBY Action has nearly 40 chapters in cities across the country. Laura is widely recognized as an authority on effective housing activism in the US. Her work building the YIMBY movement has been covered in Forbes, The San Francisco Chronicle, The New York Times, the book Golden Gates, and more.