Partners

Richard Voith

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Richard Voith Ph.D. is a Founding Principal of Econsult Solutions Inc. (ESI) and Research Fellow of the University of Pennsylvania Institute for Urban Research (Penn IUR). Dr. Voith is a widely published expert in real estate economics, transportation, and applied microeconomics. He oversees a wide variety of projects in the realm of housing, labor markets, transportation, and economic development. Just as importantly, he is involved in setting the strategic direction of organizations both large and small. Dr. Voith served on the board of directors of the SEPTA for 8 years and was Vice Chair for 3 years. He regularly provides analysis and testimony in support of litigation in real estate and transportation matters.

Prior to establishing Econsult Solutions, Dr. Voith was a Senior Vice President at ESI’s predecessor firm, Econsult Corporation. Dr. Voith also held the position of Economic Advisor at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. Over the last fifteen years, he has served on several National Academy of Science Foundation Advisory Panels addressing topics such as the interrelationships between transit investments, and the relationships between land use and public health. He has been a guest speaker at numerous forums, including those sponsored by the Lincoln Land Institute, the Brookings Institution, Urban Land Institute, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Dr. Voith is a founding board member of Philadelphia Youth Basketball, an organization dedicated to educational, social, and athletic success of Philadelphia youth. In addition, he is a founding board member of Pentrans, an organization dedicated to balanced, multimodal transportation and mobility alternatives in Pennsylvania.

Dr.  Voith has been an adjunct professor for many years at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where he taught Cost Benefit Analysis in the Business and Public Policy Department, and Urban Real Estate Economics and Real Estate Investments through Wharton’s Real Estate Department. He has been a guest speaker at numerous forums, including those sponsored by the Lincoln Land Institute, the Brookings Institution, Urban Land Institute, and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. Until 2007, Dr. Voith served on the editorial board of Real Estate Economics.

Stephen P. Mullin

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As Co-Chair of the Econsult Solutions (ESI) Board of Directors, Stephen Mullin provides expertise to clients in the fields of economic development, public finance, policy analysis, real estate, energy, and business and government strategies. Mr. Mullin served as President since the firm’s inception and is now guiding strategic planning and development of the firm for its posterity.

Mr. Mullin’s consulting practice dates back to 2000, having served a client base ranging from state and local governments and agencies, private businesses, real estate developers, and not-for-profit institutions.

Prior to entering private consulting practice, Mr. Mullin served in top-level city government and private business positions. While in these positions he was directly involved with urban government issues including: tax and expenditure policy; capital infrastructure, pension funds; economic development; urban growth and planning. He served on, and chaired, many public sector and other quasi-governmental boards and commissions.

  • Econsult Corporation, Senior Vice President, 2000-2012;
  • City of Philadelphia Director of Commerce, 1993-2000;
  • City of Philadelphia Director of Finance, 1992-1993;
  • Louis Development Corporation, Deputy Director, 1990-1992;
  • Laclede Gas Company, Director of Corporate Development 1988-1990;
  • City of St. Louis, Budget Director, 1982-1988

Mr. Mullin has long been active as a director on corporate, public sector civic, cultural, and advisory boards, having served on over 75 in his career. Currently, he serves on the following:

  • Optimum Fund Trust Mutual Fund, Presbyterian Foundation, The Arden Real Estate Funds; and Framewrk, Inc.
  • North Broad Renaissance; Spring Garden Civic Association, Independence Visitor Center Corporation, The Library Company of Philadelphia, and the Philadelphia Sports Congress
  • Lambda Alpha Philadelphia, Philadelphia Real Estate Council, Preservation Alliance Advocacy Committee, Philadelphia World Trade Center Advisory Council.

He previously served as Director for NASDAQ Futures, Inc. (2008-2018), Haverford Trust Advisory Board, Community College of Philadelphia Foundation (2006-2015), Fairmount Park Conservancy (2006-2010), and Treasurer for the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, (Trustee 1996-2007).

Mr. Mullin has taught graduate level economics, public policy, and public finance at Philadelphia and St. Louis area universities for over 40 years. Among his nearly 10,000 former students are experts and leaders throughout the private and public sectors. He writes for publication, has delivered speeches, provides expert opinion to the media, and is a frequent presenter on panels and symposia. In 2007, he was voted one of Philadelphia’s 101 most connected people.

Ethan Conner-Ross

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Ethan Conner-Ross is a Senior Vice President and Principal of Econsult Solutions, Inc. (ESI). Mr. Conner-Ross joined ESI in 2014 as a Director. His practice areas include public policy, transportation, tourism, economic development, and strategic planning. He is an experienced project leader who brings cross-disciplinary skills and a public sector perspective to his engagements.

Mr. Conner-Ross has led a range of projects for ESI helping governmental, quasi-governmental, and private sector organizations maximize and articulate public benefits. Policy issues of focus include economic insecurity, transportation, fiscal sustainability, affordable housing and economic development. He has presented and testified before numerous public bodies including the Philadelphia City Council, and legislative committees and task forces in Pennsylvania and New Jersey in addition to numerous events and conferences.

Prior to joining ESI, Mr. Conner-Ross, worked from 2006 to 2013 at Visit Philadelphia, a non-profit organization tasked with promoting tourism in the Philadelphia region. As Vice-President of Research and Planning, he directed the organization’s market research program and led company-wide planning, coordinating the development of the organization’s five-year strategic plan, annual marketing plans, and new initiatives. He also supported corporate communications efforts through reports and presentations that demonstrated return on investment.

Mr. Conner-Ross received his Master of Public Administration from the Fels Institute of Government at the University of Pennsylvania in 2014, with a certificate in Economic Development and coursework in economics, statistics, policy development and evaluation, management and finance. He received his Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science from Amherst College in 2005. A native of the Philadelphia region, he attended J.R. Masterman High School in Philadelphia and lives in the city with his wife and two sons.

Steve Wray

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Steve Wray is a Senior Vice President and Principal at Econsult Solutions, Inc. (ESI). In this role, Steve focuses on the development and implementation of programs and projects that support ESI’s vision and short- and long-term plans. He leads the work of the firm’s principals and senior staff in developing new partnerships, expanding and building on existing practice areas, and integrating the firm’s strengths in economic analysis and thought leadership. Mr. Wray joined ESI in 2017 as a Director and was promoted to Vice President, Strategic Initiatives in 2019.

Mr. Wray was executive director of the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia from 2006 through 2017. In addition to managing the strategy and operations for the $1.6 million civic leadership organization, he led the development of the ground-breaking World Class Greater Philadelphia initiative, engaging regional leaders in scenario planning and strategy teams to build a long-term agenda and projects for economic growth and opportunity for the tri-state region. He was one of the founding partners of Pre-K for PA, a statewide coalition focused on increasing access to high-quality pre-kindergarten and created the Metropolitan Caucus to convene the county elected officials of Southeastern Pennsylvania.

From 2008 to 2017, Mr. Wray also served as Managing Director of the statewide Pennsylvania Economy League, Inc., where he was responsible for oversight of the activities and finances for the three Economy League offices in Philadelphia, Wilkes-Barre and Pittsburgh.

Mr. Wray was the deputy director and director of research from 1995 to 2006 for the Economy League in Philadelphia.  He led numerous major initiatives, including analyses of the region’s healthcare, arts and higher education industries; strategic analysis of Penn’s West Philadelphia economic development strategy; a feasibility study of Philadelphia’s potential to host the Olympics; and numerous economic impact and regional development projects. He also created and managed IssuesPA, a first-of its kind political communications campaign that was recognized both in the state and nationally as a cutting edge political education effort.

Mr. Wray served as policy director for PA Lt. Governor and Acting Governor Mark Singel from 1992-1995 and as an investment research associate for the real estate firm Jones Lang Wootton from 1989 to 1991.

Mr. Wray is Chair of the Health Care Improvement Foundation, and serves on the Boards of the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Mercer Museum/Fonthill Castle. He also was appointed to be a member of the Governor’s Early Learning Investment Commission.

Gina Lavery

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Gina Lavery is Senior Vice President and Principal of Econsult Solutions, Inc. (ESI). Ms. Lavery has led a range of projects for ESI, primarily focused on urban planning, real estate, transportation, higher education, and public policy—particularly where these areas intersect with economic development. This work has included developing economic and fiscal impact studies to support major development projects, providing advisory services on incentive programs and public financing for private and public sectors clients across the US, and supplying market insights for clients making real estate decisions.

Prior to joining ESI, Ms. Lavery was a research analyst for Jones Lang LaSalle, where she was responsible for market research and analysis within the Greater Philadelphia commercial real estate market. From 2009-2016, Ms. Lavery worked at the University of Pennsylvania, in various roles within the Office of Government and Community Affairs. At Penn, she monitored legislative and policy developments within city government, and implemented a strategic communications and outreach plan to advocate for the University’s interests with local government officials and to find opportunities to communicate its economic and social impact in the region.

A native of Philadelphia, Ms. Lavery is actively engaged in a number of organizations including ULI Philadelphia, the Community Design Collaborative, and serves in leadership roles as the Chapter Board Chair of LAI Philadelphia, and on the Industry Research and Communications Committee for Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW).

Ms. Lavery received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and European History from the University of Pennsylvania and earned a Master of City and Regional Planning degree from Penn’s Weitzman School of Design. With a concentration in Smart Cities, she focused her studies on leveraging data and statistical modeling techniques to design better cities.

Peter Angelides

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Dr. Peter Angelides is President and Principal of Econsult Solutions, Inc. (ESI). Dr. Angelides focuses his work at the intersection of economics and urban development, including real estate, economic development, city planning, transportation, tax policy, valuation, and litigation. He helps clients pursue economic development, gain entitlements, assess feasibility, and prepare grant applications, among other undertakings. He leads ESI’s Real Estate and Litigation practices, and he often presents findings in public venues, such as courtrooms or public hearings. Dr. Angelides’s career has covered several sectors, with the underlying theme of how economic thinking and data analysis leading to improved decision making.

Prior to joining ESI, he practiced economics and planning in the private and public sectors, including:

  • Econsult Corporation, Vice President and Director;
  • PricewaterhouseCoopers, Philadelphia PA, Director;
  • Charles River Associates, Washington, DC, Economist;
  • Putnam Hayes & Bartlett, Washington, DC, Economist;
  • Wallace Roberts and Todd;
  • Central Philadelphia Development Corporation;
  • Philadelphia City Planning Commission

Dr. Angelides serves as a board member or in other contributing roles for several civic and professional organizations, including:

  • Delaware Valley Smart Growth Alliance;
  • Passyunk Avenue Revitalization Corporation;
  • PenTrans;
  • Urban Land Institute;
  • Racquet Club of Philadelphia

Dr. Angelides teaches courses in the areas of urban economics, public finance, infrastructure investment, benefit cost analysis and other economic and planning topics. He teaches or has taught at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Minnesota, and Thomas Jefferson University.