Ariam has spent her career working with local governments and nonprofits to develop urban and rural planning solutions that create the conditions for community health—socially, economically, and environmentally. As a previous executive director for an environmental justice nonprofit, she worked to create inter-generational wealth through vacant land reclamation in Pittsburgh. Her superpower is building teams and coalitions with mission clarity, emotional mindfulness, situational awareness, performance outcomes, and mutual respect. She has a technical background in geospatial statistics and has worked as a military master planner doing land use planning for army bases. Ariam is originally from Maryland and holds a Master’s in City Planning from Boston University and a B.A. in History from the University of Virginia. She is accredited by the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP).