Katherine Aguilar Perez, Executive Director

Katherine Aguilar Perez

Katherine Aguilar Perez is the Executive Director of the Urban Land Institute, Los Angeles District Council. With her diverse background in private real estate development, transportation policy and urban planning, she has emerged as one of the most articulate and credible advocates promoting the responsible use of land and transportation.

In October 2009, Ms. Perez was honored by Hispanic Business Magazine as one of the "Top 100 Influential Hispanics" in the United States. Listed in the category of Green Business, she was noted for her commitment to healthy and livable communities. Also, Ms. Perez was recognized in 2009 as a "Women of Influence" by Real Estate Southern California Magazine.
Previously, Ms. Perez was the Vice President of Development for Forest City Development where she focused on transit oriented development and mixed use projects in emerging markets.

Prior to joining Forest City, Ms. Perez was the co-founder and Executive Director of the Transportation and Land Use Collaborative (TLUC) of Southern California, a nationally recognized non-profit that promotes greater civic involvement in planning and development. Previously, she worked for Pasadena Mayor William Bogaard as the Deputy to the Mayor where she worked on transportation, planning and Latino constituent issues.

In August 2009, Ms. Perez was appointed to the California Public Infrastructure Advisory Commission by Secretary of Business, Transportation & Housing Dale Bonner. The Commission will assist the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and regional transportation agencies in developing public-private financing agreements for high-priority infrastructure projects throughout the state.

In July 2009, Ms. Perez was asked to join the Advisory Board of the US High Speed Rail Association, the only organization in the United States focused entirely on advancing a state of the art national high speed rail network across the country.
Ms. Perez is an Adjunct Professor at the USC School of Planning and Development, teaching the graduate course "Participatory Methods in Planning and Development," a new course designed to focus on the technical skills of public participation. Ms. Perez served as an Adjunct Professor at the UCLA School of Policy teaching a course on transit oriented development.
Ms. Perez is honored to be recognized as a 2009-2010 Senior Fellow of the UCLA School of Public Affairs. Senior Fellows are distinguished civic leaders who volunteer their time to leadership growth in the School.
She received her Masters Degree in Urban Planning and Transportation from UCLA and her Bachelors Degree in Political Science from CalState Northridge. Ms. Perez is most proud of her three children, Diego, Lucia and Antonia, which give her the drive and passion to contribute toward the building and creation of healthy, livable communities for future generations.