Summary
Overview
Work history
Education
Skills
Websites
Other Relevant Experience
Timeline
Generic

Aria Pounaki

London

Summary

Policy and programme leader with seven years of experience driving housing strategy, regional funding solutions, and cross-sector collaboration. Proven ability to lead policy design, coalition building, and stakeholder engagement across complex political contexts. Experienced line manager and strategic planner with a strong record delivering research-led interventions and learning programmes across government, nonprofit, and philanthropic sectors. Fluent in Spanish and eligible to work in the UK without sponsorship.

Overview

9
9
years of professional experience

Work history

Team Manager, Community of Practice Manager

Global Policy Leadership Academy (a LeSar Company)
Remote
01.2023 - Current
  • Lead a team of 4 staff responsible for housing policy research, curriculum development, and the design and delivery of community-facing programmes across California.
  • Manage a two-year calendar of online and in-person events aligned with regional housing and homelessness priorities, setting annual KPIs, programme objectives, and budgets.
  • Oversee the firm’s Community of Practice, a professional network serving hundreds of local leaders, including regional housing authorities, nonprofit providers, and elected officials.
  • Manage cross-functional teams to advance multiple learning series on housing and homelessness policy for public agency clients.
  • Led stakeholder engagement and content development for an anti-displacement strategy in collaboration with a Metropolitan Planning Organisation (MPO), this resulted in a report which included interactive maps, policy briefs, and implementation resources.
  • Co-authored and facilitated a regional housing strategy-setting process with the Partnership to House San Diego, aligning 15+ public and philanthropic stakeholders to support the creation of a Regional Housing Finance Authority (RHFA), launched in 2025.

Senior Associate

LeSar Development Consultants
San Diego, California, USA
01.2022 - 01.2023
  • Designed curriculum for and instructed ten regional cohorts of the Housing Policy Leadership Academy, reaching over 400 housing and planning professionals across Southern California.
  • Provided technical assistance on housing and land use themes by providing support for regional policy proposals - several of which were later grant funded by the client Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for implementation or further study.
  • Contributed to the development of the San Diego County Housing Blueprint through focus group design, thematic analysis, and memo drafting, ultimately helping to shape departmental restructuring and long-term regional housing strategy.
  • Designed and implemented best-practice engagement protocols, including multilingual outreach, hybrid event formats, and accessibility accommodations.
  • Supported a Vienna-based housing field study for a 90-person delegation of Los Angeles elected officials, government staff, and funders; facilitated reflection sessions and bilateral dialogues between LA and Vienna stakeholders.

Associate Project Manager

BRIDGE Housing Corporation
San Diego, California, USA
03.2021 - 01.2022
  • Supported all phases of affordable housing development with a focus on securing public subsidies including Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), state soft debt, and local gap financing.
  • Co-authored competitive funding applications and coordinated permitting, loan closings, and development team communication.
  • Attended design review meetings, submitted city planning documents, and tracked project deliverables.

Sabbatical

N/A
San Diego, California, USA
08.2019 - 03.2021

Pursued continuing education and local leadership roles to support a strategic career transition into affordable housing development, gaining critical experience to strengthen sector expertise and candidacy.

Commercial Excellence Program Manager

Becton Dickinson
San Diego, California, USA
02.2018 - 07.2019
  • Co-led the rollout of a new product development framework, worked cross-functionally and internationally to implement the new processes across the business unit's global operations.
  • Chaired milestone reviews for major projects to ensure compliance with the new framework, evaluations of these reviews were summarized in reports to create visibility on process implementation for senior leadership.
  • Co-facilitated a one-week training with European marketing leadership on the new process in Reading, UK; maintained collaboration post-implementation through regular check-ins and stage-gate reviews.

Global Marketing Project Manager

Becton Dickinson
San Diego, California, USA
01.2016 - 02.2018
  • Implemented a new process to evaluate and prioritize key global expansion opportunities for BD's catalogue of medical devices and software.
  • Developed a pipeline of global opportunities and project managed approved opportunities until regulatory approval was granted; worked closely with Europe-based product managers and Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) in the UK, France, and Switzerland.


Education

Bachelor of Arts - International Relations, Spanish Language & Literature

Marquette University
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
08.2008 - 12.2013

University Exchange Program

Universidad Complutense De Madrid
Madrid, Spain
09.2010 - 06.2011

Real Estate Finance, Investments and Development Certificate

University of San Diego
06.2020 -

Skills

  • Strategic Thinking
  • Communication & Public Speaking
  • Stakeholder Engagement
  • Policy Development
  • Research & Analysis
  • Cross-Sector Collaboration
  • Budget Management
  • Housing Finance & Land Use
  • Spanish Fluency

Other Relevant Experience

Member, Young Leaders Partnership Forum, 01/2018 to 10/2024

Urban Land Institute, San Diego-Tijuana Chapter

  • Attend seminars, construction site tours, and presentations on all aspects of urban infill development to learn more about development techniques, financing, and policy.


Chair & Elected Board Member, 04/2019-04/2022

North Park Planning Committee (Neighbourhood Council in San Diego, California)

  • Managed board agenda, calendar, and meetings in compliance with state noticing and transparency requirements.
  • Facilitated land use discussions with city staff, elected officials, and the public.


Timeline

Team Manager, Community of Practice Manager

Global Policy Leadership Academy (a LeSar Company)
01.2023 - Current

Senior Associate

LeSar Development Consultants
01.2022 - 01.2023

Associate Project Manager

BRIDGE Housing Corporation
03.2021 - 01.2022

Real Estate Finance, Investments and Development Certificate

University of San Diego
06.2020 -

Sabbatical

N/A
08.2019 - 03.2021

Commercial Excellence Program Manager

Becton Dickinson
02.2018 - 07.2019

Global Marketing Project Manager

Becton Dickinson
01.2016 - 02.2018

University Exchange Program

Universidad Complutense De Madrid
09.2010 - 06.2011

Bachelor of Arts - International Relations, Spanish Language & Literature

Marquette University
08.2008 - 12.2013
Aria Pounaki