When Flávia Leite learned about the MS Public and Urban Policy program
at the Milano School of Policy, Management, and Environment, she knew it would be a perfect fit for her. After studying economics at the University of São
Paulo in Brazil and spending two years working with P3Urb, a consulting company
focused on urban planning and real estate projects, she decided to
return to school with the goal of “learning from global experts and
gaining analytical abilities to adapt successful international
initiatives to the Brazilian reality."
It was at the World Urban Forum in Medellín, Colombia, that Leite first heard of Milano's Public and Urban Policy program. “I was very impressed with its progressive principles and its hands-on approach,” she says. “At that moment, I decided to apply.”
During her time in the program, Leite says, she learned how to structure her thought process and develop a structured approach to problem solving and policy analysis. She was active in Milano’s Urban Policy Lab, where she was able to work in collaborative ways to solve real-world problems.
“We learned how to deal with many other points of view when developing recommendations for a real client in a formal briefing,” she says. “The Urban Policy Lab was an opportunity for me to learn how to communicate openly and effectively and to appreciate diversity of ideas.”
Leite currently works as an advisor at São Paulo Parcerias (São Paulo Partnerships), a mixed-capital company linked to municipal privatization and partnerships engaged in structuring and developing grant projects, privatization, and partnerships in Brazil. To maintain her connection to The New School, Leite also works remotely from Brazil as a research associate for the university’s Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis.
“Having an MS in Public and Urban Policy from The New School with a specialization in urban planning and financing was key for me to assume these current job positions,” she says.