As we closed out 2021, we gave you a glimpse into the Urban Institute’s work through the voices of those who help develop our research and those who use it to shape their own endeavors. We’re excited to share one more story with you in the final edition of our series, and we want to thank you for being part of our community and providing the support that makes our work possible.
Dear Friend,
In conversation, Shekar Narasimhan’s mind moves fast, often bouncing from one idea to the next, at times starting sentences with “I’ve often wondered why…” or “If we could figure out a way…”
The managing partner at real estate strategic advisory firm Beekman Advisors says he lives “in many different worlds,” which keeps his mind popping with ideas. He cares deeply about social issues—particularly affordable housing—and intentionally seeks out promising ideas that meet a clear need and are grounded in data-based strategies.
It’s why Shekar invested in the 2013 launch of Urban Institute’s Housing Finance Policy Center, which examines the residential mortgage finance system and offers solutions for more equitable housing finance practices. He has continued to be a regular financial supporter because he believes Urban’s work fills a need “for the authentic, data-driven, nonpartisan delivery of information.”
“Urban is able to connect data and information—massive quantities of it—and translate it in a way that leads to something that a policymaker can absorb,” he says, “so that if something should require change, they base it upon data and facts.”
Shekar engages not just as a donor, but as a member of Urban’s Policy Leadership Council, where he contributes his time and thought leadership to emerging research ideas, particularly around housing issues.
In the end, he looks for results from his investment, such as policy change or evidence-based solutions to a pressing problem. Results, Shekar says, that show “we started to move the world in the right direction.”
