Kathy
Del Beccaro
Urban planner, researcher, and consultant committed to preserving and strengthening small business economies and cultural spaces.
I've worked with over twenty public, non-profit, and philanthropic clients to perform place-based research and engage immigrant and low-income communities in the planning of new initiatives, policies, and community anchor projects. My subject matter expertise is in small business support, economic mobility, and worker job quality. My projects occur at the ecosystem-level and prioritize racial equity planning and strategies for community wealth building.
In 2023, while I was consulting for Rockaway Film Festival to identify a new venue and build organizational capacity, we found an unexpected opportunity to transform a civic asset into a community hub and resilience center. In 2024 until 2026, I served as RFF’s first full-time Managing Director to lead that project's strategy development and to build the non profit's infrastructure and operations.
I have given guest lectures on equitable community engagement and urban planning practices at the Yale School of Management Inclusive Economic Development Lab and on cooperative models for small food businesses at the Flatbush Central Small Business Academy. I have served on funding panels for the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs in 2025 and 2026 and for the New York State Council on the Arts in 2026.
The keystone of all my work is the small business economy. My belief in better models for economies, cities, and communities stems from my supreme faith in small players. Small businesses and their workers bring value to my life every day, and I’m dedicated to doing what I can to help them preserve autonomy while building collective power.