Tanu Kumar

Tanu Kumar is Director of Programs at Mechanism, where she brings deep expertise in program design and strategy, enabling communities to envision and implement inclusive growth strategies. With a background in leading complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives, she helps Mechanism and its partners build consensus and identify more impactful and community-driven solutions.

Tanu has led key economic development and urban planning projects across New York State, both as part of the leadership team at the Office of Planning and Community Development and at the Pratt Center for Community Development. She has also worked extensively in India, supporting the growth of climate-resilient affordable housing.

With a passion for understanding cities, Tanu believes in the power of history and community voice to inform urban growth. She is skilled in methodologies that capture many perspectives in decision-making processes, including oral history and community engagement. She brings this appreciation for collective impact to her work at Mechanism, helping communities build strong local economies through manufacturing and place-based strategies.

Tanu lives in the Hudson Valley region of New York with her family. She serves on the board of Kite’s Nest, a non-profit in Hudson, NY that builds the collective capacity of young people to bring about healing, personal transformation, social connection, and systemic change. She also serves on the Fund for Columbia County’s Steering Committee. She holds a Master’s in Urban Planning from Cornell University and a B.A. from Williams College.