Cory Naz Joins CDIA as Urban Development Specialist

October 28, 2022

For Antonia Corinthia Crisanta “Cory” Naz whose expertise has been widely sought in addressing urban development issues in Asia, CDIA’s transdisciplinary, “ridge-to-reef” approach, and responsiveness to cities motivated her to join the initiative as an Urban Development Specialist.

Cory has brought into the team her extensive knowledge and experience in the environment and natural resource management, climate change, infrastructure development, resource economics, and local governance, among others. They are expected to not only enrich her role in the management of project preparation studies but more importantly achieve far better outcomes from CDIA’s support to cities.

“Secondary cities need assistance in preparing project proposals and feasibility studies for key infrastructure that are climate-resilient and sustainable; as well as in building local capacities,” said Cory.

Cory holds a Doctorate degree in Public Administration from the University of the Philippines-Diliman, Master in Public Policy from the National University of Singapore under the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Master of Arts in Economics, and a Bachelor of Science in Mining Engineering.

After working for 14 years at the Philippines’ Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Cory has had a considerable, 20-year experience providing consultancy services in the Philippines, Cambodia, Afghanistan, and the Indochina region; simultaneously learning the languages in the countries where she worked and stayed.

Some of the advisory services she provided to cities include: 1) being an environmental safeguards specialist for World Bank-supported projects on sewerage, sanitation, renewable energy, and land reform; 2) being a climate change specialist for an Asian Development Bank-assisted project on climate change vulnerability assessment in the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area; 3) being a disaster risk reduction advisor for World Vision’s super typhoon Haiyan response; and 4) assisting local governments in the Philippines in preparing and implementing infrastructure project proposals that mainstream climate change, such as solid waste management, and examining financing options for these.

She also teaches part-time in the graduate school of Ateneo de Manila University’s School of Governance where she imparts her knowledge on policy analysis, public administration, and governance.

Cory looks forward to adding value to CDIA, by building on the gains and lessons of previous projects and applying a holistic climate resilience lens so that cities can implement better and more sustainable infrastructure projects that truly meet the needs of their citizens.

Cory hopes to be one with the team in contributing to the bigger picture of helping secondary cities and their countries meet their commitments to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

“I hope that CDIA will be instrumental in making cities rise above the challenges of a VUCA world, characterized by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity.”

No doubt, CDIA’s city partners can rely on Cory’s academic and professional expertise to be able to step in the right direction.