Our mission is to preserve place through story to promote equity in the built environment. We do this by ensuring community voices are heard, shared, and valued through the preservation of cultural memory. We use storytelling to engage publics, and oral histories and contextual narratives to document the past. We take action against systemic urban issues and top-down development through our work.
We are an organization that connects people and place through public history, cultural heritage preservation, and urban planning by amplifying histories that depict shared cultural experiences. We expand the breadth of civic engagement through a multi-disciplinary approach to help inform a better future, so that development just doesn't happen to communities without their input and involvement.

Founder and director of Urbanist Media, the host/producer of our flagship podcast, Urban Roots, and Doctoral Student in Historic Preservation at Columbia GSAPP whose work centers around the use of digital media and its role in the preservation of cultural memory in urban environments.

In addition to working as our part-time administrative assistant, Sophia is a professional planner with the City of Cincinnati who received their undergrad degree in Urban Planning from the University of Cincinnati's DAAP program.

Board President
As the Executive Director of Invest in Neighborhoods, Elizabeth brings decades of expertise in nonprofit management, community engagement, and cultural heritage management. She holds a PhD from Glasgow University.

Board Treasurer
Dr. McGee is an Associate Professor in Africana Studies at the University of Cincinnati. She hosts our African American history series and supports our grant-writing efforts (which you can hire her to do for you).

Board Trustee
Jina Chung has vast nonprofit experience and currently serves as Development Director at Color Congress. She has worked in radio / podcast / audio for quite some time and will bring so much to the board—from nonprofit organizational support to partnerships that help us engage our work in audio/podcasting. We’re so excited to have Jina join our growing circle of change-makers!

Board Trustee
Tripp Eldredge has been a champion for Urbanist Media since he first met Deqah in 2020 at the West End Film short premiere at the Freedom Center. As a retired marketing communications agency owner, he now helps mission-driven nonprofits grow their influence and impact. He serves on the board of Cincinnati Public Radio and brings his decades of experience in audience engagement and data-driven strategy, to support our shared goals.

With over 15 years of experience in media production and outreach, Tania brings a multidisciplinary approach to storytelling rooted in cultural history and contemporary relevance. She specializes in translating oral histories into accessible podcast formats and excels at fostering inclusive, collaborative environments for diverse communit
With over 15 years of experience in media production and outreach, Tania brings a multidisciplinary approach to storytelling rooted in cultural history and contemporary relevance. She specializes in translating oral histories into accessible podcast formats and excels at fostering inclusive, collaborative environments for diverse communities. She's worked on award winning podcasts like, Undiscarded Stories of New York City.

Martina Abrahams Ilunga is a cultural entrepreneur and storyteller building liberatory spaces to tell Black stories. In 2016, she created You Had Me at Black, an audio-memoir and live story hour passing the mic to Black Millennials. She is an executive producer and co-host of NATAL, an award-winning podcast docuseries about having a baby
Martina Abrahams Ilunga is a cultural entrepreneur and storyteller building liberatory spaces to tell Black stories. In 2016, she created You Had Me at Black, an audio-memoir and live story hour passing the mic to Black Millennials. She is an executive producer and co-host of NATAL, an award-winning podcast docuseries about having a baby (or not) while Black. Her work has appeared on NPR, been selected by TribecaX, and showcased at NEW INC’s DEMO festival.

Connor Lynch is an accomplished video and podcast producer whose work spans brand journalism, educational documentaries, and corporate storytelling. He crafts compelling narratives that elevate everyday voices—whether profiling retirees turning community leaders or reviving aviation history—bringing clarity, empathy, and cinematic quality to each project

Andrew is a San Francisco–born filmmaker, radio producer, and audio engineer whose career spans international film direction and feature cinematography. A former producer on Benjamen Walker’s Theory of Everything with Radiotopia, his audio work has been featured on Reply All, This American Life, and 99% Invisible.
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Have an idea for an new urban history or preservation podcast? Want to know how to get your historic building listed on the National Register? Inquire today!

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