Akua Asante

Akua Asante is a Master of Public Policy candidate at Rutgers University’s Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy. A Newark native, she is dedicated to strengthening housing access and opportunity through policy research and community collaboration. Before joining CLiME, Akua worked with Mathematica Policy Research and the American Institutes for Research, contributing to federal and local studies on housing affordability, education access, and social policy. Her recent work includes contributing to Newark’s Kids Count report, where she analyzed rent-to-income ratios and affordability trends to support data-informed policymaking. Akua’s research interests include affordable housing development, shared-ownership models, and innovative policy approaches that promote long-term community stability.