Sophia Hoffacker is a PhD student in Urban & Regional Planning at the University of Michigan. Sophia’s research focuses on the intersections of housing, displacement, climate adaptation, disability, and participatory planning. She holds an M.A. in Community Planning from the University of Washington Tacoma, where she focused on affordable housing, community engagement, and the value of libraries and museums as community cultural hubs.
After graduating with a B.A. in Environmental Studies from the University of Vermont, Sophia spent seven years in Seattle working in politics and local government, including stints as a field director for a statewide climate justice ballot initiative, program manager for a start-up candidate training and support program for BIPOC and LGBTQ leaders, and project manager at Metro Parks Tacoma. During her time at equitable development advocacy organization Puget Sound Sage, Sophia co-authored a participatory action research report on community priorities for the renewable energy transition and a community policy brief on preventing disaster gentrification during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sophia was born in Port Huron, Michigan, and spent her adolescent years in Washington, D.C. After almost twenty years away, she is thrilled to return to Michigan for her doctoral education.