Our Mission and Values

American communities are facing a fundamental shift in the challenges they face -- from changing demographics, to shifting mobility patterns and greater economic inequality, to greater uncertainty at the Federal level and new technologies that are changing the role of government and reframing economic competitiveness. Navigating these shifts requires an integrated set of strategies. Moving from a shared vision to implementation takes an innovative and inclusive approach to problem solving and policy development.

• How can your community or organization leverage its past success and build on existing assets to create new opportunities?

• What approaches make the difference in securing scarce federal funding or advancing a pipeline of projects through innovative financing strategies?

• What type of legislative or policy changes may be needed to make your vision a reality, and how do you navigate rocky political waters?

• How can you engage new voices, particularly those historically under-represented, and use data to make your message heard with different audiences?

• How can your non-profit or public sector organization structure itself to foster innovation, collaboration and an entrepreneurial spirit?

MZ Strategies, LLC builds upon the experience of its Founder, Mariia Zimmerman, who brings over three decades of experience working at the intersection of planning, politics, advocacy and policy development at the national and regional levels. We offer common sense, politically proven strategies to make government more effective, generate value for citizens and property owners, and create greater opportunity for all members of the community. 

We embrace the premise that “We all do better when we all do better,” whether this is expanding making transportation systems and creating housing options that work for all or improving the organizational health of local and national non-profits, or most importantly to creating communities in which all businesses and people have a chance to thrive. Our approach is centered on the power of strategic partnerships, the value of data to inform decision making, and a firm embrace of innovation and inclusion.

Mariia Zimmerman, Principal and Founder

Mariia Zimmerman is a seasoned veteran of shaping organizational change and entrepreneurship. Returning to MZ Strategies in March 2025 after a 3-year hiatus during which she served in several executive leadership roles at the US Department of Transportation (USDOT). Mariia created new federal technical assistance programs to help communities navigate and secure federal funding and advance transportation projects and launched a number of new federal funding programs to improve safety, mobility, climate resiliency and transportation access. She served as Strategic Advisor in the Office of the Secretary, as Co-Director of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Implementation efforts at USDOT, and as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy.

Mariia has helped to shape transportation advocacy and national policy over her career. She opened Reconnecting America's Washington, DC office and served as its Vice President for Policy. She was the founding Director of Transportation for America. Mariia launched MZ Strategies, LLC in 2012.

Mariia also brings deep knowledge of housing policy and finance and broader federal policy. She served as Deputy Director of the Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities helping to manage the establishment of a $250 million grant program within the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. She has also spearheaded several federal interagency initiatives between USDOT, HUD, the US Department of Agriculture, the Commerce Department and Economic Development Administration, and the Department of Health and Human Services. Mariia also spent six years on Capitol Hill working in the office of former Congressman Earl Blumenauer as his Legislative Director and Deputy Chief of Staff.

Mariia has led a wide range of technical, research, and planning efforts at the local and state levels on a range of policy subjects from transportation reform to transit-oriented development to affordable housing and regional planning.  She is a frequent national speaker and author on transit-oriented development (TOD), smart growth, public transportation finance and urban planning issues.

Mariia has served as a Visiting Fellow at Virginia Tech's Metropolitan Institute and a guest lecturer at VCU’s L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs. She served as Vice Chair for Regional and Metropolitan Planning with the American Planning Association's Regional and Intergovernmental Division, as Vice President of the Washington DC Chapter of the Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS) and was a past Chair of the American Public Transportation Association’s Land Use and Economic Development Committee. Mariia has served on the Board of Directors for the Shared Use Mobility Center and for RVA Rapid Transit. In 2020, she was appointed by Governor Northam to represent metropolitan Richmond on the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority. In 2022, President Biden appointed her to serve in his Administration.

Contact us to request Mariia to speak at an upcoming event, or for potential partnership or future services.