Cate Ryba is an urban designer, planner, and civic policy geek. She is also Urban3’s Chief Operating Officer, and has the unique experience of being both a former city staffer and a former local elected official. Urban3 was founded in 2011 with a rebellious spirit and an idea: to show communities the true value of good design using data-driven storytelling. Cate manages the team of analysts at Urban3 as they map the financial health of built environments. Her goal is to inspire her clients, who are communities of all sizes, to think differently about development, land use, and public policy.

Passionate about local planning and design, Cate currently serves as a board member of the Asheville Downtown Association and Asheville on Bikes. Cate is also a founder of the Building Our City lecture series in Asheville, which features national experts on urban design, planning, placemaking, transportation, and other community development topics to explore the role of thoughtful design in building livable communities. She is also an active member of the Congress for New Urbanism.

Cate holds a BA from Wellesley College, and a Masters of City and Regional Planning, and a Certificate of Urban Design from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Design.