Volunteer Spotlight: Tirzah Khan

A huge thank you to our summer fellow, Tirzah Khan (Harvard GSD, Master in Urban Planning), for her creative and inspiring work!

During her internship, Tirzah is creating the community engagement brand identity and all branded materials for NDC’s Maryland Community Investment Coalition (MCIC) contract. She developed hand-drawn, approachable, image-based graphics that give MCIC’s work a friendly and accessible feel—helping residents, nonprofits, and local officials connect with complex investment and development tools.

Her work included the branded presentation used in workshops, participant materials, online content, and soon a finalized graphics package that will expand on her slide deck into a brochure or digital click-through resource for the MCIC website. This will clearly explain MCIC’s tools, highlight success stories like Lexington Market and The Packing House, and show communities how MCIC can help put people at the center of large-scale projects.

This work matters because MCIC’s mission is about unlocking tools like NMTCs to transform problem properties into community assets—such as health centers, grocery stores, or housing. Tirzah’s clear, inviting visual identity ensures that the coalition’s message resonates with the diverse publics MCIC hopes to serve and positions them as an approachable, trusted partner in equitable development.

Tirzah excelled at creating a cohesive, hand-drawn brand system that balances professional polish with a warm, community-centered look. She translated complex financial and development concepts into simple, engaging visual language that speaks directly to MCIC’s constituents. Her ability to combine artistry with clarity means MCIC’s materials are not only beautiful but also powerful tools for engagement.

We’re so proud of her thoughtful, people-centered approach to design and planning. Now back at Harvard, Tirzah is mapping Baltimore’s history of activism and developing a community toolkit for energy democracy in Boston.