The Ellis Calvin Memorial Internship honors and celebrates Ellis Calvin, RPA’s late Data Research Manager, whose integrity, intellectual curiosity, love of data, and commitment to rigorous analysis continue to inspire RPA’s work.
Established in Ellis’s memory, the internship supports emerging planners, researchers, and civic leaders who share his belief that good data, careful analysis, and a spirit of learning can help build a more equitable, healthy, sustainable, and prosperous region.
Ellis Calvin joined RPA as an intern in 2014 and went on to become Data Research Manager, playing an essential role in advancing RPA’s research, mapping, and data analysis for more than a decade. His work strengthened projects across a wide range of issues, including climate adaptation, housing, public health, transportation, streets, and the region’s recovery from Covid.
Ellis brought precision, curiosity, humility, and care to everything he did. He helped colleagues ask better questions, understand complex systems, and communicate findings clearly. He also played a meaningful role in RPA’s internship program, helping select and mentor interns with the same generosity and thoughtfulness that defined his own path at the organization.
The Ellis Calvin Memorial Internship carries forward that legacy by creating opportunities for future planners and researchers to learn, contribute, and grow in service of the region.
Learn more about Ellis Calvin’s life, work, and lasting impact at RPA here.
Each year, the internship focuses on a timely and mission-critical issue facing the New York-New Jersey-Connecticut metropolitan region. While the issue area may change, its purpose remains constant: to support rigorous, practical, and equity-centered research that helps communities and decision-makers better understand regional challenges and identify solutions that improve people’s lives.
Intern responsibilities may include:
Assisting with the development of policy reports, RPA Lab posts, digital communications assets, and presentations
Conducting outreach and organizing meetings or interviews with public, private, civic, and community stakeholders
Supporting external communications and coalition-building initiatives
Conducting in-depth data and systems analysis
Generating geospatial maps and other explanatory graphics
The internship is designed for recent graduates or current Master’s students in fields such as urban planning, public policy, public health, economics, geography, political science, environmental science, or related disciplines.
Strong candidates will bring:
Excellent writing and presentation skills
Ability to work well under deadlines
Demonstrated interest in urban planning, public policy, civics, and the future of the region
Familiarity with Microsoft Excel, Google Apps, Adobe Creative Suite, GIS, or R
Experience with public outreach and engagement is a plus
The internship is typically posted each spring for the summer period. The position is paid, hybrid, and based out of RPA’s New York City office. Interns generally work three to five days per week. The Ellis Calvin Memorial Internship is generously supported by Ellis’s family, friends, and the RPA community.
Note: The application period for the 2026 internship has closed. Interested applicants are encouraged to check back in spring 2027.
A gift to the Ellis Calvin Memorial Internship Fund is a meaningful way to honor Ellis’s memory while investing in the next generation of planners, researchers, and civic leaders.
Contributions help RPA provide paid internship opportunities for emerging professionals committed to rigorous research, thoughtful analysis, and a better future for the tri-state region.
To learn more about supporting the Ellis Calvin Memorial Internship Fund, please contact [email protected].