Brian Reyes

About Brian Reyes

Brian Reyes was born and raised in New York City between East Harlem and the Bronx. As a son of Dominican immigrants, Brian felt at home in these sections of New York, where introducing oneself to a new friend-to-be usually included an obligatory mention of where one's family originally called home and a lively compare-and-contrast of cultures.

Attending high school in a wealthier part of the city added context to his view of his hometown—he gained access to invaluable educational resources, yet his commute from the Bronx entailed crossing racial and socioeconomic divides on a daily basis. His gratitude for the education he received, and his conviction that such opportunities ought to be available to everyone, laid the foundation for his interest in government.

Brian ultimately attended Yale University, where he earned his bachelor's degree in history. He later earned master's degrees in comparative social policy and United States history from the University of Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship. Driven by memories of home, much of his academic research attempted to understand the long aftermath of New York City’s 1975 fiscal crisis and its lessons for equitable urban policy. In his professional work, he has engaged local practitioners with technical assistance on how to deploy federal industrial policy funding, helped drive the development of anti-poverty and community development ideas in a governor's office, and, most recently, helped defend financial regulations on Capitol Hill.

As a JD student at Yale Law School, Brian is now exploring the law's potential to drive inclusive economic development. He hopes to ultimately work in federal economic policy, channeling financial resources with special care for the neighborhoods that need them most.