After graduating from MIT in January of 1974 with a degree in urban studies and planning, I worked for three consulting firms, INSGROUP in Huntington Beach, California, CONSAD in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and my own PLN Associates in Pittsburgh and New Orleans, consulting to local and state governments and the U.S. Federal government to assess the outcomes of programs to improve K-12 and university education, drug and alcohol abuse prevention and treatment, and innovation in urban governments.