for community conversations.

We provide
space data insight options

Our mission:

What can we create together?

Want to work with us? Please reach out to us here:

If you want to work for us, visit our Careers page:

  • 1. Did we provide a successful path forward for our clients?

    2. Did we provide them with the appropriate tools or information they need to move forward?

    3. Did our clients enjoy the experience of working with us and would they work with us again?

    4. Did our team learn something new that we can use to assist the next client more effectively?

Innes Associates provides space for people to create something greater than what we can do individually. That space may be in our office, in the communities we work with, or through virtual collaboration.

Our goal is to help people communicate about meaningful change in their communities. We develop our own tools and methodologies and work with colleagues at other firms with complementary expertise to provide a complete skill set to address our clients’ needs.

We begin our projects with a deep discussion of the problem that led our clients to our door. Our team uses data and context analyses to develop the framing needed for productive community conversations. We support those conversations with the appropriate tools, which can include interactive workshops, small group discussions, online opportunities for asynchronous engagement, or attending regular community events.

Meet the Team

Emily Keys Innes

Ewan J. Innes

Jimmy Rocha

Madge Pate

Gina Bukas

  • Emily Innes founded Innes Associates in 2020 to continue collaborating with communities throughout New England. She brings over thirteen years of experience in urban planning and design, including as a project manager of complex projects that focus on the revitalization of downtowns and industrial areas, zoning changes to promote community goals, and comprehensive and strategic plans at a variety of scales.

    Emily has a B.A. in Linguistics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an extensive background in design with advanced coursework in interior design, rendering, and architecture at the Boston Architectural College, and received the Professional Certificate in Real Estate Finance and Development from MIT’s Center for Real Estate in June 2022.

    She worked for The Cecil Group and Harriman Associates, after its acquisition of The Cecil Group, for ten years before founding Innes Associates.

    Emily is a member of ULI and is on the Real Estate Advisory and Climate Resiliency Committees and the Boston Urban Development Council. She has been on the adjunct faculty of Boston University’s City Planning and Urban Affairs program since 2019, co-teaching the Capstone course since 2021.

  • Ewan Innes is responsible for managing all technology at Innes Associates. Ewan brings his experience in programming and data management to the urban planning field and is leading the data science division. Ewan is an experienced project manager, collaborating with clients directly to address project needs and ensure a smooth process and successful outcomes.

    His past professional experience includes seventeen years at Dunkin’ Donuts, working in IT and marketing and 12 years at Oracle in client-focused data analysis management and e-commerce platform development. Ewan has a Masters in Scottish History from the University of Edinburgh. He is also a candidate for the Certificate in Applied Data Science from MIT’s Professional Education program.

  • Jimmy is a Lowell, Massachusetts native who holds an M.S. in Geography from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He has a passion for cartography, GIS, and urban planning. His skills in spatial analysis will help our team uncover the interrelationships between data and topics of community concern. This will better support public conversations about options and solutions that can promote healthy environments and sustainable communities that work well for everyone.

  • Madge Pate is a research specialist at Innes Associates, Ltd. She has a strong interest in real estate and urban community development. Madge grew up in Gloucester, MA and after attending the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA, and earning her BA in Political Science, she moved to Boston and began building a career in Real Estate and Corporate law. She went on to receive her Paralegal Certification at Northeastern University and worked for several years at local firms.

  • Gina was born in Salem, MA but grew up in Southern Greece. She studied Business Management & Administration at the University of Piraeus. Her childhood dream was to help design a better community for everyone.

    As IA’s Administrative Specialist, Gina brings a positive attitude and customer service experience to coordinating communications among our communities, our clients and our team - internal and external.