Public Works Partners founder and CEO Frye celebrates ten years of mission-driven leadership

Manhattan, NY Public Works Partners, an urban planning and consulting firm with offices in New York and Greater Los Angeles, announced that Celeste Frye, AICP, co-founder and chief executive officer, celebrates her tenth anniversary leading the firm this year. Since founding the first consulting practice in 2007 that would become Public Works Partners, Frye has guided the award-winning, woman-owned, disadvantaged, small business enterprise (WBE/DBE/SBE-certified) firm from its earliest days into a recognized leader in organizational health and community planning for agencies, non-profits, and diverse organizations nationally.

Over a decade at the helm, Frye has built an urban planning and consulting practice rooted in cross-sector collaboration, partnering with nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and private-sector stakeholders to design and implement strategies that strengthen communities. Under her leadership, Public Works Partners has become a trusted advisor to hundreds of mission-driven clients across areas including workforce development, economic and community development, climate resilience, and transportation and infrastructure. Additionally, Public Works Partners has been named to Inc. 5000’s fastest-growing private companies in America two years in a row; and to Crain’s Best Places to Work in New York.

Frye brings more than 25 years of experience in urban planning and organizational management to her role. Prior to founding Public Works Partners, she held leadership positions in New York City government, including roles at the Office of Management and Budget and the Dept. of Small Business Services. She is an AICP-certified planner with a Master of Regional Planning from Cornell University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Her leadership has been recognized by Crain’s New York, City & State, and other outlets, including being named to City & State’s Community Engagement Power 50 and recognized as a leading nonprofit consultant.

As Public Works Partners looks ahead, Frye remains focused on expanding the firm’s reach and deepening its impact in the communities it serves.

Public Works Partners is an award-winning, women-owned, disadvantaged, small business enterprise (WBE/DBE/SBE-certified) urban planning and management consulting firm with offices in New York and Los Angeles. Since 2010, the firm has helped improve hundreds of neighborhoods and communities, transforming how and where people gather, connect, and learn. 

Bridging urban planning and management consulting in the civic sector, Public Works has partnered with more than 100 organizations to deliver impactful programs across community and economic development, education, health, workforce, and transportation, and to develop innovative, equity-driven solutions that strengthen communities, programs, and places.