La-Toya was born in Barbados and raised in the borough of the Bronx in NYC. Her experiences shaped her interest in economic mobility, community investments, and livelihood strategies. La-Toya is currently the Senior Advisor to the First Deputy Commissioner of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD). In this role, she assists the agency with interdisciplinary projects focused on process improvement, program design and implementation, and harm reduction within the agency’s strategy and priorities. She has a background in policy, business, and data analysis from her previous education, which includes an MS in Applied Urban Science and Informatics from NYU Tandon School of Engineering - Center for Urban Science and Progress, an MPA in Urban and Social Policy from Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs, and a Bachelor of Business Administration from CUNY Baruch College Zicklin School of Business. Urban cities are often focal points for people looking for better lives. However, these environments often need more time and a deeper understanding to adapt to the needs of different communities. La-Toya is looking to pursue a Ph.D. focused on computational social science, leveraging prediction and machine learning tools to tackle policy issues and community investment strategies.