Tristan has a background in development law and has worked on land use, zoning, planning and construction cases, including affordable housing and mixed-use developments. In this role, he helped move development projects forward at all stages by resolving disputes among owners, government officials, and community residents. Tristan has worked in El Salvador during and after college, where he advanced community development projects and studied at the University of Central America. He also provided technical assistance to Spanish-speaking small business owners in eastern Massachusetts through the micro-finance nonprofit ACCION. In this role, Tristan taught workshops and conducted outreach in Spanish and English in Boston and in Gateway Cities. Tristan then took this experience to the Meheba Refugee Settlement in Zambia, where he lived for over a year, where he started and ran a microfinance program and provided other technical assistance to UNHCR and its partners. Tristan has a Bachelor's in Political Science and Latin American Studies from Fordham University and a Juris Doctor from Columbia University School of Law.