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Alumni Board

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Welcome from the Alumni Board

The GSAPP Alumni Board welcomes all alumni, current students, and prospective students to be a part of its mission. We are dedicated to providing support with outreach, mentoring, and dedicated relevant programming to the GSAPP community. With all the challenges that we currently face, we are excited to be a part of a large and extensive network that can foster connections on so many levels. Please reach out to us with comments, suggestions, or opportunities to get involved!

Mission

The Columbia GSAPP Alumni Board fosters engagement between alumni, students, potential applicants and the school by:

  • Encouraging lifelong opportunities for connections between alumni and students across programs, generations, geography, and demographics
  • Unifying the GSAPP community through welcoming, inclusive and innovative programming
  • Promoting excellence and dialogue focused on the global and evolving design and the built environment and GSAPP’s role as a leader in the field
  • Offering guidance and an alumni perspective to GSAPP leadership

Background

The GSAPP Alumni Board was formed in July 2010 to represent alumni from all GSAPP degree programs: Architecture, Real Estate Development, Urban Planning, Urban Design, Historic Preservation, and Critical, Curatorial, and Conceptual Practices.

The GSAPP Alumni Board is supported by the GSAPP Office of Development & Alumni Relations, which was established in 2005. The Office of Development & Alumni Relations is dedicated to building a strong framework for alumni communication, collaboration and networking, and to establishing a strong base of support for the School, its students, and its programs.

Alumni Board

President
Tzen-Ying Jenny Ling ’88 MSAAD
Portrait of Tzen-Ying Jenny Ling

Tzen-Ying Jenny Ling ’88 MSAAD
Co- founder, Origo Workshop
Professor in Resilience Thinking, Tamkang University

Jenny is a licensed architect and founder of Origo Living, a health tech startup-up. She combines her position as the leader of CReS Lab and Professor in Resilience Thinking at Tamkang University in Taiwan. She has a background in urban design, planning, architecture and urban resilience, with more than 30 years of experience leading urban mixed-sale strategic and resilience planning for public and private sector clients. Jenny TY founded her inter-disciplinary practice at Origo Living and AJL. Jenny’s projects include the Yeliu Café, TPCA Academy, Urban Vertical Farm Prototype, Hsuchiu Mix-use Park, Origo Modular Housing, 921 Memorial park. Jenny is the adjunct director of AIA International board, and the founding President of AIA Taipei Section. She also serves as a board member of the Columbia Alum Association of Taiwan and secretary to the GSAPP board; this year, she was selected the Fulbright Scholar (alternate) to conduct research on re-evaluating the paradigm relationships between people and habitat within the urban environment to accommodate and sustain an increased level of well-being and activities in the urban areas. She has presented her work accolades and research in national and international conferences. Currently, she is completing the interdisciplinary research titled: the Bricolage of Enhancers and Inhibitors : Traitors of Nature and Perceived Presence in the Urban Land, which explores the relation between the contemporary living in relation to nature and the ecological realm l, both visible and invisible as enhanced or inhibited through our perception. Jenny continues to promote “Re-wilding urbanity”. Her other accolades include publication on resilience and risk communication. These research projects have resulted in a number of publications.

Hala Abukhodair ’20 MSAUD
WhatsApp Image 2021-07-14 at 11.23.57 AM.jpeg

Hala Abukhodair ’20 MSAUD

Hala Abukhodair is from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. She earned a Master of Science in Architecture and Urban Design from Columbia GSAPP, following a Bachelor of Engineering in Architecture.

An architectural engineer and urban designer with ten years of professional experience, she has worked across the construction industry, metro infrastructure, and municipal urban regulations in Saudi Arabia, Spain, and the United Kingdom. She currently specializes in design and building code.

At Columbia, she served on the Program Council and contributed to the School’s shift toward a greater emphasis on sustainability in the curriculum. A dedicated ambassador for GSAPP and the wider University community, she received the Campbell Leadership Award from the Columbia Alumni Association. She serves on the GSAPP Alumni Board and hosted GSAPP Dean Andrés Jaque during his visit to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Benjamin Akhavan ’21 MSAAD
Dalal Musaed Alsayer ’10 MSAUD

Dalal Musaed Alsayer ’10 MSAUD
Assistant Professor of Architecture, Kuwait University

Dalal Musaed Alsayer is an Assistant Professor of Architecture at Kuwait University. Her research lies at the intersection of architecture, environment, and development in the context of Arabia during the twentieth century. She is the co-author of Pan-Arab Modernism 1968-2008: History of Architectural Practice in The Middle East (Actar, 2021), the co-founding editor of Current: Collective for Architecture History and Environment, and is also the co-chair of the Architecture and Environment interest group at the European Architectural History Network (EAHN). She received her Ph.D. in Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania and holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Kuwait University; a Master of Science in Architecture and Urban Design from Columbia University; a Master of Design Studies from Harvard University; and a Master of Science in Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania. She was an Academic Visitor at St Antony’s College, University of Oxford for the academic year 2022-23.

Eric Blair-Joannou ’15 MSUP ‘15BU

Eric Blair-Joannou ’17 MSUP ‘17BU

Eric Blair-Joannou works at the intersection of transportation and real estate as an entrepreneur and family business operator. As both an owner and operator, he drives the greening of a portfolio of industrial buildings in 12 U.S. states alongside the manufacture and distribution of alternative transportation equipment and vehicles within the portfolio’s assets, in a continuous effort to achieve a sustainable industrial logistics model. His past professional experiences have included the NYC Dept. of City Planning, the NYS Dept. of Transportation, and the Center for an Urban Future think tank, where he contributed to two publications entitled “Smarter Small Businesses” and “New Tech City.” While at the NYC DCP he was responsible for amending and implementing changes in standards still in use today for the Universal Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP), which governs the land development process in New York City. While at Columbia he published an article in URBAN Magazine entitled “The Public’s Penn Station,” and wrote his thesis on the changing intentions and uses of the post-Erie Canal New York City waterfront. In addition to the GSAPP Alumni Board, he also currently serves the University as the Palm Beach Chair of the Columbia University Club of South Florida.

Eric is also active in landscape design, in particular in native habitat restoration across his and his family’s portfolio, having won several landscape awards in the State of Florida. He serves on the Board of Advisors of the New York Botanical Garden, as well as its Library Visiting Committee, as an elected Member of the Corporation, and on the Advisory Council of the Cornell Botanic Gardens. He has also been active in preservation as a neighbor and non-profit board member, having appeared before the NYC Board of Standards & Appeals during the 2nd iteration of the Frick Collection’s capital improvement project, and having worked on the Capital Projects Committee as a Trustee of the Bronx Museum of the Arts helping to secure over $40MM in public funding from the NYC Economic Development Corporation, the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, and other agencies toward a transformative renovation for the Museum. The Committee selected and worked with Marvel Architects for this project, expected to be completed in 2027.

Diane Branch ’03 MSRED

Diane Branch ’03 MSRED

Diane Branch is an attorney with more than 20 years of experience advising clients on high-stakes transactions and risk management in real estate and commercial matters. She holds both a Juris Doctor and a Master of Science in Real Estate. Throughout her career, Diane has helped individuals, developers, and business owners structure transactions, negotiate agreements, and resolve complex issues where clarity, protection, and sound judgment are critical. Today, her practice focuses on the intersection of real estate and technology. She advises owners, operators, and technology providers on contracts, compliance, and risk related to PropTech, smart buildings, data centers, and technology-enabled real estate operations.

Steven Corsello ’21 M.Arch | MSRED

Steven Corsello ’21 M.Arch | MSRED
Job Captain at Gensler

As a member of a developer-facing studio in Gensler’s New York office, one of my jobs is to identify opportunities for owners to maximize the long-term value of their assets, with an emphasis on building reuse and adaptation. Tasked with developing proxy analytics to measure return-on-design, a key goal of the team’s mandate is to understand why buildings do and don’t work well for their occupants within a broader context of social and environmental priorities.

Steven is a recipient of the 2024 Incubator Prize and will be continuing his research project (2022 Incubator Prize) De-Carceral Futures, which aims to: end racial disparities in the criminal justice system–specifically with respect to detention, sentencing, and mass incarceration–by developing and scaling a new climate oriented, multi-modal supportive housing typology that will address justice avoidance, sentence mitigation, service distribution and housing insecurity among the reentry and justice involved communities in New York.

Steven is a Board Member of the Center for Community Alternatives, a justice reform non-profit that has pioneered restorative, re-integrative techniques with a particular focus on eliminating the system’s reliance on prisons and jails and developing the next generation of supportive facilities designed to end mass incarceration. Steven served as the GSAPP Student Representative to the University Senate and remains an active volunteer participating in mentorship and speaking programs within GSAPP.

Brian Dollar ’03 MSRED

Brian Dollar ’03 MSRED
Senior Vice President of Real Estate Development, ACRUVA Community Developers

Dr. Brian Dollar, DPPD, is a Senior Vice President of Real Estate Development with ACRUVA Community Developers (ACRUVA) in its South Florida Headquarters. Dr. Dollar joined ACRUVA in 2023 and brings more than 25 years of experience in real estate development, affordable housing, asset management, portfolio management, finance, strategy, and operations.

His primary areas of expertise include real estate development, acquisitions, and advisory transactions nationally. Throughout his career, Dr. Dollar has sourced and closed deals in excess of $1 billion for several private, public, and governmental entities.

Previously, Dr. Dollar served as a Real Estate Development Executive for Atlanta Housing with its Real Estate Development and Planning Department and Director of Real Estate Strategy within the Office of Policy, Strategy, and Innovation.

Before that, Dr. Dollar worked for Wonderful Real Estate Development, Rockefeller Group Development, GE Capital Real Estate, MetLife Real Estate, Cushman & Wakefield, and Lend Lease Real Estate Investors in various transactional capacities.

Dr. Brian holds a Doctorate from The University of Southern California’s Price School of Public Policy, a master’s in real estate development from Columbia University in New York and Bachelor of Arts in Finance from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia.

Dr. Brian is an active member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI), serving on its National Reuse & Redevelopment Product Council, a member of the National Association of Industrial & Office Properties (NAIOP), a member of the Columbia University Real Estate Development Program Alumni Board, and member of Columbia University GSAAP Board of Alumni Directors.

Dr. Brian currently lives in South Florida with his wife (Aleksandra) and two young children, Brian Jr., and Elle. Outside of work, Brian is enthusiastic about and heavily involved in community service, international travel, and F1 racing events.

Leon Duval ’22 MSAAD

León Duval ’22 MSAAD
Founder, leonduval.com
Researcher, FADEC, Universidad Finis Terrae (Chile)

León Duval is a Chilean architect who works throughout the spatial possibilities of the discipline, teaching, researching and designing. He understands architecture from the south and as a political affair of the built environment and beyond the building itself. In his practice, he cares for humans and more-than-human relationships, ecologies, and Latinx identities. His practice and research focus on reversible structures for fragile ecosystems, images of counterpower, decolonial cartographies, extractive landscapes, migration, and Latin American identity within aesthetics derived from popular culture.

León graduated in 2009 as an architect from the Universidad Finis Terrae (Chile). In 2011, he co-founded the architecture firm Espiral, which he led until his departure in 2024, when he founded leonduval.com, his personal practice platform. In 2020, he earned a Master’s in American Aesthetics from the Aesthetic Institute of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (Chile), graduating with maximum distinction. In 2022, he graduated from the Master of Science in Advanced Architectural Design at Columbia GSAPP (US) as the recipient of the Avery Scholarship, the William Kinne Fellows Traveling Prize, and the Honor Award for Arguments in Design. In 2022, he co-founded the interdisciplinary applied-research collective Colectivo de Palabreo. From 2022 until 2026, he was the coordinator of professional practices & alumni of the Architecture School of the Universidad Andrés Bello (Chile), and from 2026 he was appointed as an academic and researcher at the Faculty of Architecture, Design and Creative Studies at the Universidad Finis Terrae (Chile). In 2026, he was admitted to the PhD program Doctorado en Proyectos Arquitectónicos Avanzados at UPM (Spain).

G.P. Fu ’15 MSRED

G.P. Fu ‘15 MSRED
Deputy Chief Executive Officer, ZhongChen Investment Holding

G.P. (Guangpeng) Fu serves as Deputy Chief Executive Officer at ZhongChen Investment Holding, a firm founded three decades ago with deep roots in luxury residential developments across the Greater China region. Over the years it has evolved into a multi-sector enterprise overseeing a billion-dollar portfolio that spans real estate, technology, financial services, entertainment, and the arts.

Since assuming the role of Deputy CEO, Fu has focused on bridging leading architects with the firm’s projects, continually pushing innovation to shape and elevate the luxury residential market. He primarily oversees the firm’s real estate developments and currently manages five active projects throughout Greater China.

Fu grew up in Miami, Florida. He holds a Master of Science in Real Estate Development from Columbia University’s GSAPP, a Master of Laws from Peking University, and a Bachelor of Arts from Brandeis University.

Alex Hudtwalcker ’20 MSAAD
Alex Hudtwalcker Rey Portrait

Alex Hudtwalcker Rey ’20 MSAAD
Principal Architect, Alex Hudtwalcker Arquitectos

Alex Hudtwalcker is a licensed architect and professor, graduated from UPC School of Architecture in Lima, Perú (2011). In 2020 he obtained a Master of Science in Advanced Architectural Design at the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP) at Columbia University in New York, where he received the Honor Award for Excellence in Advanced Architectural Design. Alex has been involved in the practice of architecture for nearly 10 years, where he has collaborated with peers locally and internationally, as it is the case of Bernard Tschumi Architects in New York.

Since 2016, he has co-instructed different architecture studios and material workshops at both UPC and the University of Lima School of Architecture in Lima, Peru. He is currently leading the Seminar of Urbanism and Territory at the Master in Architecture and Advanced Projects (MAPP) at the Graduate School of Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú. He has participated as panelist in academic events and lectures in NY and Lima. He has been invited jury at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.

Alex is currently based in Lima where he allocates his time between his private practice, teaching and doing research.

Cecily King ’15 MSRED

Cecily King ’15 MSRED
Founder, Kipling Development

Cecily King is an Associate Professor of Professional Practice at Columbia GSAPP where she teaches courses on real estate development, community and economic development, and urban revitalization strategy.

Cecily is the founder of Kipling Development, a real estate development and consulting firm committed to inclusive and transformative development projects that create housing equity and access in major US urban centers. Since 2015, the majority of her work has been centered in Detroit, MI.

Throughout her real estate career, Cecily has held roles in the public, private, and non-profit sectors that have given her a diverse perspective of the deal table. Leadership roles have included serving as a Development Director for the City of Detroit’s Housing & Revitalization Department and the executive director for a Detroit community development corporation. Her professional focus is leveraging real estate as a tool in the social and economic repair and growth of communities of color. She specializes in public private partnerships, real estate finance, community redevelopment strategies, and real estate entrepreneurship.

Cecily holds an MS in Real Estate Development from Columbia University, an MEng in Structural Engineering from Lehigh University, and a BSE in Civil & Environmental Engineering from Princeton University. She serves on several boards and advisory councils including the Association of Black Princeton Alumni, the GSAPP Alumni Board, and is a member of ULI.

One Jea Lee ’18 MSAUD

One Jea Lee ’18 MSAUD
CEO & President, Haenglim Architecture Group

One Lee earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Architecture from the University of Kansas and his Master’s degree in Urban Design from Columbia University. He developed his international design sensibility and expertise through various projects at Morphosis Architects in Los Angeles. He has also served as an adjunct professor at Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Gachon University, Chung-Ang University, and Kookmin University, contributing to the development of architects through architectural education.

“I have a keen interest in parametric design, programming languages, and multi-joint robotic arms. I operate an in-house model room (Haenglim Shop) and an artificial intelligence research lab as separate organizations, leading the way in architecture in the age of AI.”

Founded in 1992 with just five employees, Haenglim Architecture has grown into a professional group of approximately 950 employees. Based on the “Apricot Forest Spirit,” which prioritizes people and social contribution, Haenglim Architecture continuously strives to become the industry leader through trust and global leadership.

Hao-Yeh Lu ‘21 MSAAD

Hao-Yeh Lu ’21 MSAAD
Co-chair of AIANY Emerging New York Architects

Hao-Yeh Lu is the Co-Chair of the AIANY Emerging New York Architects (ENYA) committee, and Registered Architect in New York and Taiwan. His work focuses on design for the people on cultural institutions, as well as multifamily residential to meet the housing challenge of our generation. He has contributed to award-winning projects at Fogarty Finger, Handel Architects, Studio Link-Arc in New York, Akihisa Hirata Architecture Office in Tokyo, and the Kaohsiung City Government Department of Buildings in Taiwan, providing him with professional experience across the United States, Japan, and Taiwan.

Beyond professional practice, Lu is dedicated to advancing the next generation of architects. As Co-Chair of ENYA, he leads programs on design excellence, career development, and public outreach. He also serves as a mentor for the Columbia GSAPP Alumni Mentorship Program, The Architectural League of New York, and elected in the class of 2024 AIANY TORCH Mentorship Program, helping connect students and emerging professionals with leaders across the architecture profession. His contributions to professional service and mentorship were recognized with the 2025 AIA New York State Associate Award.

Lu earned a Master of Science in Advanced Architectural Design (M.S.AAD) from Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP) and a Master of Architecture (M.Arch.) from Tunghai University. He was awarded the Taiwan Government Fellowship for Study Abroad in 2020 and received the Taiwan National Golden Award of Best New Talent Architects in 2015.

Nika Mo ’18 MSAAD

Nika Mo ’18 MSAAD
Project Architect, Moody Nolan

Nika Mo is a New York–based architect, designer, and project leader and a 2018 graduate of Columbia GSAPP’s MSAAD program, where she received the Honor Award for Excellence in Design. Her work spans commercial, cultural, and healthcare projects in New York and internationally, with experience across the full project lifecycle.

A licensed architect and Project Management Professional, Mo brings together design thinking, technical expertise, and project management to navigate complex, multi-stakeholder environments. Having worked across boutique design studios and global architecture firms, she has developed a broad perspective on architectural practice and is particularly interested in how architects can expand their impact through interdisciplinary collaboration, emerging technologies, and new models of leadership.

Beyond practice, Mo is deeply engaged in New York’s architecture and design community. She serves as Co-Chair of AIA New York’s Emerging New York Architects (ENYA) Committee and was selected as a Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation Emerging Leader. Through AIA New York, Columbia GSAPP, and other industry organizations, she contributes to mentorship, professional development, and programming focused on career growth, leadership, and the evolving future of architectural practice.

As a member of the GSAPP Alumni Board, Mo is particularly focused on strengthening connections between students, emerging professionals, and alumni at different stages of their careers. She believes that a strong alumni community can create meaningful pathways for mentorship, knowledge exchange and collaboration while helping the next generation of designers navigate an increasingly multidisciplinary profession. She is excited to contribute to a GSAPP community that continues to evolve, challenge conventional boundaries, and shape new possibilities for design and practice.

Marina Otero-Verzier ’13 MSCCCP

Marina Otero Verzier ’13 MSCCCP
Head of the MA Social Design Masters, Design Academy Eindhoven

Dr. Marina Otero Verzier is an architect and researcher. She is a Dean’s Visiting Professor at GSAPP, Columbia University, New York, where she leads the ‘Data Mourning’ clinic, an educational initiative focused on the intersection between digital infrastructures and climate catastrophe. She also teaches at Harvard GSD where she is a Lecturer in Architecture.

In 2022, Otero received Harvard’s Wheelwright Prize for a project on the future of data storage. She collaborated with the Supercomputing Center of the DIPC to develop alternative models for storing data, such as the project Computational Compost, first presented at Tabakalera. Otero was also invited by the Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge, and Innovation to participate as an expert in the development of Chile’s first National Data Centers Plan, together with “"Resistencia SocioAmbiental – Quilicura”“ and other local communities on the front lines of extractivism.

Otero is the author of Flotando en Litio (2025) awarded the FAD Thought and Criticism Prize, and En las Profundidades de la Nube (2024), a book proposing new paradigms and aesthetics for data storage across architecture, preservation, and digital culture.

She previously directed the MA Social Design at Design Academy Eindhoven (2020–2023) and served as Director of Research at Het Nieuwe Instituut (2015–2022).

Her curatorial work includes Opera Aperta (special mention, Venice Architecture Biennale 2025), Wet Dreams (2024), Compulsive Desires (2023), and Work, Body, Leisure (Dutch Pavilion, Venice Architecture Biennale 2018). She is co-editor of Automated Landscapes (2023), Lithium: States of Exhaustion (2021), More-than-Human (2020), Architecture of Appropriation (2019), and After Belonging (2016). Otero is a member of the Architecture Advisory Committee of the Museo Reina Sofía.

Larry Padilla ’94 MSRED

Larry H. Padilla ’94 MSRED
Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of Decatur Housing

Larry H. Padilla is a nationally recognized real estate and housing leader with more than 38 years of experience advancing affordable, workforce, and mixed-income housing across the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Over his career, he has helped deliver more than 7,000 housing units and led over $4 billion in development, investment, and construction projects.

He currently serves as Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of Decatur Housing, where he leads efforts to expand high-quality housing opportunities while strengthening communities through innovative development and housing programs. Mr. Padilla’s career spans the public, nonprofit, and private sectors, including service with major housing authorities, financial institutions, and as a Special Assistant to the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

Mr. Padilla holds a Master’s degree in Real Estate Development from Columbia University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture and Environmental Design from the University at Buffalo. He is also a graduate of ULI’s Center for Leadership-Atlanta Class of 2026.

He currently serves as President Emeritus of the Columbia University GSAPP Alumni Board, is a board member of Decatur Education Fund, and sits on the corporate boards of Zeffert Associates and NHC, two of the nation’s leading affordable housing compliance organizations. He is also a former board member of the Puerto Rico Homebuilders Association, where he was instrumental in promoting legislative guidance and policy on emerging attainable housing initiatives.

Nicholas (Cole) Perry ’22 MSRED | MSUP

Nicholas (Cole) Perry ’22 MSRED | MSUP
Associate Director of Research, Altus Group

Nicholas (Cole) Perry is the Associate Director of Research at Altus Group, where he delivers analysis on macroeconomic trends, capital markets, and the commercial real estate sector. In his role, Cole drives external thought leadership, supports internal enablement initiatives, and contributes to academic research partnerships. His insights have been featured in Commercial Observer, Connect CRE, GlobeSt, Business Journals, and Bisnow. He also co-hosts the CRE Exchange podcast.

Before joining Altus Group, Cole held research and analytics roles at CompStak and Brixmor Property Group. He holds dual master’s degrees in Urban Planning and Real Estate Development from Columbia GSAPP, and a B.S. in Civil Engineering from The George Washington University.

Niomi Shah ’18 MSAUD

Niomi Shah ’18 MSAUD
Founder, 88 Design Collective

Niomi Shah is a designer and founder working at the intersection of technology, AI, and human experience. Over the past 15 years, her career has spanned architecture, urban design, and product design, shaping how people interact with environments, systems, and increasingly, digital products.

Her early career in architecture and urban design included work with the World Bank and on Presidio Tunnel Tops in San Francisco, before transitioning into product design nearly a decade ago.

Today, Niomi designs how humans interact with technology, with a growing focus on designing with and for AI. At Intuit, she works on AI experiences that scale across the company’s ecosystem, shaping product direction and experience strategy across teams. Her work also explores how AI can become part of the design process itself, including building AI-powered tools and workflows for designers.

Niomi is also the founder of 88 Design Collective, a design studio focused on emerging technology and the next generation of digital products and experiences.

Sonal Shah ’08 MSUP

Sonal Shah ’08 MSUP
Executive Director, Centre of Sustainable and Equitable Cities
Founder, The Urban Catalysts

Sonal Shah is the founder of two organizations: The Urban Catalysts and Executive Director of Centre for Sustainable and Equitable Cities. Their mission is to transform cities and transport to mitigate and adapt to climate change, and to enable gender equity and universal access.

Sonal has advised on incorporating a gender perspective in urban transport projects and programs, and influenced investments of $9 billion, directly impacting 500,000 women and girls by 2027. She was responsible for introducing gender responsive guidelines in India’s URDPFI guidelines - a first for the country, and was a key contributor to the urban street design guidelines for the Indian Roads Congress (2016-18).

Sonal has led projects funded by FCDO, ADB, AfD, Bloomberg Philanthropies, GIZ, UN-Habitat, World Bank and worked across 10 states in India, South and Central Asia, East Africa, Middle East and the United States. She has been privileged to advise action-oriented research by feminist organizations such as Jagori and Azad Foundation, has been a Fulbright Scholarship juror, mentored Asia Foundation LeadNext Fellows, and is a member of the Main Bhi Dilli Campaign.

Sonal was featured in the Transformative Urban Mobility Initiative’s network of Remarkable Women in Transport 2020 and Remarkable Feminist Voices in Transport 2023 to recognize women changemakers in the sector. The Urban Catalysts was featured as a Remarkable Feminist Organization in Transport in 2023. She serves on the alumni board of the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, Columbia University, and on the Board of Directors for SLoCAT. She was part of a global cohort of the Vital Voices Visionaries Fellowship in 2024.

Parul Sharma ’15 MSAUD
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Parul Sharma ’15 MSAUD

Parul is an architect and urban designer with a decade of experience in urban development, mobility, architecture and placemaking in India and the US. She is passionate about creating inclusive and equitable cities through community participative design and simplified communication.

This year she founded City Scanner, a startup developing a mobile app and tech platform based on AI and crowdsourced data, to improve the navigation and mobility experience of cyclists and other vulnerable road users. City Scanner was selected as a finalist for Columbia Venture Competition’s Urban Works India Challenge 2021; was part of the StartMeUP Bootcamp by Columbia SEAS; and was selected for Columbia Venture Community’s female founders incubator, Project Two.Eight.

Parul holds a Master of Science in Architecture and Urban Design from GSAPP, Columbia University, where she received the Kinne Traveling Fellows Prize. She has a Bachelor of Architecture from Indraprastha University, New Delhi, India.

Meghan Taylor-Steshyn ’20 MSRED
Portrait of Meghan Taylor-Steshyn

Meghan Taylor-Steshyn ’20 MSRED
Senior Program Officer, Mission Real Estate Development
 

Meghan Taylor-Steshyn serves as a Senior Program Officer for the Mission Real Estate Development initiative with the Philanthropies team at Trinity Church NYC. In this role, she works with international partners from the Anglican Communion in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean and with faith-based communities across the United States to real estate development opportunities that directly meet a community’s most pressing social needs. She has been an adjunct assistant professor at GSAPP for Pre-Development Analysis.

Before joining Trinity, Meghan worked in commercial interior design. She holds a Bachelor of Design in interior design from the University of Florida and is a GSAPP MSRED graduate.

WITH THANKS TO OUR PAST ALUMNI BOARD MEMBERS

Gauri Bahuguna ’20 M.Arch
Ruth Benjamin ’10 M.Arch Past Alumni Board President
Gustavo Berenblum ’91 MSAAD Jessica Betz Abel ’17 MSHP
Deborah Bhatt ’05 MSRED
Heidi Blau ’83 M.Arch
Amy Boyle ’08 MSUP
Stanford Britt ’72 M.Arch
Barbara Campagna ‘86 MSHP
Angela Cavaluzzi ’86 MSAUD
Lori Cardeli ’07 M.Arch
Dean DiSimone ’99 M.Arch
Jonie Fu ’06 MSAUD Past Alumni Board President
Phillip Gesue ’96 MSRED
Kate Gillespie ’88 MSUP
Hannia Gomez ’84 MSUD
Matthew Gross ’05 MSRED
Richard Handler ’08 MSHP
Sara Hart ’84 M.Arch
Naomi Hersson-Ringskog ’09 MSUP
William Kenworthey ’00 MSAUD
James Kolker ’86 M.Arch
Michael Latham ’00 M.Arch
Tiffany Lau ’09 MSRED
Elizabeth Leber ’95 M.Arch
Dominic Leong ‘03 MSAAD
Ryan LeVasseur ’11 MSRED
Sharon Liebowitz ’91 M.Arch Past Alumni Board President
Carol Loewenson ’79 M.Arch
Allison Lyons ’10 MSHP
Julie Maddox ’06 MSHP
Pierpaolo Martiradonna ’05 MSAAD
Donald Matheson '03 MSRED
Belen Moneo ’91 M.Arch
William Morache ’14 MSHP
Angela O'Byrne ’87 MSRED
Deike Peters ’95 MSUP
Joseph Peters ’03 MSRED
Jennifer Romeo ’12 M.Arch Past Alumni Board President
Dan Shannon ’86 MSAAD Past Alumni Board President
Andrea Sreshta '11 M.Arch
Peter (Ned) Stoll ’77 M.Arch
Sharon Sutton ’73 M.Arch
Daniel Sze ’76 MSAUD
Troy Therrien ’09 M.Arch
Rachel Villalta ’12 M.Arch
Stephen Yablon ’82 M.Arch
Michelle Young ’12 MSUP
Hisham Youssef ’89 M.Arch