At the heart of Architecture for Humanity is a core group of people who have generously donated their time and efforts to support the organizations growth and operations. With advocates around the world, Architecture for Humanity is truly becoming a global organization that encourages designers to make a difference.

Staff | Design Fellows | Volunteers | Consulting Partners | Hall of Fame

Staff

Natassia Academia: Accounting Manager (Learn more)
Brian Baer: Program Coordinator (Learn more)
Eric Cesal: Director, Reconstruction & Resiliency Studio (Learn more)
Suman Deep: Salesforce Developer (Learn more)
Bridget Dodd: Executive Assistant (Learn more)
Audrey Galo: Program Coordinator (Learn more)
Darren Gill: Program Coordinator (Learn more)
Elizabeth Han: New Program Development Manager (Learn more)
Dana Hymel: Campaign Manager (Learn more)
Garrett Jacobs: Outreach Coordinator (Learn more)
Karl Johnson: Communications Associate (Learn more)
Kris Jong: Project Accountant (Learn more)
Delphine Luboz: Program Coordinator (Learn more)
Shogo Marukawa: Regional Program Manager, Tohoku Rebuilding Program (Learn more)
Rachel Minnery: Program Manager (Learn more)
Gretchen Mokry, AIA, LEED AP: Design Director (Learn more)
Alix Ogilvie, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP: Program Manager(Learn more)
Jason Olson: Office Manager (Learn more)
Kathy Richter: Human Resources Manager (Learn more)
Kristen Schlott: Development Associate (Learn more)
Cameron Sinclair: Executive Director/Chief Eternal Optimist (Learn more | where is Cameron?)
Michael Steiner: Program Manager (Learn more)
Kate Stohr: Managing Director (Learn more)
Hiromi Tabei: Program Coordinator (Learn more)
Joseph Tuohy: Development Director (Learn more)
Ana Vasconcellos: Web Developer (Learn more)
Mark Warren, AIA: Program Coordinator (Learn more)
T. Luke Young: Program Coordinator (Learn more)
Frederika Zipp: Operations Director (Learn more)

Haiti Rebuilding Center

For a complete list of Rebuilding Center staff, please visit the Haiti Staff page

Consulting Partners

Thao Nguyen, Creative Artists Agency (Learn more)
Diana Bianchini, Di Moda Public Relations (Learn more)
Steven Meier, Jenner& Block, General Counsel (Learn more)

2012 Design Fellows

View full design fellow bios

San Francisco, CA, USA: Gina Fontes, Carolina Libardi, Zac Taylor, Yuko Okamura
Ishinomaki, Miyagi, Japan: Takaharu Saito, Toru Nakaki, Akinobou Yoshikawa
Education Outreach, International Design Studios: Nathaniel Corum

Pietermaritzburg, South Africa: Rogerio Costa
Botswana: Eliza Engel
Cape Verde: Ana Ramos
Iringa, Tanzania: Alma Ruiz
Manica, Mozambique:Paolo Fernandez and Alina Jeronimo
Addis Adaba, Ethiopia:Matthew Hughes
Bujumbura, Burundi:Elena Ghibaudo

Port-au-Prince, Haiti: Natalie Desrosiers, Nancy Doran, Kate Evarts, Burtland Granvil, Jean-Rene Lafontant, Frederique Siegel | Haiti Staff page

2012 Volunteers

San Francisco, CA, USA:
Kathryn Sonnabend, San Francisco, California (Learn more)
Sarah Finnigan, Santa Rosa, California (Learn more)
Nancy Mei, Bay Area, California
Radha Muralidhara, Bengalooru, India
Bisi Obateru, Lagos, Nigeria (Learn more)

Staff Profiles

Natassia Academia, Accounting Manager

Natassia joined Architecture for Humanity in November of 2010. She has a finance background, with experience in project accounting for a San Francisco based advertising agency and loans analysis in the mortgage-lending field. She has also served as a volunteer for Urban Table, a nonprofit group which connects local farmers to urban communities. She graduated with a B.A. from CSU East Bay and currently pursuing CPA accreditation.

Brian Baer

Brian comes to Architecture for Humanity with over 25 years of sustainable, community-aided design solutions for educational, cultural, civic and non-governmental agency projects across the United States. Combining his versatile leadership and managerial skills, Brian has collaborated with a wide variety of constituencies to bring consensus and success to the design and building process. He is licensed in several states and is a LEED accredited professional and certified by NCARB.

He received his architecture degree from The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. After practicing in DC, Seattle and Boston, he returned to his native New York some years ago as a seasoned professional. Currently he is managing the school component of the overall Hurricane Sandy Reconstruction program in New York City.

Eric Cesal, Director, Reconstruction & Resiliency Studio

Eric is a designer, builder, analyst and writer. A native of Washington, D.C., Eric completed his undergraduate studies at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island and achieved a Masters in Architecture, a Masters in Construction Management and an MBA (Masters in Business Administration) from Washington University in St. Louis. In between he practiced in Washington, D.C., working primarily on educational and institutional projects.

Eric first joined Architecture for Humanity in 2006 as a volunteer in Biloxi, Mississippi. He followed up that work the following year with another stint in the Lower 9th Ward in New Orleans, Louisiana, before joining Architecture for Humanity full time in 2010.

After the Haiti Earthquake, Eric became the Regional Program Director for Architecture for Humanity's Haiti Rebuilding Center. In 2012, Eric became the Director of the Reconstruction and Resiliency Studio.

"I love architecture because it never runs out of possibilities."

Suman Deep, Salesforce Developer

Suman joined Architecture for Humanity in May 2012. Suman is responsible for developing the Architecture for Humanity Salesforce CRM and its administration. He received his Masters in Computer Science from Silicon Valley University in 2011. Suman is a native of India and has spent significant time growing up in Doha, Qatar.

Bridget Dodd, Executive Assistant

Bridget joined Architecture for Humanity as a Design Fellow in August 2011 and as of January 2012 started as the Executive Assistant to both Kate Stohr and Cameron Sinclair. Bridget brings to the position many years of managing projects and working on site as an AmeriCorps construction volunteer lead with Habitat for Humanity. Bridget holds a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from The Catholic University of America and a Masters of Architecture from the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Audrey Galo, Program Coordinator

Audrey completed a undergraduate degree in Architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology and a masters degree at the California College of the Arts specializing in urban design. She is passionate about nonprofits dedicated to design, sustainable practices and education. In October 2011, she joined the organization as a Haiti Program Intern and later the AIA / Architecture for Humanity Disaster Resiliency and Recovery Program, and in January 2013 became a Program Coordinator for the Hurricane Sandy and Disaster Resiliency programs.

Darren Gill, Program Coordinator

Darren comes to the Haiti team following a design fellowship with Architecture for Humanity building the earth block-based Nakaseeta Academy in rural Uganda. Previously, Darren has worked on a wide variety of projects in Haiti and India, including the design and construction of homes and schools, and environmental conservation work. He now oversees design and construction for the Rebuilding Center.

Elizabeth Han, New Program Development Manager

Elizabeth leads the development of new program opportunities that achieve Architecture for Humanity’s mission. She brings nearly 10 years of marketing and communications experience in the architecture / engineering sector. Prior to joining Architecture for Humanity, Elizabeth served as a Marketing Manager at SOM San Francisco and at OWP/P (now Cannon Design). At OWP/P she helped to create The Third Teacher, a collaborative publication and conversation that explores the impact design has on the learning and teaching environment. It was during the development of this publication that Elizabeth first came across Architecture for Humanity’s Design Like You Give a Damn, which had just been published and used as a reference for inspiration.

"I love architecture because it evokes the very emotions and cognitive responses that remind me that I am human."

Dana Hymel, Campaign Manager

Dana is a seasoned business development leader with a broad sales, marketing and finance background in the Consumer Packaged Goods industry. She has worked on a national level for industry leaders such as Dean Foods and Colgate Palmolive developing marketing campaigns and closing complex sales deals.

Dana is passionately committed to helping improve the lives of the world's most disadvantaged communities. She has independently volunteered with various grassroots non-profits in Latin America and was the visionary and primary fundraiser to construct a school in Nicaragua. She has also volunteered in local projects as a teen mentor and an ESL teacher. She is extremely excited to combine her personal passion with her professional talent as Campaign Manager for Architecture for Humanity.

Garrett Jacobs, Outreach Coordinator

Garrett first joined Architecture for Humanity in the summer of 2012 helping to direct and restructure the San Francisco Chapter. After helping coordinate DLYGD:Live! he became a design fellow working with the Green Schools program, organizing a national competition for students and co-authoring a tool kit for healthy building improvements.

After finishing an M. Arch program at Tulane University he dabbled in set design while running a design class for middle school students in his spare time. Teaching kids, along with running many community focused design/build projects lead him to his passion of community design and realizing the power of local connections.
Garrett joined Architecture for Humanity for the 8 days a week schedule in March 2013.

“It's about sheltering the narrative.”

Karl Johnson, Communications Associate

Karl brings a background in architecture, interdisciplinary design and storytelling to assist the organization's communications needs.

Karl previously assisted program coordination, communications and outreach for the Haiti Rebuilding Center and Students Rebuild as a design fellow. Karl holds a certificate in interdisciplinary design from the Institute without Boundaries in Toronto and an architecture degree from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

"I love architecture because it shows us who we are."

Kris Jong, Project Accountant

Kris joined Architecture for Humanity as a Project Accountant in April 2012. His interest in architecture started with bold and modern designs that convinced him that he wanted to be an architect when he grew up.

This led Kris to Cal Poly where he intended to study architecture, but the idea of all-nighters and sleeping in labs dissuaded him. Kris ended up in the college of business where the sole pursuit of profit left him wanting something more. Kris aligned himself with a professor who enlightened him of an environmentally conscious, community enhancing, and sustainable business model. The professor called it the triple bottom line, and he has kept this approach to his work ever since.

After graduating, he started his career as an accountant at a local social service non-profit where he was exposed to all aspects of accounting. Kris then moved into accounting for a for-profit architecture firm where he worked closely with project managers to help them manage the financial aspect of their projects. Being at Architecture for Humanity synergizes his work experience and he is grateful for the opportunity to work on exciting projects that also help communities in need.

Delphine Luboz, Program Coordinator

Delphine joined Architecture for Humanity as a Design fellow in September 2011, prior to which she was involved as a volunteer with both HQ and the London chapter working on different projects and developing fundraising strategies. She is currently working on the Football for Hope program, coordinating the different projects around Africa.

Delphine was born in the US and raised in France. She holds a degree in Architecture from the Paris Val de Seine National Architecture School and worked for several private architectural offices in Paris and London, performing design and management tasks at all project stages. Her different career experiences, field trips around Europe, Asia and Africa, and a strong passion for community focused design changed her view on how to practice architecture and pushed her to believe in design as a tool for change.

Rachel Minnery, Program Manager, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP Homes

Rachel‘s passion is creating, enhancing and sustaining vibrant communities. She has worked with both the public and private sector on building and planning projects, focusing on environmentally and socially responsible design for housing, commercial, healthcare and education projects. She comes to Architecture for Humanity from Environmental Works, a non-profit community design center in Seattle, Washington.

As chair of the national American Institute of Architect’s Disaster Assistance Committee and co-founder of Architects Without Borders Seattle, Rachel advocates for and organizes architects to contribute volunteer design services to communities in great need. She has led groups of volunteer architects to disaster-stricken places, particularly Mississippi and Haiti, responding to floods, hurricanes and earthquakes. Recently, AIA National honored her with the 2013 Young Architect Award. She is also the recipient of the Graduate of the Last Decade (GOLD) award from Ball State University and College of Architecture’s Award of Outstanding Achievement.

Gretchen Mokry, AIA, LEED AP, Design Director

Gretchen is currently program lead for the Football for Hope Centres in Africa and the Happy Hearts Fund school initiative in South America. Gretchen brings over 15 years of experience in the private sector of architecture to Architecture for Humanity. Her focus on the management and design of civic and educational buildings reflects her interest in developing buildings that serve and bolster the community.

With experience in all phases, Mokry brings with her a significant background in design and construction administration knowledge to Architecture for Humanity. She earned her Bachelors at Parsons School of Design and a Masters at the Architectural Association in London. Gretchen is a LEED Accredited Professional, and a California licensed architect.

"I love architecture because of the power a built environment can have over my emotions."

Alix Ogilvie, Program Manager

Alix Ogilvie brings a strong background in community-based design and climate-related issues to her work with Architecture for Humanity. She is responsible for coordinating a range of program activities and provides competition and program support to the Open Architecture Network. In this role she has successfully managed design and construction grants on programs such as Nike GameChangers; developed design guides such as the Gaza Repair Strategies manual; and managed a number of online competitions including Safe Trestles.

Ogilvie joined Architecture for Humanity in February 2010 as a Design Fellow. Prior to joining Architecture for Humanity, Ogilvie worked in the private sector focusing on residential, mixed-use, and adaptive reuse urban in-fill development. She has an interest in organic farming, and is an active member of San Francisco Neighborhood Emergency Response Team (NERT). Ogilvie is a LEED Accredited Professional, and a California licensed architect.

"I love architecture because it’s where our stories unfold."

Shogo Marukawa, Regional Program Manager, Tohoku Rebuilding Program

Born and grown in Japan, Shogo had dedicated himself as one of volunteers after the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011, meanwhile he worked at urban-developer in Tokyo. By chance he joined Tsumugiya project, which AFH had decided to give them the grant in a competition. Through the communication with many people who had been damaged by tsunami disaster, he decided to devote himself to them with his knowledge, human network, and last but not least, passion. He believes Tohoku Rebuilding Program will not be achieved without close communication among local citizens, government, and skilled people from other regions. He'd like to serve as a catalyst in order to achieve the goal in the long run.

Prior to joining Architecture for Humanity, Shogo graduated from University of Tokyo with bachelor's degree in law, and master's degree in public policy. He also learned urban planning at Natinal University of Singapore. He worked as an urban-developer at Mori Building, known for it's unique development policy. He experienced project finance, accounting and corporate planning division. His interests are community design, local-central government system, and economic policy.

Kathy Richter, Human Resources Manager

Kathy joined Architecture for Humanity in January 2013 to support our growing organization's human resources needs. She brings more than 20 years multi-industry human resources experience and a strategic approach to recruiting, employee relations, benefits, HRIS, change management and training.

Her credentials include a M.S. in Human Resources Management, a B.A. in Sociology and the Senior Professional in Human Resources certification (SPHR).

Kristen Schlott, Development Associate

Kristen holds a BS in Environmental Studies and Environmental Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis, and a certificate from the Sustainable Cities summer [IN]STITUTE at the Center for Environmental Design at UC Berkeley. She joined Architecture for Humanity in 2012 assisting the development team, first as a Design Fellow and now on staff.

Cameron Sinclair, co-founder and 'chief eternal optimist' (CEO)

Cameron Sinclair was trained as an architect at the University of Westminster and at the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London. During his studies Sinclair developed an interest in social, cultural and humanitarian design. His postgraduate thesis focused on providing shelter to New York's homeless through sustainable, transitional housing. After his studies, he moved to New York where he worked as a designer and project architect.

In 2006 Sinclair and Architecture for Humanity co-founder Kate Stohr compiled a bestselling book Design Like You Give A Damn: Architectural Responses to Humanitarian Crises, following up in 2012 with Volume [2]: Building Change From the Ground Up. He is heavily involved in bringing socially relevant building into academia and serves on advisory boards of the Acumen Fund, the Institute for State Effectiveness and the Ontario College of Art and Design.

Sinclair is a TED prize recipient and is a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum. In 2008 Architecture for Humanity and its co-founders Sinclair and Stohr were named as recipients of the Design Patron Award for the National Design Awards. The following year Sinclair and Stohr were jointly awarded the Bicentenary Medal by the Royal Society of Arts for increasing people’s resourcefulness.

As a result of the 2006 TED Prize, Architecture for Humanity launched the Open Architecture Network, the world's first open source community dedicated to improving living conditions through innovative and sustainable design. Every two years this network hosts a global challenge to tackle a systemic issue within the built environment.

Michael Steiner, Program Manager

Michael Steiner joined Architecture for Humanity in 2012. Michael is a graduate of the University of New Mexico School of Architecture and Planning. He is a licensed Architect with nearly twenty years of design experience with architecture firms in New Mexico, Oregon and California.

Michael's versatility and leadership extend to his passion in international nonprofit work. He has served as a program manager for a Buddhist temple restoration in Mongolia and as a fundraiser in Colombia for children’s health, shelter and educational programs. He is currently a board member for the Blue Sky Education Project serving children and educators of rural Mongolia. For fifteen years he was an active volunteer with Habitat for Humanity International and his numerous Habitat project build teams have worked in Latin America, Melanesia, the U.S.A. and Europe.

Kate Stohr, co-founder and Managing Director

Kate Stohr is the co-founder and Managing Director of Architecture for Humanity. She has been instrumental in coordinating design services and raising more than $15 million in capital for design-centered community development.

In her role at Architecture for Humanity, she has led a number of the organization’s community development and reconstruction programs including: Football for Hope, Hurricane Katrina Reconstruction Programs, 2010 Haiti Earthquake Reconstruction, Open Architecture Network, and the acquisition of Worldchanging.

Prior to joining Architecture for Humanity she was a journalist and producer, receiving her bachelor's degree magna cum laude from New York University and her master's degree in Journalism from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. She is the recipient of Wired magazine’s 2006 Rave Award for Architecture and was awarded the Royal Society of Arts Bicentenary Medal in 2009. She serves as an adviser to the Clinton Global Initiative. Together with co-founder, Cameron Sinclair she accepted the 2008 Cooper-Hewitt Smithsonian National Design Patron Award in honor of the work of Architecture for Humanity, its chapters, volunteers and design fellows.

"I love architecture because it is the difference between permanence and impermanence. Everything else around us shifts and changes. A building never moves. It shelters, it aspires, it lasts, it welcomes. Eventually it tells many stories."

Hiromi Tabei, Program Coordinator

Hiromi joined Architecture for Humanity in June 2011 to coordinate the Tohoku Rebuilding Program. Originally from Japan, Hiromi came stateside to study cartography at the University of Oregon, and stayed at a U.S. company working on maps of all kinds. Her work stirred a curiosity in the human scale, and then architecture. Hiromi accumulated a Masters degree at the Architecture College in Boston, followed by several years' experience at a Boston design office, before the tsunami occurred.

"I love architecture because it changes people’s lives….better or worse. (I’m working for the former, not the latter. But that’s users’ opinion, not mine)."

Joseph Tuohy, Development Director

Joseph Tuohy brings more than 20 years of experience in nonprofit fundraising and arts management. His development career began at San Francisco Ballet, and later he served as Director of the Bay Area Dance Series. He spent ten years in New York working with School of Visual Arts and Second Stage Theatre, and for five years served on the board of directors of Visual AIDS. Most recently he was Director of the Palo Alto Art Center Foundation. He has a B.A. from UC Berkeley in English Literature and Interdisciplinary Studies and undertook graduate work in Art Criticism and Writing at School of Visual Arts.

Ana Vasconcellos, Web Development Manager

Vasconcellos works behind the scenes, using her years of experience developing drupal-based community sites, to implement new features and improve the code of the Open Architecture Network.

Vasconcelos has a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from University of California at Berkeley, focusing on computer science and social theory.

Mark Warren, AIA, Program Coordinator

Mark joined Architecture for Humanity in 2010 first working out of the organization’s headquarters in San Francisco before relocating to the Africa regional program office in Cape Town, South Africa where he is currently a program coordinator.

Mark brings ten years of experience working in both the architecture and NGO world. Mark has a Masters of Architecture from the Catholic University of America and a Bachelor’s degree from the George Washington University. He is a licensed architect in the US state of California.

T. Luke Young, Program Coordinator

T. Luke Young brings to the organization more than 13 years of experience in architecture, urban planning, and social infrastructure design. He has worked primarily in Latin America, Asia and the U.S. Through his work he has integrated participatory planning, vernacular architecture and innovative design concepts to foster urban settlement initiatives that include residents, are sensitive to their culture and needs, and respect the natural and built environment. He has worked with Architecture for Humanity since 2009 when in partnership with two collaborators was awarded the Founder’s Prize in the 2009 Open Architecture Challenge and again in 2010 as a volunteer in Port-au-Prince.

He earned a Bachelor degree in Historic Preservation from Roger Williams University, a Master in Architectural Studies and a Master in Urban Planning, both from MIT. T. Luke has volunteered his time in marginalized neighborhoods in Colombia and Haiti to promote more equitable spaces.

"I love architecture because it has a universal power to nourish humanity."

Frederika Zipp, Operations Manager

Frederika Zipp is a registered Professional Engineer, and has worked for some of the largest engineering and construction companies in the world, including Bechtel and MW Kellogg. Her experience includes design, specification and procurement for industrial projects. She also worked for a time in civil engineering, focusing on residential projects.

Zipp was born in Morocco, raised in Africa, Brazil and France, and educated in the United States. She holds a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University and is fluent in French. Zipp serves as a Children Docent volunteer at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Volunteer Profiles

Sarah Finnigan, Disaster Studio Intern

Sarah joins us as a volunteer and Disaster Program Assistant for the Reconstruction and Resiliency Studio at the Architecture for Humanity headquarter office. She is visiting from Paris where she recently completed her studies towards a Masters degree in Public Policy and International Affairs at The American University of Paris. She shaped her graduate studies and thesis research around post-disaster reconstruction policies and practices that best support internally displaced persons throughout
reconstruction and development.

She is both an architecture and development professional, having worked as an architectural designer prior to moving to France and later as a development coordinator for a university outreach and advancement office. While pursuing her graduate studies, she volunteered as a program assistant for UNICEF France headquarters in Paris and as a logistics support volunteer for a team of visiting doctors at Project Mercy, a community development project in rural Ethiopia.

Before moving to France, she lived in San Francisco and worked as an architectural designer for a firm in Oakland. She was a member of the local AFH chapter and volunteered as a docent for San Francisco Architectural Heritage. She earned her Bachelors of Architecture degree from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and earned distinction as a LEED Accredited Professional.

Kathryn Sonnabend, Disaster Studio Intern

Kathryn is originally from outside of Boston and graduated in the spring of 2011 with a degree in Architectural Studies and German Studies from Brown University. In 2010, she spent half a year studying and interning in Berlin, and taught English in rural Germany over the past few summers. After graduating from Brown, she worked at a Brooklyn-based online magazine until deciding to pursue a Master of Architecture.

She moved recently to San Francisco and has since become involved with Architecture for Humanity's programs in the Disaster Studio. She is looking forward to building a framework for understanding reconstruction and resiliency before beginning graduate studies in design.

Consulting Partners

Thao Nguyen, Creative Artists Agency

Creative Artists Agency represents Architecture for Humanity in managing speaking events and opportunities. To inquire about speaking appearances and other engagements, please contact us.

Diana Bianchini, Di Moda Public Relations

Di Moda Public Relations provides outreach and manages public relations for Architecture for Humanity. For press requests, please contact us.

Steven Meier, Jener&Block

Jenner & Block generously provides pro bono legal counsel to Architecture for Humanity. In this capacity, Steven Meier serves as Architecture for Humanity's General Counsel

Hall of Fame

Hall of Fame: Learn about staff, volunteers and fellows who have worked with us in the past.