MEET THE JURORS NEW BEDFORD AND FAIRHAVEN
Final Review Jurors
Dr. Jack Ahern
Professor Emeritus of Landscape Architecture, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Juror, Spring 2022 Envision Resilience Narragansett Bay Challenge
Dr. Jack Ahern is a landscape architecture professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His research focuses on the application of urban landscape ecology theory, with the mission to provide ecosystem services and build resilience capacity. Jack consults on plant community establishment and management for leading design firms, integrating his horticultural, design and ecological knowledge in order to create memorable landscapes.
In 2016 Jack was awarded the Fabos medal for his international leadership in landscape and greenway planning. He received his masters in landscape architecture from the University of Pennsylvania and his PhD, in the same field, from Wageningen University & Research.
Julia Czerniak
Dean and Professor, School of Architecture and Planning, University of Buffalo
Juror, Spring 2021 Envision Resilience Nantucket Challenge
Lead Faculty, Spring 2022 Envision Resilience Narragansett Bay Challenge
Julia Czerniak is Dean and Professor of the School of Architecture and Planning at the University at Buffalo. Educated as both an architect and landscape architect, her research and practice draws on the intersection of these disciplines.
Although the techniques, scales and products of her research vary, Czerniak’s work focuses on the potentials of urban landscapes. Recent design research explores the relationship of design to biodiversity, advancing landscape as a protagonist in remaking and envisioning the complex relationship amongst animal species.
Czerniak’s work as a designer is complemented by her work as educator and writer, which in all cases advances design as a way to enable new ways of seeing, imagining, valuing and acting within our challenged anthropocentric environment. Large Parks (Princeton Architectural Press) and Case: Downsview Park Toronto (Prestel) focus on contemporary design approaches to public parks. Formerly Urban: Projecting Rust Belt Futures (Princeton Architectural Press) examines potential futures for shrinking cities. Other writings include essays in Third Coast Atlas (Actar); Wiley-Blackwell Companion to the History of Architecture (Wiley & Sons); Landscape Infrastructure (Birkhauser); Landscape Alchemy: The Work of Hargreaves Associates (ORO Editions); Fertilizers: Olin Eisenman (Institute for Contemporary Art,); Landscape Urbanism (Princeton Architectural Press); Assemblage 34 (MIT Press) and Harvard Design Magazine. Czerniak lectures and teaches internationally, most recently as keynote in the Large Parks in Large Cities conference in Stockholm and the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects annual meeting in Melbourne, as well as lectures at KU Leuven in Belgium, Peking University and Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, Macedonia.
Yanel de Angel
Principal, Managing Director, Perkins & Will
Juror, Spring 2022 Envision Resilience Narragansett Bay Challenge
After hurricanes Irma and María devastated Puerto Rico in 2017, and with the support of Perkins&Will, Yanel led the formation of the resilientSEE-PR (an initiative of AREAresearch.org), an alliance that provides long-term relief to communities in Puerto Rico through resilient design and planning. Ongoing projects range from Municipal to neighborhood community scale interventions and educational programs. ResilientSEE has expanded to other geographic locations providing climate adaptation strategies.
As Principal and Managing Director of the Boston Studio of Perkins&Will, Yanel manages complex projects and brings a holistic design framework to problem solving. Passionate about community resilience, environmental stewardship and building performance, she is an active member of the Firm’s Resilience Knowledge Community, Research Board and Board of Directors. She was a founding member of the Project Delivery Board and served on the Diversity Council and Executive Committee. Yanel is VP of Practice for Boston Society of Architect (BSA) / AIA Board, co-chaired the BSA Women in Design (WiD) Excellence Awards committee, and co-founded the BSA WiD Mid-Career Mentorship committee. She serves at various academic and non-profit Boards and is an active member of CREW Boston.
April De Simone
Founder and Managing Principal, Practice of Democracy
Juror, Spring 2022 Envision Resilience Narragansett Bay Challenge
At the intersection of social dynamics and spatial design, Ms. De Simone is a socio-spatial practitioner who navigates and investigates the intricate relationship between individuals and their built environment. Her interdisciplinary approach incorporates architectural phenomenology, a philosophical framework that delves into the lived experiences and perceptions of architectural spaces. Through a nuanced understanding of how individuals interact with and interpret their surroundings, Ms. De Simone utilizes the principles of architectural phenomenology to inform her multidimensional research and design practice.
This method transcends conventional design considerations, placing emphasis on the experiential aspects of space and the profound impact it has on fostering social connections, identity, and well-being. She harnesses her investigations and research to co-create environments advancing healing, equity, and justice.
Her work is inspired by her experiences growing up in a Bronx, New York neighborhood, steeped in the collateral consequences of intentionally designed systems of inequity. In partnership with diverse stakeholders, she seeks to cultivate reframed opportunities within
spatial practice to advance equitable, humane, and just frameworks and projects shaping the conditions of our society.
Bridging theory and practice, April co-founded designing the WE in 2015, co-curating the nationally acclaimed "Undesign the Redline" exhibit. In 2024, she will launch the Practice of Democracy, a decentralized design practice committed to the long-term work of advancing equitable and just systemic change, moving beyond the one off projects of architecture. Her immersive project, Democracy Is... debuted in 2022 on NYC's High Line and is touring nationally as a pop-up, with the full exhibition coming in 2024.
Democracy is... is a public engagement campaign calling for our collective attention and action inunderstanding how democratic values are represented through the environments and systems we plan and design. Told through the voices and lived experiences of the people, this interactive journey delves into a past to present timeline, exploring the challenges and triumphs shaping the consciousness and practice of democratic values.
Each step is an invitation to uncover what democracy means to people and shed light on the ways we strive for inclusivity, representation, and social justice. An invited speaker, facilitator, and board member, April's impact spans issues of equity and design, and was recently recognized by Enterprise Community Partners Impactful 40 in 2022. A Dean Merit Scholar, she holds a Master's in Design and Urban Ecologies. Currently, she is pursuing her Master’s in Architecture.
Kristin Frederickson
Associate Principal, Reed Hilderbrand
Principal Kristin Frederickson’s work has centered on historically and culturally significant sites for private, institutional, and public clients, focusing on how to honor legacy while meeting the moment of our time. Kristin brings an uncompromising commitment to the specificity of a site and to engaging questions of beauty, authenticity, performance and equity. With Reed Hilderbrand since 2006, she has contributed to the design and implementation of many well-known projects, including the rehabilitation and expansion of the Edwin Lutyens-designed estate Marsh Court and the Franklin Park Action Plan for Boston’s largest public park, both of which received the ASLA Award of Excellence. She is currently leading Longwood Reimagined, the ambitious renewal of Longwood Gardens’ western conservatory complex and surrounding 13 acres of gardens, which will feature a new Mediterranean garden under glass. Kristin has taught at Harvard Graduate School of Design and been a design critic at the GSD, RISD and Northeastern University, among others. Kristin earned a Master of Landscape Architecture, with distinction, from the Harvard Graduate School of Design and holds an undergraduate degree in English and Studio Art from Williams College. While at Harvard, Kristin received the Charles Eliot Traveling Fellowship and the Janet Darling Webel Memorial Prize.
Lisa Gray
Founding Partner and Principal, Gray Organschi Architecture
Elizabeth Gray is the founding partner and principal at Gray Organschi Architecture in New Haven, Connecticut, a firm recognized internationally for its innovative conception and careful crafting of architectural projects ranging from the adaptive re-use of damaged buildings and neighborhoods to the development and implementation of low-impact component assembly systems for ecologically delicate sites. Ms. Gray believes that Gray Organschi’s wide range of project types – from single family homes to institutional projects and bridges, all based in principles of regenerative building – is the foundation for the creative and productive cross-pollination of design and construction knowledge within the practice.
As founder of an architectural practice in a vibrant downtown, Ms. Gray has demonstrated her commitment to fusing design excellence with community engagement, providing volunteer and pro-bono services to programs in need, and working with organizations and institutions to delineate clear and achievable project goals. Her management of the design and construction administration process focuses on the timely delivery of buildings of the highest quality. Careful project research, frank and open conversation, and the clear presentation of options and opportunities have been a defining ambition and hallmark of her professional work.
Most recently, Lisa was honored by Architectural Record's 2020 Women in Architecture Awards. She has served as the Louis I. Kahn Visiting Assistant Professor of Architecture at Yale, conducting graduate studios and seminars in timber technologies, and has also served as a visiting instructor at Yale teaching an advanced studio about the ways in which circular economic principles can influence design.
Matt Littel
Founding Principal, Utile
Matthew Littell is one of the founding principals of Utile. Through his work in the firm’s architecture, planning, and early phase development projects, he has gained an expertise in building and zoning codes and the regulatory process specifically as they relate to urban design and housing. Matthew has directed many of the firm’s early phase planning and urban design projects, including the Downtown Boston Waterfront Municipal Harbor Plan, as well as the design guidelines and zoning for the Rose Kennedy Greenway District. He served as Utile’s principal-in-charge for Imagine Boston 2030, the city’s first comprehensive plan in 50 years. In addition, he leads the firm’s international urban design practice, with projects in the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, and Jordan. Matthew has taught in the graduate architecture program at Northeastern University, and currently teaches a course in Urban Design and sustainable practices at Boston College. He earned his M.Arch. from Harvard’s Graduate School of Design in 1997, where he received the Boston Society of Architects’ James Templeton Kelly award for the best final design project, as well as the Clifford Wong prize for outstanding design in housing.
Laura Marett
Director of Landscape Planning, SCAPE
Laura Marett, RLA, LEED AP, is Director of Landscape Planning at SCAPE. Her practice includes landscape design and systems planning with an emphasis on resiliency. Laura’s work encompasses a range of scales and project types, from the design of public parks, streetscapes and waterfronts to large-scale landscape planning and campus master planning. Laura has particular interest in the design of vibrant urban public spaces through an engaged public process and resilience planning for communities.
Laura holds a Master’s in Landscape Architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design and a Bachelor’s in literature from Harvard College. Laura is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) and the Boston Society of Landscape Architects (BSLA), her local chapter.
Christian Nakarado
Assistant Professor of Ecological Design, Wesleyan University and Founder, Slow Built Studio
Christian is an Assistant Professor of Ecological Design at Wesleyan University and the founder of Slow Built Studio, a design, research, and architecture practice based in New Haven, Connecticut. His teaching and research both focus on impermanence in design and indigenous precedents for non-extractive making. He has spent nearly two decades working in practices on the east and west coasts of the United States, as well as in Canada and England. He is a licensed architect in New York, California, and Michigan, and is a member of the American Institute of Architects and the American Indian Council of Architects and Engineers. He is an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians.
Pedro Ortiz
Designer, DBVW Architects
Community Advisor and Midterm Juror, Fall 2023 Envision Resilience New Bedford and Fairhaven Challenge
Pedro Ortiz, was born in Caguas, Puerto Rico but was raised in New Bedford and has lived there since he was five years old. Ever since his childhood, he wanted to become an architect and as he grew up, he discovered what it truly means to be an architect. As a designer, he gets to influence the built environment and affect the way people live and enjoy their lives. He went to New Bedford’s Vocational High School where he studied Architectural Drafting as his Career Major. He obtained his Masters in Architecture at Roger Williams University and upon graduation joined DBVW Architects, in Providence, RI, full-time. While enrolled at RWU, he worked as a Team Leader/Project Manager for the Community Partnerships Center, where they provided design services to other non-profits around Rhode Island and Southcoast Massachusetts, including projects in New Bedford. At DBVW Architects he has contributed to projects that range from preservation of historic buildings, adaptive re-use of historic/abandoned buildings, and creating/designing affordable housing. He still lives in New Bedford and wants to get involved and see his city succeed and thrive for years to come.
Alan Plattus
Professor of Architecture and Urbanism, Yale University School of Architecture
Lead Faculty, Spring 2021 Envision Resilience Nantucket Challenge
Juror, Spring 2022 Envision Resilience Narragansett Bay Challenge
Alan Plattus began teaching at Yale in 1986 after serving on the faculty of Princeton University for seven years. He is the current director of the School’s Ph.D. program and the Yale Urban Design Workshop and Center for Urban Design Research (YUDW), which he founded in 1992. This initiative undertakes research and design studies for communities throughout Connecticut and the metropolitan region. Current YUDW projects, funded by HUD’s Rebuild by Design program, include planning for a Heritage Park along the Thames River between New London and Groton, Connecticut and resiliency planning for Bridgeport and the Connecticut coast.
Alan has served on the boards of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, the National Architectural Accrediting Board, the Journal of Architectural Education, and Architectural Research Quarterly, as well as the Connecticut Main Street Center and the New Haven Preservation Trust. Alan received a B.A. from Yale University and an M.Arch. from Princeton University.
Chris Reed
Founding Director, Stoss Landscape Urbanism and Co-Director, Master of Landscape Architecture in Urban Design Program, Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Lead Faculty, Spring 2021 Envision Resilience Nantucket Challenge
Chris Reed is Founding Director of Stoss Landscape Urbanism, and both Professor in Practice of Landscape Architecture and Co-Director of the Master of Landscape Architecture in Urban Design Program at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. He is recognized internationally as a leading voice in the transformation of landscapes and cities, and he works alternately as a researcher, strategist, teacher, designer and advisor. Reed is particularly interested in the relationships between landscape and ecology, infrastructure, social spaces and cities. His work collectively includes urban revitalization initiatives, climate resilience and adaptation efforts, speculative propositions, adaptations of infrastructure and former industrial sites, dynamic and productive landscapes, vibrant public spaces that cultivate a diversity of social uses and cultural traditions, and numerous landscape installations. His work can be found in cities as diverse as Boston, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Dallas, Detroit, Galveston, Abu Dhabi, and Dongshan, China.
Midterm Review Jurors
Kathryn Duff
Founder & Director, studio2sustain inc
Kathryn Duff is a registered architect (RA) in Massachusetts, a Certified Passive House Consultant (CPHC), a Passive House Institute – United States (PHIUS) certified consultant and an Ambassador with the International Living Future Institute. Prior to s2s, Kathryn was founder of STUDIO of Architecture & Art. Kathryn is a member of the City of New Bedford Planning Board (Chair, 2018-2022), a past board member of WHALE (Waterfront Historic Area LeaguE), a past board member of the Lloyd Center for the Environment, and a founding board member of the REACH Foundation and the New Bedford Education Foundation. Kathryn lives and works in the port city of New Bedford. Kathryn earned a Bachelor of Architecture from Syracuse University, a Masters of Architecture from Harvard University and attended the Cleveland Institute of Art.
Alanna Jaworski AIA, SARA
Associate, Union Architects
After several years of designing pre-K schools in New York City, Alanna has returned to New England where she savors every opportunity to get outside. She particularly enjoys site visits where she can solve problems on the fly and see her designs realized. Whether it’s schools, housing, or some other program, she pursues architectural work that gives everyone the opportunity to thrive.
Alanna enjoys walking and biking through New England’s post-industrial cities, experiencing the built environment at a slower and more thoughtful pace. On the weekends, you are most likely to find her working on a new house project – mostly by choice! Otherwise, you’ll find her gardening, exploring the city of New Bedford, or joining some friends for a bike ride.
Alanna received her Bachelor of Architecture, summa cum laude, from the Pratt Institute.
Jim Mathes
President & CEO, Dennison Memorial Community Center
Jim Mathes is the President & CEO at Dennison Memorial Community Center in the south end of New Bedford, a position he has held for 10 years. Prior to Dennison, Jim worked in a number of community-oriented jobs, with many of them focused on youth, including Junior Achievement, the SMILES Mentoring Program and the YMCA. That said, Jim is probably best known for his work as President of the New Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce for 22 years. Jim also has a history of community involvement as a volunteer with a number of local organizations, including various volunteer leadership roles with the Schwartz Center for Children, Special Olympics, Leadership SouthCoast, United Way and UMass Dartmouth. He presently serves as a Trustee at Bristol Community College. Jim is married to his wife, Lisa Strattan. They live in South Dartmouth. Together, they have 6 children and 7 grandchildren.
Elizabeth Murphy
Development Specialist, Community Economic Development Center (CEDC) of Southeastern Massachusetts
Elizabeth supports just, local community economic development in New Bedford, MA by building CEDC's capacity to meet community goals. She is a skilled professional eager to do her part to contribute to just, equitable, sustainable economic development on the SouthCoast of Massachusetts. As a longtime resident, she aims to leverage relationships to build stronger connections within and among local organizations. As Development Specialist for CEDC, Elizabeth is always excited to connect with potential partners or funders who share the CEDC’s values and want to learn about its work and how the we may support one another in furthering our goals.
Pedro Ortiz
Designer, DBVW Architects
Pedro Ortiz, was born in Caguas, Puerto Rico but was raised in New Bedford and has lived there since he was 5 years old. Ever since his childhood, he wanted to become an architect and as he grew up, he discovered what it truly means to be an architect. As a designer, he gets to influence the built environment and affect the way people live and enjoy their lives. He went to New Bedford’s Vocational High School where he studied Architectural Drafting as his Career Major. He obtained his Masters in Architecture at Roger Williams University and upon graduation joined DBVW Architects, in Providence, RI, full-time. While enrolled at RWU, he worked as a Team Leader/Project Manager for the Community Partnerships Center, where they provided design services to other non-profits around Rhode Island and Southcoast Massachusetts, including projects in New Bedford. At DBVW Architects he has contributed to projects that range from preservation of historic buildings, adaptive re-use of historic/abandoned buildings, and creating/designing affordable housing. He still lives in New Bedford and wants to get involved and see his city succeed and thrive for years to come.
Paul Pawlowski ASLA, AIA, FAAR
Principal, Studio Pawlowski
Paul holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Virginia and a Master of Landscape Architecture degree from the University of Michigan. He is a Fellow in Landscape
Architecture of the American Academy in Rome, Italy. Paul has worked on coastal projects across Rhode Island, on the Hudson River, resorts in Tunisia and on Sardinia, the Kuwait Waterfront and Abu Dhabi.
He has taught in the Department of Interior Architecture at RISD and led the team designing the transformation of the old Train Station in downtown Providence, RI to a corporate headquarters now housing the RI Foundation. Paul was Director of Design and Planning for Kuwaiti Engineers Office in Kuwait from 1989 until the Iraqi invasion in August 1990 when he and his family became unwilling hostages-in-hiding until allowed to leave weeks and months later after which he appeared before Congress to report on those experiences. In the 1990s, Paul established his firm in Providence where he worked on office interiors, residential renovations, site planning projects for RI municipalities and work with other firms. He was Treasurer of the RI AIA and President of the RI ASLA, founded Vision Rhode Island and held community workshops.
Since moving to New Bedford in 2016, he has been a member of the Board of WHALe, serves on the Steering Committee of the South Coast Bikeway Alliance representing New Bedford, sits on a number of city-led design committees, and is on the Board of the James and Sarah Arnold Mansion where he is Vice President coordinating restoration of the building and its historic grounds while also leading the Out on a Limb roundtable dedicated to increasing awareness of the importance of our urban forest.
John Regan
Director of Policy & External Affairs, New Bedford Port Authority
John Regan is the Director of Policy and External Affairs at the New Bedford Port Authority. He came to the Port of New Bedford in December or 2021 after working for over 20 years at the Massachusetts State House.
John’s major responsibilities at the Port of New Bedford include, but not limited to providing substantive review, analysis, and advice on legislative and regulatory issues and other initiatives related to ocean resources such as offshore wind, fisheries and aquaculture, and any other interests associated with the Port of New Bedford, including environmental permitting, marine construction, and coastal resiliency matters. He is a member of the Massachusetts Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs Fisheries Working Group; a member of the Massachusetts Offshore Wind Fisheries Innovation Advisory Panel; a member of the Greater New Bedford Waterfront Task force; and a member of the New Fishing Heritage Center Strategic Task Force.
John holds bachelor’s degree from Providence College and Master of Public Administration degree from Bridgewater State University. He lives in Norton, Massachusetts with his wife and two children.
Elise Rapoza
Senior Research Associate, MassINC
Elise Rapoza is the Senior Research Associate at MassINC, a nonpartisan think tank dedicated to making Massachusetts a place of civic vitality and inclusive economic opportunity. With dual master’s degrees in statistics and public policy analysis, her expertise lies in research methodology and advanced analytical techniques. She has authored many reports informing state-level policymaking, including analyses of emerging industries, clean technology, housing, and workforce development.
Elise completed her master’s degrees at Oregon State University and was a Commonwealth Scholar at UMass Dartmouth, completing a bachelors degree in “Quantitative Public Policy Analysis” (a bespoke multidisciplinary track) and graduating summa cum laude. Her volunteer work includes serving on the steering committee of the New Bedford Science Café and on the board of Leadership SouthCoast. She currently resides in New Bedford and graduated from Fairhaven High School.
Mary Rapoza
Director, Parks, Recreation & Beaches of New Bedford, MA
Mary S. Rapoza has been the Director of the New Bedford Parks, Recreation & Beaches Department since 2013. Mary has a great love of public spaces and engaging children and adults in the great outdoors for health and recreation. Her commitment to improving the quality of life and health for all New Bedford residents through the development of city wide recreational opportunities and beautiful, safe open spaces is reflected in the new park construction and park rehabilitations that have occurred during her tenure as the Director of the parks department.
New Bedford Parks Recreation & Beaches has constructed several new parks under her direction including Captain Jack Peterson Dog Park, Noah’s Place Playground at Marine Park, the renovated bowling greens at Hazelwood Park and currently Abolition Row Park with the NB Historical Society. Her department manages the annual Play in the Park Summer Food Program which distributes over 88,000 free meals to city youth at parks, playgrounds and summer programs throughout the city, the Full STEAM Ahead program at the Ricketson Nature Center and Andrea McCoy Recreation Center, flag football, pre-K soccer and other recreational and enrichment programs.
Mary’s experience as a Landscape Designer and environmental educator brings a rich background to her position as Director. Mary S. Rapoza received a Graduate Certificate in Landscape Design from the Landscape Institute at Harvard University. As a professional Landscape Designer, Mary has designed and managed the installation of private estates, commercial sites and public parks and spaces. She previously worked as an environmental educator at the Children’s Museum in Dartmouth and the Buzzards Bay Coalition.
Moises Valcarcel Gonzalez
Job Captain, DBVW Architects
Moises brings to DVBW his love for adaptive re-use and historic preservation. He received his Master of Architecture and Graduate Certificate in Historic Preservation at Roger Williams University. Moises also holds a Master of Interior Architecture from Florida International University and was an active member of the Alpha Rho Chi architecture fraternity. Since joining DBVW, he has been working on the Eagle Mill Redevelopment project and the historic North Kingstown Town Hall renovation.