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Faces & Voices
"We provide a space for people who don't usually have a platform to express their opinions and ideas...particularly young and emerging planners."
2/25/19

Byron Nicholas (MUP '13, BAED '11)
Creator of Black + Urban; Supervising Transportation Planner, Hudson County, NJ

 

Geoffrey Butler’s love of Buffalo led to his work in one of the hardest hit flood areas in the U.S.
2/12/15

Geoffrey Butler (MUP '11)
Planner, Houston Planning and Development

 

William Gates and a UB engineering alum play lead role in the design and construction of food gardens for the headquarters of the United Nations in New York City. 
2/12/15

William Gates (MArch ‘01)
Professor, New York School of Interior Design

 

"I never really knew planning was a career...growing up, my family fostered a love of history and an appreciation for historic buildings. The master’s in urban planning program intrigued that part of me, so even though I never considered myself an excellent student or a strong writer, I took my shot and applied....being a part of the program was the best two years ever.” 
10/2/24

Hallie Wright (MUP '24)
 Preservation planner focusing in historic preservation, Preservation Studios, Buffalo, NY

"Real estate development is a tool, a potentially powerful tool, that can effectuate meaningful change in society, in cities, towns and communities, and in the lives of individuals."
2/8/21

Connor Kenney (MSRED '18)
 Real Estate Developer, SAA/EVI.

“In thirty-five years following my graduation from UB, I have always stayed connected, collaborative and collegial. I believe that I cultivated a rigorous attitude toward constructing links between the discipline and practice of architecture through my studies in the MArch program. ”
3/30/20

Murat Soygenis, FAIA, MArch '85
 Founding Partner S+ ARCHITECTURE, Professor, Istanbul

"I saw the impact of how knowledge can change the perception and behavior of women and young people ... This is something that changes you forever."
3/4/19

Rana Abu Ghazaleh (MUP '08)
Urban planner and global activist

 

"The quality of the program and faculty kept me at UB for graduate school and keeps me involved with the school today."
2/4/16

Michael Anderson (MArch '03, BPS '01)
Owner/Architect, Abstract Architecture PC

"I would not be the person I am today if it was not for the opportunities and education I had during my time at UB."
10/10/19

Andres Santandreu (MArch '17, BS Arch '16)
Design Associate, Haskell Co., Jacksonville, Fla.

"I have the opportunity to try to gain more visibility for females in both the STEM field and in professional sports."
10/29/19

Kimberly Sass (MArch ’16)
Job Captain, HLW; Goaltender and Board Member, Professional Women's Hockey Players' Association

"We see a lot of cities and nonprofits thinking creatively on how federal dollars can go the furthest. Personally I find that exciting."
9/20/19

Taylor Hawes (MUP/JD '12)
Attorney - Advisor, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fort Worth, TX

Faller is a designer and builder that loves all things related to the built environment. She has practiced professionally at the small residential design build scale, to the large corporate commercial scale. Kalyn has taken her skills and knowledge of buildings, construction, and project management to General Motors where she is currently the Facilities Engineer at the Lockport site. Kalyn recently delivered a TEDxBuffalo talk on the Buffalo Porch as sacred space.
12/20/24

Kalyn Faller (BS Arch '18)
 Facilities Engineer, General Motors

After helping UB's NOMAS team place first in a national design competition, this dual master’s grad looks ahead.
2/25/19

Joenette Cobb (MArch/MUP '18)

"I have always been very proud to be a graduate from this school and cherish the years that I spent in Buffalo. I discovered so much about the person I was and wanted to become."
3/4/20

Diane Georgopulos, FAIA (BA '73)
 Retired director of housing and construction for MassHousing

“The interdisciplinary approach to the program has allowed me to review real estate opportunities from different perspectives. ”
11/3/22

Michael Velasco, MSRED '19
Vice President, LIHTC Tax Credit Equity Asset Manager at M&T Bank

“I wanted to be in the business of making things happen, of creating a legacy, of creating something that was lasting, creating a sense of place, being an agent of change.” 
2/12/15

Richard Perlmutter (BA ’76)
President, Argo Development

Michael Nelson, performing arts center (PAC) design guru, reflects on creating the "living rooms" of our communities.
11/4/19

Michael Nelson (MArch '83, BPS '81)
Architect and co-founder, designel, Palm Springs, Fla.

It may seem an unlikely place for an architect to land, but Matthew Sama, assistant art director for NBC’s “The Blacklist,” says his UB education uniquely prepared him for what he’s doing today.
2/12/15

Matthew Sama (MArch ’11, Architecture BS ’09)
Assistant Art Director, NBC

 

“I wanted to live in the middle of nowhere and plant trees,” Jajean Rose-Burney recalls of his hopes for a stint in the Peace Corps. Instead, he wound up behind a desk in a big bureaucracy in Mexico’s fourth-largest city, Puebla.  
4/29/14

Jajean Rose-Burney (MUP '07, BAED '05)
Deputy Executive Director, Western New York Land Conservancy

"Sometimes you've just got to take a risk."
6/11/26

Doug Swift (MArch '93)
Developer, Buffalo

 

“We need to think about how to pull these ‘digital materials’ into our set of design tools and expertise...to create a world where it makes sense to interact with physical space and digital things, and still be relevant for an architectural practice.” 
2/12/15

Adam Laskowitz (MArch/MFA ’12, Architecture BS ’09)
Director of User Experience, Target Corp.

 

Real estate developer Daniel Crowther combines interest in design and collaborative facility as manager of projects across the region.
5/20/19

Daniel Crowther (MSRED, BAED '15)
Project Manager, TM Montante

"I arrived at Buffalo with the idea that architecture was a way that I could both understand and intervene in the world."
9/7/18

Gabrielle Printz (MArch '14)
Architectural researcher, writer and designer

 

"The School of Architecture and Planning's open environment and access to professors allowed me to tinker. It’s quite literally what I encourage the staff to do here.”  
6/11/26

Kenneth Smith (MArch '85)
Principal, Smith + Associates Architects

“My best advice to students: Take every advantage to get practical experience through internships or community work.”
2/12/15

Gary Jastrzab (BA '76)
Executive Director, Philadelphia City Planning Commission

"My background in all three fields allows me to approach projects more comprehensively. I’m able to understand the various aspects of each project and can move from one to the other with ease and help mediate conflicts when needed."
1/28/20

Bradley Everdyke (MArch/MUP '17, BAED '13)
 Architect focusing in historic preservation, Carmina Wood Morris, Buffalo, NY

Quardean Lewis-Allen (Architecture BS ’09) has been recognized nationally for his social entrepreneurship in design education for at-risk youth in the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn.
2/12/15

Quardean Lewis-Allen (Architecture BS ’09)
Founder, Made in Browsnville

 

“The things I learned at UB were essential to the job I do now. But even more important to me were the relationships I cultivated there."
2/12/15

Lisa Hicks (MS in Real Estate Development '17)
Director of Development, City of Buffalo, Office of Strategic Planning

A practicing architect, Martinez also works actively to raise awareness of architecture as a career path for traditionally marginalized communities.
10/10/19

Ingrid Martinez (MArch '17, BS Arch '16)
Architectural Designer, Clark Patterson Lee

"Our biggest challenge moving forward is creating more equitable outcomes and improving our cities."
2/21/19

Samuel Wells (MUP '14)
Neighborhood Stabilization Coordinator, City of Albany

 

"The ability to come up with practical ways to engage the general public in terms they can understand is a valuable and essential asset to any preservation organization. During my time at UB, I learned practical solutions and ways to address this."
10/1/19

Katharine Hewlings (MS Arch '18)
Historic Buildings and Structures Survey Coordinator, History Nebraska

"I left the School of Architecture and Planning with a deeper appreciation of the power of people in placemaking, both the seen and unseen. I work every day knowing that the future is for those that design the policies and processes that govern them."
2/15/20

Shawntera Hardy, MUP '04
 Co-founder, Civic Eagle

"I can't emphasize enough the importance of grant writing. It's a huge piece in the urban planning field. If there's a grant writing class, take it."
5/20/19

Rebecca Yanus (MUP '15, BAED '13)
 Director of Planning and Development, City of Dunkirk, NY

"UB's MSRED program stands out due to their emphasis on preparing students for professional practice post-graduation. These resources were instrumental in aiding students with summer placements, industry connections, and full-time employment opportunities that furthered UB's impact beyond the classroom."
11/12/24

Brendan Flowers (MSRED '22)
Development Associate, SmartCentres REIT

F. Jason Campbell discusses Buffalo as an architectural lens and an influence on his multidimensional career
2/12/15

Jason Campbell (Architecture BS '11)
Designer, Bohlin Cywinski Jackson

 

“At UB, you hone your design skills. And you are also trained to have a full understanding of the coordination of the systems of a building."
2/12/15

Suzanne Musho (MArch '93, BA '90)
Vice President, Zubatkin Owner Representation

"Always make yourself available and open to new opportunities and challenges. Learn to embrace the discomfort that comes from challenges. Train yourself to look at problems from multiple perspectives." 
2/12/15

Alexander Morris (MArch ‘94, BPS ‘91)
Senior Associate, Wallace Roberts & Todd, Philadelphia

Architect Michael Garz (BA '72) has managed design for the World Trade Center Transportation Hub, guided by lessons learned at UB.
2/12/15

Michael Garz (BA '72)
Senior Vice President, STV

"I had no idea the paths urban planning would open up."
5/20/19

Caitlin Donovan (MUP '11, BAED '09)
 Community Planning and Development Director, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

"I adore working toward a common goal. There's a can-do kind of spirit, a lightness at Studio Gang."
5/20/19

Maciej Kaczynski (BS Arch '06)
 Project Leader, Studio Gang (Chicago)

Omar Hakeem has dedicated his career to building social and environmental equality through design and making. 
11/26/19

Omar Hakeem (BS Arch '06)
 Design Director, bcWorkshop, Washington D.C.

“The general attitude of the school is not to project things onto the students, but to have them go out and discover things on their own. You might not have the answer, but you know how to get it. That skill set really prepares you for a career in anything.”
3/13/15

Courtney Creenan-Chorley (MArch/MUP '12, BAED '08)
Architect, Flynn Battaglia Architects

"I decided to combine my planning skills and technical training in community development with public health to create the concept of healthy places for healthy people."
11/21/19

Dean S. Seneca (BAED '90)
Senior public health specialist and CEO, Seneca Scientific Solutions+ LLC, Buffalo, NY

As a researcher with China's Development Research Center in Beijing, Xuan Sun brings urban planning solutions to China's rapidly urbanizing cities.  
9/3/19

Xuan Sun (MUP '13)
 Researcher, Development Research Center of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China

"Placemaking in Black communities should take a context sensitive approach to customs and cultural values and their effects on the Black family nuclei."
2/23/21

Byron Nicholas (MUP '13, BAED '11)
Creator of Black + Urban; Supervising Transportation Planner, Hudson County, NJ

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