Alumni Stories

Graduates of the School of Architecture and Planning carry the qualities of next-generation leaders: grit, courage, enterprise, and collaboration. It's why our graduates are asking the questions no one else is asking, and turning those ideas into action. It's why UB graduates are leading the profession's most emergent areas of practice.

From Buffalo to Shanghai, our more than 6,500 alumni are leading the way through inspirational practice. UB graduates hold diverse positions of influence across our professions, from firm executives and government officials, to real estate developers and historic preservationists, to community activists and the heads of design research enterprises.

Alumni News

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UB, CannonDesign work to improve DIY fabric mask production
6/18/20
A UB partnership with local industry has engineered a DIY fabric mask that is not only a potentially high-performing alternative to industrial solutions like the N95 mask, but is affordable and scalable.
Making a better mask
6/4/20
Buffalo architect Mike Tunkey (BPS ’00) is mobilizing a diverse network of partners to make more effective DIY masks for at-risk community members during the COVID-19 crisis.
As mayor of Kabul, UB alum is rebuilding an ancient city with modern tools of urban planning
12/17/19
Five years ago, Ahmad Zaki Sarfaraz returned to Afghanistan with a UB degree in hand and aspirations to rebuild his war-torn country with the tools of urban planning.
Call for submissions: 50th Anniversary Alumni Exhibition
12/16/19
To culminate our 50th anniversary year, the School of Architecture and Planning is curating an alumni exhibition celebrating the personal and professional achievements of 50 graduates from the past 50 years. All alumni invited to submit work for consideration. The exhibition will run April 1 - Sept. 30, 2020.
Thesis project captures grain elevators as sites of material agency
11/1/19
Justina Dziama is a recent graduate of the Master of Architecture program and the International Media Architecture Master Studies Program, a joint degree of UB and the Bauhaus Universitat Weimar.
Addressing climate change through Passive House design
10/22/19
Reflecting the urgency and centrality of the climate crisis to the work of architects, UB alumnus James Hartford (MArch ’95) describes it as a “newly understood force – a force that we must account for in our designs just as we deal with Newtonian gravity.”
"Design With Life" explores socio-ecologic design innovation by alumnus-led firm
9/26/19
In the challenging context of accelerating climate dynamics, the core discipline of architectural design is evolving and embracing new forms of action.
Adaptation to climate change in developing world challenged by socioeconomic vulnerability
9/24/19
A UB student's doctoral thesis on climate adaptation strategies for 45 coastal regions across the developing world reveals a complex policy landscape challenged by socio-economic sensitivity, insufficient infrastructure and limited adaptive capacity.
'Teach them how to think'
9/13/19
When John Eberhard was first in Buffalo and working to create a new architecture school at UB he met with the local chapter of the American Institute of Architects to explain his plans. During a question and answer period, a member named John Y. Sloan stood up and declared: “Dean Eberhard, I hope you are going to teach these people how to draw.” Without a pause, Eberhard replied, “Mr. Sloan, I am going to teach them how to think.”
New architecture faculty members include prominent designers, alums
8/22/19
The Department of Architecture welcomes a diverse team of scholars and professionals to its faculty.
Ayla Abiad (MArch '12) to deliver keynote at AIA 2019
5/7/19
Syria native Ayla Abiad (MArch '12) will share her work serving refugees and immigrants with thousands of architects gathering next month for the 2019 conference of the American Institute of Architects.
Alumni News: Dawn Aprile (MSRED '17)
4/29/19
Dawn Aprile has 25 years of experience in the field of real estate development. A graduate of MS in Real Estate Development program at UB's School of Architecture and Planning, she is the founder and president of Dawn Aprile & Company in Rochester, N.Y.
How a Buffalo BikeShare pilot turned into the future of Uber
4/8/19
Last April, in a move signaling the company’s pivot from ride sharing to non-vehicular transportation, Uber — recently named the most valuable venture-backed U.S. startup — purchased a bike-share company for a reported $200 million.
UB architecture graduates establish student assistant fund in honor of classmate
3/5/19
A new student assistance fund has been made in the memory of a UB School of Architecture and Planning alumnus, Christopher Bovenzi (BPS ’84).
Alum convene in Buffalo to discuss emerging practices
2/25/19
Six recent graduates of the School of Architecture and Planning, all rising stars in their fields, convened in Buffalo earlier this month to discuss their pathways into practice.
Recent architecture grad takes her skills to Jordan to build foundation for the next generation
10/8/18
Shortly after earning her Master of Architecture from UB's School of Architecture and Planning, Lemma Al-Ghanem headed to Jordan to join a humanitarian organization’s effort to build a sustainable classroom in Azraq Village.
Students dive into the profession on annual NYC career trek
1/29/18
Twenty-nine students crisscrossed the boroughs on a dizzying two-day excursion that included site visits to signature development projects, a chance to see the inner workings of major employers, and networking opportunities with alumni at work across the professions.

Meet our Graduates

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 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
"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
"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
"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
“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
"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
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

Call for alumni work

We invite all alumni to share your stories of innovation and impact. Submit your work today.

Explore More Alumni Stories

Sue Knapp (MS ‘76, BA ’74) and Mark Ramsdell (PhD ’73)
10/14/21
A couple with deep UB roots discuss the impact of the school's alternative approach to design thinking on two very different professions: transportation planner and pâtissier.
“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
“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
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

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)
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
"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
"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.
“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
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
“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 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)
"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
Mitchell Joachim (BPS ’94)
10/14/21
Mitchell Joachim’s "Cricket Shelter," an experiment in resilient architecture, has won the architect and his research practice Terreform ONE a prestigious Architect Magazine R+D Award.
"Sometimes you've just got to take a risk."
3/28/18
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.
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
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
"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
Meet our Alumni Principals at Gensler
10/15/15
Alumni Marc Bruffett (BAED '92) and Eric Ginsburg (Architecture BS '01) have taken on leadership roles for global architecture, design and planning firm Gensler.
"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.”
3/28/18
Kenneth Smith (MArch '85)
Principal, Smith + Associates Architects
“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

Rana Abu Ghazaleh is a passionate advocate for and international leader in social justice and equality for women.
3/4/19
Rana Abu Ghazaleh (MUP '08)
Urban planner and global activist
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
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)
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
"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
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
"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
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 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
The first graduate of UB’s PhD in urban and regional planning is among the Class of 2017
5/17/17
A planning scholar investigating the experience of LGBT older adults in community and residential settings will walk the stage at the school’s Commencement Ceremony on Friday, May 19, as the first graduate of UB’s PhD program in urban and regional planning.
Arthur Hall Jr. (MUP ’04, BAED ’02)
10/14/21
Urban planning grad Arthur Hall Jr., a planner for the City of Buffalo, has seen his life come full circle as he tackles the same challenges he faced growing up on the city's East Side.
“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 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
Meet our Alumni Principals at Gensler
10/15/15
Alumni Marc Bruffett (BAED '92) and Eric Ginsburg (Architecture BS '01) have taken on leadership roles for global architecture, design and planning firm Gensler.
“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

“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
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
"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.
Alumni
9/22/21

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
"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
"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

Alumni Work

50+ Alumni Exhibition

The 50+ Alumni Exhibition celebrates innovations in practice led by graduates of the School of Architecture and Planning in honor of our 50^th anniversary. Curated from submissions by alumni across our programs, the exhibition features 50 alumni, in 50 images, over 50 years. The exhibition is mounted in the Hayes Hall Atrium Gallery and included in an online gallery of alumni work. View the work

Casa Santa Oranna
12/1/18
Air as both a subtle omnipresence and definitive energy, “CatenAIRies” pays homage to it by utilizing wind to create a fluid and ethereal spatial experience
Weak House
12/1/18
Air as both a subtle omnipresence and definitive energy, “CatenAIRies” pays homage to it by utilizing wind to create a fluid and ethereal spatial experience
meadow BRIDGE woods
12/1/18
Air as both a subtle omnipresence and definitive energy, “CatenAIRies” pays homage to it by utilizing wind to create a fluid and ethereal spatial experience
Ave Maria University, Ave Maria Oratory
12/1/18
Air as both a subtle omnipresence and definitive energy, “CatenAIRies” pays homage to it by utilizing wind to create a fluid and ethereal spatial experience
Cryptomorph_F V-1/2/3
12/1/18
Cryptomorph_F V-1/2/3 consists of variants in a parametrically designed family of tectonic objects. These volumetric surfaces and their fused arrays of hexagonal involutions become prototypes that can be developed into entities that sense through filaments, influence airflow/atmosphere through form and topology, and invite multispecies inhabitation into their thick, articulated envelopes. Cryptomorphs are dense, compacted objects of ecological infrastructure that spawn expansive, tectonic landscapes of logistics that may be populated by flora, fauna and electronic forms of synthetic life.
Belmont Middle and High School
12/1/18
Air as both a subtle omnipresence and definitive energy, “CatenAIRies” pays homage to it by utilizing wind to create a fluid and ethereal spatial experience
Understanding Paul Rudolph
12/1/18
Air as both a subtle omnipresence and definitive energy, “CatenAIRies” pays homage to it by utilizing wind to create a fluid and ethereal spatial experience
CantenAIRies
12/1/18
Air as both a subtle omnipresence and definitive energy, “CatenAIRies” pays homage to it by utilizing wind to create a fluid and ethereal spatial experience
New York Changing, Revisiting Berenice Abbott's New York
12/1/18
New York Changingrevisits the sites of 100 photographs taken by Bernice Abbott, who in 1935 set out to document New York’s transformation from a nineteenth-century city to a modern metropolis. Douglas Levere meticulously duplicates her compositions with exacting detail; each shot is taken at the same time of day, at the same time of year, and with the same type of camera.
A Wedding on the Kansas Landscape
12/1/18
On an open field of brome grass adjacent to the childhood home of the bride we constructed this temporary chapel and reception hall (not pictured). The secular ceremony united the couple in the grace of nature.
Al Shaheed Park, The Habitat Museum
12/1/18
The Habitat Museum displays the richness and diversity of the natural habitats of Kuwait through a large number of interactive programs and scenographic recreations.
Castel Sant' Angelo, pen on Bristol
12/1/18
Castel Sant’Angelo presents itself as a centric building, yet provides a labyrinth of ramps, stairs and courtyards that do not allow the center to be perceived. As the visitor is immersed inside, narrow winding spaces deny outward views and courtyards slowly reveal the surrounding city of Rome. It is a constant switch between self-awareness and confusion with certainty that one must travel upwards to reach the highest point and claim the best views. The on-site drawing tracks a single path from the lowest point to the highest occupiable courtyard, experienced as a continuous panoramic view.

View the full exhibition gallery

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