Fred Blackwell, Master of City and Regional Planning 1996
CEO, San Francisco Foundation

Fred Blackwell is CEO of San Francisco Foundation (SFF), one of the largest community foundations in the country. Since joining the foundation in 2014, Blackwell has led it in a renewed commitment to social justice through an equity agenda focused on racial and economic inclusion. Prior to joining the foundation, he served as interim city administrator for the city of Oakland, where he previously served as the assistant city administrator. He was the executive director of San Francisco Redevelopment Agency and director of the Mayor’s Office of Community Development in San Francisco. He served as director of Making Connections Initiative for the Annie E. Casey Foundation in the Lower San Antonio neighborhood of Oakland. At SFF he was a Multicultural Fellow in Neighborhood and Community Development and subsequently managed a multiyear comprehensive community initiative in West Oakland.

Blackwell serves on the board of the Independent Sector, Northern California Grantmakers, the Bridgespan Group, and the community advisory council of the San Francisco Federal Reserve. He previously served on the boards of the California Redevelopment Association, Urban Habitat Program, LeaderSpring and Leadership Excellence. He was Co-Chair of CASA — The Committee to House the Bay Area. Blackwell has a bachelor’s degree in urban studies from Morehouse College.

Kofi Bonner, Master of City and Regional Planning 1986, Master of Architecture 1987
CEO, Bedrock Detroit

Kofi Bonner is CEO of Bedrock, a Detroit-based full scale commercial real estate firm. Previously, he was co-chief operating officer at Irvine-based FivePoint Holdings, where he led the entitlement and development of the San Francisco Shipyard and Candlestick communities, as well as overseeing major developments that involve FivePoint's parent company, Lennar Corp., such as the Concord Naval Weapons Station and Treasure Island. The latter received the Clinton Global Initiative Sustainable Development Award. 

Bonner began his career as an affordable housing developer in Oakland and then served as head of redevelopment in Emeryville in 1989 where he was crucial in transitioning that industrial city to a home for biotechnology companies, high-end retail and housing. Bonner also served as Deputy Executive Director of the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency, Director of Community and Economic Development for the city of Oakland, Interim City Manager of Oakland, and Chief Economic Policy Advisor to San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown. From 1998-2004, Bonner was the Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer for the Cleveland Browns. From 2004-2006, he was Regional Director and EVP at MBNA, the credit card company.

Ricardo L. Capretta, B.A. Architecture 1981
President, Capretta Architecture + Planning + Building

Ric Capretta is President of Capretta Properties Inc. since 1992, a Western U.S. real estate development and investment company that has completed over 8,000,000 square feet of commercial transactions valued at over $1.3 billion.  Currently, he is solely focused on “Net Zero” green design and development of office and residential subdivisions. Capretta was a Visiting Professor at the UC Davis Graduate School of Management teaching Real Estate Development and Finance. He is a licensed Architect in the State of California and was Chair of the Mill Valley City Planning Commission until 2019. Capretta received an M.B.A. in 1981 and a master's in Architecture & Urban Planning in 1985 from UCLA. 

Darrell Chan, B.A. Architecture 1998, Master of Architecture 2004
Executive Director, The Luk Hoi Tong Company Ltd.

Darrell Chan is the executive director of The Luk Hoi Tong Company Ltd. (LHT), a company founded in 1926 that specializes in hospitality as well as commercial and residential developments in Hong Kong. Prior to overseeing the company's project development and project management divisions at LHT, he was the Senior Designer at Kwan Henmi Architecture/Planning in San Francisco. Notable projects include the redevelopment of the former Luk Hoi Tong Building at the heart of Central in Hong Kong. Chan has helped launch and currently sponsors the Pacific Rim Urban Resilience By Design Research Studio, a four-year collaboration between CED and the University of Hong Kong focused on comparative analysis and design of regions and sites surrounding the Pearl River Delta and the San Francisco Bay.

James R. Crawford, B.A. Architecture 1970
Partner, Richard Meier & Partners Architects LLP

Jim Crawford is a partner, project manager and senior technical coordinator of the Los Angeles office of Richard Meier & Partners, a renowned international architecture firm. He played a key role in the design and construction of Getty Center, San Diego Federal Courthouse, the UCLA Broad Art Center and San Jose City Hall.

Crawford began his professional career with the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency in 1970. He then worked three years in Tehran, Iran to develop a resort island in the Persian Gulf. In 1979, he returned to the U.S. and worked for Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) becoming Associate in 1984 before joining Richard Meier in 1988. Crawford is a former board member of Pasadena Heritage and former chair of the Pasadena Museum of California Art.

Jenny Gant Pham, B.A. Urban Studies 2011, Master of City Planning 2013
Development Analyst, CIM Group

Jenny Gant Pham is a Development Analyst at CIM Group, a Los Angeles-based real estate private equity firm with approximately $28 billion of assets under management across all major urban markets in North America. As a member of the development team, she participates in all project phases from acquisition through design, entitlement, construction, and lease-up. Prior to joining CIM Group, Pham specialized in managing high-profile entitlement and joint development projects on behalf of various public agency clients such as LA Metro Joint Development Authority, County of Los Angeles, City of Los Angeles, and Port of San Diego. Pham is an active member of the Urban Land Institute both locally and nationally, as a member of the Urban Development Mixed Use Council (Silver Flight).

Jeff Gherardini, Master of Architecture 1998
Vice President/Construction Manager, Plant Construction Company, L.P.

Jeff Gherardini is a partner and construction manager at Plant Construction. Gherardini is an expert in seismic upgrades of historic structures, extensive renovation of hotels, and high-design retail work. Some notable renovation projects include the Walt Disney Family Museum, The Presidio Institute at Fort Scott, the adaptive reuse of Buildings 101 + 103 in the Presidio, and the ACT Strand Theater. Also amongst his successes are Prada Beverly Hills, Bulgari San Francisco & Rodeo Drive, Four Seasons San Francisco, Palace Hotel, and numerous endeavors with Apple since 2013. Prior to Plant, Gherardini worked at a variety of architectural firms on the east and west coasts, and served in the Peace Corps in Niger, West Africa, as a team leader helping to build sustainable housing in the 90’s.

He has been an architectural studio critic at UC Berkeley, SCI-Arc & CCA, and a jury member for the AIA San Francisco Design Awards, the San Francisco Business Times Real Estate Deals of the Year Awards, and the Structural Engineering Association of Northern California (SEAONC) Excellence in Structural Engineering Awards. Gherardini sits on the City of Hope Real Estate Council. Previously, he served on the Board of Directors for AIA San Francisco, SF Heritage – the leading historic preservation organization in the Bay Area, and the Olympic Club Building Committee. Ghardini earned his degree in Architecture from Washington University in St. Louis.

Ben Gilmartin, B.A. Architecture, B.A. English Literature 1992
Partner, Diller Scofidio + Renfro

Ben Gilmartin is a partner at Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R). He led the redesign of Alice Tully Hall, multiple public spaces within the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts campus, and the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive at the University of California, Berkeley. Most recently, Gilmartin completed the United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs, hailed as one of the most accessible museums in the country, and is leading the design of the adjoining Southwest Downtown Pedestrian Bridge, a 250-foot floating curved steel structure scheduled to open this summer. In addition to recently completing DS+R’s first building in Australia at the University of Sydney, Glimartin is also currently co-leading the design for the new home of MIT's School of Architecture and Planning in Cambridge and a major tech headquarters in the Pacific Northwest. Gilmartin earned his master's degree in Architecture from Harvard.

Jhaelen Hernandez-Eli, B.A. Architecture 2002
Head of Construction, The Metropolitan Museum of Art | Founder, Hernandez-Eli Architects

Jhaelen Hernandez-Eli is Head of Construction at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He manages the construction team and leads key projects across the Met’s properties. Prior to this, Hernandez-Eli was VP of NYC's Economic Development Corporation where he oversaw the development and management of the city's industrial and commercial assets. He is also a partner at HE, a design firm based in New York City co-founded with his spouse, Juliet Hernandez-Eli. The work of the studio includes residential, commercial, and cultural projects. Hernandez-Eli was a visiting professor at Parsons New School for Design, where he taught design and management seminars in the business program. He has lectured and participated in design reviews at Harvard, Columbia, Cornell, and Pratt among others. He was formerly the Development Director for Diller Scofidio+Renfro where he was a core member of the operations group that oversaw the strategic management and profitability of the 100-person studio. Hernandez-Eli earned his master's degree in Architecture from Harvard.

Chris Kent, Master of Landscape Architecture 1993
Principal, PGA Design

Chris Kent is Principal and one of the owners at PGAdesign Landscape Architects. He enjoys working on a wide range of urban projects from housing to transportation serving both public agencies and private developers.  He has worked in the Bay Area for over 20 years and has completed over 100 projects.  Kent was an American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Trustee for 6 years and served on the ASLA Government Affairs Advisory Committee. He served as chair on the Albany Planning and Zoning Commission in 2018 and was an active member until 2020. Kent earned his undergraduate degree from University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. 

Sylvia P. Kwan, B.A. Architecture 1976, Master of Architecture 1978
Principal, DLR Group | Kwan Henmi

Sylvia Kwan is a principal in the San Francisco office of DLR Group | Kwan Henmi. She has practiced in San Francisco for more than 35 years and her past and present designs continue to impact the built environment in the Bay Area. Kwan founded Kwan Henmi Architecture/Planning with her husband, Denis Henmi (B.Arch ‘74), in 1980. The firm has worked on projects such as the Moscone West Convention Center, SBC Park (original name of SF Giants’ park, now Oracle Park), airport projects in San Francisco and Oakland, and the Bessie Carmichael Elementary School. In 2017 the firm merged with the DLR Group to form DLR Group | Kwan Henmi. Kwan has served on AIA boards at both national and local chapter levels. She has also received numerous awards and personal recognitions for her design and business achievements, including the San Francisco Business Times’ 75 Most Influential Women in Business.

Brian Lee, B.A. Architecture 1976
Design Partner, Skidmore Owings & Merrill

Brian Lee’s hands-on design approach is focused on achieving full integration of the natural and built environment through the most innovative design forms, materials, and construction technologies. Using these simple and essential principles, Lee has designed landmark structures of lasting value and impact around the globe. Directing this international practice — including projects in East and Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Middle East — has honed his collaborative and design leadership skills. Lee’s internationally published and award-winning designs include the China World Trade Center in Beijing (the city’s tallest building); Poly International Plaza in Guangzhou, China; the University of California San Diego Telemedicine Education Building; and the Kia Motors America, Inc. Research and Development Project and Design Center in Irvine, California.

Michael Lin, B.A. Architecture 2001
Financial Advisor, Ameriprise Financial Services

Michael Lin is a financial advisor at Ameriprise Financial Services in San Ramon. He focuses on asset management and retirement & estate planning strategies. Lin was co-chair of UC Berkeley's 10th and 15th reunion campaign committees for the Class of 2001 and also does work with the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. For his great work, he was awarded the UC Berkeley Foundation Young Bear Award in 2011 for outstanding achievement on a fundraising project and successful outreach to the community and alumni. In 2012, Lin also received the CAA Bradford S. King Award for Excellence in Service by a Young Alumnus. He is also currently serving on the planning committee for UC Berkeley’s Sesquicentennial.

Bernadette Ma, B.A. Architecture 2011
Designer and Investor

Bernadette Ma is an architectural designer and an investor at a private office where she directs architectural design and allocates private funds for real estate acquisitions in New York City. The office engages in opportunistic investments while leveraging applied architectural and design solutions. Its portfolio includes new residential developments in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Previously, Ma started her career in Manhattan contributing to notable redevelopment projects such as the MetLife Building and the One & Two Penn Plaza and while working at MdeAS Architects, formerly Moed de Armas & Shannon Architects. She later worked at Hill West Architects, a legacy firm of Costas Kondylis and Partners that has built nearly 100 residential towers in Manhattan, where she was involved in the design of multiple ground-up, luxury high-rise residential projects. At both firms, Ma worked for some of the most prominent developers in the US, including Vornado, Tishman Speyer and Irvine Company, as well as one of the oldest family-run real estate dynasties in the New York Tri-state area.

Ma has had her individual and collaborative design and writing works featured on publications such as The New York Times, The Art Newspaper, The Press of Atlantic City and CLOG. She has taught as a Lecturer in Architecture and was named a Distinguished Visiting Fellow in 2018 at the College of Environmental Design. She has also served as a Co-Chair of the Berkeley Alumni Board of New York. Ma holds a master's degree in Architecture and M.S. in Real Estate Development from Columbia University. 

Clarence Mamuyac, B.A. Architecture and Landscape Architecture 1981, Master of Architecture 1985
President and CEO, ELS Architecture and Urban Design

Clarence D. Mamuyac, Jr., FAIA, LEED AP BD+C is president and CEO of ELS Architecture and Urban Design. He joined ELS in 1983 and now leads the nationally recognized firm, which has been among the Architect 50 the past several years.  The firm’s portfolio includes cultural, educational, sports and recreational facilities; retail and mixed-use projects; urban design; and historic preservation and renovation. Mamuyac is a national leader in community, education and recreation design, and has a passion for leading clients on a robust outreach and consensus-building effort to a powerful design solution. His work includes sports and recreation centers for UC Berkeley, Stanford University, and the University of Southern California.  He is currently working with Canada College on their $90MM Kinesiology, Athletics and Dance facility and with the City of Redwood City on their $100MM Joint Veterans Memorial Senior Center and YMCA, targeted for LEED Platinum. Mamuyac has presented at national conferences about campus and sports architecture, participates in panel discussions at CED and was a recent guest on The Modern Architect, a Stanford University radio show and podcast. He is a Fellow in the AIA, a past member of the AIA California Council’s Board of Directors where he was honored with a John S. Bolles Fellowship for his contribution to the architecture profession, and a past president of the AIA East Bay chapter.

Lydia Tan, B.A. Architecture 1983
Real Estate Professional 

Lydia Tan is a real estate professional with 3 decades of experience in the industry, with roles at for-profit, non-profit and institutional platforms.  Her project experience has been focused on high impact development and public-private partnerships, involving more than $6 billion in mixed income, mixed-use and affordable communities.

Currently, Tan is consulting on a variety of assignments, ranging from organizational development, governance, and capitalization strategies, to transformational urban redevelopment efforts. She was recently Managing Director, Real Estate for the Oakland A’s, where she led the efforts to create a new ballpark district at Howard Terminal and redevelopment of the Oakland Coliseum. Prior to this she was SVP, Head of U.S. Development at Bentall Kennedy, overseeing real estate development activity for the company. Prior to joining Bentall Kennedy, Tan was EVP, Director of Northern California Operations at Related California where she launched the company’s Northern California office and spearheaded the development of a portfolio of mixed income, mixed use projects. Prior to that, she was EVP in charge of Real Estate Development and Finance at BRIDGE Housing Corporation, where she oversaw the production of several affordable and mixed income communities, participated as part of the executive management team, and co-led an investment partnership with CalPERS. 

Tan currently serves on the board of directors of the San Francisco Housing Accelerator Fund, the S.H. Cowell Foundation, and Thoits Brothers Inc. She is a member of the Stanford Real Estate Council and Urban Land Institute.

Warren Techentin, B.A. Architecture 1990
Founder, Warren Techentin Architecture [WTARCH]
Adjunct Professor, University of Southern California School of Architecture

Warren Techentin, is a licensed Architect and the founder and principal of Warren Techentin Architecture [WTARCH] based in Los Angeles. Warren’s work is informed by his long standing interest and study of housing, urbanism, performative infrastructures, and pop culture and their effect on form, space, sustainability, and the participatory dimension of architecture. Warren has worked a wide variety of multi-family housing projects in addition to houses, commercial/institutional spaces, and educational projects. Warren is also a full-time, Adjunct Professor at the School of Architecture at USC where he teaches advanced studios on housing and urbanization. Warren frequently serves on architectural committees and juries throughout North America and is actively involved in a variety of Architectural and philanthropic organizations including Materials&Applications, the Los Angeles Forum for Architecture and Urban Design, and the AIA. Warren holds a Master's of Architecture, and a Master's of Architecture in Urban Design, both from Harvard University.

Barbara Wachsman, Master of City and Regional Planning 1983; Master of Public Health 1984
Senior Advisor, Frazier Healthcare Partners

Barbara Wachsman is a senior advisor at Frazier Healthcare Partners. She retired from The Walt Disney Company in early 2018 where she was the Director of Strategy and Engagement for Enterprise Benefits. Prior to joining Disney, Wachsman spent close to 30 years in senior management positions with two international benefit consulting firms, and served as a Principal with Arthur Andersen, where she ran the West Regional Human Capital practice.

Wachsman is a national speaker on topics such as hospital/physician/employer relations, effective managed care models and provider reimbursement models, wellness and incentives and has published articles in Pension & Investments, Business Insurance and specialty healthcare journals about the value of managed care. Much of her work has involved helping employers and providers create more effective, direct partnerships. Wachsman created a ‘strategy lab’ at Disney which sponsored startups in the healthcare space, three of which are pilots providing services to Disney cast members. 

Allison Williams, Master of Architecture 1976
Founder and Principal, AGWms_studio

Architect Allison Grace Williams FAIA, has amassed an international portfolio of large-scale civic, cultural and research facilities. While in practice at SOM, Perkins+Will and AECOM, Williams’ inventive instincts and interdisciplinary design leadership generated award-winning buildings that bridge culture, technology and the environment and that convey the values and traditions of their audience and place.

Her most successful projects and the work of the organizations and institutions with whom she collaborates are in huge part, a commentary on the order of priority they place on the relevant issues of our time. They are reflective of their sponsor's concern for sustainable environments and for inclusive, equitable and socially just outcomes. Williams established AGWms_studio in 2017. It is built on her history as a respected team leader who enlists the power of ideas and design thinking as creative tools in mission-strategic problem solving. Her clients have included corporations, institutions and other design professionals at critical moments in their creative process, defining issues, articulating and prioritizing choices, filtering and consolidating ideas. 

In addition to design consulting and pro bono efforts, Williams is an adjunct lecturer at Stanford University, a frequent keynote speaker, and academic lecturer, in a tapestry of continued design practice. Most recently she served as a juror for the AIA's Committee on The Environment, 2019 COTE Top Ten Design Awards and for The 2019 Architecture at Zero Design Competition. In 2018, Williams was awarded The Norma Sklarek Award in Architecture by the AIACC. Williams was CED's 2020 Joseph Esherick Visiting Professor of Practice in Architecture. 

Judd Williams, B.A. Visual Design 1990
Designer, Three Degrees

In 1975 Judd Williams’s waterbed frame design was accepted into the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery exhibit and Craft Multiples. This led to a career in designing and building furniture with Gary Foltz dba Williams & Foltz. They created simple modular knock down furniture built to last and recombine over time with a Greene and Greene aesthetic. When personal computers became popular he led the thinking about home office ergonomic notions into the broader furniture industry. Closing his company in 1989 he became a pioneer in stay at home fathers and has raised his girls. This provided time to volunteer with a range of school and nonprofits most notably the Discovery Council of the children's museum, College of Marin Foundation, City of Mill Valley Emergency Preparedness, and CED Alumni Association and Art Practice Alumni. He is currently working on a range of issues to further the transition from petrochemical fuels to twenty first century energy sources.

John Wong, B.A. Landscape Architecture 1974
Managing Principal and Chairman, SWA Group

John Wong is Managing Principal and Chairman at the SWA Group in Sausalito, California and principal at the SWA/Balsley New York studio. He has directed an array of projects, from the design and crafting of small gardens to the large-scale planning and design of neighborhoods, towns, and new communities. He has extensive experience in both North America and Asia — particularly in Japan, Korea, and China. He and his teams have designed the groundscapes for 12 of the 100 tallest buildings in the world - notably the 27 acre “green oasis” encircling the Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai, UAE. Over the past two decades, Wong has led more than 125 campus improvement projects at Stanford University. Wong is a past member of the Design Review Committee for the UC Berkeley campus. He earned his master's in Landscape Architecture from Harvard. 

Joseph O. Wong, B.A. Architecture 1972, Master of Architecture 1974
Founding Principal, JWDA

Joe Wong founded JWDA (Joseph Wong Design Associates), a San Diego-based firm, in 1977 to provide excellent professional services in architecture, planning, and interior design. Mr. Wong has served on the Board of Directors for the Centre City Development Corporation (CCDC), a San Diego Redevelopment Agency, and is also a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. JWDA has been recognized with numerous local and national awards of excellence such as AIA Honor Awards, National Design-Build Institute Honor Awards, and Gold Nugget Grand Awards. In addition, JWDA has an active presence in Asia and the Pacific Rim with offices in Shanghai and Shenzhen.

Kenneth P. Wong, B.A. Architecture 1977
COO & Director of International Development, Related Companies

Ken Wong is COO and Director of International Development at Related Companies. Wong has over thirty years of diverse experience having overseen the development of a broad range of real estate assets from retail shopping centers to theme parks and planned communities both in the U.S. and international markets and representing well over $20 billion worth of assets. His executive experience includes both development and operating companies, both public and private, bridging the worlds of real estate, entertainment, design and technology. He served as president of Westfield America, Inc. and has been credited with playing a major role in refining Westfield's U.S. organization structure, rebuilding its senior executive team, and greatly expanding its development pipeline, as well as the delivery of iconic projects such as Westfield San Francisco and Westfield Century City. Prior to this, Wong spent nearly a decade as a senior executive at The Walt Disney Company overseeing the largest program of investment in the company’s history. Wong holds a dual master's degree in City and Regional Planning and Architecture from MIT. 

Darrin Woo
Co-founder, Blake's

Darrin Woo is co-founder of Blake’s, a real estate investment firm focusing on urban redevelopment projects in Hong Kong. Woo is interested in historic neighborhoods and has led a number of retail and residential development projects in Sheung Wan including TwoTwoSix and 208 Hollywood Road. Its latest projects are located in Sham Shui Po, one of the poorest neighborhoods in the city. Woo is also managing director of Woo Hon Fai Group, family office of his grandfather, the late Dr. Woo Hon Fai. He holds a degree in Town and Country Planning from University College London and a master's in Real Estate from University of Hong Kong. 

Thomas Yee, B.A. Architecture 1973
Chairman of the Board, Principal, Studios Architecture

Throughout his more than 30 years as an architect, Tom Yee has demonstrated superior capabilities in the design and management of large-scale, complex projects and the coordination of sizable design and consultant teams. An outstanding designer, he also has a proven track record of producing exceptional results within strict budgetary and schedule constraints. His design work revitalizes traditional architectural forms, drawing inspiration from alternative shapes and materials, as well as light and structure. Yee's experience encompasses corporate, civic, and university projects, along with a substantial portfolio of headquarters and regional offices for leading law firms. He has also led the design of multiple commercial and cultural projects within China.

Ray Zee, B.A. Architecture 1987
Chief Designer and General Manager, Nan Fung Group

Ray Zee is the Chief Designer and General Manager of the Design Department at Nan Fung Group, one of the most established developers in Hong Kong. He has practiced internationally for over 30 years specializing in the areas of office, residential, hotel, commercial and civic projects.  In 2019 his team won the Medal of the year from the Hong Kong Institute of Architects for Design Architect of The Mills, a Heritage and Adaptive Re-use project.  His background has included extended professional periods in the offices of IM Pei and Sir Norman Foster. He was also an assistant professor of architecture at the University of Hong Kong.