Meet CED Alums

CED alum Bob Grether’s career exemplifies the transformative power of design and strategic development — and the outsize impact one person can have on a community. Bob ((BArch 1969, MArch 1973) and his wife, Katy, recently made a $200,000 gift to the Bauer Wurster Hall Renovation fund to upgrade a classroom used primarily by students in the Abbey Master of Real Estate Development + Design (MRED+D) program.

Designer, educator, researcher, and alum David Brown (MArch 1990) led this year’s competition, with the theme Lot, Garden, and Void. Student teams of five to six students had 58 hours to create their designs before presenting to a panel of jurors. Brown, professor of architecture and director of the College of Architecture at the University of Illinois – Chicago, is best known for The Available City, his ongoing initiative to document, explore, and reimagine vacant lots in Chicago as landscapes of collective action.

Alum Douglas Noble, FAIA, associate dean of USC’s School of Architecture and director of its graduate building science and PhD programs, was honored as ACSA Distinguished Professor for his positive, stimulating, and nurturing influence upon students.

Three alums will receive the Distinguished Alumni Award at CED’s 2025 Commencement ceremony on May 20 at the Greek Theatre. This year’s awardees are John Cary (MArch 2003), Lee Ehmke (MLA 1988), Sujata Srivastava (MCP 2000). The award honors alums who have exhibited outstanding public service, in its broadest sense, throughout their career.

Cindy Wu (BA Arch 2003), a recognized leader in community development, is the recipient of UC Berkeley’s 2025 Peter E. Haas Public Service Award. She is the CEO of Our Neighborhoods Capital Fund, which preserves and strengthens AAPI neighborhoods, and previously held positions at LISC’s Bay Area office and the Chinatown Community Development Center in San Francisco. Wu is a past president of the San Francisco Planning Commission.