Distinguished Alumni Awards 2024

The College of Environmental Design Distinguished Alumni Award honors alums who have exhibited outstanding public service, in its broadest sense, throughout their careers. Since its inception in 1998, the award has celebrated outstanding practitioners and academics who have made a meaningful impact for environmental good. This year, we are pleased to honor Gloria Bruce, Ricardo Capretta, Dorothée Imbert, and Stanley Saitowitz.

Read about past recipients.

Master of City Planning 2006
Program Director of Housing Security, Crankstart Foundation

Gloria Bruce has always focused on local solutions to urban problems, starting with volunteer work in her hometown area of Washington, D.C. She became focused on housing during her time at CED, when she took on a HUD fellowship and connected with housing practitioners and advocates. As executive director of East Bay Housing Organizations, she oversaw policy advocacy and organizing for affordable housing. Bruce co-led successful efforts to pass housing bonds in Alameda County and Oakland in 2016 and 2022. Since 2023, she has directed housing and homelessness investments at Crankstart, one of the largest foundations in the Bay Area.

Gloria is a tireless advocate for affordable housing and inclusive planning. She has led efforts to negotiate city-wide community benefit agreements, fought for tenant rights, and prioritized policies to support racial equity in the face of mounting inequality and displacement pressures. "Gloria stands out for her generosity of spirit, her curiosity and willingness to listen to different points of view, and her commitment to supporting the next generation of planning students," says Carolina Reid, professor of City & Regional Planning. 

Bachelor of Arts in Architecture 1981
President, Capretta Architecture + Planning + Building

Ricardo Capretta has a rare combination of development and design expertise. He has completed over 8,250,000 square feet of office, retail, residential and industrial developments and investments valued at over $1.6 billion. Ric was the founder of Westrust, a distressed asset investor/developer that acquired non-performing loans and real estate from the U.S. government and large banks starting in the depths of the 1992 recession. He was managing partner of Katell Properties, a regional Southern California office and industrial developer, from 1987 to 1991. Ric received a Master in Business Administration and a Master in Architecture & Urban Planning from UCLA in 1985 and is a licensed California architect. Currently, Capretta Architecture + Planning + Building is designing and developing “positive energy” sustainable residential properties. 

Ric has long been generous toward CED, as a teacher, mentor, advisor, and philanthropist. He served on the CED Advisory Council, established a graduate fellowship in architecture, and supported students with the greatest financial need by funding undergraduate tech access. He also gives generously of his time to various civic and charitable organizations. A passionate teacher, he has taught courses on sustainable development and foundation finance in the MRED+D program, opening new career opportunities for students. "His real-world experience makes him a great teacher and he generously mentors students who come to him for career advice," says Greg Morrow, faculty director of MRED+D. "He's an exemplary CED alum and this recognition is well-deserved." 

Master of Architecture + Master of Landscape Architecture 1989
Director, Knowlton School of Architecture, Hubert C. Schmidt '38 Chair in Landscape Architecture, The Ohio State University

Dorothée Imbert, FASLA, is a professor and director of the Knowlton School at The Ohio State University. One of the leading environmental design educators in the country, she has taught at Harvard and founded the landscape architecture program at Washington University in St. Louis. Imbert is a renowned scholar who has published and lectured extensively on landscape modernism, contemporary practice, and productive landscapes. She has served on numerous boards and juries, including chairing the inaugural Oberlander International Landscape Architectural Prize. She practiced at Peter Walker and Partners and continues her design practice with projects such as The Square (with Andrew Cruse) for the Novartis campus in Basel, Switzerland.

Of her trajectory from chair of a department to dean of a major institution, Walter Hood, chair of the Department of Landscape Architecture & Environmental Planning, says, "Dorothée's leadership track record is exemplary. Her publications are exemplary. She embodies the award."

Master of Architecture 1977
Professor Emeritus of Architecture, College of Environmental Design, UC Berkeley

Stanley Saitowitz has practiced and taught architecture for 50 years. Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, Saitowitz received a Bachelor of Architecture at the University of Witwatersrand in 1974 and a Master of Architecture from UC Berkeley in 1977. His first house was built in 1975, and together with Stanley Saitowitz/Natoma Architects Inc., he has completed numerous residential, commercial, and institutional buildings and projects that have been extensively published and awarded.

Not only is Saitowitz a UC Berkeley alum, he is also a professor emeritus in the Department of Architecture. "I can think of no one better to received the Distinguished Alumni Award," says Lisa Iwamoto, chair of the Department of Architecture. "Stanley's projects stand on their own. Each is a timeless example of architecture. His unflagging efforts to change the perception of contemporary architecture in San Francisco has helped pave the way for generations of architects."