Cambridge MA 02138
USA
The Harvard Graduate School of Design is pleased to announce the Loeb Fellowship’s class of 2027. These 10 visionary practitioners and advocates are driving progress on food access, housing, and health equity; preservation and adaptive reuse; stewardship of cultural and natural landscapes; and support for vulnerable communities in the U.S. and around the world.
Kamal Bell
Food Systems Architect and Founder of Sankofa Farms, Durham, North Carolina
Julia Campbell
Former Deputy Chief of Streets for Infrastructure and Design, City of Boston, Massachusetts
Marci Clark
Adaptive Reuse Specialist and Managing Director for Strategy and Development at JDS Development Group, New York City, New York
Edgar Garcia
Interim General Manager and Assistant General Manager of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, Los Angeles, California
Becky Katz
Manager for Operations and Maintenance, Department of Transportation, Toronto, Canada
Dena Kennett
Project Manager and Landscape Architect at the National Park Service, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Bonnie McDonald
President of Landmarks Illinois, Chicago, Illinois
Kelsey Nocket
Emergency Response and Humanitarian Assistance Consultant, Alexandria, Virginia
Emily Roush-Elliott
Founding Partner of the Delta Design Build Workshop, Greenwood, Mississippi
Yvette Vašourková, Cofounder of Centre for Central European Architecture and MOBA architecture practice, Prague, Czech Republic
“Each new class of Loeb Fellows injects valuable adjacent expertise and experiences into the GSD’s ecosystem, expanding our assumptions about what design does in the world,” says Sarah M. Whiting, Dean and Josep Lluís Sert Professor of Architecture at Harvard GSD. “The fellows play a vital role in the life of the school, and I look forward to seeing what comes of this cohort’s year here at Harvard.”
Last week also saw the appointment of a new curator for the Loeb Fellowship. Jamie Blosser, a member of the Loeb Class of 2015, was announced as the fellowship’s new curator on May 8 and will begin in her new role this fall. “Jamie will provide energetic and wise leadership for the Fellows of the Class of 2027 and for many classes to come,” says Interim Curator Jim Stockard (LF ’78). “Her background and her insights will nurture and support the Fellows as they build their skills and expand their area of influence. I’m so pleased with her selection as the next leader of the Loeb Fellowship.”
During their ten-month residency at Harvard GSD, Loeb Fellows audit courses at Harvard and MIT, exchange insights, and expand professional networks. They engage with GSD students and faculty, take part as speakers and panelists in public events, and convene workshops and other activities. Throughout the year, Fellows consider how they might refocus their careers and broaden the impact of their work.
After their year in residence at Harvard GSD, Loeb Fellows join a worldwide network of more than 450 Loeb Fellowship alumni, including Pilar Viladas (’96), Rick Lowe (’02), John Zeisel (’71), Mpho Matsipa (’22), Mary Means (’82), Eleni Myrivili (’20), Alejandro Echeverri (’16), Henry Grabar (’24), Matthew Mazzotta (’18), and Alessandro Petti (’17).
The Loeb Fellowship traces its roots to the late 1960s, when John L. Loeb directed a Harvard GSD capital campaign based on the theme of “Crisis.” Loeb saw the American city in disarray and believed Harvard could help. He and founding Curator Bill Doebele imagined bringing promising innovators concerned with the built and natural environment to Harvard GSD for a year, challenging them to do more and do better, convinced they would return to their work with new ideas and energy. Interim Curator Jim Stockard (LF ’78) says, “The Class of 2027 continues this legacy. Their interests are diverse, their roles are different, and their backgrounds are from many fields. But the one thing they share is a passion to make our cities and our green spaces more beautiful, more accessible, and more just. This year at the GSD and the broader Harvard community will fuel their growth and their capacity to be even more successful in their efforts.”
