Julie Chou is a partner at Purpose by Design Architects. Recent project experience includes investigations into trauma-informed design, using architectural interventions to provide spaces that can both shelter and heal. She worked with the Urban Design Forum on the Conscious Shelter Design and The Need for Public Bathrooms, and leads a working group with several community boards, local stakeholders and advocates to grow public bathroom access in New York City.

Sara Eldridge, LCSW, is a trauma therapist. She currently serves as a psychotherapist for adult clients through the group practice Liberation-Based Therapy. She is also a Clinical Facilitator for Minding Your Mind, providing workshops on a variety of mental health topics to youth and adults. Sara received a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College in 2015.

Barrett Feldman is a principal at PSF Projects, where she engages local nonprofits, schools, and organizations in a collaborative design process promoting social and environmental well-being. Before co-founding PSF Projects, Barrett worked at GLUCK+, Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects, and Rogers Marvel Architects, where she had leadership roles on The Lady Liberty Charter School in Newark, the Austin Federal Courthouse, and Two Alliance Center in Atlanta.

Laura Nova is an artist, educator and activist who lives and works on New York’s Lower East Side, creating festive, absurdist spectacles that unite generations and diverse communities. The first Public Artist in Residence to be embedded in New York City’s Department for the Aging, Nova brings expertise and empathy to her projects and actions, designing each element to enhance social wellness and decrease social isolation.

Amy Pivak is the Director of Predevelopment Planning and Urban Design at NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development, where she advances affordable housing projects that will benefit local communities through programming, affordability, design, and sustainability features. Prior to this, she worked as a planner in the Brooklyn office of the New York City Department of City Planning and as an associate at 4ward Planning Inc.

Rachel Simpson is a partner at Purpose by Design Architects. Rachel is interested in the ways that cities are experienced at the human scale, and how housing can serve as a catalyst for both economic and health security.  Rachel has over 13 years of experience in both Chicago and New York City, with recent project experience on a mix of supportive and affordable housing, working to build inclusive communities responsive to individual experience.

Adam Freed leads the Sustainability Practice at Bloomberg Associates, a pro bono municipal consultancy founded by former New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. In this role, he works with cities around the world to craft and implement sustainability strategies and actions covering a wide range of issues, including energy, GHG mitigation, climate resilience, housing affordability, green infrastructure, air quality, solid waste management, and neighborhood revitalization.Prior to joining Bloomberg Associates, Adam was the Deputy Managing Director of The Nature Conservancy’s Global Water Program. From 2008-2012, he served as Deputy and Acting Director of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability, overseeing the implementation of PlaNYC and related sustainability initiatives and developing the city’s first climate resilience program.