John Peterson, AIA, Founder & President, is Public Architecture’s design director, chief spokesperson and strategist. He is also the principal of Peterson Architects. John is a recipient of numerous design and social innovation awards and writes and speaks internationally about the role that the design of the built environment has in improving underserved communities. John has a Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Architecture from the Rhode Island School of Design. He serves on the board of Urban Solutions and the Cancer Prevention Institute of California, was a Loeb Fellow at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, and is an adjunct professor at California College of the Arts. 

Contact: john [at] publicarchitecture.org

Amy Ress, The 1% Program Manager, joined Public Architecture in August 2009, completing her first year as an AmeriCorps*VISTA program fellow. She is responsible for managing the expansion of The 1% program, launching new initiatives and projects, and creating partnerships. Her recent projects include Lights on Market Street, an arts and culture urban revitalization initiative that realized three site-specific temporary light installations and produced a case study on the partners, process, and outcome. Amy is public programming chair on the board of the San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery. Previously a design and research consultant for Hood Design and Culvahouse Consulting Group, she also worked in project management on the Better Streets Plan and the Great Streets Program at the SFDPW. Amy’s interest in the built environment solidified during her internship at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection and the Venice Architecture Biennale where she studied distortion of architectural volume through photography. Returning to San Francisco she was the Architecture & Design Forum Coordinator at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, supporting exhibitions, publications, and programs. Amy received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from San Jose State University and a Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley.

 Contact: amy [at] publicarchitecture.org

Brad Leibin, Project Manager, joined Public Architecture in February 2009 with an interest in the capacity of design to affect positive social change. Previously, he had been an architectural designer at the New York City offices of James Corner Field Operations and Tina Manis Associates. Brad is involved in the research, design, and development of Public Architecture’s design initiatives and design consultancy work. Recent notable projects include the Design for Reuse Primer, and an innovative electronic publication and web-portal intended to demystify and promote building material reuse among architects, contractors, municipalities, and others. Brad’s writing has been published in such journals as ArchitectureBoston, Unspoken Borders (a publication of Penn Design), and TraceSF. In 2011, he was recipient of the Design Futures Council, Emerging Leaders Scholarship. Brad earned his Bachelors of Arts in Architecture from Washington University in St. Louis and Master of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania, where he was awarded the Lewis E. Dales Travelling Fellowship as well as the Arthur Spayd Brook Memorial Prize for distinguished work in architectural design.

Contact: brad [at] publicarchitecture.org


Nick McClintock, Program Development Associate, began working for Public Architecture as a volunteer in February 2009 and joined the staff in December 2009 as an AmeriCorps*VISTA fellow. He is responsible for ensuring Public Architecture's long-term growth and support as well as new program development and communications. Between volunteering and joining the Public Architecture staff, Nick held another VISTA position with buildingcommunityWORKSHOP, a community design center in Dallas where he lived and worked on Congo Street, as part of the Congo Street Initiative. He has also partnered with the staff of Asian Neighborhood Design in San Francisco to advance their vocational training program to include weatherization, solar installation, and environmental education. Nick has also worked in a metal fabrication shop in Oakland specializing in custom furniture and architectural installations, and as a professional cook. Nick graduated from Middlebury College in February 2008, where he studied architecture and political science.

Contact: nick [at] publicarchitecture.org

Samantha Given-Dennis, Administrative Manager, joined Public Architecture in May 2011. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Colby College, where she took an interdisciplinary course of study to analyze sociopolitical currents and economic development in Latin America; she wrote her thesis, “Breaking Clientelism,” on Argentine repertoires of social contention. Since graduating, Samantha has worked in startup and high profile environments to innovate the social sector. She interned on Kiva’s Customer Service team, where she grew her literacy in microfinance and gained experience working with new models of philanthropy. She then joined Sparkseed, where she ran an accelerator program that provides financial capital, business growth, and personal development services to student social entrepreneurs. She comes to Public with an interest in the intersection of design and the social sector; she is responsible for daily operations, communications, editorial support, and volunteer management.

Contact: samantha [at] publicarchitecture.org