Northern Avenue Bridge contest jury announced; diverse set of talents represented

Mar 31, 2016

• Kenneth Bailey, Principal, Design Studio for Social Intervention (ds4si): Bailey started his activism as a teen in the early eighties. After working in his neighborhood for tenants’ rights and decent housing, targeting the St. Louis Housing Authority, he realized that activists needed new tools to redesign approaches for community change, which led him to build a design studio for social activism. 
• Julie Burros, Chief of Arts and Culture, City of Boston: In 2014 Mayor Walsh announced the appointment of Burros as Boston’s first Chief of Arts and Culture in more than 20 years. Burros is tasked with stewarding the creation of Boston’s Cultural Plan and working as an advocate for the arts community across new policy creation.
• Dan Byers, Mannion Family Senior Curator, Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA): The ICA announced Byers as their new senior curator in 2014, noting his extensive curatorial experience, in depth knowledge of the national and international contemporary art landscape, and his collaborative spirit.
• Richard Dimino, President & CEO, A Better City (ABC): Dimino has served as the President and CEO of ABC since 1995. Under his leadership ABC has achieved major organizational accomplishments and significantly influenced the planning, design, and development of a twenty-seven acre corridor along Boston's waterfront, as well as successfully launching ABC's Sustainability and Climate Change Initiative.
• Handy Dorceus, Senior, Boston Latin Academy: The Boston Public Market partnered with Artists for Humanity, allowing Boston teens working with Artists for Humanity to design nine bike rack options that represent the Market's themes of fresh, local food and the connection between farmer and consumer. Dorceus’ design was chosen and stands in front of the Market today.
• Kimberly Driggins, Loeb Fellow 2016, Harvard Graduate School of Design: Driggins has been the associate director for citywide planning in the District of Columbia’s Office of Planning for the past 7 years. Under Driggins’s leadership, the DC Office of Planning has won over $1.2 million in national grants for creative placemaking projects. 
• Greg Galer, Executive Director, Boston Preservation Alliance: Galer joined the Boston Preservation Alliance in 2012.  Born in Boston, a passionate preservationist, and an accomplished senior level non-profit executive, Galer brings over 20 years of experience as a historic preservation advocate and museum professional to his organization and to the jury.
• Susan Goldberg, United States District Court of Massachusetts: In 2014, the Judicial Council for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston announced Goldberg as the new circuit executive, to oversee all administrative duties for the region’s federal appeals court.
• Gary Hilderbrand, Principal, Reed Hilderbrand: Hilderbrand is a founding partner of Reed Hilderbrand. A committed practitioner, teacher, critic, and writer, Hilderbrand is Professor in Practice at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, where he has taught since 1990.
• Para Jayasinghe, City Engineer, Public Works, City of Boston:  Jayasinghe has served the City of Boston as its City Engineer since 1999, overseeing a public asset portfolio consisting of roads, bridges and landfills valued over $3.6 billion. An avid traveler and a self-proclaimed "foodie," Jayasinghe has bench marked public works and transportation systems over countless countries spanning the globe. He is a strong advocate of private-public partnerships and for the integration of public art into urban spaces.
• Grace La, Principal, LA DALLMAN, Professor and Director of Architecture, Harvard Graduate School of Design: La is not only a professor, but also the director of the Master of Architecture Program, chair of the Practice Platform, and coordinator of the second semester architecture core program in which she teaches design studio. She is also Principal of LA DALLMAN Architects, cofounded with James Dallman and internationally recognized for the integration of architecture, engineering and landscape. 
• Jennifer Mecca, President, Fort Point Arts Community:  Mecca has over 25 years of experience in urban design, development planning and community preservation. Her consulting practice provides services to both public and private sector clients, and she has worked with communities throughout the Eastern Seaboard on master plans, commercial district revitalization, resiliency and sustainability, brownfields reuse studies, and pre-development planning.
• Sara Myerson, Director of Planning, Boston Redevelopment Authority: Prior to her current role, Myerson was with the City of Boston where she held positions as the Executive Director of Imagine Boston 2030 and the Executive Director of the Office of Olympic Planning. She previously served as the Chief of Staff and Director of Policy at Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH) in Boston, a non-profit developer dedicated to preserving, creating and restoring affordable homes for low- and moderate-income households. 
• Tamara Roy, President, Boston Society of Architects: Roy is an architect and urban designer specializing in residential, academic, and mixed use master planning projects. In addition to being voted one of Boston's Top 50 Power Women in Real Estate, she was also nicknamed “the mother of the micro-unit.”
• Josiah Stevenson, Principal, Leers Weinzapfel Associates: Stevenson joined Leers Weinzapfel Associates in 1986 and became a principal in 1998. In his role, he leads the firm’s community and civic projects, giving special attention to how they relate to their historic contexts and sustainable future. 
• Julie Wormser, Executive Director, The Boston Harbor Association: Prior to her current role, Wormser developed an extensive background in environmental policy and capacity building through her roles at several environmental organizations. She served as New England Regional Director of the Oceans Program for the Environmental Defense Fund and managed regional policy programs for the Appalachian Mountain Club and The Wilderness Society.