Theresa Hwang
Director
Department of Places
Theresa Hyuna Hwang is a community-engaged architect, educator, and facilitator. She is the founder of Department of Places, a participatory design and community engagement practice based in Los Angeles, CA. She has spent over 15 years focused on equitable cultural and community development with multiple groups and campaigns. Additionally, she is the current Program Director of Design Futures Student Leadership Forum, a national anti-racist design education. She was the former Director of Community Design and Planning at the Skid Row Housing Trust, a non-profit permanent supportive housing organization where she was the Enterprise Rose Architectural Fellow from 2009-2012. Her work has been featured in Architectural Record, the New York Times, Atlantic Cities, Al-Jazeera America and other media outlets. She is on the Board of Directors for Venice Community Housing and formerly on Board of the Association for Community Design. She was recognized as one of Next City’s Urban Vanguards in 2015. She received her Master of Architecture from Harvard Graduate School of Design (2007) and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and Art History from the Johns Hopkins University (2001). She is a licensed architect in California and is a LEED accredited professional.