Dr. Laura Harjo, associate professor of Native American Studies and an affiliate faculty member of Regional and City Planning, was recently elected as President of the Faculty Women’s Interest Group within the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP).
The ACSP Faculty Women’s Interest Group (FWIG) is an interest group within ACSP, a consortium of university-based programs offering degrees and credentials in Urban and Regional Planning. ACSP promotes planning education, research, service and outreach in North America and throughout the world.
FWIG works to encourage and support women faculty and graduate students in the planning academy and throughout their career. FWIG also welcomes those conducting research and outreach on planning issues critical to women. The group has a new focus on Intersectional Feminist/Anti-Racist/De-Colonial Planning and is working to encourage planners to include ending violence against all women and girls as an important part of their planning work.
Dr. Harjo’s interest and expertise in topics such as Indigenous planning and development, Indigenous feminisms, and community participatory methodologies will help her excel at this leadership role.
Congratulations to Dr. Harjo!
Gibbs College of Architecture is proud to recognize Petya Stefanoff, who is pursuing her doctorate in the Planning, Design & Construction (PDC) program, has been appointed the new role of Director of Community Development for the City of Shawnee, Oklahoma. She joined the city in 2024.
Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce that Amber N. Wiley, Ph.D., associate professor in the Division of Planning, Landscape Architecture and Design and director of the Institute for Quality Communities, has received national recognition for her book Model Schools in the Model City. The book has been named a finalist for the 2026 the PROSE Awards.
Gibbs College of Architecture Regional + City Planning Professor of Practice Vanessa Morrison and Associate Professor of Architecture Deborah Richards’ Open Design Collective received top honors at the inaugural BlackSpace Urbanist Collective Studio KIN Pitch Night Competition, held last month in Brooklyn, New York City.