The Public Good

Kanna is a senior at Barnard College, studying Urban Studies and Architecture. Her thesis explores innovative design to better accommodate aging populations in cities, specifically in Tokyo. Additionally, Kanna is interested in the integration of agriculture and greenery in urban environments. Prior to joining PPL, Kanna worked in the public and nonprofit sectors focusing on civic engagement and community planning.

Camilla is a UK government civil servant with expertise in design, policy making and impact investing. She has spent her whole career in roles that bring new resources and points of view to policy and service development – working at organizations including the UK Cabinet Office, Design Council and European Commission. She has taught and applied design extensively with civil servant teams and her work in impact investing includes setting up a $400m fund for the UK social sector. Camilla has been a fellow of the Public Policy Lab since 2015 and has worked with the team on criminal justice and education projects. She has first class degrees from University of Bristol and London School of Economics and is currently completing a PhD in design. 

Shanti is a designer and strategist who believes in the power of government as a tool for communal wellbeing. As deputy director of the Public Policy Lab, she works with government agencies to make social service systems more accessible, holistic, collaborative, and measurably effective. Shanti’s prior innovation research and strategy consulting has spanned the public, social, and private sectors. Outside the PPL, Shanti has worked on the ground-level of tech startups and has produced large-scale artistic events.

Shanti serves with the Young Professionals Advisory Board for the National Alliance on Mental Illness of NYC, the Brooklyn Public Library Eagles, and the Alumni Association Executive Committee for Choate Rosemary Hall. She holds degrees from the University of Wisconsin—Madison and the IIT Institute of Design.

Chelsea Mauldin is a social scientist and designer with a focus on public-sector innovation. She directs the Public Policy Lab, a New York City-based nonprofit organization that designs better public services for low-income and at-risk Americans.

Prior to co-founding the Public Policy Lab, Chelsea led a community-development organization, oversaw government partnerships at a public-space advocacy nonprofit, and consulted to municipal and federal agencies. She is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and the London School of Economics.

Natalia became a PPL fellow in 2013, serving on a project for high-need students.

Carly is currently pursuing an MFA in Products of Design at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. There, she will begin a year-long thesis that combines design and feminism as they relate to women’s health and social pressures of motherhood. Prior to joining Public Policy Lab, Carly worked as a furniture maker and graphic designer. She holds a degree in Architectural Studies from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, NY.

Natalie became a PPL fellow in 2016, serving on a project about veteran mental health.

Kristi Brown served as a PPL fellow on our Veteran Mental Health project. 

Dom Crockett served as a PPL fellow on our Veteran Mental Health project.

Sophia is a writer, a graphic designer, a radio DJ, and a print-maker whose passion lies at the intersection of storytelling and social design. Before joining the Public Policy Lab, her work focused primarily on issues of racial justice, immigration, affordable housing, gender, and sexuality. Sophia holds a degree from Brown University and has worked on design teams at Design for America, Human Rights Watch, and IDEO.org.

Kristina Drury served as a PPL fellow on our Affordable Housing project. 

Kacia is a former design lead at PPL. As a visual designer with a commitment to human-centered methods, Kacia spends her time advocating for simple, clear, and effective design. She is passionate about creating meaningful connections between people and has a real knack for research, because she can’t seem to stop asking questions (and truly cares about the answers).

Kacia is a graduate of The George Washington University. Her journey into social design began when she participated in the School of Visual Arts’ “Impact! Design for Social Change” summer residency.

Jennifer Rose is an honorary PPL fellow, having served as the PPL’s design director for our Affordable Housing, School Choice, and High-Need Student Services projects.

Bryan a co-founder of design studio Dash Marshall, where he leads DM Strategy, the firm’s urban innovation consultancy. He runs the studio’s strategic design projects for clients such as Google, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Knight Foundation. Previously Bryan was a founding member of Helsinki Design Lab, working under the auspices of the Finnish Parliament to improve public institutions through design. Bryan holds a Master of Architecture I degree from Harvard Graduate School of Design and a BFA in Interior Architecture from Rhode Island School of Design.

As co-founder and managing principal of Two Twelve Associates, David’s dedication to delivering thoughtful, user-centered design established the firm’s reputation as the first advocate of “public information design,” the planning and presentation of complex information to diverse audiences. David’s leadership on projects for the Chicago Park District, the Partnership for Downtown Baltimore, the City of Charlotte, and Sound Transit in Washington State are just a few examples of his commitment to making the public his most important client.

David began his career with the Ontario Ministry of National Resources, in his native Canada. He studied architecture at Cornell University, attended the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, and received an MFA in graphic design from Yale University. He is a past president and board member of the Society for Environmental Graphic Design, and recently completed his term on the AIGA national board. He is author of The Wayfinding Handbook: Information Design for Public Places, published by Princeton Architectural Press in 2009.

Deborah has dedicated her career to the development of pragmatic, design-oriented approaches to municipal issues. She currently directs programs for the New York Restoration Project, a nonprofit dedicated to reclaiming and restoring New York City parks, community gardens, and open space. Previously, as director of the Design Trust for Public Space, she brought her expertise in urban systems to bear on an acclaimed series of public/private partnerships between New York City agencies, community organizations, and private-sector urban designers.

Deborah has also served as program manager of the New York City Department of Parks’ Natural Resources Group and later associated with the landscape architecture firm Field Operations, where she served as project manager for the Fresh Kills Master Plan. She received a Masters in Landscape Architecture from the Harvard University Design School and also holds a J.D. from New York University School of Law.

Chelsea Mauldin is a social scientist and designer with a focus on public-sector innovation. She directs the Public Policy Lab, a New York City-based nonprofit organization that designs better public services for low-income and at-risk Americans.

Prior to co-founding the Public Policy Lab, Chelsea led a community-development organization, oversaw government partnerships at a public-space advocacy nonprofit, and consulted to municipal and federal agencies. She is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and the London School of Economics.

A leader in the human-centered design community for 15+ years, John has co-chaired and curated two international conferences—EPIC 2012, the premier international conference on ethnography in business and design, and Interaction 17, The Interaction Design Association’s annual global conference. John has taught graduate-level design research and methodology courses at Parsons and NYU, and lectured at Institute of Design, SCAD, and Pratt. As of April 2018, the design firm he co-founded, Moment, became part of Verizon. John now holds the role of Head of Service Design, where he works to create seamless customer experiences across channels and touchpoints for the one in three Americans who use Verizon’s services.