Civic Leadership Program

Iyatunde Majekodunmi’s journey into design started during her early childhood vacations at her parents’ home in Lagos, Nigeria. At a young age, she was able to witness two completely different worlds, and, more specifically, the differences between how materials are utilized in New York and Lagos. She became aware of detail in infrastructure, the programming of urban and private spaces, and the planning of cities. In addition to her many trips to Nigeria, she has been able to travel to other countries, allowing her to develop a fascination with changing perspectives, cultures, and infrastructure. Majekodunmi strives to be a global citizen and implement what she has learned from her travels in her everyday life. She considers living in New York—a global melting pot—a great opportunity to apply the lessons she has learned from her travels to understand how the city is constantly changing to adhere to its diversity. Majekodunmi can look at problems from multiple perspectives and is often ready to tackle them through conventional and unconventional methods. She was raised to have a strong work ethic and believe in the individual responsibility of civic duty. Majekodunmi began to develop a skillset applied to infrastructure while working as a shop tech and doing freelance fabrication in school, allowing her to understand the many details necessary to create the whole. She received her Bachelor of Architecture from Pratt Institute and is currently working as an Architectural Designer at KPF.

Kasey Motley is a licensed architect and sustainable designer with a proven record of leading interdisciplinary project teams and developing systems-based solutions for urban sustainability. Motley advocates for vulnerable communities and engages the public to develop inclusive climate strategies. She is currently working as a Sustainable Design Specialist for the Port Authority of NY and NJ where she works with cross-disciplinary teams to design sustainable public building and infrastructure projects at aviation, bus, rail, and port facilities. Motley also develops agency standards for decarbonization and renewable energy generation.

As a former EDF Climate Corps Fellow, Motley worked with NYC Mayor’s Office of Climate & Environmental Justice on the intersection of equity and energy infrastructure. Motley also led a pro-bono consultancy team to develop the City of Mount Vernon’s first Climate Action Plan. Motley earned a B. Arch from Penn State University and an MS in Sustainability Management from Columbia University.

Ankita Nalavade graduated with a Master in Sustainable Environmental Systems from Pratt Institute. With the program’s systems-thinking approach, she was able to understand the link between the technical and social aspects of the built environment. In addition, Nalavade’s experience working in Mumbai, India, and New York City, along with her unique combination of architecture and infrastructure skills help her paint a holistic picture of the urban built environment.

Currently, Nalavade is working at the NYC Department of Design and Construction as a Sustainability Coordinator and Green Infrastructure Project Manager in the Infrastructure unit. As a Green Infrastructure Project Manager, her role is to help the NYC Department of Environmental Protection design and construct green infrastructure assets, including bioswales and porous concrete structures, and achieve water quality goals set by the New York State Department of Conservation. As Sustainability Coordinator, her role is to help the city achieve the sustainability and resiliency goals outlined in One NYC 2050, New York City’s strategic plan to secure the city’s future against the challenges of today and tomorrow.

Harriet Provine has worked in the Planning, Design, and Construction Department of Central Park Conservancy for the past five years. Her work focuses on historic restoration and accessibility. Working in Central Park has taught her how to navigate the needs of a diverse array of people and interests.

Provine grew up in New York City and has lived here for most of her life, making her particularly mindful of the effect public space can have on communities. She is acutely aware of how public spaces can fail to be equitable by ignoring local history or by being inaccessible to people with disabilities.

In addition to her work at the Center Park Conservancy, she has also done pro-bono design work for several organizations with a social welfare focus. Provine is also passionate about illustration and graphic design and tries to incorporate these skill sets into her volunteer work.

Bradley Sherburne is an architect and urban designer from New York City, where he is an Associate for CetraRuddy Architects. He earned a B.Arch and a Master of Urban Design from Carnegie Mellon, where his work focused on the intersection of human-scaled cities within a sustainability context.

After receiving his license to practice as an architect in the state of New York, Sherburne turned his focus to DEI initiatives by creating architectural designs that fostered inclusion and visibility. One such project was for the Africana Studies Department at Brown University, where he was able to effectively meet the client’s needs for a department that reflected the ideals held by the academics utilizing the space.

Sherburne’s primary works are with public and private K-12 schools, museums, colleges, and universities. As a member of the LGBTQIA+ community and an active advocate for the transgender community, Sherburne’s understanding of the gender spectrum offers an unparalleled advantage to the clients he serves. It is also a perspective he has shared at his local Manhattan Community Board 6.

Sherburne lives in Gramercy Park with his dog and husband, in that order. He enjoys observing the use of urban settings while exploring common spaces in his neighborhood with his Shiba Inu, Jackson. Recently he has become involved with queer organizations like God’s Love We Deliver, where he delivers meals to underserved neighbors, and the Human Rights Campaign.