Civic Leadership Program

Corey Arena is a designer at Gans and Company, where his work engages public architecture and community-focused design. He is currently Co-Steward of the Architecture Lobby NYC Chapter and helped found the Pratt Chapter, as a B.Arch alumnus. He was a member of the AIANY Civic Leadership Program Class of 2020, and an Advisor to the Class of 2021, organizing speakers and events across disciplines and sectors. At Gans & Co., Arena’s work includes a renovation of the Brooklyn Children’s Museum Garden, which will restore exterior space for universally accessible active play. His past projects with Gans and Company include post-Sandy housing, through the NYC HRO Build-it-Back program, to maintain working-class housing in Sheepshead Bay. His current work, as a fellow at the Institute for Public Architecture, focuses on the spatial and economic impacts of working from home on employees, especially as it relates to discourses on labor and worker autonomy.

Alexis B. Clarke is an aspiring architect seeking to better the accessibility of resilient infrastructure in at-risk communities through sustainable design and master planning. Clarke is a Senior Designer at Thornton Tomasetti with a dual role in the Forensics and Resilience Practices, where she investigates buildings and infrastructure before and after events. As a part of her role, Clarke analyzes building codes and industry standards, conducts building assessments, evaluates cause and origin forensic investigations, and assists in multi-hazard risk assessments and master planning of coastal cities. Clarke is pursuing licensure as a registered architect and professional engineer to actualize resilient and equitable design solutions in neighborhoods affected by socioeconomic inequalities and systemic racism.

She attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where she received her Bachelor of Architecture and studied at the Center for Architecture Science & Ecology, where she researched and analyzed innovations in built ecologies, resilience, and energy efficiency at an urban and global scale. Clarke later pursued a post-graduate degree in Geo-Futures, where she participated in advanced research design on the role of architecture in the Anthropocene and its impact on culture, society, the environment, and urban environments. Over the last few years, Clarke has worked with RALX, a cultural practice that critiques contemporary mainstream aesthetics in architecture and design. She also specializes in visualizations of the African American diaspora and black aesthetics in architecture.

Tiana Howell is currently an Architectural Designer at Array Architects. Originally from Queens, New York, she received her Bachelors of Science in Architecture in 2017 from the University of Maryland in College Park, MD, and Masters of Architecture from the Spitzer School of Architecture at the City College of New York in 2020. Her graduate thesis focused on architectural representations of landmarks and spaces associated with the Black diaspora throughout the United States, with a case study on historic freedmen towns.

Howell has previous experience in Real Estate Development and Space Planning, and currently enjoys working in the Healthcare and Life Science sectors. Her interests include digital fabrication, mentorship, networking, and diversity, equity and inclusion discussions. Howell serves on the Young Professionals Committee of the Association of Medical Facility Professionals (AMFP) New York City Chapter, is a member of nycoba | NOMA, a 2023 cohort member of the AIANY Civic Leadership Program, and currently pursuing licensure. As an Architectural Designer, Howell believes that at the core of producing a successful project is active collaboration, creative thinking, and communication. Her background in healthcare and life sciences has led to her holistic approach to design, analyzing the project at all scales, and considering the diverse needs of all who experience a space. Howell aims to utilize innovative methods and new technology, pushing the boundaries of possibilities in design. Driven by her compassion for others, she strives to create inclusive and safe spaces within the healthcare system.

A.L. Hu (they/them) is a transgenderqueer Taiwanese-American activist architect, artist, organizer, and facilitator. Their practice synthesizes organizing for racial, class, and gender justice with design to queer the architect’s role in facilitating accessible spaces, manifesting in design, visual media, cartographies, events, and collaborative work. They are Director of Design Initiatives at Ascendant Neighborhood Development in East Harlem, New York, and founded Queeries, an ongoing community-building and design-queering initiative for and by LGBTQIA+ spatial designers. They are a member of the inaugural 2017 AIANY Civic Leadership Program, and a 2023 Center for Architecture Lab Resident.  

Stephanie Jones is an architect and senior designer at Architecture Outfit. Her design sensibility and attention to detail give Jones the ability to study problems, explore design opportunities, and collaborate with team members to achieve project goals. 

She has played a central role in realizing many of AO’s successful new construction and interiors projects including the Cove Hollow Farm Road Residence, Brooklyn Workforce Innovations office and training center, and Pace University’s Actors Studio Drama School. She is developing BIM construction documents and coordinating agency approvals for new ground-up multi-family residential buildings. She also manages AO’s internship program with a focus on diversity and inclusion. 

Jones received a B.S. in Architecture from Ohio State University and a Master of Architecture from Columbia University and is a New York State registered architect.  An alumna of the 2020 Civic Leadership Program cohort, she has gone on to be active in civic organizations including Young New Yorkers and the Hell’s Kitchen Democrats among other AIANY committees and initiatives.