January 10, 2017

This February Alan Greenberger, Distinguished Teaching Professor, will take the reins as Department Head of the newly named Department of Architecture, Design & Urbanism (formerly the Department of Architecture & Interiors). The name change of the Department is in recognition of its expanding portfolio of programs and research. In addition to overseeing our nationally ranked programs in Interior Design and our innovative Architecture programs, he will supervise the launch of our newest degree offering, an interdisciplinary Master’s degree in Urban Strategies, which is nearing its final curricular approval, as well as our recently launched Master’s in Design Research. As Deputy Mayor for Economic Development during Mayor Micahel A. Nutter’s two terms, Alan was a major contributor to Philadelphia's ongoing renaissance. He is an outstanding architect who taught for many years in our Evening Architecture program and he is highly experienced in urban planning and redevelopment. We would also like to extend many thanks to Rena Cumby for her most capable leadership of the Department in recent years. Under Professor Cumby’s leadership, both the undergraduate and graduate Interior Design programs received top ten rankings from DesignIntelligence, we brought on board talented new faculty, and she was central to our efforts to create the research focused Design Research Master’s degree and the new graduate degree in Urban Strategies. Ms. Cumby will continue to be a mainstay of the Department as she now returns to the faculty.

For thirty-four years, Greenberger was a practicing architect with Mitchell/Gurgola Architects and its successor, MGA Partners, where he was the design lead on many award winning projects. From 2008-2015 Greenberger was the deputy mayor for economic development and Director of Commerce for the City of Philadelphia under the administration of former mayor Michael Nutter, additionally serving as executive director and then chairman of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission. In his dual role in city government, Mr. Greenberger oversaw the integration of long-range strategic planning with implementation of both business and real estate development goals. Under his leadership, the City of Philadelphia rewrote the Philadelphia Zoning Code and initiated a five-year long comprehensive plan for the city. Both initiatives are the first of their kind for the city in over 50 years, receiving the American Planning Association’s National Excellence Award for a City Planning Agency in 2016. Mr. Greenberger's office also initiated the StartUpPHL initiative, launching multiple programs to attract and support a burgeoning entrepreneurial community, successfully attracting new technology and venture capital firms to Philadelphia, in addition to expanding business opportunities for small, minority and women-owned businesses throughout the city.