Woodbury University School of Architecture Elevates Three Faculty Members to Senior Posts

Woodbury University School of Architecture today announced the elevation of three faculty members to senior posts at the School — Marc J. Neveu, Ph.D., to the position of Associate Dean of the School of Architecture, Associate Professor Heather Flood to Undergraduate Chair and Professor Ewan Branda, Ph.D., to Graduate Chair.  Dr. Neveu has served as Chair of the School of Architecture since 2014.

In his new role as Associate Dean, Dr. Neveu will oversee outreach and school-wide communications.  As Assessment Officer, he will lead the School in university-wide WASC (Western Association of Schools and Colleges) accreditation, oversee Woodbury’s Making Complex, and develop the School’s Institutes.

Prior to the appointment, Dr. Neveu was Chair of graduate and undergraduate architecture programs in the School of Architecture in Los Angeles.  During his first year of service, both programs were awarded an eight-year re-accreditation from NAAB.  Neveu also helped to launch IPAL initiatives in both the graduate and undergraduate programs.  He has worked with faculty to rethink and develop curricula intended to improve student learning and outcomes. Under his leadership, the undergraduate program was ranked nationally, by DesignIntelligence, for the first time in the program’s history.  Recently reappointed to another four-year term as Executive Editor of the biannual peer-reviewed Journal of Architectural Education, Dr. Neveu is a widely acclaimed architectural educator and scholar.

“Marc has transformed student learning and the development of the School’s curriculum, and I look forward to working alongside him in continuing to build and strengthen the School’s vision,” said Ingalill Wahlroos-Ritter, AIA, Dean of the School of Architecture.  “Marc will bring to the School as Associate Dean incisive thinking, editorial acumen, ability to clearly articulate the values of an architectural education.  He is a distinguished scholar and professor who exemplifies the superb faculty teaching at Woodbury School of Architecture.  A compassionate instructor and advisor, Marc provides students with critical insight and support while encouraging them to think for themselves.”

Dr. Neveu has taught at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston and as a Visiting Faculty member at SCI-Arc in Los Angeles.  He has published on issues concerning architectural pedagogy in the Italian eighteenth century as well as the contemporary context.  He is currently working on a book-length project on the work of Douglas Darden.

Undergraduate Chair Heather Flood

As Undergraduate Chair, Heather Flood will continue working to evolve the undergraduate curriculum by exploring how to strengthen student skill sets early in foundational years. Partnering with local institutions, she will continue leading the Community College Conversations and coordinating the Woodbury End-of-Year Exhibition.  As Assistant Undergraduate Chair, Prof. Flood coordinated the first year studios to transform the BArch curriculum, and her work resulted in the 2017 Studio Prize from Architect Magazine.

“One of the greatest pleasures in working as an educator is encountering people who challenge and inspire you, and Heather Flood is one of those people,” Wahlroos-Ritter said.  “Nationally recognized as a design leader, she brings an optimistic energy to our community. In everything she does – as educator, scholar, designer, and colleague – she exemplifies the highest ethical and professional standards, consistently giving her all and reminding us through her own work the joy that beautiful design can bring.  She has breathed new life into our BArch curriculum, and through her own example, establishing exemplary student work habits, instilling a passion for craft and design acumen, and above all in creating studio culture that encourages students to consistently achieve what they never thought possible.”

A designer and educator, Prof. Flood’s work integrates the disciplines and techniques of cultural research, graphic art, and architectural design to create experientially dense environments. Founder and principal of F-lab, her work has been published and exhibited internationally.  Prior to forming F-lab, she worked in the offices of Murphy, Burnham, and Buttrick Architects (New York), HOLST Architecture (Portland), and Roto Architects (Los Angeles).

In addition to her professional practice, Prof. Flood teaches design studios with a focus on beginning design pedagogy.  She has taught design studios and visual studies seminars at both SCI-Arc and UCLA.  She holds a Master of Architecture degree from the SCI-Arc, where she graduated with honors and received the Henry Adams Medal, awarded to the top-ranking graduate student.

Graduate Chair Dr. Ewan Branda

As Graduate Chair, Dr. Branda will coordinate graduate program outreach while fostering interdepartmental collaboration to enhance the reputation of Woodbury’s graduate architecture degrees.  He most recently served as Assistant Undergraduate Chair and recently returned from sabbatical.

“Having the good fortune of working closely with Ewan over several years, I look forward to having him focus on our graduate programs in Los Angeles,” Wahlroos-Ritter said. “In every role in which he serves – professor, student advisor, administrator, scholar, colleague – he brings an astonishing and consistent level of rigor, a passion for honing skill-sets and concepts in order to achieve clarity and precision, an ability to think critically about aesthetic and technical decisions, and tenacity to strive for excellence in every project.  As thoughtful as he is rational, he is our Mr. Spock. As undergraduate coordinator, he played an instrumental role in guiding and refining the curriculum, supporting faculty and other administrators, and in providing students with tools to achieve professional success.  I know he will bring these same qualities to his new position.”

Dr. Branda is an architectural historian and software designer. He has taught thesis studios, foundations studios, and seminars examining contemporary practices of digital humanities and scholarly communications using techniques borrowed from digital gaming and electronic literature. His research interests include architecture’s place in the information society, software as a mode of architectural thinking, late-postwar corporate architecture, and technocracy as creativity.  Formerly a registered architect in the province of Québec, he has served as a board member for the LA Forum for Architecture and Urban Design and the Electronic Literature Organization, and is currently a member of the editorial board of the Electronic Book Review.

About Woodbury University

Founded in 1884, Woodbury University is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in Southern California. The university ranks 15th among the nation’s “25 Colleges That Add the Most Value,” according to Money Magazine, was voted “Best Graduate School” in the Los Angeles Daily News 2018 Readers Choice Awards, and is a 2018-19 College of Distinction. Woodbury was a finalist for the General Community Service Award, a part of the 2015 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll recognition program. With campuses in Burbank/Los Angeles and San Diego, the university offers bachelor\\’s degrees from the School of Architecture, School of Business, School of Media, Culture & Design, and College of Liberal Arts, along with a Master of Business Administration, Master of Architecture, Master of Interior Architecture and Master of Science in Architecture. The San Diego campus offers Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Architecture, Master of Interior Architecture and Master of Landscape Architecture degrees, as well as a Master of Science in Architecture, Real Estate Development. Visit woodbury.edu for more information.