These visionary practitioners and activists are revitalizing urban and rural places, democratizing policymaking, engaging arts and culture to improve our health and environment, and strengthening civic engagement. They are inspired and inspiring mid-career professionals who come from diverse backgrounds around the world and share passion and purpose—to strengthen their abilities to advance equity and resilience and to harness the power of collective action.
During their ten-month residency at Harvard GSD, Loeb Fellows immerse themselves in a rich academic environment, auditing courses at Harvard and MIT, exchanging insights, and expanding professional networks. They engage actively with GSD students and faculty, participate as speakers and panelists at public events, and convene workshops and other activities that encourage knowledge sharing and creation. Throughout, Loeb Fellows consider how they might refocus their careers and broaden the impact of their work.
The ten Class of 2026 Loeb Fellows are:
Daniela Chacón Arias
Daniela Chacón Arias is the cofounder and executive director of TANDEM, an Ecuadorian nonprofit that builds bridges of dialogue and collective action among citizens, civil society, the private sector, and local governments. In her current role, and formerly as vice mayor and city councilor of Quito, she has worked to create inclusive, resilient cities that prioritize gender equality, sustainability, and active citizen engagement.
Cecilia Cuff
Cecilia Cuff is a hospitality designer and strategist for development that revitalizes urban and rural landscapes and redefines how disinvested communities reclaim space, culture, and capital. She founded the Nascent Group in Chicago on the pillars of equity in entrepreneurship, regenerative design, women in leadership, inclusive growth, and cultural memory, transforming places of exclusion into places of possibility.
Jeremiah Ellison
Jeremiah Ellison is the Ward 5 city council member in Minneapolis, representing the city’s Northside, and an artist, activist, teacher, and organizer. His Renter First Policy blended creativity with pragmatism for a new framework of tenant protections to prevent displacement and prioritize renter’s rights. It challenged the status quo, honored community voices, and reshaped the city’s housing landscape.
Pedro Évora Amaral
Pedro Évora is a Brazilian urban designer, professor, and architect, leading the practices ÉVORA and RUA in Rio de Janeiro and teaching at PUC-Rio. His work spans urban planning, art and cultural facilities, temporary architecture, and exhibition design and has encompassed the 2010–2030 Strategic Plan for the Maré favela and the Costa Carioca climate initiative, as well as exhibitions at MoMA, the Venice Architecture Biennale, MAK Vienna, and the Carnegie Museum.
Jennifer Hughes
As senior advisor for partnerships, expansion, and innovation at the National Endowment for the Arts in Washington, DC, Jennifer Hughes is committed to elevating arts, culture, and design for the wellbeing of communities. With the inaugural Environmental Protection Agency artist-in-residence program; initiatives like the Healing, Bridging, Thriving summit; and grants that bridge arts and health, she has leveraged the arts to build thriving places, strengthen civic engagement, and foster meaningful connection.
Natalia Rudiak
Natalia Rudiak, based in Pittsburgh, is director of special projects at the coalition ReImagine Appalachia, where she advocates for federal climate investments and leads regional planning for sustainable economic development. She is the founder of CivicPartners, a social impact consultancy, and advisor on climate simulations for the global Centre for Systems Solutions in Poland, giving her a portfolio that encompasses sustainability, community development, and public policy.
Jacek Smolicki
Interdisciplinary artist, sound designer, and media scholar Jacek Smolicki explores the transformative potential of sound to reimagine how we shape and care for our environments. He is founder of Ekoton studio in Stockholm; cofounder of the Walking Festival of Sound, uniting artists, researchers, and the public; and creator of soundscapes in locales as diverse as the Canadian Pacific Coast, the Nordic Arctic Circle, Walden Pond, the Krakow Jewish Ghetto, and Canaveral National Seashore.
Andy Summers
Andy Summers is founder and codirector of the Architecture Fringe, at the forefront of progressive change within architecture and the built environment in Scotland. An architect, educator, and curator from Glasgow, he emphasizes cultural democracy and invests in the next generation of socially minded practitioners through strategic commissioning, exhibitions, and events that reimagine architecture as a radical social act.
Julia Thayne
With extensive experience in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, Julia Thayne has launched companies, technologies, and policies that benefit climate and communities worldwide. Prior to founding the advisory firm Twoº & Rising, she led projects to decarbonize energy systems for heavy industry and transport and to advance sustainable growth and mobility in cities that included her home, Los Angeles.
Oliver Wainwright
Oliver Wainwright, based in London, is the architecture and design critic of the Guardian, where he examines the built environment and the often invisible political, economic and social forces that shape our cities. His award winning writing is informed by his training as an architect and a career of practice at a range of scales, from strategic planning to public realm design and from photography to exhibition design and curation.
“In addition to being exceptional practitioners in their respective fields, Loeb Fellows are inspiring individuals. Each year, Fellows bring their unique experiences to the GSD community, sparking new conversations and challenging us all to consider how design can address global challenges,” says Sarah M. Whiting, Dean and Josep Lluís Sert Professor of Architecture at Harvard GSD. “It is my pleasure to welcome the class of 2026 to campus next fall, and I look forward to what they accomplish during their time at Harvard.”
“In his autobiography, John Loeb reflected that among his many philanthropic endeavors, the Loeb Fellowship stood out as the most personally rewarding,” says Loeb Fellowship curator John Peterson. “Until their passing in 1996, John and his wife, Frances, hosted a luncheon for each year’s class of fellows at their home. It was not the program alone, but the people—their talents, aspirations, and potential—that inspired their deep appreciation for this unique investment. In difficult times, when the future can feel bleak, it is the vision and actions of individuals with a shared purpose that rekindle hope and remind us that better futures are possible.” Peterson is an architect, activist, and a Loeb Fellow in the class of 2006.
The Loeb Fellowship and the ArtLab—a laboratory for research in the arts—are pleased to welcome Jacek Smolicki as the 2026 Loeb/ArtLab Fellow. Now in its fifth year, the collaborative fellowship previously featured the artists Jordan Weber (’22), Dario Calmese (’23), Joseph Zeal Henry (’24), and Shana M. griffin (’25).
Bree Edwards, director of the ArtLab notes, “Sound is a vital layer of built and natural environments, shaping how we experience space, memory, and connection. We’re excited to collaborate with sound artist Jacek Smolicki, whose work deepens our understanding of place and perception.”
After their year in residence at Harvard GSD, Loeb Fellows join a powerful worldwide network of over 450 Loeb Fellowship alumni, including recognized leaders like Pilar Viladas (’96), Rick Lowe (’02), John Zeisel (’71), Mpho Matsipa (’22), Mary Means (’82), Eleni Myrivili (’20), Alejandro Echeverri (’16), Henry Grabar (’24), Mathew Mazzotta (’18), and Alessandro Petti (’17).
The Loeb Fellowship traces its roots to the late 1960s, when John L. Loeb directed a Harvard GSD campaign based on the theme of “Crisis.” Loeb saw the American city in disarray and believed Harvard could help. He imagined bringing promising innovators of the built and natural environment to Harvard GSD for a year, challenging them to do more and do better, convinced they would return to their work with new ideas and energy. “The Class of 2026 continues this legacy,” says John Peterson, “inviting us to imagine brighter tomorrows.”
Image: From left: (top) Andy Summers, Cecilia Cuff, Daniela Chacón Arias, Jacek Smolicki, Jennifer Hughes; (Bottom) Natalia Rudiak, Julia Thayne, Oliver Wainwright, Jeremiah Ellison, Pedro Évora Amaral.