Community
Alumni Association
The Alumni Association is here to be a professional, creative, and social resource to all 11,000+ Alumni of the University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design.
The Penn Weitzman Alumni Association
A global community 11,000+ strong, the Penn Weitzman Alumni Association (PWAA) connects graduates with each other and the School for the benefit of all. Whether your interests lie in career advancement, professional leadership, creative stimulation, support for your department or school, or some combination of these, you’ll find resources, activities, and like-minded peers in the PWAA.
The University has also added MyPenn, a digital hub where you can find and connect with other Penn alums, and explore resources, upcoming events, and University news. When you change careers or move to a new home, be sure to update your profile in MyPenn.
2022–2023 Penn Weitzman Alumni Association
- Taylor Knoche, MArch’16, President
- Peichao Di, MArch’16, Vice-President
- Rick Collier, MRP’77, Treasurer
- Donna Andrews, MSHP’01, Secretary
- Sarah Blitzer, MArch’15
- Katie Burrell, MArch’06
- Anne Clark, MArch'13, MLA'13
- Cyrus Dezfuli-Arjomandi, MA’84, PhD’85
- Mansi Dhanuka, MEBD’17
- Jennifer Hagan, MCP’01
- Erika Johnson, MCP’03
- Aishwarya Katta, MEBD’18
- Bob Kaufman, C’76, MCP’77
- Doah Lee, MFA’16
- Ryan Lohbauer, MArch’07
- Gina Michaels, MFA’93
- Tong Niu, MArch’16
- Jill Sablosky, MFA’79
- Julie Scott, RA, MArch’97
- Sarai Williams, MCP’17, MLA’17
- Deborah Woodward, MArch’97
- Emma Molloy, M'Arch'17, MFA'17, MLA'17
- Meagan Whetstone, MArch'13
Letter from the Alumni Association President
“Live slowly, live mindfully, live intentionally”
In October of 2022, the Penn Weitzman School of Design Alumni Association (PWAA) met in-person for our Annual Retreat. While this was the second time we were able to hold our retreat in-person since the start of COVID-19, there was a renewed sense of confidence in the room. The energy was one of friendship, nostalgia and excitement for getting back to work!
Through the challenges of the last two years, we were still able to achieve a lot with the help of the School’s leadership, administration and generous donations from our alumni base. We hosted several virtual lectures, showcasing the work of Weitzman School graduates. We held our annual professional portfolio and resume review, virtually, to help current students embark on their careers following graduation. We continually sought ways to provide opportunities for students to hear from alumni on alternative career paths. And, most recently, we have been able to plan in-person firm crawls and workshops to expose current students to alumni and the professional working environment. All of this is in effort to forge relationships and create future job and hiring opportunities for our current students and alumni professionals.
As we look towards the future for the PWAA, we are learning from the COVID-19 pandemic and the environmental-socio-political shifts we are routinely experiencing. We are slowing down, being intentional, being self-aware and making purposeful decisions for the benefit of the Weitzman School and the broader University of Pennsylvania campus. During our Annual Retreat, we reviewed our “Strategic Plan” and considered ways to update the plan to more accurately reflect our vision, values, objectives and actions, with effective communication at its core. We seek to ensure the Weitzman School is a place where everyone feels safe, heard and allowed equal opportunity. With the announcement of the new Stuart Weitzman Hall, previously known as the Morgan Building and reimagined by internationally acclaimed KieranTimberlake (the firm of Stephen Kieran, MArch’76 and James Timberlake, MArch’77); the Weitzman School, with help from the PWAA, acts on a once-in-a generation opportunity to better serve the needs of the Weitzman School’s students and faculty. Consider donating to this historic project today!
Finally, thank you for making this an academic home to which I am always happy to return! On behalf of the entire board of the Penn Weitzman Alumni Association, we look forward to seeing and working with you in the upcoming year. We continue to do this work, so our students, faculty and alumni are ever more prepared to address the challenges of the future, stronger together.
Taylor Knoche, RA, AIA, MArch’16
President