Sameena Sitabkhan
Licensing Advisor, School of Architecture
Sameena Sitabkhan is a California-licensed architect deeply committed to empowering the next generation of architects through an emphasis on spatial justice. At the Academy of Art University, she has served in the roles of Licensing Advisor, AIAS faculty advisor, NOMAS faculty advisor, and Assistant Undergraduate Director.
She is the founding director of B.Lab, the community-based design initiative at the Academy of Art University. Since 2018, B.Lab student-designed and constructed projects have won numerous awards recognized for their creativity, listening, and empathy to meeting the needs of underserved communities in the Bay Area. The program relies on a robust participatory model with neighbors, local youth, city agencies, and nonprofits.
Over the past 19 years, she has designed and led projects spanning a range of public serving building typologies from schools and affordable housing to urban/art installations. She has held leadership positions at local firms including David Baker Architects where she focused on housing for the formerly homeless. Additionally, she has designed and managed complex charter and public school buildings throughout California.
Sameena received a Master of Architecture degree from SCI-Arc in Los Angeles and a BA in Urban Planning from UC San Diego. She is an honoree of the 2023 Community Alliance Awards // Sandra I. Vivanco Education Award and a Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Fellow. She serves on the SFNOMA board as the Co-Chair of the youth program, Project Pipeline.
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