Planning + Design

The Planning + Design team works collaboratively within the Operations department with a focus on space assignment, the planning of non-capital projects, the development and maintaining of HGSE furniture standards, graphic design projects, ADA and campus signage standards, rent management, programming, consultant management for capital projects, and strategic master planning for the broader HGSE community. The team works under the general guidance of the Director of Planning + Design who direct reports to the Chief Operating Officer (COO).

In all its assignments and projects, the Planning + Design team seeks to reinforce the critical platform of Diversity Equity and Belonging central to the broader missions of the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Harvard University through thoughtful and impactful design.

Team Members

  • Howard Shen AIA, Director of Planning + Design
  • Akshata Palekar, Project Coordinator, Planning + Design
  • Lisa Lemerise Fischer, Space Planning + Operations Manager
  • Selected consultants and vendor partners including architects, building code engineers, signage vendors, and printers