Dr. Dana Mckinney White

Assistant Professor

Biography

Dana McKinney White is a licensed architect and urban designer, as well as an outspoken advocate for social justice and equity in design. Her work contextualizes the needs of people within broader communities, integrating wellness, policy, and economics to create innovative design solutions that benefit vulnerable populations, including those system-impacted and persons experiencing homelessness. Dana co-founded the enFOLD Collective in 2021 with Megan Echols, aiming to place community voices at the center of their projects. She established Studio KINN which focuses on social justice, equity, and the narratives of place. Dana graduated from Princeton University summa cum laude with an A.B. in Architecture, and she holds a Master's in Architecture and a Master's in Urban Planning with Distinction from the Harvard Graduate School of Design. During her time at GSD, she contributed to the inaugural Black Design Conference and worked at Gehry Partners on significant urban projects. Before joining Harvard, Dana was a development manager at Adre, focusing on uplifting BIPOC communities through spatial equity. She has also lectured at the University of Maryland in their undergraduate architecture program and participated in the Norman Foster Foundation Traveling Fellowship workshop in Madrid, Spain, focusing on novel urban design strategies.

Research Interests

Courses

SES-5460 Community-Informed Urban Design