Marisa Villarreal

Marisa grew up on coastal California within easy reach of the Pacific Ocean, redwood forests, and Lake Tahoe. She received her BA from UC Santa Cruz in 2012 before moving to New York City, where she split her time as an editorial assistant in the home and garden realm, and a researcher of crisis management and mindfulness techniques under a Rockefeller Foundation Resilient Cities Grant in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. While pursuing her MLA at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, she held positions as a core studio Teaching Assistant, editor of the 2018 GSD Student Guide, Co-Chair of the school’s Women in Design student organization, and summer intern with SurfaceDesign in San Francisco, CA. She came to Reed Hilderbrand in 2018 and has been involved in projects including residences in the Hudson Valley, Camp Merrie Woode in North Carolina, and the local Belmont Hill School. Marisa is dedicated to labor rights and nonhierarchical methods of practice, and recommends the book Emergent Strategy by adrienne maree brown, and absolutely anything by David Graeber.