Deborah Marton

A leading voice on the intersection of environmental and social justice, Deborah Marton is President of New York City’s Public Design Commission. She was previously Executive Director of Van Alen Institute, where she evolved Van Alen’s mission — to create equitable cities through inclusive design — and led the development of programs that shift the balance towards justice in citymaking.

As Executive Director of New York Restoration Project, she completed fulfillment of the private sector commitment to plant a million trees as part of New York City’s MillionTreesNYC initiative and led the creation and/or renovation of more than 50 community garden spaces throughout New York City’s most under-resourced communities. As Executive Director of the Design Trust for Public Space, Deborah launched the Taxi 07 program, resulting in a new purpose-built NYC taxi. As project director at James Corner Field Operations, she led the original Fresh Kills Master Plan team. Deborah was a program director for the New York City Department of Parks Natural Resources Group and has lectured broadly, including as adjunct professor at the Univ. of Pennsylvania Weitzman School of Design. Early in her career, Deborah was an associate with the law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher.

Deborah holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania, a J.D. from New York University School of Law, and a Master of Landscape Architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design.