Community Design Lab for Neighborhood Housing

Cara Van Sant

Cara Van Sant is the Director of Boise State University’s Venture College, where she helps students, faculty, staff, and community members turn ideas into real-world ventures. Born and raised in Boise, Cara is passionate about building Idaho’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and creating opportunities for hands-on learning and collaboration.

Before joining Boise State, Cara built a diverse career spanning the tech industry, government, and local startups. She serves on the board of Treasure Valley Women in Tech, coaches youth soccer, and proudly holds her favorite title, mom to two young daughters. When not at work (or on the soccer fields), you can find Cara in the mountains enjoying all that Idaho has to offer.

Dana Zuckerman

Dana earned a Master's Degree in Public Policy and applied that experience to work in housing development, urban renewal, and work in the arts community. In her 18 years in Boise she chaired CCDC, built a tiny home community, and served on several arts organization boards. Dana enjoys learning about public spaces, innovative housing, and creative urban sustainability.

Dwaine Carver

Dwaine Carver is an artist, designer, and educator. His current research intersects ecology, infrastructure, and public space. Recent works include building and urban design, arts and cultural planning, public sculpture, installations, exhibits, and essays on architectural history, theory, and pedagogy.

A graduate of Harvard University Graduate School of Design and Rhode Island School of Design, Dwaine currently serves as Associate Chair and Director of Graduate Studies of Architecture at the University of Idaho.

Ester Ceja

Ester is a thirty-year resident of Boise, originally from southcentral Idaho. She is a proud graduate of Boise State University and works in the environmental field. For over two decades she has devoted her spare time to volunteer efforts in the community, from volunteering at a neighborhood school, to her neighborhood association, and joining the Boise Planning and Zoning Commission.

Jen Schneider

Jen Schneider is Interim Dean of the College of Innovation+Design, where she directs the campuswide AI Initiative and leads the incubation of new programs and projects, including The Junction, a gathering place for entrepreneurship and translational research, and the School for the Digital Future. She is also a Professor in Public Policy and Administration and has facilitated numerous public engagement efforts around energy policy, climate policy, housing, and natural resources.

Kiah Jones

Kiah Jones serves as the Mayor’s Advisor on Housing for the City of Boise, where she supports local policy initiatives and collaborative efforts to expand access to affordable housing and ongoing housing stability. Her perspective is rooted in direct experience working with individuals and families experiencing homelessness. Kiah brings to this work a background in community development, nonprofit leadership, and teaching Sociology at Boise State University.

Levi Smith

Levi Smith serves as the CEO and President of Franklin Building Supply and as a member of the FBS Board. He joined FBS in 2016, moving his family from Austin, Texas. He brings experience as an executive, entrepreneur, and former CEO in the healthcare industry. His hands-on leadership is a trait shaped by his upbringing working on his family’s cattle ranch. He holds a business degree from Washington University in St. Louis and a law degree from the University of Texas. At FBS, Levi sets the vision and strategic direction for the company, leads the Executive Leadership Team, drives strategic objectives, and champions leadership development across the organization. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with family and friends, exploring the outdoors, woodworking, and perfecting his craft as a true barbecue connoisseur.

Matilda (Tilley) Bubb, Ph.D.

Dr. Matilda Bubb is the City of Boise's Cultural Planner in the Department of Arts & History (A&H), where she has worked since 1998. She started Boise’s prolific public art program which she ran for 19 years. She has authored Boise’s first cultural plan, and written public art master plans for Boise Airport and Public Works. Bubb earned her Ph.D. in public administration and policy with a focus on the creative economy in 2024 and a master’s in public administration and a Graduate Certificate in Community and Regional Planning from BSU in 2008, and a bachelor’s in fine art from University of Oregon in 1990. She is co-founder of Surel’s Place, and a board member of the Mitchell Family Foundation. She teaches Design Thinking for BSU's Executive MBA program and undergraduate classes. She has been honored with the Idaho Governor’s Arts Award for Excellence in Arts Administration, and named in Idaho’s top 50 Arts Leaders by the Idaho Business Review.

Melinda McGoldrick

Melinda McGoldrick is the Senior Manager for the City of Boise’s Housing and Community Development Division, guiding the team working to implement the City’s strategy and investments to ensure that every Boisean has a place to call home. With more than ten years of experience in municipal government, she brings expertise in housing policy, program development, and strategic community investment and engagement. Her approach centers the critical role that housing plays not only on an individual level, but in the ways it shapes neighborhoods and demonstrates our community’s values. Outside of work, she can be found in her garden, trying a new restaurant, or enjoying the greenbelt with her family.

Randy Teal

Dr. Randall Teal, a Professor and Head of the Architecture Program at the University of Idaho, is a writer, teacher, painter and designer. Randall has taught at University of Oregon, Southern University, and at Tampere University in Finland; he is the Owner and Principal of Teal Studio which specializes in small-scale design interventions. Randall’s pedagogical and research interests are in design fundamentals and architectural theory with a significant influence from Continental thought; he teaches theory courses and architectural design studios at all levels. His writing focuses primarily on the pedagogy of creative thinking and aims to understand and promote situated dialogue between critical architectural thinking and the built environment.

Erik Kingston

Erik is the Housing and Community Access Specialist for the Western Rural Development Center (WRDC). From 1995 to 2025 he managed the Idaho Housing and Finance Association’s Housing Information and Referral Center and coordinated multiple statewide strategic planning and outreach initiatives, and a statewide Housing Hotline. He represented IHFA on the Idaho Rural Partnership (IRP) board, Community Review Team, Western Community Assessment Network (WeCAN), and Idaho Fair Housing Forum. Erik teaches Housing as a Second Language and Accessible Communities through the NW Community Development Institute and recently co-authored a housing chapter for an upcoming book exploring rural livability. He is a Professional Community and Economic Developer (PCED) and serves on the Idaho Access Project board, Boise’s Cross-Disability Task Force, and the Community Development Council.

Ali Rabe

Ali Rabe is the Founding Executive Director of Idaho’s first statewide pro-housing organization, Gem State Housing Alliance, and serves as a State Senator for District 16, representing Northwest Boise and Garden City. She previously led Jesse Tree, a nonprofit dedicated to preventing eviction and homelessness in the Treasure Valley, where she spent nearly seven years growing the organization tenfold. Ali has also worked as an attorney with local governments and service providers on their efforts to end homelessness, and spent the early years of her legal career supporting refugees and displaced populations around the world. These experiences deepened her commitment to building communities where every person has access to a stable home. Ali is a proud graduate of The College of Idaho, holds a J.D. from William & Mary Law School, and a member of the Idaho State Bar. She and her husband are Treasure Valley natives, raising their two young boys alongside a very loved family dog.

Emiliano Espasandín

Emiliano Espasandín is a visionary urbanist and innovative leader dedicated to redefining the future of cities. With a steadfast passion for creating inclusive, thriving public spaces, he is at the forefront of urban design and planning in the modern era. As the founder and director of PALO Arq, an award-winning architecture and urban design firm based in Buenos Aires, Emiliano has led transformative projects that seamlessly blend creativity with functionality. Since 2021, he has expanded his impact as the CEO and Design Director of UIO Urban Innovation Office in Boise, Idaho, where he drives groundbreaking initiatives in urban design, strategic planning, and innovation. Additionally, he co-founded UrbS_LA, a pioneering digital platform dedicated to advancing research on public space, mobility, and technological innovation in urban environments. Emiliano’s academic achievements include degrees from the University of Buenos Aires and SCI-Arc in Los Angeles, as well as an MBA in real estate from the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina (UCA). He has further specialized in cutting-edge urban topics, earning diplomas in Smart Mobility from MIT and Smart Cities from Austral University. Currently, he serves as a professor of urban design and architecture at the University of Idaho, inspiring the next generation of urban innovators. A prolific contributor to the discourse on urbanism, Emiliano has authored numerous articles for print and digital media, providing valuable insights on critical urban challenges. His expertise has also been showcased in impactful audiovisual projects, further amplifying his commitment to sustainable, human-centered city design.