Deana Martin (she/her/hers)

I’m from  Mashpee, MA originally but have been living in Boston for a very long time with my family, specifically Roslindale.

List your education  BS in Journalism with an Advertising focus and an MS in Corporate and Organizational Strategic Communications with both degrees from Northeastern University

Why PCA?  I was looking for a thoughtful and intentional architectural practice to join that had a focus on community building.

My earliest design memory  When I was in high school, I worked at our town's local pharmacy. Every month I waited for the latest edition of Elle magazine to be delivered so I could cut out and post my favorite ads on my bedroom wall. One wall was covered with beautiful black and white photography. Things started to click for me then.

My favorite aspect of working with clients is  It's great to know clients like you know your friends or colleagues. It is easier to collaborate and work with someone when you "really" understand their point of reference on many topics and experiences. Knowing a client well creates good work.

What's the most inspiring part of your job?  Collaborating with colleagues and listening to them tell their project stories. It's my job to communicate the evolution of their design work and how this impacts the communities where we work and benefits the end user.

On Saturday mornings, you can usually find me  At home drinking a hot cup of coffee reading the NYT on my phone in the early morning hours or jumping in my car headed to one of my favorite city cafes to grab a hot latte.

What is the nerdiest thing you do in your spare time?  Sitting at my kitchen table where I read books, both non-fiction and literature, underlining my favorite parts. I go back and reread my underlines often, over and over again.

Cats or dogs?  Cats, sometimes dogs (puppies).

Coffee or tea?  Both, coffee more so!

Favorite book  An Intimation of Things Distant by Nella Larsen

On my playlist:  Kronos Quartet, King Kooba and Meshell Ndegeocello