Deborah Marton

Deborah Marton is President of the Public Design Commission and a lay member. Previously she served as executive director of the Van Alen Institute, New York Restoration Project, and the Design Trust for Public Space. A leading voice at the intersection of environmental and social justice, notable achievements include repositioning Van Alen to create equitable cities through inclusive design, and at NYRP, completion of the private sector commitment to plant a million trees as part of NYC’s MillionTreesNYC initiative. At Design Trust, she launched the Taxi 07 program, resulting in a purpose-built NYC taxi, and at James Corner Field Operations, she led the original Fresh Kills Master Plan team. Previous roles include program director for the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation Natural Resources Group, and adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania Weitzman School of Design. Early in her career, Deborah was associated 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.