Gibbs College of Architecture is proud to recognize Petya Stefanoff, who is pursuing her doctorate in the Planning, Design & Construction (PDC) program, has been appointed the new role of Director of Community Development for the City of Shawnee, Oklahoma. She joined the city in 2024.
Petya holds bachelor’s degrees in Civil Engineering and Architecture and Urban Planning, master’s degrees in Architecture and Adult Education, and is currently a doctoral candidate in the PDC program.
Ms. Stefanoff has over a decade of experience in state and local government, along with private-sector work at engineering and architectural firms across several states. Her background gives her a unique perspective on how policy, design, and community growth intersect, which are the very areas she will oversee in her new role.
As Director of Community Development, she will lead the city's planning, zoning, and development services departments while guiding long-term initiatives that support Shawnee's continued growth. Her appointment highlights how the PDC program prepares students to translate academic learning into real-world impact.
Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture congratulates Thinh "Henry" Duong, a master's student in the Division of Interior Design, for earning first place in the 2026 Robert Bruce Thompson Annual Student Light Fixture Design Competition.
Gibbs College of Architecture Institute for Quality Communities (IQC) Director and Division of Planning, Landscape Architecture, and Design (PLAD) faculty member Amber N. Wiley, Ph.D., recently published a new book, Collective Yearning: Black Women Artists from the Zimmerli Art Museum.
In May, students from the Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture's Architecture, Environmental Design, and Interior Design programs participated in an intensive five-day Studio in Residence at Taliesin West, the iconic winter home and desert laboratory of Frank Lloyd Wright.
