Joel Towers
Joel Towers is a Professor of Architecture and Sustainable Design at Parsons School of Design, the Director of The Tishman Environment and Design Center, and a University Professor at The New School. He previously served as Executive Dean of Parsons School of Design from 2009-2019. Prior to that role he was the Dean of the School of Design Strategies, and Associate Provost for Environmental Studies. Under his leadership Parsons completed major curricular reforms, launched several new graduate and undergraduate programs, constructed an integrated, 27,000 sq. ft. cross-disciplinary making facility and raised millions of dollars in scholarship, research, and capital funds. Before his tenure at The New School, Mr. Towers was a faculty member of the Graduate School of Architecture at Columbia University, where he conducted research in sustainable urban design and developed cross-disciplinary teaching strategies. He is co-Chair of the New York City Panel on Climate Change, a Local Law mandated scientific advisory board charged with providing authoritative, actionable information on future climate change and its potential impacts to support City decision-making. Professor. Towers holds an M.Arch. from Columbia University and a B.S. from the University of Michigan.