Who We Are

Maura Dwyer

Project Coordinator
Baltimore City Office
mdwyer@ndc-md.org

Maura Dwyer is a northeast Baltimore native, and a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art with a BFA in Interdisciplinary Sculpture. For the past several years, she has worked with mural collective, Spectrum Murals, to transform education spaces into interactive learning environments through visual design. In addition, she has taught mural workshops across Maryland through Young Audiences, and participated in Baltimore City’s annual arts festivals, including Artscape and Light City. Over her first year at NDC as a VISTA volunteer, she supported NDC’s Place Matters program, which partners with community leaders to build neighborhood capacity. She has stayed on as Project Coordinator for the NEA-supported Signal Station North lighting initiative. In her free time, you can find her volunteering, visiting art shows, lectures, and learning more about the history of Baltimore.

Jennifer Goold

Executive Director
Baltimore City & Prince George’s County Offices
jgoold@ndc-md.org

Jennifer Goold joined the Neighborhood Design Center in 2012 after more than a decade of work in cultural resources management, historic preservation, development and planning. At NDC, she directs all aspects of the center’s operations including staff, programs, outreach, and fundraising. A Baltimore resident since 1993, she has been involved in many of the city’s largest historic building rehabilitations, including the American Can Company, Silo Point and Tide Point. She received a BS in Interior Design from Indiana University and an MS in Historic Preservation from Columbia University. Hailing from Boone County Indiana, Jen’s early years included 10-year 4H membership including winning the title of master showman.

Merrell Hambleton

Project Manager, Signal Station North
Baltimore City Office
mhambleton@ndc-md.org
(914) 643-5195

Merrell leads NDC's NEA-supported Signal Station North, a two-year creative placemaking initiative rooted in building access and equity through public space lighting. Previously, Merrell produced public art projects with the artist Steve Powers and the New York-based nonprofit Creative Time. She has a dual MA in Social Design and Critical Studies from MICA and BA in History from Columbia University.

Briony Hynson

Deputy Director
Baltimore City Office
bhynson@ndc-md.org
(301) 830-5219

As Deputy Director, Briony leads development, design leadership and engagement initiatives at NDC. Briony started in her role at NDC in 2013, after completion of the Robert W. Deutsch Social Design Fellowship at Maryland Institute College of Art. The lynchpin of her work is understanding community and the shared built environment to leverage positive social change. Previously, as the founding creative director of Honfleur Gallery, Briony employed varied approaches to build creative capacity via revitalization efforts in Washington DC’s Ward 8. Hynson holds a BFA in Sculpture from Alfred University and an MA in Social Design from MICA.  

For inquiries and to request accommodation regarding accessibility, contact Briony.

Nancy Konjo 

Development Associate
Baltimore Office
nkonjo@ndc-md.org
(443) 835-0151

As a Development Associate, Nancy is responsible for assisting with office operations and implementing fundraising/development tasks. Prior to joining the Neighborhood design center, she worked as an Administrative/Development Assistant with various non-profits in the DC metropolitan area. She is also a fellow at the National Foster Youth Institute, which helps with improving foster care programs for young people. Konjo received her undergraduate degrees from Washington Adventist University (MD) in Music and Theology. In her free time, Nancy enjoys cooking, traveling, and performing.

Nick Maletta

Project Coordinator
Prince George’s County Office
nmaletta@ndc-md.org

Nick Maletta is a Project Coordinator for NDC's foresty work. He supports the Prince George’s County Right Tree Right Place program in addition to various other tree canopy and reforestation initiatives NDC undertakes with community partners. He has a graduate degree in Environmental Management from the University of Maryland, Global Campus and was recently awarded a fellowship with the Maryland Forestry Foundation to assist in the creation of an Urban Forestry Careers Camp for mid-Atlantic high school students. Nick spends his free time gardening, cooking, exploring the National Arboretum and perusing local nurseries for rare plants.

Sophie Morley

Program Manager
Prince George’s County Office
smorley@ndc-md.org
(301) 830-8251

Sophie is an architect with a background in inclusive design and international development. She came to NDC from her home city of London where she was working on affordable housing projects for charities, social landlords and Councils. Since 2010 she has been collaborating with the architecture organization Architecture sans Frontieres leading projects in Ghana, South Africa and Sierra Leone. She has taught architecture at several UK universities and her teaching focuses on equitable practice and social justice in the built environment. When not in the office Sophie likes to travel and ride her bike.

Allie O’Neill

Program Director — Community Design
Prince George’s County Office
aoneill@ndc-md.org
(301) 830-6425

Allie believes design has the power to improve lives, spark civic participation, and create equitable, resilient communities. She sees community design and participatory processes as integral parts of design justice. Allie leads the Community Design Works program in Prince George's County, connecting interested professionals and motivated community members to complete a wide range of projects. Since 2016, Allie has served on the board of the Association for Community Design. Outside of the office, you can find her biking around the DC area.

Eli Pousson

Program Coordinator
Baltimore Office
epousson@ndc-md.org
(301) 830-8519

Eli Pousson joined the Neighborhood Design Center in 2020 after completing a Masters in Public Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. For the past nine years, Eli worked at Baltimore Heritage supporting historic preservation and public history programs across the city including everything from archaeology in Patterson Park to new historic districts in Greater Rosemont. His recent research and organizing work includes investigating the health effects of demolishing vacant housing and developing a play streets initiative with Bikemore and the Baltimore Department of Transportation. Outside of work, Eli Pousson is a volunteer organizer for the annual Baltimore Family Biking Open House and enjoys sweeping up trash and trimming trees in his own neighborhood of Harwood and beyond.

Dana Puzey

Enterprise Development Director
Prince George’s County Office
dpuzey@ndc-md.org
(301) 850-1724

Dana is responsible for securing and managing the grants and contracts at the Neighborhood Design Center for both the Prince Georges County and Baltimore offices. Ms. Puzey began her post graduate career in Baltimore City in 2009, working with residents and communities to identify stormwater problems and site stormwater BMPs. In 2015, Dana joined NDC to oversee the organization’s urban forestry work in Prince George’s County. Her work evolved to include grant and contract management for both offices. Throughout her career, she has focused on program development and financial management. Dana received a Bachelor’s degree from Elon University in Environmental Studies and a Master’s degree from Virginia Tech in Urban and Regional Planning. When she’s not at the office, Dana keeps busy by exploring parks and museums with her young children and husband.

Laura Robinson

Program Coordinator
Prince George’s County Office
lrobinson@ndc-md.org
(301) 850-6697

Laura is a landscape designer with a background in field biology and graphic communication. Her work at the Prince George’s County office focuses on landscape design and community engagement projects that help increase tree canopy and green spaces in the county. Before NDC, Laura worked in residential design, environmental education, and information technology. She received a B.S. in Biology and a B.A. in Media Arts and Design from James Madison University, and more recently received her Master’s degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Maryland. Outside of the office, Laura enjoys walking her two senior dogs, attempting woven art, and hiking in Shenandoah.

Marita Roos

Program Director
Prince George’s County Office
mroos@ndc-md.org
(301) 270-9673

Marita is a landscape architect and planner who writes, designs, plans, builds and teaches with the aim of enlarging our participation in the urban/natural environment. Marita directs program activities at NDC’s Prince George’s County office and brings a perspective from over twenty years of private and public practice. She holds degrees in biodiversity management from the University of London Wye College and in landscape architecture from the University of Georgia. Outside of NDC, Marita loves to kayak wherever blue herons hang out.

Jason Sprouls

Program Coordinator
Prince George’s County Office
jsprouls@ndc-md.org
(301) 850-1462

Jason manages the Neighborhood Design Center’s community-wide urban forestry program that has jurisdiction of trees in the public right-of-way. He is an urban forestry practitioner who has an interdisciplinary skillset of the wide array of environmental conditions that relate to urban trees which includes dendrology, tree risk assessment and mitigation, urban hydrology and stormwater management, and soil sciences. He has a wide array of experiences in environmental interpretation, which was formative in his passion for connecting people and nature to bring meaningful change to the urban environment

Daphne Moraga

Intern

Daphne is a Johns Hopkins University student and community impact intern, and hails from Queens, New York. She is studying sociology, Africana studies, and social policy at JHU. She is passionate about working with people to advance housing and transportation justice in Baltimore City. Daphne will be working on projects in the Ellwood Park neighborhood, along with a new knowledge sharing program for local community development professionals and housing advocates.