Board & Team

Founder & Board President · Design & Systems Integration Lead

Christina, the BMOD founder, is also the founding principal of Vertical Architecture Enterprises (vAE), a full-service architecture practice in Baltimore. Christina leads BMOD design and engineering efforts for product platform development, rowhouse pilot projects, and investigations into establishing a microfactory. Christina brings to these efforts skills she has acquired over her 26+ year career working on large scale academic, research, and transportation projects in roles ranging from researcher, space programmer, designer, project architect, and project manager. Overlaid on this project work are her published articles and conference presentations regarding lifelong learning communities and technology's impact on spaces for learning and knowledge creation. Christina holds a BA in Urban Studies from Hampshire College and a Master of Architecture from Harvard University.

Secretary · Planning & Partnerships Lead

Ethan brings nearly 30 years’ experience helping communities, governments, and non-profits achieve their economic and social development goals. He served as Senior Advisor for Community and Economic Development for Baltimore City from 2014-2024, where he established and managed the Casino Local Impact Fund and led the City’s participation in Reimagine Middle Branch, which won the 2024 American Planning Association Planning Excellence Award. As Chief Planner for Sullivan County, NY, and Director of the City College Architectural Center at CUNY, Ethan raised a combined $5M in grants for collaborations on community development and environmental initiatives. Earlier, he worked for New York City architecture practices focusing on adaptive reuse and affordable housing. Ethan holds Master of Architecture and BA degrees from Yale University and a Certificate in Real Estate Development from UMD College Park.

Treasurer · Real Estate Development Lead

Richard Manekin is a partner at Workshop Development, a commercial real estate investment and development firm in Baltimore. He began his career at Manekin LLC, his family’s company, where he helped grow the firm from 10 to 150 employees and became a managing partner. He later served as Senior Vice President at CB Richard Ellis, founded Corinthian Realty Partners to pursue value-added investments, and joined former CBRE colleagues to form Workshop Development. A University of Maryland graduate, Richard has chaired a number of civic and charitable boards throughout his career. He is currently Chair of Jubilee Baltimore.

Morgan State University · Data Collection, Analysis & Research Lead

Brent Sturlaugson is a licensed architect and associate professor in the School of Architecture and Planning at Morgan State University, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate design studios and serves as the director of the Built Environment Applied Research (BEAR) Lab. Broadly, his research and teaching contributes to a more critical understanding of sustainability in architecture by explaining how design mobilizes a cascade of social and environmental effects through its supply chain of production. Brent’s writing appears in Places Journal, Society & Space, and Journal of Architectural Education, among others, and his research and design work has been exhibited in national and international venues, including the Venice Biennale. Sturlaugson received a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Oregon and a Master of Environmental Design from the Yale School of Architecture.

Morgan State faculty page

Morgan State University · Construction Management Lead

Kamalesh is an Associate Professor and the Graduate Program Director of Construction Management, and serves as Program Director for the PhD in Architecture, Urbanism, and Built Environments program at Morgan State University. His research expertise centers on construction risk and safety, and the assessment of residential buildings and their retrofit for cost and energy savings. Kamalesh’s recent project, “Using Building Information Modeling for Job Hazard Analysis of Renovating Residential Buildings,” was supported by CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training, and his research has been widely published. Kamalesh is working to develop procedures for deconstruction and material reuse, retrofit planning and construction logistics. Kamalesh holds a BS in Civil Engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Surathkal, Karnataka, India; a MS in Construction Engineering and Management from the Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, Thailand; and a PhD in Civil Engineering from Florida International University.

Morgan State faculty page

Morgan State University · Supply Chain Management Lead

Dr. Ziping Wang is a Professor in the Departments of Information Science & Systems at Morgan State University. Her research work has been published in the areas of Global supply chain management, Port Logistics, Blockchain, Green Supply Chain, Drone Delivery, Risk Management, and Inventory Management. Dr. Wang is leading an NSF project titled Building an Equitable and Sustainable Logistics System in Rural Areas with Drones. She has recently been awarded a patent for her SCM Instructional Game.

Morgan State faculty page