Leadership Team
Dr. Steve Altman—President
Dr. Altman joined NSAD as its president in May 2006, bringing a wide range of academic and business experience to his new role.
He previously served as president of the University of Central Florida and Texas A&M University, Kingsville; was the provost and vice president of academic affairs at Florida International University; and held various other teaching and administrative positions at FIU and the University of Southern California. During his tenure, he developed the foundation for two new architecture schools and dozens of other new programs.
Dr. Altman is the author of 13 books and more than two dozen articles on management, leadership, education, health care, and organization development. He has won several awards for outstanding teaching and professional leadership and has been a neutral arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association.
In addition to a long history of accomplishments in academia, Dr. Altman holds a doctoral degree in business management from the University of Southern California and an MBA from the same institution. He received his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from UCLA
contact Dr. Steve Altman
Avery Caldwell – Digital Media Arts Department Chair
As an experienced creator and educator of digital media and computer graphics, Professor Caldwell integrates the creative process in all aspects of his life. He describes it as a happy symbiosis between life, love, and work—an approach that has positioned him at the leading edge of his field.
Approaching 20 years of progressive design, Caldwell has amassed a dynamic array of professional accomplishments that span digital media, architecture, graphic design, and visualization. A few notable positions in his past include founder and president of the Beverly Hills design firm From Form 2 Morf, art director for Art Connoisseur magazine, design coordinator for California Federal Bank, curator of the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame, as well as professorships at several colleges.
Professor Caldwell received his bachelor of fine arts and a master’s degree in architecture from UCLA and is currently working toward his PhD in Education Technology. His passion for his work and commitment to the creative processes of learning is evident throughout his personal and professional endeavors. His research interests include the use of design and technology as tools to shift pedagogical paradigms in order to bring about improved global conditions.
Christopher Genik, AIA—Dean
Chris Genik was born in Vancouver, Canada. Mr. Genik received his undergraduate degree in architecture from the Carleton University in 1983 and his Master of Architecture degree from Rice University in 1985.
Mr. Genik practiced architecture in Houston, Texas, with Peter Waldman prior to moving to Los Angeles to associate with Kevin Daly in 1989 to form Daly, Genik. Mr. Genik has directed the design of a number of the firm's award-winning projects, including the Offices for RioPort.com, the Vans Incorporated stores, and the Boulder House in Vancouver, Canada.
In addition to his architectural practice, Mr. Genik has taught at the Southern California Institute of Architecture since 1992, where he most recently served as a professor and director of the undergraduate architecture program. He has also taught at the University of California, Los Angeles; Arizona State University; the University of Houston; Art Center College of Design; the University of Southern California; and the University of California, San Diego. He has served on juries and lectured at a number of institutions including Rice University, the Vico Morcote in Switzerland, the Architectural League of New York, and Georgia Tech.
In 1999 Daly, Genik was selected as one of eight "Emerging Voices" by the Architectural League of New York. In 2001 they were featured in the Taschen book Architecture Now! and will be featured in the new book, Emerging Architecture. Work of the firm was selected for three design awards from the AIA/LA in 2000.
Kurt Hunker, AIA—Graduate Programs Chair
Kurt Hunker has been associated with NSAD since 1989 while continuing to be a practicing architect. He has won multiple design awards from the AIA and others. He heads the school’s Design Clinic that pursues community projects with San Diego–based entities.
Mr. Hunker has been recognized as NSAD Teacher of the Year on two occasions, serves as guest lecturer to many local and regional organizations, and has had his designs published in regional and national periodicals.
Mr. Hunker received a Master of Architecture degree from the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University and a B.S. in Architecture from the Ohio State University.
Mitra Kanaani, AIA, D.Arch—Undergraduate Department Chair
Dr. Mitra Kanaani joined NSAD in 1992. She is a registered architect actively engaged as a leader in several professional organizations, including her recent election as national secretary of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA).
She serves as an international evaluator for the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) and the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB). She is also a certified accessibility consultant with the International Code Council (ICC) and serves on the ICC’s San Diego Chapter.
Dr. Kanaani holds a Doctor of Architecture degree from the University of Hawaii and earned a Master of Architecture degree from the University of New Mexico. She earned a Master of Urban Planning degree and bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Tehran, as well as an undergraduate degree in musicology from the Tehran Conservatory of Classical Music.
contact Mitra Kanaani
Leslie Ryan – Landscape Architecture Program Chair
Leslie Ryan is a registered landscape architect and academic. She joined NSAD in 2008 as an Assistant Professor in Architecture, and has established a new Master of Landscape Architecture program that concentrates on sustainable urban landscapes and the unique landscape of the San Diego/Tijuana region. As Program Chair for Landscape Architecture at NSAD, she recently welcomed the incoming cohort of graduate students.
Ms. Ryan holds a research degree (M.E.D.) from Yale University’s School of Architecture (2006) and a BSLA from California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo (1988). Her thesis at Yale received the Porter Prize, the top University-wide award for original scholarship on a subject of general interest. Ms. Ryan is the recipient of the prestigious Rome Prize in Landscape Architecture (1995), and recently received a Graham Foundation Grant for research on a book on the ecological artists Helen Mayer Harrison and Newton Harrison. She has published research work in Places Journal and the Journal of Environmental Philosophy, and has received public recognition for her work as a landscape architect and public artist.
She was a Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Oregon in the Landscape Architecture Department (2006-08); an adjunct instructor in architecture at Woodbury University, San Diego, in landscape architecture at University of California, Berkeley, and in art and landscape at the American Academy of Landscape in Auvergne, France.
contact Leslie Ryan
Michael Stepner, FAIA, FAICP—Faculty Coordinator
Michael Stepner is a former San Diego city architect, San Diego chief planner, and former dean of NSAD. He also served as president of the San Diego AIA Chapter and the San Diego Council of Design Professionals.
Mr. Stepner is a frequent speaker on various subjects, including urban planning and design, land use, and social roles of architects. He is a fellow of the AIA, Institute for Urban Design, and the American Institute of Certified Planners. He holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Illinois.
Linda M. Thomas-Mobley, J.D., Ph.D. – Construction Management Department Chair
Dr. Linda Thomas-Mobley recently joined NSAD as the chair of the new Construction Management program. Prior to joining NSAD, Dr. Thomas-Mobley served as the Associate Director and Professor of the Building Construction Program in the College of Architecture (COA) at Georgia Tech. Prior to her tenure at Georgia Tech, Dr. Thomas-Mobley was instrumental in leading design, construction, facility re-purposing efforts for the Atlanta Olympic Village in 1996.
Dr. Thomas-Mobley also holds distinction as an officer in the U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps, in addition to having practiced construction law and business litigation since 1992. She holds a Bachelors of Science in Civil Engineering; a Master of Science in Civil Engineering; a Juris Doctorate (Law) cum laude; and a PhD in Architecture. She obtained her PhD in August 2000 with an emphasis on Management of the Indoor Environment.
