Van Alen Institute Names Hayley Eber as Executive Director

Hayley Eber has been selected as Executive Director of Van Alen Institute by the organization’s Board of Directors after an extensive national search. Currently Acting Dean of The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture at The Cooper Union, Eber will assume leadership of the 131-year-old institution in June. She succeeds Deborah Marton, whose tenure as Executive Director concluded in late 2024.

As Executive Director, Eber will promote Van Alen’s mission to create equitable cities through inclusive design. Grounded in Van Alen’s belief that community-led design builds social resilience and more just cities, she will expand and deepen current programs Design Sprints and Common Build. Eber will also advance the organization’s commitment to excellent design in the public realm by reimagining Van Alen’s historic Paris Prize competition. First awarded in 1904, the Paris Prize was among the most prestigious prizes in architecture and has fostered bold ideas for civic spaces.

“Hayley Eber has extensive experience leading an institution rooted in community and design excellence,” said R. May Lee, Van Alen Board Chair and Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. “Her keen ability to foster a welcoming culture builds on Van Alen’s history of convening people across disciplines. She brings a depth of design expertise and intellectual rigor that will be invaluable as Van Alen continues its 130-year commitment to design and its impact on the public realm in New York City.”

“Community-building, interdisciplinary collaboration, and a commitment to just and sustainable urban futures have been central to my leadership at The Cooper Union — principles that resonate deeply with Van Alen Institute’s core mission,” said Hayley Eber. “I am thrilled to build upon Van Alen’s rich history in shaping architectural and urban dialogue, and to advance its critical work empowering communities to create transformative public spaces in New York City and beyond.”

Eber brings a wealth of leadership experience to Van Alen, including her role as Acting Dean of The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture at The Cooper Union. During her tenure at Cooper Union, which began in 2007, Eber has championed equity, spearheading the school’s most diverse incoming class and chairing its Antiracist Task Force. In 2008, she founded Studio Eber, an award-winning architectural practice based in New York. Studio Eber’s work spans buildings, interiors, objects, environments, and installations, consistently pushing the boundaries of architectural design. Projects have been showcased in the Venice Architecture Biennale, Tallinn Architecture Biennale, Shanghai SUSAS, and the upcoming Triennale Milano.

Eber holds a Masters in Architecture from Princeton University School of Architecture, a Bachelors of Architecture from The Cooper Union, and a BAS from the University of Cape Town. She is a licensed architect in New York and has previously taught at Princeton University and Columbia GSAPP.