Lorraine Barcant

I am a NYC civil servant working in architecture and building codes, while studying public affairs and volunteering as an elected union official. I live and work in Long Island City in Western Queens, NYC.

I was raised a surfer and a misfit in what we affectionately call "NASA's Graveyard", Florida. I came to New York for economic opportunity, stayed for the nightlife, and, after various adventures, fell in love with architecture, like my father and grandfather before me.

I studied architecture and travelled, seeing firsthand the incredible impact urban planning and public infrastructure had on quality of life. I became interested in beauty and form, but also public affairs and the regulatory and political issues surrounding the built environment - the social context in which that form took shape.

I started in small business, but have been working for the past several years at a public authority which builds schools. Architecture aside, I find myself attracted to projects which involve technology, analytics and institutional learning. I am also a big believer in the power of organizational change.