With Atlanta Habitat for Humanity, Deborah will aid in the development and design of affordable housing at the neighborhood scale on two locations: the Brownsmill and Sylvan Hills neighborhoods. Deborah will also participate in community engagement and focus on the importance of neighborhood participation throughout all stages of development. She hopes to achieve good design at the home and neighborhood scale, while at the same time finding solutions for the needs of the existing community.

Prior to the fellowship, Deborah worked in affordable housing development in the Puerto Rico Housing Finance Authority. In this role, she managed the development of over 40 single family homes throughout Puerto Rico and worked with HOME Grants and Tax Credits for multifamily affordable housing. As a fair housing and accessible design specialist, she also coordinated accessibility retrofits of existing multifamily buildings.