The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s newly-formed College of the Arts and Architecture has announced its appointment of Chicago-based artist and nonprofit leader Krisann Rehbein as the new director of Community Design Solutions (CDS). 

The position, which is organized within the School of Architecture and Urban Planning (SARUP), will engage with local community organizations to ensure the continued delivery of pro bono planning services such as the Turnkey Housing initiative and Green Schoolyards project that have, in addition to nearly 230 others, helped to garner praise for the institution over the past decade.

Mo Zell, the new ASCA President and Interim Dean of the College of the Arts and Architecture, said: "We are thrilled to welcome Krisann as the new director of CDS. Her vision for the future of the organization, which includes expanding the role that faculty will play in projects, and her expertise in design and community engagement will help advance the work of CDS and uphold its reputation as a leader in community design."

Rehbein comes to the position with a breadth of experience that includes her current role as the ACE Mentor Chicago program’s Executive Director. She also lectures on community design strategies at the SARUP and had previously worked for over a decade at the Chicago Architecture Center on similar projects aimed at increasing teens' participation and engagement with the professional field through textbook development and mentorship programs.

Rehbein, a self-proclaimed grassroots organizer who also founded Milwaukee's The Building City Lab in 2014, said she was honored to take the post, adding: "I am excited to build on the work of Carolyn Esswein and her team. My goal is to further integrate the expertise of faculty and students at SARUP into CDS projects, as well as expand the center's portfolio of work and deepen our engagement with the Milwaukee community."

Rehbein replaces the outgoing Esswein, who, in ten years at the helm of the CDS, was responsible for overseeing a reported total of $200 million in projected public investments during her tenure.