Principal of Dorgan Architecture & Planning in Storrs CT, is a distinguished practitioner of comprehensive community development. Trained as both an architect (BS and B.Arch. Rensselaer) and an urban planner (MS Pratt), she has contributed to the development of incremental strategies for neighborhood renewal and community building. Her projects are featured in Good Neighbors: Affordable Family Housing, The Design Advisor and Design Matters. Past president of the Association for Community Design, her areas of expertise include participatory design, affordable housing, public funding, homeownership, not for profit organizations, and historic preservation.

During a recent Loeb Fellowship at the Harvard Design School she conducted research in the theory and practice of community design. As a HUD Community Builder Fellow she coordinated Livability, University Partnerships, Homeownership, Healthy Homes, Brownfield Redevelopment and Smart Growth Initiatives in Connecticut for the Department. Ms. Dorgan is a former Executive Director of the Capitol Hill Improvement Corporation in Albany NY. During her tenure the community-based organization participated in the renovation of over 1500 buildings and developed a rich variety of support programs for area residents and merchants. Ms. Dorgan is active in local and national volunteer groups and is a frequent speaker, university instructor and writer on issues of design and community renewal.