Abigail Smith Hanby

Abigail Smith Hanby is a Principal at Buro Happold and Director at brightspot strategy, now a Buro Happold company. As a design strategist, Abigail brings clarity and structure to complexity and believes that strategy, user experience, and design are symbiotic.

Abigail works at the intersection of large scale systems, design, behavioral psychology, and communication. Over the course of her professional and academic career, Abigail has developed a polymathic ability to investigate and frame at macro and micro scales simultaneously. She is passionate about helping clients and collaborators achieve greatness and does this by revealing potential, building consensus, and laying out tactical plans for action.

Since joining brightspot in 2015, Abigail has led planning for numerous Smithsonian initiatives including their most recent strategic plan; long-range strategic planning for MOCA LA, ICA VCU, and Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara; envisioning a healthcare innovation district in service of a strategic combination between Atrium Health and Wake Forest School of Medicine; and a series of integrated planning initiatives for Los Alamos National Research Laboratory. She also directed the brightspot’s marketing and brand strategy.

Prior to joining brightspot, Abigail directed and supported the strategic positioning for numerous New York City and international development projects, including the NYC2012 Olympic Bid, Essex Crossing, Bell Labs HQ, and Guggenheim Foundation’s Cultural District on Saadiyat Island UAE.

Abigail received a MARCH and MLA from Penn Design University Pennsylvania where she was the Dean’s Merit Scholar, a BFA from the School of Visual Arts, and a certificate in Urban Planning from Harvard’s School of Design.