Hallie Chen

Born and raised in the Bay Area, Hallie attended UC Berkeley where she began examining the relationship between human beings and the environment through the study of sustainable agriculture, urban planning, critical urban theory and the visual arts. This line of inquiry led her to public space design projects in Kibera, Kenya and rebuilding abandoned houses into cultural spaces on Chicago’s south side while getting her Masters in Architecture from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. She spent 2 years teaching Design and Building to east bay middle school students with Project H Design. Now in the process of becoming a licensed architect, Hallie is the principal and co-founder of CAHA DESIGN GROUP, an inter-disciplinary design practice in Oakland,CA. She spends her free time working with youth at Bay Area Girls Rock Camp, drawing, cooking, pizza eating, surfing, playing with her niece and volunteering with Floss Editions. She believes deeply in the power of design to empower communities and is excited to continue working with Emily at Girls Garage.