Cocktails & Conversation is a series of dialogues about design that joins an architect with a critic, journalist, curator, or architectural historian to discuss current design issues. For this program, David Leven, FAIA, and Stella Betts, Associate AIA, Founding Principals of LEVENBETTS, will discuss the transformation of existing buildings with Jonsara Ruth over a custom-crafted cocktail.  LEVENBETTS was awarded the New York State AIA Firm of the Year in 2020 and received the National Academy of Arts & Letters Award in Architecture in 2024.

Speakers:
David Leven, FAIA, Principal, LEVENBETTS
Stella Betts, Assoc. AIA, Principal, LEVENBETTS

Moderator:
Jonsara Ruth, Associate Professor of Interior Design, Parsons School of Design

About the Speakers:
David Leven is a founding principal of LEVENBETTS and an Associate Professor at Parsons School of Design, where he was the Director of the Graduate Architecture Program from 2008-2011. Educated at Colgate University and Yale University, he has taught at numerous institutions including Cornell University and the University of Virginia.  David served on the Executive Board of AIANY from 2019-2021.

Stella Betts is a founding principal of LEVENBETTS and is a Senior Critic at Yale University’s School of Architecture. Previously she taught at a wide range of institutions including Columbia University and Cooper Union. Educated at Connecticut College and Harvard University, Stella was awarded the 2020 Next Generation Leader by Architectural Record’s Women in Architecture and serves on the Executive Board of the Architecture League of New York.

Jonsara Ruth is a designer, artist, educator, and futurist.  She is Founding Director of the MFA Interior Design program at Parsons School of Design, where she is an Associate Professor. At Parsons, she is also co-founder of the Healthy Materials Lab (HML) and founded Salty Labs, a collaborative, sustainable design studio.  At HML, Jonsara co-leads a team of researchers to consider how human health and longevity is impacted by the materials that surround us.  Educated at Cranbrook Academy of Art and the Rhode Island School of Design, she co-edited the 2023 publication “Material Health: Design Frontiers”.