Anna McCorvey

Anna McCorvey R A , L E E D A P B D + C is a practicing architect in Washington, DC, whose commitment to equitable design was shaped at an early age through her lived experience with public housing. By the age of five, she was already observing—and questioning—the stark differences in housing quality, schools, and neighborhood resources across the city. That early awareness sparked a lifelong pursuit to understand and address inequity through the built environment.

Anna earned her Bachelor of Architecture from Howard University and later completed a Master of City Planning at University of California, Berkeley, with a concentration in housing and community development. Following graduate school, she spent six years working on affordable and low-income housing, schools, childcare facilities, and recreation centers—many located in Washington, DC’s most underserved communities.

Driven by a deepened commitment to design equity and community empowerment, Anna founded River East Design Center (REDC) in 2018. As a nonprofit community design center, REDC serves as a resource for residents seeking to better understand architecture and planning and to actively participate in development projects shaping their neighborhoods.

After designing a mobile retail kiosk for a small business initiative associated with 11th Street Bridge Park, Anna was invited to join the organization’s team as Senior Equitable Development Manager. In this role, she leads and oversees programs aimed at preventing displacement by equipping residents and small businesses with the tools needed to thrive amid future economic change.

Across her professional and civic roles, Anna frequently leads workshops and facilitates conversations on community engagement, community-centered design, and diversity and representation within the design professions. Her work has been recognized with several honors, including being named a 2021 Public Interest Design Fellow with the DC Public Library and the Goethe Institute, as well as receiving the 2023 Wieb Award for Architecture in the Public Interest.

A resident of DC’s Anacostia neighborhood, Anna enjoys short runs along the Anacostia River, traveling to places she has never been, and unwinding to Sunday night funk music at JoJo’s Restaurant.