Debbi Waters has decades of experience cultivating client relationships, conducting market research, and developing strategic visions for new businesses. She joined Spacesmith in 2024 and brings a wealth of knowledge in both architecture and business development to the firm.

Debbi has always been drawn to the built environment’s profound impacts on everyday experiences. This interest led her to study human environmental relations, a field that combines psychology with design. Throughout her education, she became increasingly fascinated by the potential for architecture to enhance quality of life.

In her career, Debbi has paired this fascination with her complementary interests in business development, marketing, and public relations. A LEED AP BD+C professional, she previously founded a human-centered planning firm providing architectural pre-design services such as facility programming, master planning, and environmental stewardship. Debbi has also served as lead programmer and planner at national architecture firms, working primarily on projects in the higher education, civic, and cultural sectors.

Debbi earned a Bachelor of Science in design and environmental analysis from Cornell University and a Master of Arts degree in architecture and design criticism from Parsons School of Design in New York. Over the years, she has documented her travels in numerous visual journals, creating collages of iconography, detritus, photography, and more to represent the cultures and places she has visited.