Elena grew up in San Francisco and graduated from Harvard College with a degree in Applied Mathematics. After college, she was a Fulbright Scholar to Malaysia, a healthcare consultant at Bain & Company, and the international business development lead at an education technology startup. She then decided to change her path from business to medicine, and is now a medical student at the University of Pennsylvania. Since returning to the healthcare field, she has served as a Strategy Advisor at Boston Medical Center and as Strategic Projects Lead at the Penn Center for Community Health Workers. Her insights on healthcare reform have been published in Harvard Business Review and The New England Journal of Medicine: Catalyst. Elena is the daughter of Lewis Butler and Catherine Armsden.

Catherine Armsden grew up in coastal Maine. She attended Brown University, where she received her degree in studio art and art history. After a year at Seattle’s Office of Urban Conservation and two at Ann Beha Architects in Boston, Catherine attended Harvard University Graduate School of Design, where she met Lewis Butler. They were married and received their Masters in Architecture from Harvard in 1984. A year later, they founded Butler Armsden Architects in San Francisco. Catherine was not actively involved with the firm after the turn of the century because she became possessed by an idea for a book that was inspired by her work with Butler Armsden’s residential clients. Dream House: A Novel was published in 2015. Currently, Catherine is working on a nonfiction project that will be published in 2023.

With a career that spans more than 45 years, Doug’s professional work as an architect, and his work as a community leader and volunteer, are rooted in the same core values: connecting to the community, hands-on learning, and mentorship. A Founding Principal of TEF Design, much of Doug’s community volunteer work has been focused on creating distinctive learning opportunities for underserved young people by developing and nurturing community-based educational programs that incorporate design and construction into their curriculum. These programs have been programs sponsored by the Architectural Foundation of San Francisco and its Build San Francisco Institute, Envision Schools and the SF Ed Fund. He has also contributed his time serving on the boards of the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco and Safe & Sound. Doug grew up in Salinas, California, and attended the University of California, Berkeley.

David Gonzalez was born in Nicaragua and raised in California and is a Managing Partner at Sozo Design LLC and the Assistant Chair of the Industrial Design Program at California College of the Arts. He has been responsible for leading and managing efforts in consumer electronics, medical devices, lifestyle products, toys, and sports equipment. He has worked for industry leaders including HP, Fujitsu, Nike, and Samsung. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design from San Jose State University as well as a Technical Arts and Graphics Associate of Art degree from The College of San Mateo. He has been recognized with awards from the Industrial Designers Society of America, Business Week, ID Magazine, iLounge, and the Consumer Electronics Show. David brings to LWBF his expertise as an industrial designer and as an educator.

Janet Hunter has been a long-time fundraiser, event planner and community leader for San Francisco not-for-profit organizations. She served on the Board of Trustees of the Hamlin School for 13 years and of San Francisco University High School for 6 years. She founded the volunteer Friends of the Breast Care Center at UCSF in 2004 and continues as its chair. For Larkin Street Youth Services, she cofounded its signature fundraising event Paving the Way. Janet chaired fundraisers for the public charter One Purpose School in the Bayview District. She has also served as a pro-bono consultant to numerous other organizations. Janet holds an MBA from the Anderson School at UCLA, and attended Stanford University and the University of South Dakota as an undergraduate.