About Our Founder
Danei Cesario AIA, RIBA, NCARB, NOMA is the 333rd black female architect in American history. Hailing from Manchester, England, she became enamored at an early age with New York City’s intricacies + architectural prestige. She is an internationally licensed architect, project manager, + public speaker. Equipped with exceptional communication and organizational skills, she thrives in both team-oriented and self-directed environments, diligently managing design from parti to post-occupancy. She is currently an Associate at SOM, leading dynamic mixed-use development, healthcare + wellness projects.
With over a decade of experience, Danei leverages a depth of construction understanding to deliver projects that balance operational efficiencies, building performance, design team coordination, and fiscal realities. Her aptitude for managing the execution of multifaceted healthcare projects has led to broad system-wide improvements, as well as highly detailed technical spaces. Most recently, she has directly benefited multiple projects for the Mount Sinai, NYU Langone Health and New York City Health + Hospitals Corporations. Her work has been a significant factor in repeat partnerships.
Beyond the office, Danei’s passion for architecture and advocacy has led her to become a champion for design professionals and a sought-after speaker. Her experience working in diverse, global environments has yielded speaking engagements at numerous conferences and private sector events, including the United Nations, SXSW, Royal Institute of British Architects, AIA National Conference and the New York Building Congress.
Danei served as Chair of AIA New York’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee for over five years. Currently, she serves on the AIA New York State Board, representing nearly 10,000 members across 13 chapters. She is a contributor/ambassador to organizations such as the United Nations, the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation, Parlour, Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust and nycobaNOMA Executive Board. As a core member of these groups, Danei is dedicated to fostering Mentorship, Sponsorship and Leadership among the diverse design community as they navigate their careers within architecture and beyond. She founded WALLEN + daub to expand on these principles.
WALLEN+daub was born one late night while our founder, Danei Cesario, was at City College of New York, studying Architecture. She wanted to create a space in support of the brilliant contributors of architecture, STEM industries + design. This would be a space to educate through shared information + experiences, share their diverse stories to empower others, help to retain talent through engagement + encourage cross-pollination for expansion across our creative industries. The idea evolved at every step of her career.
Still in love with New York City, Danei commutes to her Manhattan office daily; she lives in the tri-state area with her family. When she is not managing her teams + projects, speaking or advocating for the profession, Danei can be found laughing with her friends, making up songs with her daughters, or watching foreign espionage films.
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