Maxine Griffith is Principal of Griffith Planning & Design. Her practice is focused in the areas of community planning & development and campus planning. Prior to starting the firm in 2020, she held the title of Senior Advisor to the President of Columbia University. For the 12 preceding years, Griffith served as an Executive Vice President, managing planning activities for the University's 17-acre, award winning Manhattanville campus She currently teaches urban planning at Columbia. Griffith was Executive Director of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission and Secretary (Deputy Mayor) for Strategic Planning. Prior to her appointment in Philadelphia, Griffith worked at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), first as a Regional Director and then as HUD's Assistant Deputy Secretary. Ms. Griffith has served on New York City Planning Commission; the Board of Directors of the American Planning Association and the Lincoln Land Institute of Land Policy. She currently serves on the executive board of the Regional Plan Association. Maxine Griffith was born in Harlem, New York. She has a Master of Architecture degree from the University of California, Berkeley and has received certificates in City Planning and Real Property Finance from Harvard University, GSD.