We are here to help our students develop into citizen architects and to encourage a healthy, safe, and secure learning environment in which to grow. An environment in which students have the opportunity to succeed and, in some cases, to fail. We may allow students to drive into the ditch, but we don’t let them go off the cliff. Make no mistake, failure is a powerful teacher. The projects belong to the students and are in their hands; we are here as a teammate to provide feedback and to help students take ownership of their projects. We like to think we take the work seriously but don’t take ourselves too seriously!
Faculty
Andrew Freear
Wiatt Professor | Director of Rural Studio
As Director of Rural Studio, Andrew Freear lives full-time in Newbern, west Alabama, where he administers the program and supervises 5th-year undergraduate design and build projects. His professional interests include rural community development and design, building technology, and housing. He has been involved in the writing of three books about the Rural Studio and was the co-author of the third, entitled Rural Studio at Twenty: Designing and Building in Hale County Alabama. He loves pouring concrete and installing metal roofs.
Education
BA (Hons), Architecture, University of Westminster
AA Diploma, Architectural Association, London
Rusty Smith
Associate Director
Rusty Smith has been on the faculty at Auburn University since 1998. He became the Associate Director of Rural Studio in 2007. He spearheads the Front Porch Initiative (formerly the 20K Initiative), managing a multi-faceted effort to mitigate the rural housing crisis through both affordable, quality home construction and national coalition-building for home procurement. His professional interests include project-based teaching and learning as well as housing affordability.
Education
MFA, Studio, School of The Art Institute of Chicago
BS in Interior Design, Auburn University
Betsy Farrell Garcia
Assistant Research Professor and Extension Specialist
Betsy Farrell Garcia joined the Front Porch Initiative team in 2020. Garcia is a 2008 graduate of Rural Studio’s 5th-year program and a member of the student team that designed and built the 20K Bridge Home. A registered architect in Massachusetts, her experience ranges from master planning and design to construction administration and delivery of award-winning projects. She brings expertise with envisioning and designing efficient, resilient, and equitable housing for communities that need it most. Betsy’s strong belief in Rural Studio’s community-driven mission motivates her in furthering its valuable work.
EDUCATION
BArch, Auburn University
Christian Ayala
Assistant Research Professor
Christian joined Rural Studio in 2023 as a Research Architect. He joins the Front Porch Initiative team working with regional housing partners. A 2008 alum of Auburn University’s Bachelor of Architecture and Bachelor of Landscape Architecture programs, Christian was part of a team that built a Design Habitat for Humanity home in Greensboro, AL. Christian went on to receive a Master of Science in Architecture from Rice University in Houston, TX, and is a registered architect in Georgia. Christian’s professional interest lies in addressing the obstacles to providing accessible, resilient, high-performing affordable housing. In his spare time, he enjoys rock climbing with his favorite tool, the carabiner.
Education
MS, Rice University
BArch, Auburn University
Dick Hudgens
Instructor
Dick Hudgens has been working at Auburn University Rural Studio since 1993 and currently teaches a seminar in history and theory. He is the President of Richard B. Hudgens Architects, Inc., in Selma, Alabama and celebrated his 40th year in business in 2019. His professional interests include historic preservation, historic landscapes, and historic interiors. In his spare time, Hudgens collects American decorative arts from the first half of the nineteenth century.
Education
BArch, Auburn University
BS Building Construction, Auburn University
Emily McGlohn
Associate Professor and Extension Specialist | 3rd Year Teaching Coordinator
Emily McGlohn has been a professor at Rural Studio since 2017 and was the Clerk of Works in 2003. She teaches a variety of 3rd-year classes and coordinates 3rd-year teaching. Her varied professional interests including design/build education, building performance, residential design and construction, and affordable housing. Since 2016, McGlohn has partnered with the AIA’s Building Performance Knowledge Community to develop a glossary designed to help architects better understand ambiguous building performance terms, which will be widely available through AIA in 2019. In her spare time, she likes to build desserts out of Jell-O and serve them to unsuspecting friends.
Education
MArch, University of Oregon
BArch, Auburn University
Joe Farruggia
Structural Engineering Consultant | Visiting Assistant Professor
Joe Farruggia is an architect and engineer who practices in Chicago. He has been a consultant for Rural Studio since 2003.
Education
MS, Architecture, University of Illinois
BArch, University of Illinois
John Marusich
Instructor
John joined Rural Studio as a Lecturer and Design-Build Manager in 2022 and now serves as part-time Lecturer. He is a licensed Architect in Illinois and brings nearly a decade of professional experience to the program, having worked on a range of project types, including affordable housing, brewpubs, restaurants, and production breweries. John’s multidisciplinary career is informed by his background as a maker and a builder. His construction experience and passion for details facilitates a collaborative approach to design with constructability in mind. John loves to cook and build things. You can often find him renovating his house or enjoying life at the beach.
EDUCATION
BArch, Auburn University
Joseph Burns
Structural Design Advisor | Visiting Assistant Professor
Joe Burns is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Auburn University School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture. He brings more than 45 years of experience in structural design and analysis, as well as expertise in the investigation and renovation of existing buildings. Since 2022, he has served as the 5th-year studio structural design consultant at Rural Studio. Burns is also a Design Specialist, Structures based in Studio Gang’s Chicago office. Prior to joining Studio Gang in 2026, he spent three decades at Thornton Tomasetti, where he served as Managing Principal and board member. Joe enjoys seeing the world while walking 10,000 steps every day, including trips to Hale County.
EDUCATION
MS in Civil Engineering, MIT
MS in Architecture Studies, MIT
BArch, Notre Dame
Mackenzie Stagg
Associate Research Professor
Mackenzie Stagg has been a project manager for the Front Porch Initiative since 2018, focusing on development of our building products and the drawings needed to communicate our design intent. She previously worked on affordable, multi-family housing with Community Housing Partners in Christiansburg, VA, and at Waggonner & Ball in New Orleans, LA, focusing on urban design projects aimed at increasing resilience in coastal cities. Her research interests include housing affordability and building technology. She digs isometric constructed drawings.
Education
BArch, Auburn University
Stephen Long
Lecturer and Design-Build Manager | Newbern
Stephen Long has been teaching at Rural Studio since 2009. He works alongside Andrew Freear instructing 5th-year students and helps advise building strategies for all projects at Rural Studio. His interests include woodworking and best practices in building construction.
Education
MS Arch Public Interest Design, Auburn University
BArch, Auburn University
Staff
Amanda Pinkstaff
Food Service Supervisor
Amanda joined Rural Studio full-time in 2026 as the new Food Service Supervisor. Originally from Greensboro, AL, she studied at the French Pastry School in Chicago, IL. She lived for several years in St. Louis, MO, where she was a Chef Instructor at the Cordon Bleu School.
EDUCATION
Certificate in L'Art de la Pâtisserie, French Pastry School
AAS in Graphic Design, Coastal Alabama Community College
Ann Agnew
Kitchen Assistant
Doris Ward
Facilities
Doris Ward, originally from Greensboro, has worked for Rural Studio since 2017. She helps keep Morrisette looking beautiful and clean, which is quite a task with so many people working and living there. She enjoys reading and playing with her grandchildren in her spare time.
Dudley Long
Financial Assistant
West Alabama native Dudley Long joined the team in 2022. She assists with tasks such as managing budgets, purchasing requisition, and preparing payroll. In her spare time, you'll find her coaching baseball and softball or volunteering, organizing, and championing her Uniontown neighbors.
Eric Ball
Farm Manager
Eric Ball has worked for Rural Studio since 2012 and is the manager of the Rural Studio Farm. Ball also teaches a permaculture seminar and offers mini-lectures on food and food systems while providing hands-on education for students who work on the farm.
Education
BS, Biology, University of Oregon
BS, Philosophy, University of Oregon
Permaculture Design Certificate, Oregon State University
Laurel Holloway
Research Architect
After completing Patriece’s Home as a 5th-year student, Laurel spent a year working at the prestigious residency at Ghost Lab with Brian MacKay-Lyons in Novia Scotia, Canada. She returned to Rural Studio to work with our Front Porch Initiative team as a Research Architect.
EDUCATION
BArch, Auburn University
Lauren Lovell
3rd-Year Instructor
A Rural Studio alumna, Lauren Lovell returned to Rural Studio in summer of 2024 to work as an Instructor and Coordinator at Rural Studio, also known as the “Clerk of the Works.” After completing her 5th-year project, Patriece's Home, Lauren spent a year working at Fuqua & Partners Architects in Huntsville, Alabama. In her new role as the “Clerk of the Works,” Lauren will assist Emily McGlohn teaching 3rd-year students and building a new home for one of our Hale County neighbors.
Education
BArch, Auburn University
Mason Hinton
Maintenance
Mason Hinton has worked as Rural Studio's maintenance technician since 2017. He likes working with students and teaching electrical and building practices. When he’s not fixing the Studio’s facilities or working with students on their job sites, he keeps a cattle farm and enjoys traveling.
Education
AAS in Heating & Air Conditioning, Shelton State Community College
AAS in Electrical, Shelton State Community College
Natalie Butts-Ball
Communications Manager
Auburn University Rural Studio alumna Natalie Butts-Ball began working on staff with the Studio in 2006. She spent two years as an Instructor in the 2nd-Year Studio followed by three years teaching design in public schools in New Orleans, LA. In 2012, Butts-Ball returned to Rural Studio to manage events and communications and to assist fundraising for the Studio’s 20th Anniversary. She currently manages all public relations, press, communications, marketing, online & print media, digital archives, and campus and project tours for the Studio.
Education
Graduate Certificate, Technical Communication, Auburn University
BArch, Auburn University
Terriah Robinson
Administrative Support
Terriah Robinson is an Administrative Support staff member, keeping track of student and project records, preparing documents for projects, and assisting Rural Studio community and visitors. She is from Greensboro, AL, and enjoys shopping, fishing, and spending time with family and friends.
EDUCATION
BA, Communicative Disorders (Anticipated Graduation 2026), The University of Alabama
Tim Tamulonis
Research Architect
Tim Tamulonis joins the Front Porch team from New Orleans, where he has been an architectural designer for Trahan Architects since 2023. He received his BArch from Syracuse University, where he was awarded the Britton Memorial Thesis Prize, and a MArch from Harvard University. He is passionate about pairing sustainability with emerging technologies to advance architecture and promote community well-being.
EDUCATION
MArch, Harvard University
BArch, Syracuse University
Minor, Geography, Syracuse University
Founders
Samuel Mockbee
Founder
Samuel Mockbee dedicated his life, as a teacher, an architect and an artist, to the goal of providing "shelter for the soul." His inspirational and authentic architecture served to improve the lives of the most impoverished residents of rural Alabama through his work with Auburn University Rural Studio. In September of 1998, Mockbee was diagnosed with leukemia. The illness slowed him down, but he remained committed to the aspirations and ideals of the Studio. In December 2001, he died of complications from the disease. He is survived by his wife Jackie and four children: Margaret, Sarah Ann, Carol and Julius. Despite his renown, Mockbee remained modest and resolutely “down-home” until his death. He was a charmer with a quick wit and thick Southern drawl. He cast a spotlight on an aspect of our culture that most avoid while demonstrating that socially responsible architecture can delight the senses, inspire the masses and serve the soul. For his work at Rural Studio, Mockbee received the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation “Genius Grant” in 2000 and was posthumously awarded the AIA Gold Medal in 2004.
D.K. Ruth
Founder
Dennis "D.K." Ruth dedicated his life as an educator to promoting context-based, socially conscious design. As department head at Auburn's School of Architecture at the time of Rural Studio's inception, D.K. was instrumental in getting the fledging off-campus program up and running. After his friend and colleague Samuel Mockbee's death in 2001, D.K. helped guide Rural Studio through an emotional and uncertain time.
In Auburn, D.K. took his interest in collaboration and hands-on learning further by pioneering a Design-Build master’s program (now known as a Masters in Integrated Design & Construction.) D.K. remained a devoted teacher up until his passing in 2009. For his academic work both with Rural Studio and Auburn's Integrated Design & Construction master’s program, D.K. received numerous teaching awards. Among his honors, he was presented with the Algernon Sydney Sullivan award for service to humanity. D.K. is remembered fondly by his numerous students for his generous and genuine nature. He is survived by his wife Linda and four children: Alex, Philip, Shelley, Jeff.
