The Front Porch Initiative is growing! Through the generous support of Fannie Mae, we welcomed Betsy Farrell Garcia, Assistant Research Professor, to the team this spring. Betsy will work in support of current partnerships and foster new collaborations with Field Test Partners, organizations that provide homes in rural communities.

Originally from Mississippi, Betsy (’08 BArch, BIntArch) is a graduate of Rural Studio’s 5th-year program and a member of the student team that designed and built the 20K Bridge Home. Before returning to Auburn, Betsy practiced as a licensed architect with firms in Boston specializing in arts, higher education, and K-12 facilities, many designed to high standards of sustainability. She brings this extensive experience and her industrious work ethic to Rural Studio and the Front Porch Initiative.

Betsy will be joining Mackenzie Stagg, CADC’s first Assistant Research Professor, on the Front Porch Initiative research team to further the development of our high performance product line homes. She brings expertise with envisioning and designing efficient, resilient, and equitable housing for communities that need it most. As part of the research team, Betsy leverages Rural Studio’s long history of collaborating with our West Alabama neighbors to address housing needs throughout the Southeast and beyond.

If you ask Betsy why she chose to work with the Front Porch Initiative, she will start with her call to service, bolstered by a strong belief in Rural Studio’s community-driven mission. Her interest in furthering the valuable research of the Rural Studio motivates her, and she looks forward to working hard to help the Front Porch Initiative bring better homes to more rural Americans.