Deborah is the Founder and Principal of Rojas AP. With over fifteen years of experience in the industry, Deborah has amassed an enviable catalog of clients and projects in her mission to improve the quality of life in New York City. Her passion for urban planning presented itself early in her career; she completed her Masters in Urban Planning at Hunter College in 2014 and established her firm soon after in 2015. In opening her own firm, she was able to fulfill a lifelong goal by creating an office environment that respects its employees and nurtures their talent. Deborah enjoys collaborating with her employees on all of her firm’s projects, no matter their size. She feels that this collaboration is the key to inspired work and is dedicated to giving employees and clients alike the time they need to create great things together.
Her work explores the intersection between architecture and planning in order to create functional spaces for communities. Her vigilance and forward-thinking mindset, paired with her ability to consistently meet her client’s needs, is unmatched in the industry. Deborah believes in transparency in all aspects of her work. She fosters beneficial relationships with those she partners with in order to ensure they are able to produce the best result possible. As a highly-skilled technical architect, she is able to educate clients beyond the basics of design by analyzing their concept and taking the time to explain the complexities of construction to them. She gives every client she is involved with the hard facts about their project along with a realistic timeline and budgeting advice so they can be ready to face any complications that may come with their project due to the special measures involved with NYC construction. In founding her own firm, she was able to use her experience and that of her staff to tailor the work that the firm does to their strengths. She is a QEWI (Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector) with the NYC Department of Buildings and is a Registered Architect in the state of New York.
Deborah has worked in New York City for over 15 years. In this time, her love for the city has only grown. Before opening her firm, she was Senior Project Manager at a New York–based Architecture firm, and prior to this, she gained site experience as Project Manager for a steel and concrete contractor for six years. Her desire to serve her community led to her involvement in research projects sponsored by the Federal Transit Authority for the improvement of public participation in transportation planning. In 2010 her valiant work was recognized by the Transportation Excellence Awards when a project she was part of received an honorable mention. She is a member of the YTP (Young Transportation Professionals) NY Chapter and the AICP (American Institute of Certified Planners). Deborah still serves her community, having become an Adjunct Professor teaching Graphic Communications at Hunter College in the Department of Planning and Policy, where she once studied.