Neal Schwartz Principal The studio culture of SaA is a reflection of its principal's unique background and skills. Neal Schwartz completed dual masters degrees in Architecture and Public Policy at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design and the Kennedy School of Government respectively. The combination of these two disciplines establishes the foundations of our practice: the creativity to explore our client's needs in ways that surpass their expectations, and a devotion to rigorous management of complex design, permitting, and construction processes. Schwartz graduated with Distinction in Architecture, received the Thayer Award for Meritorious Scholarship, the Sheldon Traveling Fellowship, as well as national awards from the Urban Land Institute and American Planning Association.

Schwartz has been actively involved in teaching for 21 years, most recently as an associate professor in architecture at the California College of the Arts (CCA), where he currently coordinates the Master's degree thesis program. From 2006 - 2009, he was on the Board of Directors for the National AIDS Memorial Grove located in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park and chaired the Memorial Design Committee working towards the capital campaign and design development of this national memorial. Schwartz graduated magna cum laude from Brandeis University receiving a Bachelor of Arts in European history and has studied and researched abroad in Vienna, Munich, and Berlin.