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The GSP Team
01
What do you do at Graffito?
I get to touch all aspects of our business, from drafting SOWs for new projects, to leading some of our hairiest strategy + leasing assignments, to working with the team on our anti-racism efforts.
What is your educational + professional background?
I’ve been a small business lawyer, artist/musician manager, and ran a student directory business, the latter of which I started while an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. I attended law school at Northeastern University here in Boston, a truly progressive place that advanced my passion for social justice, taught me how to read a contract, and brought me together with a classmate turned business partner who first dragged me over to Kendall Square for a real estate project in 2004.
You’re having a spring picnic…Where would you go and what are 3 non-negotiable items you’re packing?
On a hike, with my wife and kids, ideally sitting on a slope vs. flat ground (if you know, you know). First, napkins (for me and kids). Second, just a simple PB&J sandos. Third, trail mix — almonds, raisins, choc chips. Also, I’d swap out a picnic basket for a backpack. I don’t get the picnic basket thing, especially those fancy ones that make good presents but no-one ever uses. I mean, a backpack is always more practical, and if you have stuff that needs to be kept cool, isn’t a cooler always a better solution than a picnic basket?
02
Melissa Castro
Operations & Strategy
What do you do at Graffito?
I oversee operations and new business strategy at Graffito SP. At my core, I’m a creative problem solver and people manager. On a day-to-day, I support the team, focused on driving productivity and stewarding our DEI efforts.
What is your educational + professional background?
Most recently I was the Director of Business Development at CommonWealth Kitchen, Greater Boston’s food business accelerator. In this role, I worked with small businesses and entrepreneurs who are predominantly women, immigrants, and people of color. I hold a B.A. in Marketing and Communications from UMass Amherst and an M.B.A. from Babson College. Before business school, I spent 9 years working in NYC for several digital marketing agencies focused on the financial services sector in hybrid project management and client services roles.
You’re having a spring picnic…Where would you go and what are 3 non-negotiable items you’re packing?
Central Park with a backpack full of Thin Oreos, bubbly to share, and my favorite sunnies.
03
Tania Celestin
Retail Leasing + Development
What do you do at Graffito?
I assist the leasing + development team, working on commercial transactions to identify, connect, and foster the relationship of commercial landlords with local (majority women- and minority-owned) businesses as tenants.
What is your educational + professional background?
I was born and raised in Boston and I hold a BS in Business Administration & Management with a concentration in Business Law from Boston University’s Questrom School of Business. I have a background in luxury retail, artist representation, and international travel as a former flight attendant for Delta Air Lines. The pandemic allowed me to shift gears and I worked as a residential Realtor at Gibson | Sotheby’s International Realty prior to joining Graffito.
You’re having a spring picnic…Where would you go and what are 3 non-negotiable items you’re packing?
I’m going to Boston Public Garden and definitely bringing individual boxed wine, pre-made charcuterie box (from Kured), and portable wireless speaker for music.
04
Dave Downing
Retail Leasing + Development
What do you do at Graffito?
I lead Graffito’s leasing practice, which includes early-stage retail advisory work through detailed lease negotiations for both Landlords and Tenants.
What is your educational + professional background?
Prior to joining the Graffito team full-time in 2012, I helped oversee the development of Watermark Kendall East, a 144-unit mixed use residential project in Kendall Square, Cambridge MA. This role offered me the opportunity to build skills in permitting, client relations, budgeting, team coordination, leasing and tenant fit-up management. I hold a BS in Business Administration from Northeastern with a concentration in Finance and Marketing.
You’re having a spring picnic…Where would you go and what are 3 non-negotiable items you’re packing?
I would definitely lean beach – Nahant, Gloucester or Plum Island. Kids in tow, so I am thinking juice boxes, popsicles and PB&J’s are all unassailable items. If you’ve been to the beach with your kids, it’s usually lunch by the time you setup camp and time to leave not long after!
05
Johanna Loughran
Finance + Administration
What do you do at Graffito?
I take care of all of the bookkeeping and business administrative tasks.
What is your educational + professional background?
I have been doing accounting and HR for the past nine years, working mostly with restaurants and cafes. I started my career working for a large company in Philadelphia and then moved back to Boston and fell in love with small businesses. BA in Psychology from the University of Vermont.
You’re having a spring picnic…Where would you go and what are 3 non-negotiable items you’re packing?
Castle Hill at the Crane Estate has always been my favorite picnic spot. My top picnicking items are a cheese and fruit board, a Pendleton blanket and croquet set.
06
Drew Katz
Creative Services & Branding
What do you do at Graffito?
I lead Graffito ID (GID), which is what we are calling Graffito’s newly formed creative services and branding division. GID helps our colleagues and clients tell stories through branding, environmental graphics, and website design. As a photographer, I’m also busy documenting our projects from the land and air. Most importantly, I make sure that my colleagues are up to date on the latest sour gummy candies available on the market.
What is your educational + professional background?
Shortly after graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design, I opened a fine art gallery in Boston’s South End. The gallery, which featured mostly formalist works heavily based in architecture and design, gave artist Shepard Fairey his first solo exhibition in the city. Since closing the gallery, I served as the Associate Publisher for the critically acclaimed periodical, New American Paintings, received an MBA from Babson College, and founded Creative Katz, an agency focused on creative direction, graphic design, photography, web strategy, content management, and project management for industries ranging from healthcare to hospitality. Before joining Graffito, I was Chief Creative Officer at a mid-size integrated agency offering creative services, public relations, and marketing for start-ups to Fortune 500 companies.
You’re having a spring picnic…Where would you go and what are 3 non-negotiable items you’re packing?
I like to stare at water during picnics, which usually brings us to a beach North of the city. My picnic essentials include a blanket, since I hate sitting directly on the ground, a Dr. Pepper Zero, which are now an occasional (and sad) treat since I gave them up last summer, and a sandwich with crunchy bread and lots of cold cuts and usually has the word “Italian” in the title.
07
Brooke Porter
Creative Services + Branding
What do you do at Graffito?
As a graphic designer, I offer creative solutions that help define our clients’ (and our own) branding and storytelling. I specialize in creating and maintaining brand identity systems, as well as website design and development. I’m excited to further explore different types of design such as environmental and wayfinding graphics, and bring to life the unique stories of the spaces and clients we work with.
What is your educational + professional background?
Shortly after high school, I received an Associates Degree in Advanced Culinary Arts from the Connecticut Culinary Institute (I make a mean crepe). I worked in the restaurant industry for a little while, and eventually went back to school to pursue a graphic design degree. A two-year stint at Manchester Community College (CT) got me an Associates Degree in Graphic Design, and I then transferred to the University of Hartford from which I received a BFA in Visual Communication Design in 2015. While in school, I worked as a designer for three years at Sunrise Marketing, a small marketing firm in Hartford, CT. After graduating from UHart, I accepted a new job at marlo marketing in Boston, where I worked for more than four years as a senior designer and chief supporter of Drew’s candy habit. I left marlo to join the Graffito team as of January 2020, and the future is wide open!
You’re having a spring picnic…Where would you go and what are 3 non-negotiable items you’re packing?
I’d get out of the city and do a day trip up to Newburyport – the Waterfront Park is the perfect spot for a spring picnic. In my picnic basket, you’d definitely find a chilled bottle of rosé, a bag of Cape Cod Salt & Vinegar chips, and some homemade watermelon-mint-feta salad.
08
Gustavo Quiroga
Neighborhood Strategy + Communications
What do you do at Graffito?
A bit of a utility player at Graffito, I lead early-stage planning + strategy work for neighborhood-scale projects, develop creative placemaking programs, foster community partnerships, and manage special development projects for clients.
What is your educational + professional background?
I have an MBA from Boston University and a BA in International Studies from U. Wisconsin-Madison. My past work focused on urban economic development, community + political organizing, and launching social enterprises.
You’re having a spring picnic…Where would you go and what are 3 non-negotiable items you’re packing?
The spring blooms make the Arnold Arboretum a perfect picnic spot. But I’m not going without a few cold tallboy beers (crisp pilsners or session IPAs), a BLT sandwich, and a bag of Cape Cod potato chips.
09
Angela VanArsdale
Retail Leasing + Development
What do you do at Graffito?
I assist Landlords and Tenants through the leasing process and real estate transactions. This ranges from consulting on early stage planning, merchandising and rollout strategies all the way through to negotiating details of the lease.
What is your educational + professional background?
Prior to joining Graffito, I was a retail leasing broker at Newmark Knight Frank for 5 years. Previous to that, I was at Colliers International in a similar capacity for 5 years. My focus is on urban and urban edge areas advising both landlords and tenants through all aspects of the leasing process. I am a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers and the Harvard Square Business Association. I hold a BA in economics with a minor in architectural studies from Tufts University.
You’re having a spring picnic…Where would you go and what are 3 non-negotiable items you’re packing?
I’d make sure to bring my phone, a method of transportation, and friends so that I could make a reservation at a restaurant with outdoor seating and go there with my friends. Not a big picnic fan over here…but I am a big fan of restaurant outdoor seating in and around Boston, and luckily there are some great ones to choose from!