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About Deb

Professional
Deb is an architect who practices from her home in Newton since 1985. Deborah Crossley Architect, provides design through construction administration services for private residential, mixed income and special needs housing, and small commercial projects. Deb has a special interest and expertise in energy-efficient and high performance construction, and has just completed her sixth rated Energy STAR home. She also teaches building science and weatherization techniques to the construction trades. While in architectural school, Deb worked for Energyworks, (then in West Newton), where she authored several papers and training manuals for the federal Residential Energy Conservation Services (RCS) program.

Education
Deb received her Bachelor of Science in Environmental Design (magna cum laude) from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1975, a Bachelor of Architecture from the Boston Architectural Center in 1983, and her MA License from the Architectural Registration Board in 1985.

Personal
Deb and her husband, Phil Vance, moved to Newton in 1985 with their new daughter, seeking a culturally diverse community with excellent public schools and services. Phil is a Senior Project Manager on institutional building projects. Deb and Phil have two (terrific!) children: Nicole (1984) and James (1989) are graduates of the Newton Public Schools (Countryside, Brown, Newton South and North High Schools).
Deb and Phil were PTO members and coached numerous elementary and middle school sports teams. Nicole graduated from Hobart & William Smith College with a BS in Environmental Science, and works as a Project Scientist at an environmental engineering and consulting firm. James is in his junior year at Johnson & Wales University. As a family, they enjoy nature, pets, cooking and spending as much time as possible outdoors - boating, kayaking, biking, diving - and on the beach.

Community Service and Activism
Deb’s resume of service to Newton on city boards, commissions and citizen action coalitions shows her broad experience working constructively to serve and effect positive change in our community:

Newton Citizen’s Commission on Energy (Energy Commission) is a nine member body established to advise Newton on energy policy, planning and conservation.

Deb had a key role in drafting Newton's Energy Action Plan in 2004, which provides a roadmap for municipal and private sector actions to conserve resources and save money. In addition, Deb built coalitions to promote effecting citywide efficiencies recommended in the Plan. Some have already saved the city a great deal of money* such as re-lamping city streetlights, and others will save money while improving our buildings, such as the recently begun work on school and city buildings using the Energy Services Company guarantee on energy savings to finance the work.

*$750,000. /year saved in avoided energy costs to NSTAR

High Performance Buildings Coalition (HPBC), initiated by the Green Decade Coalition http://www.greendecade.org/highperfbuild.html, includes citizen organizations, building professionals, politicians and environmentalists who see that improving construction standards is essential to conserving energy and natural resources, reducing long term costs and protecting the environment. In its first year, the coalition advocated for “high performance” standards in the design of Newton North High School, and Deb led the HPBC technical committee to propose and write contract language using life cycle cost analysis as a basis for decision-making. Many superior (long life) material choices, energy and water saving measures were implemented in the final NNHS construction. As co-chair, Deb has two priorities: 1. Advocate the city continue the ESCO work as a unique way of financing much needed repairs and upgrades in our schools and city buildings, ensuring that repairs to the building shell are included, and completing the scope beyond the first group of six buildings; and 2. Work with city leaders to adopt the MA Building Energy “Stretch” Code, to raise the standard of construction in Newton for all public and private new commercial and residential buildings.

Newton Housing Partnership, was established by City Ordinance to advise the city on the merits of housing policies and projects and plans before the City. Deb has supported projects and policies that will create more affordable housing across the city, especially that which is well constructed and carefully planned to moderate long term costs of operation. In addition, Deb supports policies that will protect existing housing stock, and encourage a diversity of housing types (for example, building smaller units where transportation and infrastructure exist)

Uniting Citizen’s for Housing Affordability in Newton (UCHAN) Deb has been an active member since 2001, advocating for the projects and polices above as well as numerous other initiatives. For example, Deb supports revisions to our accessory apartment law that will help more folks afford their own homes while providing needed modest rental units for others, and using CPA funds to purchase existing housing, such as two-family properties, and restrict use to affordable rental units.

Newton League of Women Voters (LWV) Deb joined the League soon after moving to Newton, and has been active ever since. She served on the Board of Directors for 20 years, as Newsletter editor, Environmental Committee Chair, Housing Committee, Vice President, Local Action Chair and President (1999-2001). As President Deb managed the advisory ballot initiative to reduce the size of the Board of Alderman, winning 2-1 by state district. She then tackled election reforms after LWV observers cited irregularities at the polls. After urging new appointments to the commission, Deb led League efforts to work with the Elections Commission to tighten regulations and improve services. In addition, Deb was the first host of Legislative Roundtable, a NewTV cable TV show featuring Newton’s legislative delegation discussing issues before the state and their impact on Newton.

Deb also served as the LWV appointment to the political action coalition to pass the Community Preservation Act in Newton in 2001, and initiated the LWV committee that continues to watchdog the CPC Program administration to this day. As Local Action Chair, Deb initiated a study of municipal finances that led to League consensus in support of the 2002 Prop. 2-1/2 Override, then served on the citywide action committee to pass that override in the spring of 2002.

The LWV also appointed Deb to serve on the Citizen’s Commission on Energy in 2001, on which she currently is Vice-Chair.

Community Preservation Act (CPA)
Deb played a key role on the political action coalition led by the Newton Conservators, in passing the CPA in Newton in the fall of 2001. Advocating that enabling the CPA would bring valuable resources and a community-building public process, Deb gathered endorsements from elected city officials when it was clear that the city was planning an override request in the near future. When the Act passed, the aldermen established the Community Preservation Committee, and Deb initiated the well-respected LWV committee that continues to monitor the CPA program to this day.

Mayor’s Comprehensive Planning Advisory Committee (CPAC) was an all-volunteer committee comprising over 24 professionals and dedicated citizens from around the city formed by Mayor Cohen in 1998 to prepare a Plan for the City that would reflect shared community values and objectives and goals for the future. The Plan was adopted in 2007.

Deb served on the Comprehensive Planning Advisory Committee, through to adoption of the 2007 Comprehensive Plan in 2007, and as an advocate for many of the early action items citizens and others proposed that resulted from that effort. Deb had a lead role in developing the Natural Resources element of the plan and a key role in developing the Housing element. Deb’s current participation in the Newton Housing Partnership, and as Co-Chair of the High Performance Building Coalition involves work to implement those elements of the Plan.

The Rebecca Pomroy Foundation (http://www.pomroy.org/PomroyBoard.html) was established in her memory to use the Pomroy estate in trust to “assist worthy charitable organizations, …which (in particular)provide training, education and counseling for girls and young women in need… in Newton Massachusetts.”

Deb has served on this Board of Directors since 1993. Each year board members visit and evaluate small grant requests from the wide range of non-profit programs and organizations in Newton who provide essential services that help to capture some of those most in need of services and a leg up.

Parent Teacher Organizations: Finally, like most parents of school-aged children Deb was involved in her school PTO. For example, at Countryside Elementary and Brown Middle Schools, she volunteered in the classroom, served as Creative Arts & Sciences Committee co-chair and coached girls’ basketball.