John Barton
Director, Stanford Architectural Design Program
John Barton is Director of Stanford’s Architectural Design Program and an architect in private practice. He is a former member of the Palo Alto City Council and also served two terms on the Palo Alto Unified School District Board of Education. John’s practice has spanned over thirty years and he has received numerous design awards including a recent AIACC Honor Award in Urban Design for collaborative work on high-speed rail options in Palo Alto. He was elevated to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects in 2013.
John’s extensive record of regional community involvement includes helping to draft California’s new Master Plan for Education K-16, and serving on the boards of the Housing Trust of Santa Clara County, Avenidas, the Palo Alto Housing Corporation, the Role Model Program, the Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce, the Redwood City Child Development Program, and the Children’s Center of the Stanford Community. He is a founding member of the Community Working Group that built the Opportunity Center in Palo Alto. John received his B.A. and Master’s Degrees in architecture from UC Berkeley. He is currently pursuing a Doctoral degree in Architecture at Carnegie Mellon University.