José Galarza is an architectural designer, maker, and educator whose work bridges design and community-engaged learning. His practice centers on the intersections of architecture, making, and social impact, with projects spanning Native and rural communities as well as diverse educational contexts.

He previously served as Assistant Professor at the University of Utah’s School of Architecture and Director of DesignBuildBLUFF, where he led graduate students in cross-cultural design-build projects that honored community priorities and traditions. This work informed his co-founding of the Nááts’íilid Initiative, a nonprofit in the Navajo Nation focused on community development, where he continues to collaborate today. Currently, he teaches fabrication in the First Year Experience program at the Maryland Institute College of Art and serves as Faculty Resource Coordinator at Notre Dame of Maryland University.

Galarza’s scholarship explores socially responsive design, hands-on pedagogy, and place-based practices that honor local knowledge and craft traditions. His publications include chapters in Turning Points: Responsive Pedagogies in Studio Art Education (Teachers College Press) and The Design Build Studio: Crafting Meaningful Work in Architecture Education (Routledge). His forthcoming work in Designbuild Pedagogies for Social Change (Routledge) reflects on labor-intensive design-build practices as a model for architectural education grounded in reciprocity, devotion, and community collaboration.