Derwin Sisnett

organization overview

Adaptive Commons, a social impact real estate development and investment platform, breathes new life into underutilized public school buildings. By partnering with top local property developers and leveraging strategic funding, Adaptive Commons transforms these spaces into affordable housing primarily for teachers. Adaptive Commons not only mitigates the affordable housing crisis for educators, but also fosters vibrant communities where educators and other essential workers can thrive.

Personal Bio

Derwin Sisnett is the founder and chief executive officer of Adaptive Commons, a real estate company that invests in the transformation of civic spaces for social good. His previous experience includes co-founding Maslow Development Inc. and serving as the co-founder and CEO of Gestalt Community Schools. In that role, he led the development of high-quality, community-based charter schools and associated mixed-use developments, including affordable housing.

Derwin’s work has been featured in numerous publications, including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Urban Land Institute’s Urban Land Magazine. He has also lectured at colleges and universities, including Harvard Graduate School of Design, Yale School of Management, and the University of California, Berkeley College of Environmental Design, where he is a Faculty Lecturer in Real Estate Development + Design.

Derwin holds a bachelor’s degree from Emory University and a Ph.D. from the University of Memphis. He is an alumnus of Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, where he was a Loeb Fellow. Derwin is also a Broad Fellow, a Cambiar Education Change Agent, and a Pahara Fellow of the Aspen Global Leadership Network, where he was selected as a Braddock Scholar.