Craig Wilkins received his doctorate from the University of Minnesota, his master's degree from Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation in real estate and urban development, and his undergraduate degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Architecture. In 1991, along with several designers, Mr. Wilkins, a registered architect, helped establish the collaborative BAKARI Design and he has worked as a designer, project architect, and urban consultant in Washington, D.C., New York, Houston, and Minneapolis. He has also served as a research fellow at the University of Minnesota Design Center for the American Landscape, University of Illinois Chicago City Design Center and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.