Deland also teaches at the Stanford d.school, exploring the intersection of design thinking, placemaking, and community building in urban environments. Most recently, she co-taught Civic Dreams, Human Spaces, Design for Everyday Social Good, Designing for Communities at Play, and Creative Tools for Urban Spaces. Deland has professional planning experience leading transportation planning and land use projects at a community development corporation in San Francisco. She earned her undergraduate degree in Urban Studies and a co-terminal Masters degree in Sociology from Stanford University, and completed her graduate studies in City & Regional Planning at UC Berkeley.