Born in Barranquilla, Colombia, Hansy L. Better Barraza, received her bachelor of architecture degree from Cornell University and a master of architecture in urban design from the Harvard Design School. Hansy is a LEED Accredited Professional and a Registered Architect in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New York. She is NCARB certified to allow for reciprocity in other states.

She is an associate professor of architecture at the Rhode Island School of Design, as well as a practitioner, previously serving as a lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Northeastern University. She has been a guest speaker at Columbia University, Harvard University, Yale, and many other institutions around the country.

She recently wrote a book titled Where are the Utopian Visionaries? Architecture of Social Exchange. The Boston Business Journal and El Planeta highlighted Hansy as one of 20 Hispanic executives making a difference in Boston.