The results of the 2025 BSA/AIA Election have been announced. Congratulations to the 2026 members of the Board of Directors and Governance Committees!
Please read below to learn more about the newly elected candidates. Questions? Contact membership at [email protected].
Katherine West Faulkner FAIAPrincipal/Founder, West Work
Candidate Statement
The BSA is a catalyst for positive change. As the nation’s third-largest AIA chapter, it fosters critical thinking among colleagues and competitors. At a time when decarbonization, and by extension cost-effective construction are pressing priorities, we must continue to critique project delivery. Tools that measure resource use, as a first cost and through the life of the building, are as important as those that ensure constructability. And as we advocate to simplify the path toward construction, we still have the obligation to promote beauty and well-planned developments that will serve future generations.
Biography
NESEA Bottom Line Cohort: 2022 - present; Wentworth University, Adjunct Faculty 2020-21;
BSA Member since 2004; BSA Board Secretary: 2023-25, Harlson Parker Jury: 2022, 2023 (Chair), BSA Honors & Awards Committee: 2017-2020.
Kyle Barker AIAPrincipal, Primary Projects
Candidate statement
I’ve been an enthusiastic BSA member for over a decade and want to do my part to strengthen its broader relevance. Board Secretary is a service role, and I have a passion for smoothing out the little things that can get in the way of transformative change. Over the last decade, I’ve helped contractors, architecture firms, and EntreArchitect create organizational systems that simplify work and reduce frustration. I hope to bring that energy to the BSA!
Rotch Traveling Scholarship Committee 2025-30; RISD Visiting Lecturer 2025-Present; Design Advisory Council Member for the Cohousing Association of US 2022-Present
Previously: Rotch Traveling Scholarship Awardee 2021; Northeastern Visiting Lecturer 2020-23; MIT Alpha Rho Chi Medal Awardee 2014; MIT Architecture Student Council Co-President 2011-12; University of Cincinnati IIDA Student Chapter President 2007-08.
BSA Small Practices Network Knowledge Community Co-Chair 2022-Present; BSA Flansburgh Young Designer Awardee 2023; BSA Small Firms Awards Juror 2021; AIA Central States Design Awards Juror 2018; BSA Unbuilt Awards Juror 2015; BSA Member since 2012.
Ioana N. PieleanuCreative Director/Principal, ACENTECH
BiographyMember Acoustical Society of America; Member Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums
BSA Cultural Facilities Network Co-Chair 2022 - present
Julian K. PhillipsHistorical Architect, Historical Architecture, Conservation, and Engineering Center, National Park Service/Interior Region 1, North Atlantic - Appalachian/ PFCA
I serve in an interdisciplinary division at the National Park Service, where collaboration across disciplines is standard practice. This foundation was strengthened by my graduate studies at MassArt, a multidisciplinary college that emphasized listening and communicating across group lines. These skills continue to guide my approach today. I believe the BSA’s strength lies in convening diverse voices to address the challenges of the built environment. My motivation for running is to ensure the BSA fosters dialogue and innovation while remaining a trusted resource for both the profession and the public.
Historical Architect (unlicensed), National Park Service Boston Art Review, Director 2025-present; Legacy Fund for Boston, Board Treasurer 2025-present; MassArt Alumni Leadership Council (ALC) 2025-present; Boston Preservation Alliance, Young Advisor 2020-25; Fenway Community Center, Director 2022-25; Fenway Community Advisory Committee, appointed member 2020–2023; APTNE, member 2021-present; NOMA, Member 2020-23; BosNOMA, Exec. Secretary 2020-22/Project Pipeline, Founding Member 2021; Visiting Lecturer/Instructor, MassArt 2019–present
BSA Membership Committee, 2020–2022; Planning and Ideation, BSA Open House; Planning Committee, ABX 2020; Planning Committee, BSA Intersections Symposium 2021; Juror, BSA Unbuilt Architecture Awards 2022; Co-writer/Presenter, BSA Equity in Practice Resource Guide;Committee Member, BSA Design Education Coalition, 2020-24; Volunteer, KidsBUILD 2019, 2022
Dana McKinney White AIAAssistant Professor of Urban Design, Harvard University Graduate School of Design; Co-Founder, enFOLD Collective
As an architect and urban designer, my work is grounded in advancing equity, integrity, and accountability in the built environment. I believe architects have a responsibility to serve communities with professionalism and care, ensuring our practice uplifts rather than excludes. Through my academic, professional, and advocacy efforts, I’ve sought to integrate justice, wellness, and community voices into design. I would bring this same commitment to the Ethics Committee, helping uphold the values of our profession and the trust placed in us.
Faculty at the Harvard University GSD, former member of the USC Architecture Guild, the 2022 Monterey Design Conference Planning Committee, and the former Co-Founder of ECCO Studios, a non-profit under-resourced youth in Los Angeles County teaching design skills
AIA member since 2019
Rima Abousleiman AIAArchitect, Bruner/Cott Architects
The role of architecture is becoming increasingly important in how we shape our growing communities, and thoughtful design and implementation continues to be a powerful tool in creating a positive social impact. This ethos is what drives my passion for impactful design throughout Boston and beyond. Given the chance to serve on the Honors & Awards Committee, I hope to promote and encourage positive social impact, amplify emerging talents, and celebrate the teams that allow those works to prosper. I believe that I can offer the Committee a unique and thoughtful voice given my professional and extracurricular experience in the Boston architecture community. Thank you for your consideration!
Bruner/Cott EDI Working Group Co-Chair (2020-present), BSA EPNet Co-Chair (2021-2024), BosNOMA Treasurer (2021-2024), Adjunct Professor - Wentworth Institute of Technology (Fall 2024 & Fall 2025), BSA Community & Collaborative Design Member (2024-present), DigitalReady Industry Advisory Board (present), Published Writer (various platforms).
BSA EPNet Co-Chair (2021-2024), BSA Member.
Matthew Akira Okazaki Assoc. AIAPrincipal, Architecture for Public Benefit
There is a current of energy, enthusiasm, and hard work pushing us towards a new era of transformation that still remains clear-eyed about our mission and vision: to address equity and sustainability challenges in our built environment. Honors and awards should be given to buildings, designs, and most importantly people that not just meet these standards, but outstrip them in wildly unanticipated and imaginative ways. And, if we are to take our mission seriously, it will require a hard look inward – questioning equity and access within the awards processes themselves.
Director, Architectural Studies Program, Tufts University (2025-present); Professor of the Practice, Tufts University (2023-present); Assistant Teaching Professor, Northeastern University (2022); Lecturer, Northeastern University (2020-2022); Lecturer, Tufts University (2020-2022); Lecturer, Brandeis University (2020-2021).
BSA Harleston Parker Medal Committee (2024, 2025); BSA Membership Committee (2023-present); BSA Rotch Travelling Scholarship Juror (2024, 2025); NCARB Examination Committee (2021-2023); NCARB Think Tank Committee (2020); Member, NOMA (2021 - present); Member, The Architecture Lobby (2020 - present); BSA member.
Lucca Townsend AIAArchitect, SasakiCandidate Statement
Hi! I’m Lucca, an architect with a background in public art and a passion for site-focused, sustainable, and beautiful architecture. I am eager for the opportunity to celebrate and challenge our community to pursue design excellence. For the past decade, I have worked at the intersection of landscape and architecture at Sasaki. Prior to that, I worked on large-scale aerial installations at Studio Echelman, including As If It Were Already Here, installed over the Boston Greenway. Beyond practice, I have been active at the BSA as co-chair of MakeTank, fostering connections across the maker community and curating opportunities for folks to share work, experiences, and inspiration.
BSA Member since 2021, MakeTank Co-chair 2023-2024
Karl Heckmaev, RAArchitect, City of Boston Mayor's Office of Housing
I view the BSA as one of the most engaged chapters of the AIA and would be committed to furthering its role in strengthening our local profession and practice of architecture. I view the organization as a key component of ensuring that the architectural community in Boston continues to be a critical, forward looking one which can address the complex realities of our environmental, political and economic worlds.
Magda Maaoui, PhDFaculty, Harvard University Graduate School of Design
I believe the BSA thrives when it represents the diverse voices of its members. Architecture plays a crucial role in shaping the future of cities—addressing climate change and improving health outcomes for all. My goal is to support programs that nurture early-career professionals, foster connections, and ensure BSA leads with excellence and purpose.
Asst. Professor in Urban Planning at Harvard GSD; PhD, Columbia GSAPP; Co-Director, Harvard GSD Healthy Places Design Lab; Faculty affiliate: Bloomberg Center for Cities, Joint Center for Housing Studies, Center for Green Buildings and Cities, Albertine Foundation Boston, Fulbright Foundation. Former Urban Planner, Paris Mayor's Office APUR; Co-founder, participatory design collective Ad’A; Contributor, Architectural Review; Guest reviewer, Harvard GSD; Mentor, LINA European Architecture Platform; Habitat for Humanity Greater Boston volunteer.
Susan Blomquist AIA, ACHA, NOMA, LEEDPrincipal / Board of Directors, Payette
A robust membership that reflects both the present and aspirational future of the BSA is the lifeblood of the organization. In my role on the Membership Committee, I would encourage establishing new ways to ensure all of our professional community feels that the organization is both a resource and a support mechanism, no matter a firm’s size or an individual professional role. All voices in our architecture and design community need to play an integral role in meeting this major transitional moment in Boston’s built environment. The BSA is our best advocate as a design community, and I would like to support reinforcing and communicating that message to the membership.
BSA Member since 2011. BSA Board of Directors, 2019 – 2022, BSA Honors and Award Committee, 2015 - 2018, Chair - 2022 AIA Honor Awards Jury, BSA Make/Shift Committee (COVID-19 response), 2020, AIA Diversity Advancement Scholarship Committee 2018, AIA Detroit Design Awards Jury, 2017, Sho-Ping Chin Scholarship Committee, 2017, BSA Space Committee, 2022 – 2025. Advisory Committee Member, Beyond Walls 2024 – present. Founding Member, Payette Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee, 2017 - present.
Matthew Gifford AIA, NOMAPrincipal, Shepley Bulfinch
I am interested in the added value that the BSA can bring to the profession locally and the AIA more broadly. As the practice of architecture evolves and faces new challenges, we must consider how to meet these changes while continuing to champion the value of design in shaping resilient, inclusive communities. I aim to foster innovation, collaboration, and sustainability within the BSA and the profession. Serving on the membership committee would offer an opportunity to advocate for initiatives that support professional growth, embrace emerging trends, and expand access; ensuring the BSA remains a vital, forward-thinking resource for all architects and allied professionals.
NOMA Member, SCUP Member
BSA COTE Committee (2010 2014), BSA IPD Committee (2009), BSA Sustainability Education Committee (2007-2011), BSA Member
Agnes Tessner RisserDesigner, Isgenuity
For many years, the BSA has provided a welcoming environment for me to learn, teach, and speak, enriching my professional development. I’m excited about the opportunity to contribute to its growth through this role. As a designer currently specializing in marketing, I can convey the interests and questions of emerging professionals in the industry, and plan strategies to drive engagement. I’m a consistent and reliable contributor to community-building nonprofit efforts, including active participation in BosNOMA. A primary goal of mine is to encourage the AEC industry to regularly reexamine accessibility and sustainability through the lens of cultural relativity.
Committee Member, BosNOMA Advocacy & Civil Leadership Committee 2025-present; Panelist, BosNOMA T-Talks Say it Now 2025; Instructor and developer, Introductory Architectural Software Intensive at Wellesley College 2025; Volunteer Instructor, BSA Kindergarten and High School Design Charettes, 2025.
Natasha Espada AIA, LEED, NOMA, NCARBFounding Principal, STUDIO ENÉE
Through my involvement at the BSA since 1998, my BSA Board Presidency in 2020, my collaboration with AIA MA, and as a presenter at the AIA National Grass Roots Leadership and Women Leadership Conferences, I have seen the local and national impact we can have as Architects. For many years, I have been involved with advocacy and policy at the local and state level; both in Boston and in the Town of Needham. Last year, as the Chair of the Needham Planning Board, I supported Environmental Initiatives, led the Affordable Housing Master Plan, revised ADU Zoning, and led the approval of the MBTA Communities Multi-Family Zoning Plan.
As the BSA Representative to AIA MA Board, I would have five primary goals:
Chair, Needham Planning Board 2024, member 2022- Present; Member, Town of Needham Permanent Public Building Committee, 2012-2022; Guest Critic/Lecturer at Harvard GSD, Wentworth, MIT, Auburn, UF, BAC, and Roger Williams; Adjunct Professor Northeastern University 2015-2018
BSA/AIA member since 1998; BSA President 2020, Vice President for Membership and BSA Board of Directors, 2015-2021; BSA/AIA MA AEC Industry Cohort, 2020, 2025; BSA Policy and Advocacy Committee 2020, 2025; AIA New England Regional Council Member 2020; AIA MA Governance Committee 2020-2021; BSA Governance Committee 2020-2023, BSA Strategic Plan Committee 2020-2023; AIA Women Leadership Summit Atlanta Advisor, 2025, Speaker, 2011- 2025; Speaker, AIA Grass Roots/Leadership Conference 2019; Speaker, AIA National Conference 2023, 2025; Keynote Speaker, AIA Christopher Kelly Leadership Development Program, AIA PR, 2023; BSA Nominating Committee, 2021-2023 and 2012-2014, Chair 2023; BSA Women Principals Group, 2009-present; BSA WID Award of Excellence, 2022; BSA Equity, Diversity, Inclusion + Harassment (EDI+H) Task Force Co-Chair, 2018-2020; BSA Future of Practice Task Force, 2016-2020, BSA Honors & Awards Committee/Chair, 2008-2010, Chair 2010; BSA and AIA Chicago, Columbus, Connecticut, Minnesota, Iowa, Birmingham, Colorado Design Awards Juror, 2006-2024; Panelist, AIA Leadership Institute, Life as a Leader in Architecture, 2015; Contributing writer for the AIA Architect’s Professional Primer (APP), 2014; Curator, BSA/WID Urban Intervention Exhibit, 2013; Co-author of Chapter for AIA Architect’s Handbook of Professional Practice, 15th Edition, 2013
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