Board of Directors

1st Vice President/President-Elect

Andrea Love AIA, LEED Fellow
Principal and Director of Building Science, Payette

Candidate Statement
I am committed to supporting the BSA’s strategic priorities of decarbonization of the built environment, equity within the profession, design excellence, and community engagement. I would prioritize advocacy and education around these issues to continue to support firms in addressing the challenges we face, such as climate change and inequity. I will advocate for prioritizing the BSA’s budget and resources to address these urgent issues. I have spent my career advancing and pushing for work that can be both sustainable and beautiful, while being made more equitable for all. I would continue this pursuit as the 2023 BSA president.

Biography
BSA member since 2011; BSA Board of Directors 2019-2021; AIA Board Knowledge Committee 2019-2020; AIA 2030 Commitment Working Group 2013-2020, Chair 2014-2016; BSA Embodied Carbon Conference Planning, 2019; AIA COTE Advisory Group, 2014-2017; AIA Young Architect Award, 2017; AIA Illinois Young Architects Forum, 2006-2009; Built Environment Plus (formerly USGBC Massachusetts) Board of Directors, 2012-2018, Chair, 2017; USGBC Chapter Steering Committee 2012-2017; USGBC Nominations Working Group, 2013-2014; USGBC Education Steering Committee, 2013-2015; Illinois Green Alliance (formerly USGBC Illinois) Emerging Green Builders, 2004-2009, Chair, 2006-2009; Greenbuild Chicago 2007 Legacy Project Chair, 2007; City of Cambridge Net Zero Task Force, 2021 & 2014-2015; City of Boston Embodied Carbon TAG, 2021; Lecturer MIT School of Architecture, 2012-2016; Lecturer Northeastern School of Architecture, 2021; Lecturer Harvard Graduate School of Design, 2017-present

Director

Siboney Diaz-Sanchez, RA, NOMA
Project and Design Manager at Opportunity Communities

Biography
Siboney is a project and design manager at Opportunity Communities in Boston. Her work focuses on affordable multi-family housing development, public space community facilitation and organizational design standards informed by resident services at Nuestra Comunidad Development Corporation and The Neighborhood Developers in Massachusetts. She co-chairs the National Organization of Minority Architects Empowerment Committee, serves on the board of the Association for Community Design, teaches Community Practice at the Boston Architectural College and is an organizer with the Design as Protest Planning and Policy Committee. Before leaving Texas, Siboney served as zoning commissioner for District 1 in San Antonio while helping complete a new construction award-winning facility for ChildSafe, a non-profit children's advocacy center at Overland Partners. Siboney has dedicated her time to various non-profit arts organizations including the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, SAY Si, and the City of San Antonio Arts, Culture and Heritage Committee. She was a founding member and co-chair of the Latinos in Architecture (LiA) Committee within AIA San Antonio. She insists that creative fields are viable vehicles for social change and is committed to prioritizing community voices in design processes. From 2019-2021 Siboney was an Enterprise Rose Fellow. She received her B.Arch from Cornell University and is a licensed architect in the state of Texas.

Director

Alison Nash AIA, LEED AP ID+C, CHPC, WELL AP
Associate, Sustainability Practice Leader, DiMella Shaffer

Candidate Statement
An active catalyst for positive change, I am dedicated to transforming standard practices to embrace sustainable and regenerative design principles, demonstrated by winning the MA CEC Triple Decker Challenge. I welcome this opportunity to serve the BSA community and public with empathetic leadership, deep experience in listening and consensus building, and effective collaboration skills to inspire and foster fellowship across generations. A recently licensed architect with years of professional experience in allied design fields including art-making, museum education, and interior/lighting design, I anticipate leveraging both my distinct perspective and my national and regional sustainability connections to further the BSA’s mission.

Professional Affiliations
NESEA (Northeast Sustainable Energy Association) Member (2005 – 2008; 2014 – present); BE+ (formerly USGBC MA) Member (2014 – present); Building Green, Sustainable Design Leaders Network, Regional and National Member, 2015 – present; Current co-chair of Boston Region Sustainable Design Leaders Network, 2019 – present; Regional Advisory Committee – Building Green Sustainable Design Leaders Network, 2019 – present; Co-Chair of Task Force to develop EZ Residential Net Zero code proposal for MA, 2020 – 2021; Lead Moderator for Racial Justice Sustainable Design Leaders monthly roundtable conversations, 2020 – 2021 BSA/ AIA Roles & Membership; AIA Member 2008 – present; BSA member since 2014; BSA Committee, Women in Design – Event Committee (founder of popular WiD Wednesday series), 2014 – 2016; AIA National, Task force Design for Economy chapter of AIA Framework for Design Excellence), 2020; BSA Sustainable Design Awards Jury, 2020; BSA Committee, Carbon Leadership Forum Boston Chapter – Recycle/Reuse, 2020 – present

Director

Sindu Meier AIA, LEED AP BD+C
Senior Associate, William Rawn Associates

Candidate Statement
If elected to serve, I look forward to working with a committed group of architects to advance our profession while also encouraging students and emerging professionals to engage with the BSA and help shape its future. We have the opportunity to make our profession, and the BSA in particular, a leader in the national conversation about the broader issues of social justice and sustainability. As architects, we can leverage our efforts and expertise to make a positive impact in both of these areas.

Professional Affiliations
BSA member since 2004; BSA Co-Chair EDI Task Force Advocacy Committee (2020 to current); BSA Hospitality Awards, Jury Member (2018); Society of Indo-American Architects and Designers, Chair (2021 to Current, 2 Year term); ArchMentor (2020 to current); Greenbuild, Abstract Reviewer (2019-20); ENR Top 40 under 40, Selection Committee (2018); Milton Public Library Trustee (2017-Current) Elected position; Milton Local Historic District Study Committee (2021-Current) Appointed

School Engagement – Guest Critic, Guest Lecturer, Thesis Advisor
Carnegie Mellon University, Endicott College, MIT, Roger Williams University, and Wentworth Institute of Technology

Director

William (Will) Ruhl FAIA
Founding Principal, RUHL STUDIO Architects, Watertown, MA

Candidate Statement
It has been a real honor over the past year being the BSA Fellows Committee Representative to the BSA/AIA Board, and I look forward to contributing to the Board’s ongoing efforts.

Professional Affiliations
BSA Member since 1996; BSA Board of Trustees, College of Fellows Representative, appointed 2019; BSA College of Fellows Committee, 2019 to Present; Architects Foundation Payette Sho-Ping Chin Memorial Academic Scholarship Jury, 2021; Architects Foundation Diversity Advancement Scholarship Selection Committee Jury, 2021; Institute of Contemporary Art Advisory Board, Real Estate + Building Committee, 2017 to Present; Town of Rockport Conservation Commission, Rockport, MA, 2017 to Present; The White Mountain School Board of Trustees, Executive Committee, Facilities Committee, Committee on Trustees, 2008 – 2017; Town of Wellesley Design Review Board, Chair, 1997 – 2003.

Elective Committees and Delegations

Calvin Boyd II Assoc. AIA
Designer, Payette, Boston, MA

Candidate Statement
My early-career nomination to the Ethics Committee was intentional. For the BSA to continue its transformation into an association able to handle the ethical quandaries of the future, they have aptly chosen to invest in rising talent. Whether it be volunteer work, scholastic achievements, or speaking engagements, my pursuits have always dealt directly with modern ethical concerns and what it means to be a community-oriented, emotionally intelligent architect. Additionally, as an African American designer, I’m particularly interested in issues of race and social equity, and will bring that perspective to the committee.

The BSA has the opportunity to lead both local and national conversations on these issues, and I am committed to fostering vibrant community discussion, building consensus, and guiding our profession toward a just, equitable, and ethical practice.

Professional Affiliations
Associate Member, AIA, 2021; Co-Chair, BSA Race & Architecture Committee, 2021; Member, BosNOMA, 2020 - Present; Communications Chair, GSD NOMAS, 2020; Volunteer, Beyond Walls, 2021; M.Arch I, Harvard GSD, 2017-2021; B.S. Arch, USC, 2021-2016

Honors and Awards Committee

Elizabeth Christoforetti
Founding Principal, Supernormal; Assistant Professor in Practice of Architecture, Harvard GSD

Candidate Statement
As the role of the architect in society shifts to meet emerging demands triggered by cultural, environment, and technological change, the BSA has the opportunity to stand as a leader by daylighting and fostering work that points toward high potential for design agency in confronting the challenges of the real world. I am committed to supporting the BSA in seeking and encouraging design excellence, its impact, and relevance in society.

Professional Affiliations
Rotch Travelling Scholarship Committee Member since 2018; BSA Practice-Based Research Advisory Board Member 2020; Sleeping Bear Dunes Gateway Council Board Member since 2020; ArchitectureBoston Editorial Board Member 2019-2021; Harvard GSD Practice Committee Member since 2019; Harvard GSD Design Critic 2016-2018; ASCA Conference Peer Reviewer 2018; Harvard Innovation Labs Expert in Residence 2016-2017; MIT Media Lab Researcher 2014-2016; Northeaster University School of Architecture Lecturer 2009-2014; Utile, Inc. 2010-2015; Office dA 2008-2009

Biography
Elizabeth Bowie Christoforetti is founding principal at Supernormal, an architecture and design research firm based in Cambridge, MA. Supernormal combines design expertise with emerging digital processes to balance cultural relevance with the contemporary imperative to scale beyond a single design, to reach more people and more urban places. Elizabeth’s background includes years of practice focused on housing, urban development, and the complex social processes required for real change in the built environment. Her current work pays careful attention to urban systems, human cultures, and the evolving constraints of physical development. Elizabeth has served as a researcher at the MIT Media Lab and is currently Assistant Professor in Practice of Architecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, where she teaches design and leads research within the Laboratory for Design Technology.

Mark Rukamathu AIA, NCARB
Director of Special Projects and Faculty Member, Boston Architectural College, Boston MA

Candidate Statement
The BSA’s Honors and Awards Committee must be open, inclusive, and equitable to all projects and persons we choose to elevate. Our choices signal our profession's values that go beyond just 'architecture’. I believe my background can bring a distinct perspective to this committee. I am deeply honored by this nomination and look forward to contributing in a meaningful way.

Professional Affiliations
BSA Member since 2017; AIA Member since 2008; BSA Board of Director School Representative 2020-Present; BSA EDI Taskforce Member 2020; AIA Center for Practice Advisor 2020-Present; BSA Interior Architecture and Design Award Juror 2020; BSA Annual College Fair Speaking ‘Which Architecture School Should I Attend’ 2019-2020; NCARB Architect Licensing Advisor 2018-Present; NCARB IPAL Liaison 2018-Present, NCARB Summit Panelist/Speaker on IPAL 2021; Various Adjunct Faculty positions at BAC, NEU, RISD and RWU 2014-2018; Faculty member at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand 2008-2011; Fay Jones School of Architecture Early Career Alumni Award Recipient 2019; BSA Interior Architecture and Design Award Recipient 2018; Fay Jones Alumni Design Award Honorable Mention Recipient 2018; Harvard GSD’s James Templeton Kelley Prize Recipient 2012

Biography
I am a half-Thai, half-American, architect and educator who grew up across multiple countries/cultures, educated in Thailand/Arkansas/New England, and worked/taught at a wide range of practices and institutions.

My architectural journey began with a love of drawing at a young age and developed with technical drawing classes in high school. I started my higher education at Northwest Arkansas Community College, transferred to the University of Arkansas for my B.Arch, worked in the architectural practice for several years, and then attended Harvard GSD for my M.Arch. I have since been involved in both practice and teaching, and currently serve as Faculty and Director of Special Projects at the Boston Architectural College (BAC).

Nominating Committee

NJ Unaka, PhD
Architecture Faculty at Wentworth Institute of Technology, Boston; Architecture Faculty at Northeastern University, Boston; Project Manager at Pencilbox Architects, San Francisco; Creative Director and Co-founder of ReThink Factory Design Collaborative

Candidate Statement
I am a designer and educator, committed to increased communal engagement by design professionals and students. This commitment is underpinned by a robust awareness of social and environmental justice consequences of climate change, particularly economic, social, and cultural marginalization. I will continue my work by helping steer the BSA towards engaging more in promoting a greater understanding of the impacts of design decisions and to urge designers to use design to proactively address these issues. This requires taking design techniques into the streets and classrooms to serve a much broader part of society.

Aisha Densmore-Bey Assoc. AIA
Principal, Aisha Densmore-Bey, Designer, Boston, MA

Candidate Statement
As a longtime proponent of the BSA, I am enthusiastic about elevating designers to important positions within the organization who are innovative or practice in non-traditional ways. To renew and push our community beyond its comfort zone, we require courageous and even risk-tasking individuals with wide-ranging ideas.

As architects, designers, citizens, activists, storytellers and agitators, we should seek to involve solid, varied, and even some unconventional candidates for office. Bringing in those who may have been reluctant to serve in the past, because they questioned the strength of their voice within the BSA, needs to be considered also.

We should be excited about the younger voices coming up and invite them in the process while still recognizing and honoring those whose continued service and dedication have made this organization powerful. Who we are and where we want to be as a professional body within the next 20 years starts with intention. I’m honored to be considered for service on this committee.

Professional Affiliations
BSA Member since 2008; Teaching Fellow, Harvard Graduate School of Design (2020-current); Harleston Parker Medal Committee Jury Member (2020); BSLA Fieldbook Editorial Advisory Board (2018-current); Program Founder and Lecturer, Future Prep 101: How to Prepare Teens for Design Careers ™ (two-time recipient of the BSA Foundation Grant) (2014-2017); Master Teacher, Learning by Design (2012-2015); Rotch Travelling Studio + Scholarship Program Administrator (2012-2014); Juror, 2013 National Collaborative/Professional Achievement Awards for the American Institute of Architects; Boston Society of Architects/BSA Space Exhibit Committee (2012-2013); Boston Society of Architects/BSA Space Development Committee (2012-2013); American Institute of Architects Associates Award (2012); BSA Interim Program and Events Manager (August 2011 - March 2012); Boston Society of Architects Membership Enrichment Committee (2010-2012); BSA Atlantic Wharf Task Force (2010-2011); Graphic Designer/Chair of Marketing and Public Relations, BosNOMA, National Organization of Minority Architects Conference Boston (2010); Founder/Chair; Boston Society of Architects Museum and Exhibit Design Committee (2008-2012).

Membership Committee

Jeremy Roc Jih AIA
Principal, J.Roc

Candidate Statement
I'm energized and excited on a personal level by the BSA Membership Enrichment Committee's responsibilities towards deeper engagement with a more inclusive community of BIPOC and LGBTQI+ young design students and professionals.

Professional Affiliations
BSA member since 2015; BSA Unbuilt Architecture and Design Awards Jury Member 2018; Rotch Committee Member 2018 - 2022; Rotch Travelling Scholar 2014; MIT Department of Architecture Lecturer 2017 - present; University of Pennsylvania School of Architecture Lecturer 2014

Mary McCarthy AIA, LEED AP BD+C
Associate, Finegold Alexander Architects

Candidate Statement
When properly executed, architecture can have a transformative impact for the better. The challenge that architects and design professionals tackle is how to execute a project while staying true to that goal. This can only be achieved by building meaningful relationships across disciplines and within communities.

The role of the BSA is to provide opportunities for collaborations to flourish. In this way we can learn from each other to understand the value and characteristics of good design. Buildings and objects tell a story about the values of the people who design and inhabit them. Let us take this opportunity to write an aspirational story together.

Professional Affiliations
PLAN Charlestown Impact Advisory Group member; BSA Member 2015-present; BSA Women in Design ABX committee co-chair 2017-present

Julian Phillips NOMA
Designer, Bruner/Cott Architects, Boston, MA

Candidate Statement
Expanding upon the current role of the membership by introducing architecture students to the BSA and connecting emerging professionals with firm leaders. I believe the BSA can become a conduit for students an aspiring architects to learn and grow from exposure and access to firms and leaders in the architecture profession. A strong peer network is valuable to growing the Boston architecture profession.

Professional Affiliations
NOMA member since 2019; BosNOMA Executive Secretary 2020-present; Boston Preservation Alliance, Young Advisor Board Member 2020-present; Fenway Community Advisory Committee, CAC member 2020-2021; Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Youth Programs Instructor 2019-2021: BSA Unbuilt Architecture and Design Award, jury member 2021; program coordinator, BosNOMA Project Pipeline 2021

AIA Massachusetts Board

Ellen Watts FAIA, LEED AP
President & Co-Founder, Architerra Inc., Boston, MA

Candidate Statement
The latest UN Climate Report is utterly dismaying. Based on every scenario, global surface temperature will continue to rise until mid-century. Impacts will intensify. Past and future changes to the ocean, ice sheets and sea level are irreversible. AIA MA is a strong alliance and powerful advocate. AIA MA can do even more to help rapidly decarbonize the built environment through net zero regulation and 2 million existing building retrofits in MA. If elected, I will focus on this goal. There is no time to lose.

Professional Affiliations
2004-2020; BSA Board of Directors, 2019-present; BSA Policy / Advocacy Task Force, 2019-present; BSA Electric Futures Forum Organizer, 2019-2020; AIA College of Fellows, 2018-present; Boston Living with Water Competition Team, 2017; Boston Climate Bridge Learning Exchange, 2016 (Denmark) and Germany (2013); DOER Zero Energy Advisory Council, 2009-present; MA Governor’s Net Zero Energy Buildings Task Force, Co-Chair, 2007-2008; Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) Boston, President, 2003-2004