2020-21 Board of Directors

AIA Seattle is a member-led organization that depends on volunteer leadership and initiative. We are deeply grateful for the enormous energy and effort our board members and other volunteer leaders devote to our organization.

AIA Seattle’s Board Nominating Committee is pleased to present this slate of accomplished members to fill open seats on our Board of Directors beginning September 1, 2020. Voting opened July 13 and closed on August 3, 2020. All AIA and Associate AIA members are eligible to vote. You can vote yes or no for each nominee, and write-in votes are allowed. Voting by at least 10% of the membership is required to validate an election.

Your vote enters you to win a $50 gift certificate to the Intentionalist Marketplace!

Myer Harrell AIA – President-Elect
Member since: 2006

Myer is a Principal at Weber Thompson, a mid-size multidisciplinary architecture and design firm in Seattle. As the firm’s Director of Sustainability, he manages the firm’s building performance initiatives including participation in the AIA 2030 Commitment. His current project focus is as the architectural project manager for urban commercial office projects, including three buildings pursuing Living Building Challenge Petal Certification. Myer was named the 2011 AIA Seattle Young Architect, and currently serves on the AIA Seattle board of directors and the AIA Continuing Education committee. He received a Bachelor of Science in Architecture with Philosophy citation at the University of Maryland in 2002, a Master in Architecture at the University of Washington in 2005, and completed a Commercial Real Estate Certificate at UW in 2016. He has co-instructed undergraduate and graduate architecture studios at UW and currently contributes as a guest lecturer and studio critic.

Statement of Interest: AIA is the voice of the architecture profession, and as one of the larger chapters, AIA Seattle regularly exhibits leadership within the Institute. Through top-notch programming we discuss and advocate for relevant issues of housing and homelessness, sustainable and low-carbon design, responsible transportation, resilience, and community engagement, among many other topics. I am constantly humbled by the knowledge, experience, and passion of member volunteers, and I admire the tireless work of staff. In recent years we have started good work in equity, diversity, and inclusion, but there is still much to be done. Pervasive systems of racial oppression continue to plaque our region and our nation. We won’t have a truly just profession until the identities of architectural graduates, licensed architects, firm leaders, etc. reflect the identities of the general population. And, we must affect change while we adapt to a world being changed in real time by the current global pandemic.

Carrie Anderson AIA – Director
Member since: 2020

Carrie Anderson has sixteen years of experience in custom residential architecture in the Puget Sound region, from small remodels and additions to multi-million-dollar new construction. She received her bachelor’s degree from University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee in 2002 and graduate degree from University of Washington in 2006. Since that time, she has been a passionate advocate for sustainability as an active member of the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild and International Living Future Institute. Carrie has presented at the Northwest Green Building Slam & Summit as well as the Northwest Green Home Tour. When not social distancing, Carrie is an avid sailor and softball player. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Seattle Times, Luxe Magazine and numerous other publications.

Statement of Interest: I am excited to serve on the AIA Seattle Board in order to get off the sidelines and take a proactive role in advocating for the issues I’m passionate about including, but not limited to climate change, social justice and equality. I’m also eager to represent my friends and colleagues in the industry by listening to their concerns and bringing them to the attention of the board.

Whitney Lewis Assoc. AIA – Director
Member since: 2015

Whitney Lewis is an East Coast native who’s called the West Coast home for the last 10 years and Washington state the last 5. After relocating to the Seattle area in 2015, she has been focused in the multi-family housing market specifically affordable housing. Currently, Whitney volunteers as one of the co-chair’s of AIA Seattle’s Diversity Roundtable where she is working to promote the committee locally and at a national level. Whitney is also finishing a three year term as a member of the Membership Steering Committee. When not volunteering, Whitney has been working at GGLO within their affordable housing group for the last year and a half. In and outside of work she seeks to make connections to encourage and promote diversity and equity in architecture and the built environment.

Statement of Interest: I have been a member of AIA Seattle’s Diversity Roundtable for the last five years, first working to better understand my role and how I can get involved and then how I can utilize and connect not only myself but committee members to one another so that together we can make real change. I’ve seen this as a co-chair of Diversity Roundtable and membership steering committee member. Within Diversity Roundtable, my mission has been to continue to promote the committee locally and showcase what we’re doing on a national scale. With the membership steering committee, I have had the opportunity to engage and connect member committees to help facilitate events that focus on inclusivity and equity for designers, architects and architects of color. I want to continue to advocate and elevate these issues as a member of the AIA Board to support and help AIA Seattle work towards leading the way in conversations of engagement towards a more equitable future.

Amarpreet Sethi – Affiliate Director

Amarpreet Sethi is a Principal and Energy and Sustainability leader at west coast engineering firm, tk1sc. Her work experience in Architecture, Building Science and Engineering allow her to provide valuable contributions in the field of high performance building design holistically. Her knowledge of climate-responsive design, daylighting, HVAC systems enable her to assist in sustainability, especially in the early stages of design. Amarpreet has worked in multiple market sectors to assist in meeting goals of decarbonization and Net Zero. Driven by a passion to provide valuable contributions to clients’ sustainability goals through Building Optimization, Amarpreet has been doing building performance analytics for over 18 years. Amarpreet’s focus on sustainable design first began while completing her Architecture degree in 2001. She went on to achieve a Master of Science in 2003 and worked as part of Mechanical Engineering teams for 15 years prior to joining tk1sc in 2019.

Statement of Interest: I am thrilled to be requested to be part of the board of directors at AIA Seattle. I’ve presented at multiple educational series at AIA focusing on sustainability and building performance through the years and have found the experience very rewarding. I believe I bring a unique background to the board which will help in the conversation around the 2030 challenge, Energy and sustainability as well as health and wellness and systems. I am excited to have a voice through AIA and hence be able to have an impact to move our AEC industry towards a holistic future of energy efficiency through health and wellness and innovative design. I feel strongly that energy and health and wellness need to be discussed as a whole and not exclusively to drive towards passive solutions and this requires an architecture and engineering design partnership. A large portion of this also entails educating our userbase and owners to ask for what adds value beyond the business as usual and change the status quo.

Katie Oman – Affiliate Director
Member since: 2020

Katie is an expert in capital project planning for arts & culture with twenty years’ experience in planning, decision making, and economic analysis for nonprofit and public sector clients across the country. Her approach combines deep technical expertise in the complexities of cultural projects with a sensitivity to the unique needs, values, and aspirations of cultural organizations and their communities. Katie spent a decade as a theatre planning consultant prior to shifting her focus to cultural economics and its intersection with design, working to help clients and design teams make informed decisions about investment in cultural infrastructure. Past projects and clients include Seattle Rep, Minnesota Historical Society, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, American Repertory Theatre, the City of Vancouver, and many others. Katie holds a B.A. in Architecture from Princeton University and an M. Phil. in Public History and Cultural Heritage from Trinity College Dublin.

Statement of Interest: Coming from a design background, but now working in a design-adjacent field, I am a big believer in the power of architecture (and architects!) to influence how communities and cultures develop and thrive. As the US continues to reckon with the legacy of its past and continuing structures of racial injustice and economic inequality, I believe architects are well-positioned to be at the forefront of re-imagining the *symbolism* of cultural buildings in our communities – not to mention their function. Creative approaches to urbanism, placemaking, and design will be at the forefront of our social, economic, and cultural recovery – I’m excited to become a part of this community and help continue these conversations.

Michael Stevens AIA – Director
Member since: 2008

Michael is a principal at Everett-based Dykeman Architects. Born and raised in rural West Virginia, Michael relocated to the Northwest in 1999. He has over 20 years of experience in architecture and planning. He has been involved in a variety of projects including public, retail/mixed-use, education, residential, and civic projects. He is a thoughtful leader, an accomplished listener, and an excellent facilitator and client advocate. Michael earned a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Pennsylvania, with a planning focus, augmenting a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Kentucky. Additionally, Michael has served on the City of Marysville City Council since 2010, providing a unique perspective on the impacts of public policy on the built environment. Michael believes the best architecture is the product of a successful collaboration between the design team and the client. He has a broad knowledge of the profession and utilizes his many experiences to develop cohesive designs for his clients.

Statement of Interest: I began my career as an architect in Seattle. I look forward to fostering opportunities to promote a mutually influential relationship between Seattle and the north Puget Sound region architectural communities. I believe AIA Seattle has a relevant voice in public policy issues as they impact the built environment; continuing to exercise that voice in a proactive and consistent manner is paramount to our profession.