Board of Directors Nominations 2026-27
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. Your participation in the election process is an important step in the development of new member leaders.
Our Member Advancement Committee is pleased to present this slate of accomplished members to fill open seats or move to officer positions on our Board of Directors beginning September 1, 2026.
2026 Slate of Candidates
Tyler Schaffer AIA (President-Elect) 2026-2027
Tyler Schaffer is a Principal at AECOM, where he leads major infrastructure projects that shape the future of cities and communities. His professional work and AIA service are rooted in a belief that architects play a critical role in advancing livable, equitable, and resilient urban environments. Tyler has served the AIA at the local, state, and national levels, bringing a collaborative and strategic approach to leadership. In Seattle, he currently serves on the AIA Seattle Board and Development Committee and previously chaired the Urban Design Forum. His long‑standing engagement with the Seattle Design Festival Planning Team and participation in the AIA Seattle Comprehensive Plan Workgroup reflect his commitment to public dialogue, design excellence, and civic impact. At the state level, Tyler is Co‑Chair of the AIA Washington Livability and Affordability Committee and nationally he serves on the AIA Construction Contract Administration Knowledge Community Leadership Group. As AIA Seattle Board President, Tyler seeks to strengthen member value, expand the Institute’s voice in shaping policy and the built environment, and foster an inclusive, forward‑looking community that supports architects at every stage of practice.
Kirsten Dahlquist AIA (President) 2026-2027
Kirsten Dahlquist is a design leader and licensed architect with nearly 20 years of experience. Her work is rooted in the belief that architecture is a collaborative journey, especially when it comes to placekeeping for Tribal Nations and underserved communities. From food banks and wellness centers to cultural gathering spaces, Kirsten’s portfolio reflects a career-long commitment to creating environments where people feel a genuine sense of dignity, belonging, and joy. Kirsten stays active in her local community as Vice Chair of the Bremerton Design Review Board and recently finished a term on the Kitsap County Council for Human Rights. As she leads AIA Seattle, Kirsten seeks to bring alternative perspectives from suburban and rural practice, empowering practitioners beyond the urban center to foster a more inclusive design community.
Francesca Renouard (Affiliate Director, Development) 2026-2029
Kirsten Dahlquist is a design leader and licensed architect with nearly 20 years of experience. Her work is rooted in the belief that architecture is a collaborative journey, especially when it comes to placekeeping for Tribal Nations and underserved communities. From food banks and wellness centers to cultural gathering spaces, Kirsten’s portfolio reflects a career-long commitment to creating environments where people feel a genuine sense of dignity, belonging, and joy. Kirsten stays active in her local community as Vice Chair of the Bremerton Design Review Board and recently finished a term on the Kitsap County Council for Human Rights. As she leads AIA Seattle, Kirsten seeks to bring alternative perspectives from suburban and rural practice, empowering practitioners beyond the urban center to foster a more inclusive design community.
Ian Butcher AIA (Director, Development) 2026-2029
Ian Butcher is the founding partner at Best Practice Architecture, a Seattle-based design studio established in 2011, that is driven by a passion for innovative design and creative collaboration. Built on the belief that the best ideas emerge from shared experiences, his practice thrives on working with clients who challenge conventional thinking. Best Practice Architecture is recognized for deploying bold color, material clarity, and diagrammatic precision to heighten the experience and unlock unique design moments, especially when working with existing structures and puzzling constraints. Ian’s design philosophy centers on creating thought-provoking yet pragmatic, functional, and visually captivating spaces. With a commitment to education, he has held teaching roles in Interior Design Studio and History of Interior Design at Cornish College of the Arts. He has also contributed to the architectural community as a board member for ARCADE Magazine and a jury member for several design awards.
Jarin Tasmin Khan Assoc. AIA (Emerging Professional) 2026-2027
Jarin’s work operates at the intersection of architecture, sustainability, and community-based design, shaped by practice across distinct geographic and cultural contexts. Over a decade of humanitarian and professional work has grounded her approach in lived realities—engaging the built environment not as a stylistic exercise, but as an operational system with direct social, environmental, and ethical consequences. Jarin is a Job Captain at Areté Architecture and was a Young Voices Selection Panelist at the 2025 AIA Seattle Honor Awards.
Chien-Yi Chu Assoc. AIA (Membership Development) 2026-2029
Chien-Yi Chu, Assoc. AIA, is a Taiwan-born designer, equity strategist, and visual storyteller based in Seattle with 7 years of experience in education and civic architecture. She served as Washington State Associate Representative on the AIA National Associates Committee (2024–2025) and is a co-developer of the AIA AI Toolkit through the AIA National Strategic Council, where she contributes to the Digital Architecture and Equity subgroups. She is an AIA Next to Lead cohort member (2025–2026) and a juror for the 2026 AIA National Education Facility Design Award. At the state level, Chien-Yi co-founded two AIA Washington awards — the Emerging Professional Friendly Firm Award and the Emerging Advocate Award. With deep roots in AIA National and State leadership, Chien-Yi is excited to channel that experience into her local chapter — and invest in the members and community she calls home.
Sheri Newbold AIA (Advocacy) 2026-2029
Sheri is passionate about adding housing to the city of Seattle and regionally. To do this, she has advocated for more housing in many different capacities over the years, including at AIA Seattle, through Housing Advocacy Committee (formerly Housing Task Force) to change zoning for ADUs; co-chairing the Housing Task Force, co-chairing the Comp Plan Work Group during the Seattle comprehensive planning process and Phase 1 zoning; being part of the Public Policy Board. At SBCC, Sheri successfully requesting a change to the 2024 residential energy code to allow missing middle housing to choose to be regulated under the residential energy code; spearheading a code change request to allow missing middle housing to be regulated under IRC–because of this request, ultimately Representative Duerr wrote and the state passed legislation to instigate SBCC to allow up to 3 levels and six units with an internal exit stair to be regulated under 2024 IRC. As a full-time professional with her own practice, she designs multi-generational housing for clients and small multiplexes, among other residential project types, and has had her own business since 2001.
