Decarbonization for Health Equity & Community Resilience

Prior to launching Sustainable Strategies, Nicole practiced construction and insurance coverage law in the Seattle area for more than ten years. Her collaborative work focuses on uniting diverse groups to mitigate climate change through the built environment and creating healthier, more inclusive spaces.  Nicole maintains numerous sustainable building credentials, including WELL AP and Faculty, LEED Green Associate, Fitwel Ambassador, and EcoDistricts AP.  Nicole is also an Affiliate Instructor at the University of Washington, Department of Real Estate Studies, where she teaches the course she developed, Risk and Reward in Sustainable Development. She has also taught Policy and Planning, and Environmental Health, as part of the Master’s Program in Design for Human Health at Boston Architectural College.  Among other published work, Nicole authored a chapter of the award-winning book Health and Well-Being for Interior Architecture (IDEC 2018 Book Award). In 2021, Nicole was awarded Honorary Membership into the American Institute of Architects in Seattle, for her leadership on holistic sustainability, and legal stewardship of sustainable architecture and development in the Seattle community. Nicole currently serves on the Board of Directors. In 2022, Nicole was named Educator of the Year by the International WELL Building Institute.

As an industry champion for the promotion of urban density and low-carbon construction, part of the AISC Sustainability Committee, Don helped found the MKA Foundation, the Carbon Leadership Forum and Building Transparency. The Hines Embodied Carbon Reduction Guide, and the MKA Low Carbon Concrete Procurement Guide are two of his recent efforts. The past president of Magnusson Klemencic Associates, his structurally designed projects are in 18 countries and more than 50 major metropolitan centers. More than 25 are Performance Based Seismic Designed towers. Don is a Senior Fellow of the Design Futures Council, and he has been inducted into the UC Berkeley Academy of Distinguished Alumni.

Alex began his architectural studies at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila. With the goal of practicing architecture in his hometown of Seattle, he completed his Master of Architecture at the University of Washington in 1989. He worked for 12 years for a local architectural firm, learning under a mentorship the importance of developing relationships with clients based on trust and professionalism. In 1996 Alex started his own firm, with three employees, and has grown the company to a current staff of 46—a mix of diversities with more than ten different nationalities and ten different languages. He strongly believes diversity and inclusion spur creativity and innovation is born from an engaged culture of diverse people and ideas. From the ground up, Alex built the firm’s foundation with the core values— Diversity, Integrity, Social Responsibility, Sustainability, and Respect, which have attributed greatly to the company’s success. Rolluda Architects is a diverse sector practice which includes K-12 schools, colleges and universities, government and municipal, transportation, and aviation projects. Alex served as the Commissioner for the Pike Place Market Historic District and the International District Design Review Board, and Chair of the Washington State Capitol Campus Design Advisory Committee in Olympia. He has been a guest speaker at universities and organizations on topics such as Diversity by Design-Design by Inclusion, Equity & Cultural Competency, and Racial & Social Inequity Awareness and Action.