Executive Committee

Chair: Kate Renner, AIA, EDAC, LEAN-SIX SIGMA CE, LEED AP BD+C, an architect, medical planner and researcher at HKS, specializes in healthcare with experience working with several of the top healthcare systems in the United States and abroad.  She has worked to develop solutions to the many complex challenges encountered in the healthcare environment and create a healing space for patients, staff and the community.

Kate has also worked extensively with the HKS research team, developing a post-occupancy evaluation methodology, as well as conducting nurse efficiency and behavior mapping studies.  Most recently, she has developed a research fellowship program to expand research beyond the boundaries of the HKS research team to all project teams.  A scholar in the 2016 Christopher Kelley Leadership Development Program Class, Kate is passionate about taking initiative, learning from experts and mentoring future generations.  Kate earned her Masters in Architecture with a specialization in Healthcare Design from the University of Kansas and her Masters in Art from the Universitat Stuttgart (via the University of Kansas).

Co-Founder: Sean Stadler, AIA, LEED AP, is a Design Principal and partner of WDG where he focuses on elevating the firm’s stature in design, with particular emphasis on enhancing the civic realm.  Mr. Stadler takes a strong leadership role and his commitment to design excellence and innovative thinking influences the projects he is involved with.  He believes that design is a process and that this process begins not with a brief, program, or even a charette, but rather with the people from which ideas flow.  His example shows that leadership is a two-way street; it involves the ability to influence others and be receptive to the needs of those you lead.  In his worldview, design excellence is not the application of certain techniques or the realization of inborn talent, so much as the development of a latent understanding for the negotiations that are at the heart of architecture; negotiations between site and program, client and designer, architect and engineer.

Mr. Stadler has been honored with an AIA President’s Award for his service to the profession and was recognized as one of the “rising stars of the AEC industry” by Building Design + Construction Magazine in 2009.  He is the recipient of the 2011 AIA Young Architects award where the jury noted that “he is a unique individual of outstanding talent and clear commitment.”

Co-Founder: Ryan McEnroe, AIA, ASLA, LEED AP, as both an architect and landscape architect, Ryan is a diverse and accomplished professional. Through his family background in organic farming, he recognizes the need to address land, food, and water resources and is a passionate advocate for sustainable strategies. He finds true value in a collaborative team approach that imparts a variety of perspectives into successful designs that stand the test of time and are as sustainable as possible. Ryan is an ardent volunteer to professional associations and forums promoting leadership, educational, and development opportunities for emerging professionals. As a past board member on the National Architectural Accrediting Board, he actively serves on visiting teams annually and is the youngest member to Chair such visits. Ryan is the Co-Founder of the AIA|DC Christopher Kelley Leadership Development Program, and currently serves the AIA Young Architects Forum as the Knowledge Director. He has received numerous design awards for both building and landscape architecture, and in 2014 was recognized with the prestigious AIA|DC Emerging Architect Award.

Past Chair: Ricardo J. Rodríguez De Santiago, Assoc. AIA, LEED-AP BD+C,  serves as an experienced project manager and senior project designer with a wide range of international project experience, from sensitive government workplaces, building re-positionings, mixed-use multi-family, large hospitality venues and interior architecture. Ricardo is a scholar of the inaugural class of AIA|DC’s Christopher Kelley Leadership Development Program. He was also lately appointed to be the program’s 2016 Vice-Chair and concurrently serves as Past-Chair of AIA|DC’s Emerging Architect’s Committee.

In 2015 he co-developed a lecture series for creative professionals focused on leadership development, which was presented in San Juan, PR Richmond, VA and Washington, DC. Ricardo served as a guest lecturer for various local institutions: AIA|DC LA.IDEA’S Tertulias, discussed Future Trends in Architecture by the ITT Institute and in support of the Washington Architectural Foundation, co-developed an Architecture Workshop for Kids focused on Latin American architecture. That same year, Ricardo was recognized for his commitment towards the profession by being awarded with AIA|DC’s Emerging Architect of the Year Award “for his exceptional leadership early in his career”. In early 2016 he was a panelist at the NOMAS Symposium 2016 and recently presented his lecture “Breaking out of the Box: A Designer’s Guide to Leadership” at AIA’s National Convention 2016 in Philadelphia. He was also recognized with the Young Architect of the Year Award by the DC Council of Engineering and Architectural Societies (DCCEAS).

Emerging Architects Committee Liaison: Douglas Crawford is an architect at Perkins+Will in Washington, DC where he focuses on a variety of project types including civic, commercial, and cultural spaces. Currently he is AIA|DC’s Emerging Architects Committee liaison to the Christopher Kelley Leadership Development Program and in 2018 will serve as the chair of the Emerging Architects Committee. This year his appointment to the national ArchiPAC Emerging Professionals Committee has further developed his voice in advocating for emerging professionals and the greater whole of the architectural profession. Locally he assists those working to become licensed architects by acting as an NCARB Licensing Advisor and continuous to serve nationally on select NCARB committees. In 2018, he will begin serving on the AIA|DC Board of Directors as a Director at Large.

Advisory Committee

Communications Advisor: Lucy Moore, AIA, is an architect and historic preservationist at Quinn Evans Architects. She believes that thoughtful design and preservation can have a positive impact on our cities, our environment, and our everyday life. She enjoys the complexity of preservation projects both as design challenges and as symbols of long term, sustainable civic investment. Lucy also has a background in history and policy. Before becoming an architect she worked for the Center for Strategic and International Studies and contributed to Foreign Policy Magazine.

Lucy supports preservation efforts within her own community as an active member of Docomomo DC and as the Co-Chair of the Takoma Park Façade Advisory Board. She earned her Master of Architecture and Master of Historic Preservation degrees from the University of Maryland and her Bachelor of Arts in History and Literature from Harvard University.

Website Advisor: Josef A Fuentes, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, is an Associate at HKS Inc and serves as a project architect for commercial mix-use projects for the full service global design firm. His experience includes a variety of domestic and international projects types such as commercial, healthcare, mixed use residential and workplace. Josef focuses on coordination and development of the design to meet client’s aesthetic and functional needs. Some notable projects he has been involved include Capital One Mclean HQ, Modernization of the Herbert C Hoover Building for Dept. of Commerce, Saint Agnes Hospital Campus Revitalization in Baltimore, and Clinicas Las Condes in Santiago, Chile.
Josef graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a Bachelor of Architecture degree. After graduating and moving to DC, he become very engaged within the industry and other organizations including Open Architecture Collaborative (OAC). Through OAC, Josef and his colleagues create and implement programs to promote socially responsible design. He is a co-founder of OAC’s DC chapter and currently sits on the chapter’s Board as the Development Director. Recognized for his leadership and dedication within the profession, Josef was selected as the American Institute of Architects “Emerging Architect of the Year” in 2009 and the DC Council of Engineering and Architectural Society’s “Young Architect of the Year” in 2010. He is an alumnus of the AIADC’s 2016 Christopher Kelley Leadership Development Program and now serving as the Web Advisor for the 2017 year. 

Sponsorship Advisor: Marisa Allen, is driven to work on projects that positively affect communities and inspire exploration as well as life-long learning. She enjoys the opportunity to guide smart choices for building resources regarding energy efficiency, healthy building materials, and resilient design. On Ludlow Taylor Elementary School, she worked with engaged students, faculty, parents, and active community groups to balance the needs of very diverse stakeholders while advocating for the best possible design solutions. In addition to being an active member of the QEA Green Team, she participates in the AIA Committee on the Environment and sits on the Smarter DC Challenge Advisory Committee. As Adjunct Faculty at University of Maryland School of Architecture she challenges young designers to think critically and solve problems through better design of the built environment.

Graphics Advisor: Abigail R. Brown, AIA, LEED AP BD+C is a Project Architect in the multi-family residential group at Hickok Cole Architects. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Abi grew up the daughter of an electrician and ended up in the building industry despite her father’s best intentions. Abi graduated with a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Cincinnati in 2009, where her thesis won the School of Architecture & Interior Design’s prestigious Award for Distinguished Research and a Citation for Distinguished Design. After graduating she worked as an architect and interior designer in Chicago for three years before she packed her life into a POD and a started a new career in the nation’s capital in 2012. At Hickok Cole, Abi received an iLab micro-grant to study the application of modular construction to multifamily residential projects in Washington, DC. She has spoken about modular construction at industry events and presented her work at the 2015 AIA National Convention in front of a sold out crowd of over 400 attendees.
As a Past Chair of AIA|DC’s Emerging Architects Committee (EAC), Abi has spent the last five years advocating for and promoting mentorship for young architects at the AIA chapter level. She helped shape the EAC into one of the most robust committees within AIA|DC, and she served as the EAC liaison to the Christopher Kelley Leadership Development Program for the 2015-2016 Class. In her free time Abi volunteers with the Hickok Cole Full Circle Committee on a variety of philanthropic initiatives, pursues her passion for urban agriculture, and advocates for statehood for Washington, DC. Abi is a licensed architect in the state of Illinois, a LEED Accredited Professional, and the 2016 winner of the AIA|DC Emerging Architect Award for exceptional leadership early in her career.