about aecKnowledge
kTalks
Continuing Education
Course Providers
Suggested Curricula
Course Bundles
- Course Bundle Overview
- Accessibility 2012/2013 (AIACC)
- Active Design (AIA New York)
- AIACC 2011 Monterey Design Conference
- CalGreen 2010 Sustainability Code (AIACC)
- Leadership Effectiveness (AIA Dallas)
- Practice Management (AIACC)
- Project Delivery Methods
- Risk Management (AIACC)
- Sustainability Practices (AIA New York, AIACC)
- Sustainable Design (USGBC-NCC)
Knowledge Alliance
Sponsorship
Colin Alley
Associate, BCV Architects
Career Stages
Colin Alley, AIA, LEED AP has over 17 years of experience as an architect, practicing in Arizona and California. Having spent the majority of his professional career on the development of mixed-use, urban infill projects exemplified by their "social spaces," he is well-versed in the concepts of place-making, and bringing a human scale to large projects. While nearing the midpoint of his career, Colin serves as a fulcrum between the experienced, design-savvy generation of architects ahead of him, and the technologically adroit generation behind him. Colin received his M. Arch from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, and has served as Director of Planning and Urban Design at BCV Architects in San Francisco, California for the past 11 years.
Philip Bona
AIA, Principal, Baucentrum Urban Studio
Integrated Practice/IPD
Phil’s passion for architecture and construction began when he started designing and building model cities as a boy. Through his work, teaching, mentoring, lecturing, writings, research and systems development, Mr. Bona is a licensed architect in California and respected and award-winning leader in the business of architecture, planning and construction. Recent leadership roles include Chair of buildingSMARTalliance San Diego, Chair of AIA San Diego Urban Design Committee, member of San Diego Association of Governments Public Health Stakeholders Group, member of San Diego Downtown Education Taskforce, member of AIA’s Technology in Architectural Practice Knowledge Committee and Adjunct Faculty member of NewSchool of Architecture & Design, San Diego, CA. Phil has also served as a Principal at Baucentrum Urban Studio, a planning and architecture firm in San Diego. Phil received his M’Arch. from University of California, Berkeley.
David Brotman
FAIA, Principal, Sunset Consultants
Integrated Practice/IPD
David J. Brotman, FAIA, is founder and principal of Sunset Consultants, a firm that provides strategic, integrated services to developers, architects and other professional real estate-related firms. Prior to founding Sunset Consultants, David served as Vice Chairman and Executive Vice President of RTKL Associates Inc. Having practiced nationally and internationally for 40 years, David has earned a worldwide reputation as an authority on mixed–use and commercial architecture and has used his experience to provide litigation assistance. David holds a B. S. in Architecture from the University of Cincinnati and has taught at the university level. He is frequently a speaker at real estate development conferences and a regular contributor to national and international journals. David has served as a California Regional Director on the National Board of the American Institute of Architects
Michael Chambers
Architect, MCA Specifications
Codes / Specification
Michael Chambers, FAIA, CSI, is Principal of MCA, a consultng firm that provides quality assurance/peer reviews, specification consulting and coordination support for a wide variety of projects. As an architect and specifier, Michael develops and presents a wide range of continuing education programs for design professionals, especially on the use of specifications in enforcing design intent and using Division 01 to protect design concepts from substitutions and quality assurance failures. As an accessibility surveyor, Michael has extensive experience in reviewing disabled access issues and universal design. Michael is an architectural graduate of the University of Southern California, a Fellow of AIA and CSI, a past Chair of the national AIA/CES Providers Council, and past Vice-president of the Specification Consultants in Independent Practice (SCIP). Michael is currently Vice President for Professional Practice for AIA California Council.
Karen Compton
Principal, A3K Consulting
Marketing & BD
As a Business Development consultant, Karen Compton brings a focused approach based on a thorough understanding of the A/E/C environment and needs and expectations of the client. Her integrated approach of business management and business development has resulted in increased revenues of as much as 20% and the alignment of long- and short-term business goals and objectives for a variety of firms. Karen has served as Director of Business Development and Director of Marketing for small companies, mid-sized, multi-office firms and national and international corporations. Karen holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Mount St. Mary's College in Chemistry where she currently serves as a member of the Board of Regents; and an Advanced Management Certificate from the University Of Southern California. In November 2008, Xlibris Publications released her first book, "The Prospector: A Guide for Developing Clients and Winning Work in a Competitive Environment".
Mitch Conner
Principal Architect, ArchiLOGIX
Practice Management
As a registered architect based in Sonoma County, California, Mitch Conner, AIA, has enjoyed a variety of clients and work relationships. A nationally recognized leader in fire station design, Mitch's expertise includes urban design, wineries and mixed-use developments as well as a blend of public and private projects, including commercial, manufacturing, hospitality and civic projects. For nearly seven years, Mitch taught classes for the fire service throughout California on topics ranging from facility programming, design, long-range planning, and project and budget management. Mitch received his Bachelor of Architecture from Montana State University.
Elise Drakes
Project Coordinator, TAYLOR
Career Stages
Elise Drakes, Assoc. AIA is an architecture graduate from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and has four years of experience in healthcare architecture. She is experienced in construction administration, OSHPD coordination, medical equipment planning, and programming. Elise is involved in several practice areas within TAYLOR, including women's health, children's health, and ambulatory care. In addition to organizing philanthropic endeavors at TAYLOR, Elise is extensively involved in the community. She has been involved with non-profits such as Art and Creativity For Healing, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Project Tomorrow, and the Make-a-Wish Foundation. She is a mentor at Jordan High School, Cal Poly Pomona and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. She is currently an MBA '13 candidate at Chapman University.
Lisa Gelfand
FAIA, Principal, Gelfand Partners Architects
Sustainability
Lisa Gelfand, FAIA, LEED AP, is the Founding and Managing Principal of Gelfand Partners Architects in San Francisco, and a principal of Roesling Nakamura Terada Architects in San Diego. Both practices are leaders in sustainable, energy-efficient design, affordable and special needs housing, educational facilities and commercial projects. At Gelfand Partners, Ms. Gelfand has designed or supervised the design of over 34 education projects and over 2,500 units of affordable housing created primarily through the adaptive reuse of existing or historic buildings. Lisa is the principal author of Sustainable School Architecture, Wiley and Sons, 2010, and co-author of the forthcoming Wiley title Sustainable Renovation. She has practiced in New York and Utah and held faculty appointments in New Zealand, Univ. of California at Davis and Univ. of Utah. Lisa is a frequent lecturer and writer. She received her M.Arch. from Yale in 1978.
Rena Klein
FAIA, Principal, RM Klein Consulting
Practice Management
Rena M. Klein, FAIA, is a nationally recognized expert in small firm practice and author of "The Architect's Guide to Small Firm Management" (Wiley, 2010). As principal of RM Klein Consulting, Rena offers a variety of services to small design firms, including management coaching, business planning, and retreat facilitation. With 20 years of experience as the owner of a small architecture firm, and over 10 years as a consultant and educator, Rena brings a special understanding of design firms managed by entrepreneurial architects, engineers and designers. Rena is a member of the national Advisory Group for the AIA Practice Management Knowledge Community and is executive editor of the AIA’s "The Architect's Handbook of Professional Practice," 15th edition (Wiley, 2013).
Evelyn Lee
EcoLuxLife Consulting
Sustainability
Evelyn Lee, AIA, LEED AP has over 10 years of experience in the architecture profession. An avid writer, Evelyn has contributed more than 500 articles to both web and print media regarding sustainable design, architecture and planning. She is a senior editor for Inhabitat, (www.inahabitat.com) one of the leading weblogs on sustainable design receiving more than 5 million hits a month and more than 200,000 subscribers to its weekly newsletter. Evelyn received her B. Arch with honors from Drury University where she minored in global perspectives and photography and her M. Arch from the Southern California Institute of Architecture
Mike Leinback
FAIA, JML Architects
Construction Techniques
In July 2010, after 30 years in the practice of architecture (18 as the principal of a small architectural firm), J. Michael Leinback, joined the firm of Randall Scott Architects of Dallas as the director of a new satellite office located in Tyler, Texas. In recent years, Leinback developed a informal consortium of architects, designers, and building modelers, located throughout the country, who collaborate remotely to develop various small projects while utilizing BIM software applications. Leinback has been privileged to share this concept through presentations at various AIA events and Revit User Groups.
Ted Levin, Esq., P.E.
Partner, Morris Polich & Purdy LLP
Governmental Affairs/Advocacy
Ted Levin is a Partner at Morris Polich & Purdy LLP where he serves as a practice group leader for design and construction attorneys. He is both a practicing lawyer and registered civil engineer, and specializes in the representation of architects, engineers, contractors, owners and insurers in all aspects of construction law, contract and defect claims, risk management, contract analysis and advice, and mechanics lien/design professional law. Ted has lectured and written extensively on a broad range of topics including design professional and construction risk management issues, legal developments affecting the design and construction industries, sustainable/"green" design, project delivery methods strategies including Integrated Project Delivery and Building Information Modeling, ownership of design professional plans and designs, and insurance issues affecting the construction industry.
Jason Pierce
Architect, HOK
Career Stages
Jason Dale Pierce, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP(BD+C), has been working with Emerging Professionals even before graduating from Drury University with his professional Bachelors of Architecture in 2000. Former Vice President, Academy of Emerging Professionals, AIA California Council, he was instrumental in creating a cohesive organization that leveraged professionals across experience levels to address mentorship, career development, and architectural licensing. Jason was one of the founders of the AIA San Francisco Mentorship program that transformed mentorship programs within AIA chapters across the country. In lieu of the traditional one-on-one approach, this program focuses on small cross-generational groups in which all participants are mentors to each other and endorse an equal multi-directional flow of advice, teaching, information sharing and learning. Jason currently serves on the AIA St. Louis board of directors and consistently uses his experience to assist others in developing programming for the next generation of design professionals. Jason lives in St. Louis, Missouri where he is a project architect with HOK.
Henry Siegel
Siegel & Strain Architects
Sustainability
Since the early 1990s, Henry Siegel, FAIA, LEED AP, has championed the idea that ecological design and design excellence are inseparable; he has put that idea into practice as lead designer of many award winning Siegel & Strain projects. He is past chair of the COTE National Advisory Group and active at the national level in advocacy for sustainable design. Henry has taught sustainable design and design studios at the University of California, Berkeley, and is a past member of the University's Design Review Committee. He has spoken widely on ecological design and the work of the firm at national conventions and universities, and has served on many national and regional architectural awards juries.
James V. Vitale
, AIA, LEED AP, CASp, Senior Architect, DSA
Marketing & BD
James V. Vitale, AIA, LEED AP, CASp, RCI, is an adjunct professor in the Construction Technology Department at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, California, and an architect with over four decades of diversified public and private sector experience. James is a lecturer, curriculum development specialist, subject matter expert to the state architect, a DSA Academy Trainer, a Certified Access Specialist "CASp-007," a Registered Construction Inspector and expert witness, and maintains an extensive research library focusing on past and present methods and means of construction, building codes and the ADA .
Allyne Winderman
FAIA, Director of Housing and Redevelopment, City of West Hollywood
Design
Allyne Winderman, AIA is the Director of Housing, Rent Stabilization and Redevelopment for the City of West Hollywood. She has practiced in the public and private sectors including the office of Arata Isozaki in Tokyo. Her fields of specialization include affordable housing, preservation and urban design. She has been visiting faculty at the schools of architecture at USC, Sci Arc, and Cal Poly Pomona, is a frequent lecturer and has published articles here and in Japan. Allyne received her BA in fine arts from University of Hawaii, and a Master of Architecture from Columbia University.
