BIO
With over 26 years of experience as a designer, project manager, and architect, Annette has worked in Hong Kong, New York and Los Angeles. Gaining strong experience in conceptual design and execution, today she brings both these emphases together in project types which transform and engage the lives of the greater community. Her passion finds its voice in K-12, Community College and Higher Education projects. As a Principal at NAC, Annette’s focus is on best practices and the processes which ensure a holistic approach to design and execution. She is a past WiA chair and co-chaired the 2019 Powerful Conference.

PLATFORM
Architects have the power to be a force advocating for the built environment. Our Chapter’s initiatives and events create a forum for our community to get active and engaged. Harnessed to action, we can be agents of change in the most pressing issues facing our City – climate change, housing, equity and diversity. In my last two years as AIA|LA Board Treasurer, and three prior years as a Women in Architecture Committee Chair, I have seen our programs expand and make a difference, providing opportunities for growth through activism, education and leadership. My commitment is to support our Chapter and the full breadth of our membership, providing continuity for these efforts.

BIO
A third generation Los Angeles native, Toni is founding principal of Lewis|Schoeplein architects (est. 1998), a multi-disciplinary practice focused on sustainable community-based projects for institutions, government, non-profits, and developers, including the City of Los Angeles, UCLA, LACCD and The Broad. She served on the Mulholland Scenic Corridor Design Review Board from 2012-2014, and as CFO of the Association for Women in Architecture + Design from 2019-2021. Her previous gigs included stints at Frank Gehry’s office and as a project architect at Gensler. Toni has a BA in Architecture from UC Berkeley and an M.Arch from UCLA.

PLATFORM
Los Angeles faces seemingly intractable ongoing challenges (housing, equity, transportation, climate). Our skills as architects are vital to brainstorming creative solutions to these problems, and collectively we can be a force of transformative power. As a board member, I will work to help maximize opportunities for engagement, growing our voices and resources across the diversity of our membership’s talent. The AIA|LA should be a primary hub for the active exchange of ideas and the creation of positive change, as well as a force in shaping regulations that govern our region’s growth, ultimately benefitting both our city and the profession.

BIO
Morgan Sumner is a young, emerging professional actively on her journey to take up space in the professional space of architecture. She is a graduate of Arizona State University (BSD, 2016) and The University of Southern California (M.Arch, 2018). Her passions are at the intersection of culture and creativity and has kept this focus throughout her journey. She is currently [excitedly] working at Bestor Architecture and is actively taking steps towards licensure. She also uses architectural training in her graphic design company, Poche Design Studio, which aims to occupy + amplify the Black space in design.

PLATFORM
Becoming an architect has always been a lifelong dream of mine. I was the only 1st grader I knew saying, “I want to design buildings!” Little did I know all of the steps and all the hurdles that journey would contain. Even more shockingly, the number of Black women who hold this title is less than half of 1%. I am fully committed to work that helps encourage more emerging professionals to finish this race, our biggest hurdles behind us, and see inclusivity in the field rise. I am both humbled and excited to run for this board position.

BIO
University of California Berkeley California

Master of Architecture, 1967

Carnegie Mellon University Bachelor of Architecture, 1966

Principal: Albert Group Architects: 1979-Present.

Beverly Hills Architectural Commissioner. 1987-1996: Streamlined complex review and approval processes.

Board of Directors: Alternative Living for the Aging, 1990-2010. Led the design of multiple affordable senior housing projects. His vision of “independence through interdependence” was implemented in all projects
Southern California Institute of Architecture. Instructor: “Office and Project Management”.

Emphasized architecture as a rigorous profession requiring knowledge of contract law, finances, the regulatory environment, and communication skills. Mr. Albert continues to reduce risk management in the profession.

PLATFORM

As a member of the Board of Directors I will:

• Recognize that Architecture, first and foremost is a serious business. Emphasize the role the Chapter can play in advancing the profitability and financial stability of its members

• Establish strategies for successful, profitable, Architectural careers and limit the imbalance of Risk and Reward inherent in Architectural practice.
• Encourage Architectural education to include proficiency in Contract Law, Accounting, Practice Management and Risk management as necessary components of Architectural practice.
• Engage with the local jurisdictions to remedy the redundancies in the building permit review and approval process
• Support qualifications based Architect selection processes for public and private projects

BIO
David J. Frey, FAIA, is the Senior Technical Principal for HOK in Los Angeles. Prior to HOK, David was the North American Technical Director for Woods Bagot and a Senior Associate at SOM. David is registered in California, Arizona, and Tennessee, and is a member of DBIA. He has presented at the University of Illinois, Academy of Art University, Facades + Conferences, and the Advanced Building Skins Conference in Switzerland, where he is on the Scientific and Conference Committees. His global project experience includes Aviation, Science and Technology, Healthcare, and Mixed-use projects, focusing on sustainability and high-performance exterior enclosure design.

PLATFORM

• Collaboration
• Mentoring
• Sustainability
• Technical Delivery
• Professional Respect

Creating a sustainable future for the profession is anchored in mentoring emerging professionals and
collaborating with our Community, Clients, Developers and Contractors. As a member of the LA Board
of Directors, I will be focused on the above-mentioned Tenets to advance the profession and to promote
and create dialog with our partners. I believe that through this dialog and collaboration we can elevate
the profession of architecture and foster a high degree of professional respect that is necessary for all
architects to move forward into our ever-changing future.

BIO
Jan Kannan is a graduate of Cornell University and a fearless advocate of sustainable design practice. Prior to working at Corgan as a Vice President, Jan practiced interior architecture in India and Singapore. She is a self-professed avid anthropological history buff who loves cooking, a bit of beer and a lot of Bollywood musicals. For her inspiration, motivation and creativity, she looks to her ever-inquisitive and growing son.

PLATFORM

As an active member of AIA|LA and a past chair of the Interior Architecture Committee, my focus would be to work on expanding the outreach to the architecture community and the LA communities at large so they can gain from the various chapter initiatives and provide a boost to the committees as well. The efforts that go on at the Chapter level must percolate down to impact as many as possible.

I also will focus on getting the student community and young grads more involved. Not only will they directly gain from the interactions but getting them aware while in school will help keep them involved and engaged when they enter the profession.

To get there, I strongly believe that clear, targeted and creative ways of communication become critical. In addition, all my work will have sustainability at the core as that is a personal and professional passion. We have immense accomplishments to our name; I pledge to keep up the momentum. I am ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work. Let’s take AIA|LA far together.

BIO
Raun co-founded Tichenor & Thorp Architects, a multidisciplinary LA-based design firm in 1990 after working on the East Coast, the West Coast and London. Her work, incorporating landscape, interior design and architecture, brings a broad range of expertise to the projects, which range in scale and scope from the new LA Times headquarters and cutting-edge immunotherapy cancer clinics to highly detailed residential and historical renovation and preservation projects. A board member of national non-profit Big Sunday, Raun earned her M. Arch degree from UCLA and a B.A degree in The Growth and Structure of Cities from Bryn Mawr College.

PLATFORM
As a principal of a small firm, with a wide range of people and projects, I bring both a broad, and an in-depth knowledge, of both the design and the business side of running an architectural practice based on a holistic, integrated, inclusive approach to architecture and the workplace. Participating in AIA|LA’s recent panel on ethics and workplace culture lit a fire: this issue is critical to the sustainability to the practice of architecture now, and to the longevity of the profession: I am committed to working with the AIA towards instilling a more humane approach to the architectural profession.

BIO
Jennifer Noel Wong, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, has been with CO Architects since 2018 with the firm’s education group and brings a thoughtful and methodical approach to each project. She possesses unique skillset and a strong emotional intelligence, which has earned her the complete trust of her clients, team and consultants.

She has experience working on both renovations and new construction for a wide range of project types, including K-12 and higher education, civic and retail projects. In her free time, she teaches after-school design workshops in her community.

PLATFORM

Jennifer Noel Wong, AIA is recognized for her commitment to youth mentorships and advocacy for an equitable profession. She successfully organized last year’s Powerful 8 conference as a WiA Chair and built community through allyship with sister WiA organizations across the nation, along with SoCal NOMA, AAa/e, AWA+D, NAWIC LA, SEAOSC WiSE and WiOPS. As an Associate with CO Architects, she brings a thoughtful and methodical approach to each project and has earned the complete trust of clients, team and consultants.  The commitment for positive change extends to supporting fellow mid-level architects and designers looking to advance their career.

BIO
John Arnold, AIA, is a Partner at KFA Architecture in Culver City. He has been with the firm since 1999, with a focus on multi-family housing, including mixed-use, affordable, and adaptive reuse projects. Much of John’s recent work has been in affordable housing assisting developers with the complex challenges of funding, cost, and public oversight while providing design that stays true to KFA’s mission to provide “great places where people flourish.” Since becoming a Partner at KFA in 2016, John and his two partners have worked to expand the firm’s robust culture and dedication to staff professional growth and diversity.

PLATFORM
With the recent focus by state and local government on the creation of affordable housing through legislative bills and funding programs, the perspective and needs of architects is often overlooked, adding to business and design risk. Unrealistic permitting schedules, stop-start rollercoasters, uninsurable certifications, and onerous accessibility processes add to the demands on the architect, while not furthering the basic cause of providing more housing. For my tenure as an AIA|LA representative, I would work with state, county, and local entities to help resolve these issues, with the ultimate goal to make the path to building affordable housing easier.

BIO

Darrell “Rocky” Rockefeller, AIA, is the Senior Partner at Rockefeller Kempel Architects. He has provided guidance and mentoring with an emphasis on values that include character, inclusion, integrity, and purpose to many over his 40+ year practice. His abilities strengthen his leadership as a strong manager, listener, and focus on both creative and technical excellence. The result is exceptional, award-winning environments that are livable, healthy, and sustainable. Rocky’s firm is well regarded as an early adopter of LA’s Adaptive Reuse Ordinance, breathing new life into LA’s aging buildings for places to live, work and gather.

PLATFORM

Public Policy for us, the Architects of LA + California, has never been more challenging. Political turmoil, rules and regulations, and the many inequalities that membership faces daily are overwhelming many of you. Although these and many other issues (too numerous to name) may seem insurmountable. I’m committed to working together with all our members by serving as a critical resource for sharing your concerns, ambitions, and directives as AIA|LA’s California representative. I believe we can do more to participate and advocate for the profession. My ability to listen, speak, and engage will be an asset to AIA|LA.