Meet the Alumni Council
Wednesday, March 6, 2024
5:30pm-6:30pm
Virtual (Register here to receive the Zoom link)
Join the Tulane School of Architecture Alumni Council for a virtual Meet the Alumni Council event on March 6th at 5:30 pm. You’ll get to meet and chat with TuSA alumni across the country working in architecture, preservation, real estate development, social impact design, technical consulting, and more to receive career advice and learn about postgrad life. We’ll meet in a series of group breakout rooms where students lead the discussion - ask us anything about practicing in the built environment and design fields!
About the TuSA Alumni Council: Formed in 2019, the Tulane School of Architecture Alumni Council is a global group of committed alumni. Together, they initiate events that strengthen local networks of current alumni, provide mentorship and support to further the careers of students and graduates, and leverage their collective influence to ensure a diverse and inclusive future for the school.
Participants:
Jordan Matthews White, RA, AIA (A‘13) - Architecture/Disney
Jordan Matthews White graduated from Tulane School of Architecture in 2013 and is now a Senior Architect at Walt Disney Imagineering in Orlando, Florida. Her role helps coordinate the creative intent from design to construction, including helping to manage a team of subject matter experts in the themed entertainment industry. No two days are the same, and challenges can range from high level planning to specific, technical details.
Arielle Scher (A‘18) - Architecture
Arielle is an architect at Arrowstreet in Boston where she works on adaptive-reuse, hospitality, and mixed-use projects. Prior to Arrowstreet she worked at HGA Architects on higher-ed research facilities. She developed an interest in sustainability, urban design, and environmental justice while studying at Tulane University where she earned a Masters and Bachelor of Architecture in 2018. Her thesis titled “Seamless Urban Topographies” explored New Orleans’ complicated relationship with its infrastructure for water management. The project was exhibited and received the Lupo Award for Excellence in Metropolitan Design.
Sam Naylor, RA (A‘16) - Architecture/Housing
Sam Naylor is a housing architect in Boston. Currently he works at Utile, recently co-edited a book about national design trends for the Harvard Joint Center for Housing, is a Druker Traveling Fellow researching cooperative housing design around the world, & is trying to decarbonize and renovate a triple decker in Jamaica Plain. He believes everyone has a right to a dignified, affordable, & delightful dwelling; & is in pursuit of more expansive & imaginative designs for housing—from the block to the bedroom. Previously he has worked on passive house envelopes, affordable multi-family housing, mixed-use urban developments, new models of education, street furniture, airport urbanism, the future of baseball, hyper dense workplaces, custom woodworking, & community centered landscapes at various firms in Boston, Los Angeles, & New Orleans. He holds a professional architecture degree from Tulane University with honors & a post-professional design degree from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design with distinction. He recently co-founded a venture at MIT Design X pursuing the potential for collective property maintenance. In addition to practice, Sam has taught design studios on housing at Wentworth Institute of Technology, Harvard’s Design Discovery program, & Boston Architectural College. He was an editor at Open Letters & The Charrette, & has been published in Paprika! & Pidgin.
Frank Xiong, AIA (A‘14) - Building Envelope Consulting
Frank Xiong (M.Arch ’14) is a licensed architect and a Senior Associate at Wiss Janney Elstner Associates Inc.’s Honolulu Office. His building enclosures consulting practice includes building forensics, condition assessments, materials testing, peer reviews, new design, and construction period services. He specializes in roofing and waterproofing, glazing systems, and existing building repairs and restoration.
Josh Mings, AIA (A‘12) - Architecture Firm Owner
Josh Mings, AIA, Founder and Principal of Aggregate Studio, is committed to providing dignified architecture for everyone. Bringing 13 years of experience with residential and community-based projects and in all phases of projects allows teams to create the best possible projects through teamwork, critical engagement, and consensus-building. He and Aggregate Studio strive to positively impact cities, housing, and residents with dignified design, previously winning several local, state, and national awards. His previous projects have spanned the Chicagoland area and the Midwest
Emma Jasinski (A‘14) - Community Based Design
Emma works in Chicago as a Senior Community Designer at Design Trust Chicago. As a creative practitioner and a passionate cultivator of community, she contributes to a collaborative, equitable, and impact-oriented design non-profit organization. She has nine years of experience in the industry, filling roles such as architectural designer, project manager, and design director. During her education, Emma worked for a nonprofit, Sanitation Health Rights in India (SHRI). Emma led the design of a community toilet facility with a biodigester. Emma’s portfolio includes numerous innovative, impactful community-based projects, like the new construction of affordable multifamily housing, a domestic violence shelter, a historic renovation of an SRO building, and prefabricated medical office buildings. Outside of practice, Emma received her 200 RYT Yoga teacher training, which informs her work, embodying purpose, curiosity, and intention. Emma has engaged with numerous Chicago community-based organizations as an After School Matters Architecture instructor, an associate board member of Archi-Treasures, a Yoga instructor for Fontelle Arts, Pilsen Community Yoga, and Papalotzin Healing Collective.
Michelle Barrett, NOMA (A‘19) - Architecture
Michelle Barrett, a 2019 Master of Architecture graduate of Tulane University's School of Architecture, is located in Kansas City, Missouri. In her role as a designer at Multistudio, she contributes to the entire project process from initial programming, research and schematic design all the way through construction documentation and administration. In her role as a design activist, she advocates for equity and justice within the built environment for marginalized communities and within the architectural profession and its education. Michelle co-founded the Tulane Black Arch Alumni Coalition (TBAAC) and co-facilitates Emergent Grounds for Design Education (EGDE). She has served as a National Student Representative on the NOMA National Executive Board, founding president of NOMAS at Kent State University, past NOMA Kansas City Education and Outreach board director and Project Pipeline Summer Camp coordinator.
Brook Tesler (MPS’14) - Preservation
Brook Tesler is an architectural historian and preservationist. She is the Senior Historic Preservation Manager for the Archdiocese of New Orleans and founded Tesler Preservation Consulting, LLC. While obtaining her Bachelor of Arts in Art History from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, she was able to focus her research on Architectural History worldwide and include studio training in Interior Architecture and Design. She moved to New Orleans to get her Master of Preservation Studies from Tulane University's School of Architecture, which she earned in 2014. Brook has worked in the field of preservation in several ways: the creation of the award-winning Vieux Carré Virtual Library, an immense resource that makes the history of New Orleans’ French Quarter preservation accessible to the public for free; recently held the position of Executive Director at a Preservation nonprofit, the VCC Foundation; researching and writing house histories in the Garden District; and serving on a committee for VCPORA.
Nick Kallman (A’20) - Architecture (Real Estate Development)
Nick Kallman moved to New Orleans in 2016 to study architectural design and real estate at Tulane University. Following graduation, he worked as an architectural designer at a local high-end residential design firm, but he quickly shifted into real estate. His career as a Realtor includes working with residential and commercial real estate clients, being a photographer, designer, and occasionally renovating properties. Nick was recognized as the 2021 Rookie of the Year at Mirambell Realty and NOMAR's 2022 Rising Star. Recently, he embraced the opportunity to rebuild NOMAR's Young Professional Network as the YPN Chair and joined TUSA's Alumni Council.
Braham Berg (A’18, MSRED’18) - Real Estate Development
Braham Berg, Managing Partner of oDADA Ventures LLC (office of Development Architecture Design and Advancement), is a mission-focused real estate developer and design strategist building a real estate portfolio of projects in overlooked and underserved areas, with a focus on the Tri-State Area (Upstate NY along Washington Avenue in Endicott, NY, Central CT, and Brooklyn, NY). Braham leads acquisition, construction, financing (debt/equity), design, operations, and team-building efforts. To date, he has led the acquisition & redevelopment of over 50 properties, ranging from primarily multi-family and mixed-use properties to special purpose (i.e. churches) & vacant development parcels. As an advisor & consultant, Braham has created development strategies for owners, developers, brokers & non-profit institutions of over 100 real estate projects, valued at over $1B. Notably, he supported the CEO and Chief Restructuring Officer at Brookland Capital (formerly the most active Brooklyn-based real estate developer with a $350M+ portfolio of 28 assets) across existing operations and through a company-wide restructure ranging from project analysis, capital development, construction management coordination. He has also worked as Development Researcher at the J Max Bond Center for Urban Futures within CCNY’s Spitzer School of Architecture, and a number of architectural & development firms between New York and New Orleans. Originally from Manhattan, Braham has an MSRED (Sustainable Real Estate Development), M. Arch, B. Arch, and Minor in Social Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship from Tulane University (2018). He has been active in civic and professional organizations ranging from AIA New York, AIAS, ULI, the World Economic Global Shaper in the NYC Hub, Tulane Alumni Council, and Xavier High School Facilities Committee.
Questions? Contact Director of Student Affairs Kristen Jones at kjones41@tulane.edu.
Tulane University is committed to providing universal access to all our events. Please contact the event organizer above for accessibility accommodations. Please note that advance notice is necessary to arrange some accessibility needs.