TUSABE Alumni on WWNO's "Out to Lunch"
November 7, 2025
BY Emily capdeville
Tulane alumni Anthony Robins (M. Arch. ‘86) and Jessica Walker (M. Arch. ‘07) served as guests on an October episode of business-minded New Orleans’ radio show Out to Lunch. Hosted by Tulane Finance professor, Peter Ricchiuti, the show regularly features innovators and entrepreneurs to highlight how they embrace creativity and innovation in their work. Robins, Chairman of the Board of UK lighting company Tala, and Walker, co-founder of local Workshop WDXL, joined Ricchuiti for a conversation inspired by “The Halo Effect.” a psychology term with marketing implications.
The term refers to how we can make incorrect assumptions based on a collection of disparate pieces of information. The work of both alumni could elicit an occurrence of this phenomenon. Tala, the company led by Robins, designs elegant, energy efficient lighting fixtures that have been featured in the most eminent architectural publications, has an international reach and enviable profit margins. The Halo Effect may lead an admirer to think Tala products are firmly out of their grasp. Yet, they’re sold directly to customers on such accessible websites as Wayfair. To boot, the company that creates them is a certified B-corp.
Likewise, Walker’s work elevates some of the more perfunctory and unglamorous aspects of a grinding industry: wedding spaces. Whereas wedding venues often call to mind “halls” and other mediocre spaces we must dress up ourselves, Walker, with her firm Workshop WDXL, challenges these preconceived notions through innovative design and a commitment to historic preservation. Through their work, both alumni demonstrate the power of an architectural education to lead to creative outcomes that can enrich the built environment and contribute to sustainability goals.
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