AIA CA Board Nominees

Below are nominees who wish to represent AIA East Bay on the AIA California Board of Directors. Please take the time to carefully read every nominee’s bio before you make a vote.

Mark Steppan

I believe I have a good feel for how the AIAEB chapter should interface with CA and would like to continue improving our relationship with CA and national to provide the best support and information for our membership as possible.

Antonia Bowman

I would like to represent the East Bay Chapter as an AIA California Board Member in order to do the following:

• Contribute to improving the profession and the visibility of LGBTQ and women in leadership roles
• Advocate for EDI (Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) initiatives
• Promote Sustainability/Climate Change action
• Support forward-thinking Regional & Urban Design policies

David Olsen

I would like to represent the AIA East Bay on the AIA California Board of Directors to advocate on behalf of our profession and to contribute to advancing positive regeneration within our community. I have sixteen years of professional experience working on projects of various scales; the last twelve years specializing in Healthcare projects. My qualifications include many facets of a well engaged citizen and professional rigor. My community activism is documented through my engagement as an Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) member and School Site member for West Contra Costa Unified School District, which is responsible for providing citizen oversite for funding of unduplicated student population (i.e. low income, English learners, and foster youth). Further, I have been an advocate for art in public schools through my engagement in the fundraising, planning, and mentorship of the LEAP Sandcastle Classic; as the liaison between Ratcliff, Smith Group, Balfour Beatty, WSP, and public partner school. My goal with LEAP is to provide elementary students and teachers with an understanding of the importance of teamwork (STEAM); using the design process as a vehicle to coalesce around and idea. In addition, I participate as professional reviewer of M. Arch B. Arch portfolio critique at UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design. Professionally, I have been mentor for junior staff in the office in my role as a NCARB AXP Supervisor, and through engagement in regional Net Zero competition. I am a subject matter expert for the content development of the California Supplemental Examination – in representation for the California Architects Board. Furthermore, I am the lead author of a published white paper titled, “The Evolution of AEC Professional Silos”, in my pursuit of trying to address adversarial nature of the traditional project delivery rooted in contractual agreements. My goal of the white paper was to bridge the gaps between our professional silos and to add value as an architect. I have been a moderator at the Façade Tectonics Institute 2018 World conference and will be a presenter at the 2020 World Conference in March. My professional goal is to improve the practice of architecture for the benefit of the communities that we serve and live in. I look forward to the opportunity to represent AIA California and contribute to the regenerative progression of our profession.

Ali Rafieetari

I am a project manager experienced in commercial and residential architecture in both private and public sectors, and currently I serve Oakland seniors and residents with disabilities in my day to day practice. As a current Board member and the co-chair of Emerging Professionals, I have been broadly involved in arranging numerous settings in the past years in the AIA East Bay, including home and construction tours, key COTE events, ADA Day, and entrepreneurship round tables. I am honored to have been part of the 2019 Board of Directors’ efforts that meaningfully restored our Chapter, led to hiring a new Executive Director in a critical time, and accomplished our Chapter’s accreditation process with AIA CA & AIA National. I am happy to have supported our new ARE Bootcamp that we relaunched in January this year for associate members and interested professionals.
I look forward to further advancing the AIA East Bay and our members by being your representative in the State level to act as a liaison while facing multi-faceted challenges impacting our profession. By proper actions, advocacy, and using the available opportunities, we will collectively achieve the position we deserve, and we will help the growth of AIA, AIA members and future members, and design and architecture community, and we will contribute to our common sustainable and vibrant living environment. Thanks for your trust.

Winston Win

I had the distinct privilege to be one of AIA East Bay’s representatives to AIA California in the past term (which was my first term). In that term, I re-engaged our chapter with the state level as a regular and representative to state meetings, participated in the Housing Congress (where I hope to continue again this year), and helped leverage my connections to state to help stabilize/improve our chapter and bring information and resources back. I think this work has only begun, and there’s a steep learning curve to participating at another level of the AIA organization. I ask that you support me to continue and build upon the work that I started.

Tyler Kobick

The massively important issues of housing, climate change and homelessness are state-wide issues that the AIA should step forward to face politically and socially in our regional and state-wide communities. Local chapters of the AIA have limited ability to comprehensively respond to conditions facing all Californians.  Increasingly, the California legislature and others are recognizing the issues with ‘local control’ and the importance of regional and state-wide approaches to problem-solving. 

As a past participant of the housing congress with AIA CA and an active participant with our local AIA Eastbay RUD committee, I feel that local chapters need to unite regionally to address the macro issues plaguing our cities, coastal areas, and the entirety of CA.  As a energetic, medium-sized Eastbay firm owner that addresses architecture, development and construction in our work, I believe I am uniquely equipped to represent the AIA in this pivotal time where a shift in approach to the entirety of the building process is necessary to push Architects’ perspectives and insights to these foreground issues of our time.

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Responses

  1. In response to Maeryta Ann Medrano’s question, Ántonia Bowman, one of the candidates is a woman. However, I do agree that there should be at least 3 women candidates (out of 6 current total candidates) to reflect the population demographics.
    I am an AIA member (and Treasurer of AIA San Antonio Chapter) and, although not at the East Bay area, strongly support Antonia Bowman to be part of the Board in order to bring diversity of opinion to all matters discussed.

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