Board & Staff
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The AIA East Bay Board of Directors meets monthly. Meeting minutes and agendas are available upon request. If you are considering becoming a Board Member please review the Job Description/Responsibilities document here.
Tim Nystrom
President
Tim is a licensed architect working in the Bay Area since 2008, with a diverse portfolio including residential, commercial, and educational facilities. He is the founder of his firm, NYS designs, where he specializes in residential architecture construction in the East Bay. Tim holds a bachelor degree in architecture from CalPoly, San Luis Obispo, and a Masters in Sociology from Arizona State University. He is passionate about education and giving back to the local community of Architects through the Young Architects Forum committee, where he has been co-chair since 2016.Â
Jaime Matheron
Vice President
Jaime is a licensed architect and Principal at DAHLIN. Born and raised in the East Bay, she has always been passionate about the charm of the Bay Area. With an expertise in residential design, she is equally adept at leading teams in serving the goals and needs of established, experienced homebuilders as she is at coaching emerging builders for success.
A graduate of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, she initially began her career designing K-12 educational architecture. As an active member of AIA, she became co-chair of AIA East Bay’s Young Architects/Emerging Professionals Committee in 2021, was elected to the AIA East Bay Board of Directors in 2022, and is currently the Vice President for 2024.
Jaime has a passion for community involvement and volunteering. She is a founder and leader of DAHLIN Barkitecture, a design build competition that has raised funds in support of several animal rescue organizations while providing hands-on construction experience for young architects. She has been a long-time volunteer of mentorship programs for students and emerging professionals, and she loves sharing insight on the profession with aspiring young designers.
Mark Steppan
Treasurer
Mark is a licensed architect with over 38 years of experience in the design and construction of a wide variety of project types including: educational, institutional, civic, commercial, student housing, cleanrooms, with much of his career focusing on multi-family and mixed use residential projects. Mark was the chair of the Professional Practice Forum at the East Bay Chapter from 2010-2016 and has been sitting on the Board of Directors for the last 6 years and recently concluded a 2 year run as President leading the chapter into new times with a change at the Executive Director position. His goal for presidency was focusing on the practice of architecture and how the AIA can further assist the profession and the public.
Edward Reifenstein
Secretary
Ned Reifenstein is a licensed architect with over 30 years of experience working on libraries, campus buildings, and urban design projects. Born and raised in New England, Ned received his architecture degree from MIT and worked in the Boston area, Montana, and Seattle before settling in the Bay Area.
 He has worked for firms on both sides of the Bay and is currently an Associate Principal and Director of Sustainable Design at Noll & Tam Architects in Berkeley. He has recently completed a classroom building for the College of Alameda and a community center for the Cherryland community in Hayward. Prior to this he completed a second master’s degree in Urban Design from UC Berkeley. Ned is passionate about sustainable design, public realm architecture and new design technologies.
Ursula Currie
Past President
Ursula Currie is a licensed architect practicing in the Bay Area since 1990.
Although of Irish descent, Ursula earned her architecture degrees from The Glasgow School of Art, and The University of Dundee, Scotland. Her professional career has focused on designing and managing civic, institutional and educational facilities.Â
Ursula is a Senior Associate at Perkins & Will, San Francisco. As an AIA East Bay board member she is committed to supporting all ecological endeavors within our profession, to help ensure a healthier planet.
Tyler Kobick
Director
Sanjana Parekh
Director
Sanjana has been an active member of the AIA East Bay since she relocated from India to the Bay Area in 2021. Having gained her 5-year Bachelor of Architecture degree in Mumbai, India where she is a licensed architect, she is now a designer at DAHLIN, a diverse architecture and planning firm in the East Bay. She has rapidly endorsed the culture of the architecture community and has been an enthusiastic volunteer in support of our AIA chapter. Sanjana was instrumental in the planning and realization of the AIA East Bay Design Awards 2022. She brings a wonderful spirit of receptivity, creativity, curious intellect, and a voice of the youth – which are great qualities and attributes for an AIA Board member.
Todd Jersey
Director
Todd has been a leading and integral contributing member of the East Bay architecture community for over 30 years. His over 300 projects range from multi-family to ADUs, institutional to commercial. In addition to advancing the uptake of sustainable architecture through development of building systems and approaches that are affordable and beautiful through his own firm, his community impact projects include work as the lead architect for the historic Richmond Plunge, designing a tiny home prototype, pro bono work for the City of Berkeley including the Berkeley Pier restoration, and much more. In his spare time, he also beautifies the community through volunteer landscape design work.
Shivani Bhalla
Director
The idea that architecture can positively shape and influence human interactions has always inspired Shivani. Growing up in a family of architects in New Delhi, she was immersed in the profession from a young age. Her grandfather’s contributions and commitment to the field motivated her to pursue Architecture.
After completing her Bachelor of Architecture degree in India in 2010, she received her Master’s degree at the Rhode Island School of Design. She enjoys collaborating with people and has worked in New Delhi, Boston, Washington DC and now in the Bay Area. As a licensed Indian Architect, she supervised institutional projects with clients like Ford Foundation & United Nations. Presently she coordinates multi-family housing projects at Lowney Architecture and is on the path to licensure in California.
Kenneth Lin
Director
Ken is a licensed architect who has been working in the Bay Area since 2013.  He obtained his Master of Architecture degree from the California College of the Arts.
Currently, an architect with HKIT Architects, Ken has worked on a wide range of projects in his career, including senior/affordably housing, commercial, mission critical, educational, and health care facilities. He is passionate about combating climate change and promoting community engagement. He is also a certified Safety Assessment Evaluator for the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.
 A member of the AIA East Bay Design Tour Committee, Ken helps to facilitate architectural tours. As a member of AIA California EDI Steering Committee, he is actively engaged in the promotion of a more equitable practice through diversification.Â
Yolanda Santiago
Director
Yolanda is a licensed architect and Senior Construction Administrator/Project Architect with Studio T-Square in Oakland, with 25 years of experience working in a variety of project types such as multifamily residential and commercial projects. Yolanda holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from The Pennsylvania State University, and has actively served in the AIA since 2003, volunteering in leadership positions as an Emerging Professional and then as an Architect member. Her most recent office was as Vice President of Professional Practice with AIA California from 2013-2015. She is passionate about how the AIA can continually provide value to its members and be proactive in offering resources as member needs evolve.
Maho Kawai
Student Co-Director
Maho, a third-year student at UC Berkeley pursuing a dual degree in architecture and economics, brings a global perspective to her passion for culture and architecture. With roots in Tokyo and spending the other half of her life in Portland, Oregon, she has always been fascinated by the interplay of culture and physical spaces. On campus, she serves as a Vice President for UC Berkeley’s AIAS chapter and Co-President of the International Students Association at Berkeley and enjoys hiking, dancing, cooking, and painting in her free time.Â
Derek Davis
Student Co-Director
Derek is a fourth-year architecture student at UC Berkeley minoring in sustainable design. He is especially interested in racial and environmental justice within the built environment in addition to sustainable practices and design education. As Vice President of UC Berkeley’s NOMAS chapter, he works to promote and support underrepresented minorities in design. Derek grew up in both the Midwest and the Bay Area and enjoys going for walks and exploring, playing chess, watching movies, and studying new languages.
Jorge Ramos
Student Co-Director
Jorge is a third-year UC Berkeley student majoring in Architecture with a minor in Theater and Performance Studies. Coming from Monterrey, Mexico, he strives to keep his culture present and let his passion for affective architecture be present in what he does. In school, he is part of CASA (Chicanx/Latinx Architecture Student Association) and LLS (Latin Leadership Society), working to support and represent the Latino community. In his free time, he enjoys designing posters/digital art, hiking, and finding new food places.
Alma Rodriguez Guzman
Student Co-Director
Alma is a fourth year undergrad Architecture major with a minor in sustainable design. At UC Berkeley, she is the president of the organizations NOMAS (National Organization of Minority Architects Student chapter) and Casa Esperanza, an organization which supports a women and children’s shelter for survivors of domestic violence. Alma is a first generation student from Los Angeles, CA.Â
