ELS has promoted six staff members to reflect their growing roles within the organization. The newest associate principal is Tracy Chan. Dana Vollmer-Grant advances to senior associate, and the firm’s four new associates are Max Chanowitz, Ziyi Dang, Nina Joe, and Angelo Razo. “We’re lucky to have such talented and committed people here at ELS,” says ELS President/CEO Kim-Van Truong, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Assoc. DBIA. “These promotions reflect each employee’s hard work and their positive, firm-wide impacts. I’m proud to see them recognized.”
ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL
Tracy W. Chan, Assoc. AIA, Associate Principal, joined ELS in 2014. She manages the firm’s Building Information Model (BIM) platform and leads our Digital Design Services along with other internal groups that help ELS support its clients. Her work has been invaluable to designers as they optimize digital workflows and integrate cutting-edge BIM practices into projects and pursuits. As a designer, Tracy draws on her experience with all project phases to rapidly explore ideas through iterative design and visualization. She regularly represents ELS at Autodesk University, an immersive week-long event that explores how technology and Big Data are integrated into today’s design processes. Her work has improved the outcome of projects including the recently opened all-electric Rengstorff Aquatic Center in Mountain View; the new RH San Francisco at Pier 70; the upcoming Veterans Memorial Senior Center in Redwood City; and the Kinesiology & Wellness Center at Cañada College. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture with high honors with a minor in sustainable design from the University of California, Berkeley.
SENIOR ASSOCIATE
Dana Vollmer-Grant, Assoc. AIA, WELL AP, CBSM, Senior Associate, joined ELS in 2017. After a remarkable early career as one of the most decorated women in swimming (with five Olympic gold medals for the USA team), Dana made a natural transition into the design world as a WELL Building-accredited professional with robust training in the principles of Community Based Social Marketing. Now, as our firm’s Aquatics and Recreation Programming Specialist, Dana draws on her remarkable skillset to understand and realize the goals of future users in collaboration with the design team. Dana’s cross-disciplinary work ensures that each ELS space can optimize athletic performance, inspire and ensure repeated visits over many years, and optimize occupant health. Dana’s most recent assignments include Piedmont Community Pool, Alameda Aquatic Center, and Rengstorff Aquatic Center in Mountain View. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley.
ASSOCIATE
Angelo Razo, Architect, Associate, joined ELS in 2022. He designs complex projects that are deeply informed by community input, balancing numerous interests in support of client priorities and the needs of all users. He has experience in various project types – including civic, mixed-use, planning, retail, hospitality, and residential – and in all project phases, from generating master plans to developing documentation and providing construction administration services. Angelo has helped develop a master plan for emergency housing in San Jose, assisted in community engagement on master plans for the City of Gilroy’s Civic Center and City of Riverside’s César Chávez Community Center, worked on conceptual/visioning projects for Soledad Container Park in California and Woodlands Mall in Texas, and guided construction administration for a new, creatively designed parking garage for a major retail site in Colorado. He is fluent in Spanish and serves as our Spanish-language engagement specialist working with stakeholders to collaboratively shape the project’s early programming and design. Angelo received a Master of Architecture and a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture, both from the University of California, Berkeley.
Nina Joe, Architect, Associate, joined ELS in 2022. Her approach merges technical sophistication and human-centered design strategies, reflecting a well-rounded understanding of project delivery. She has worked on all major construction types and is assigned to all project phases from concept design through construction administration. With her clients, she seeks to create an honest and productive atmosphere in which the free exchange of ideas leads to the best possible solution for each project challenge. In her time at ELS, Nina has augmented some of the firm’s most prominent projects in recreation, performing arts, and academic planning, along with facilities assessments for various public institutions. She was a part of the design team for Santa Ana’s new Memorial Park Master Plan and Aquatic Center, which recently won a design award from the AIA’s Orange County chapter. Placing great value on designers’ responsibility to society, she consistently adds to her knowledge of sustainable materials and low-carbon construction techniques and is co-leader of the firm’s equity, diversity, and inclusion committee. Nina received a Bachelor of Architecture from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.
Max Chanowitz, Associate, joined ELS in 2022. He has experience in numerous project types, including multifamily residential, mixed-use, educational, commercial, and civic facilities. He has a passion for public-facing projects where the architecture serves the whole community rather than any single tenant. Since joining ELS, he has specialized in construction administration, overseeing the delivery of multiple cutting-edge all-electric municipal swim facilities, including the recently opened Rengstorff Park Aquatics Center in Mountain View, and, currently under construction, Orange Memorial Park Aquatics Center in South San Francisco. Max enjoys learning from his experience on these highly complex projects to inform his subsequent design work. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley, and is midway through testing for his architecture license. Max is also an accomplished jazz pianist, playing group and solo shows across the Bay Area.
Ziyi Dang, Associate, joined ELS in 2022. Born and raised in Beijing, Ziyi later pursued her studies and lived in Australia before settling with her family in the Bay Area. This multicultural background informs her belief that architecture should serve everyone and enhance community well-being. She strives to create spaces that blend joy and function, integrating creativity, rationality, and the needs of the public. Highly proficient in multiple digital modeling and rendering software programs, Ziyi enjoys communicating design ideas and concepts to all stakeholders. Her projects at ELS have included the recently opened Crane Cove YMCA in San Francisco, the Gilroy Civic Center Master Plan, the historic renovation of Riverside‘s Cesar Chavez Community Center, and several VillaSport projects across California. She received a Bachelor of Architectural Design and Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from The University of Queensland in Australia.
About ELS Architecture and Urban Design
ELS Architecture and Urban Design is an award-winning architectural practice with a 58-year tradition in the design of extraordinary buildings and spaces that enhance the experience of urban life while being mindful of the environment. The firm’s portfolio represents a diverse array of projects, including community and civic, recreation and aquatics, historic renovation, performing arts, education, mixed use, retail, sustainable design, and planning and urban design. ELS has ranked among the top 50 firms in the U.S. by Architect magazine for numerous consecutive years and is listed among the 2025 Architectural Record Top 300 Architecture Firms. We are honored to be the first firm in California to be awarded the JUST 2.0 label which represents our commitment to transparency, equity, and stewardship practices. For more information, please visit elsarch.com.