063: Carina Mills: The Evolution of Architecture Firm Culture, Advancement, and Collaboration
Carina Mills, AIA serves as Senior Talent Director and Senior Associate for RDC-S111, Inc, a group of design firms including: RDC, DyeLot Interiors and Studio One Eleven. Carina is the rising President of AIA California, currently serving her term as of 2025. She is a graduate of Cal Poly Pomona’s BArch program and began her service to AIA as soon as she moved to Long Beach and joined the local chapter. Carina began her career dedicated to developing her skills as a technical architect, and as her career path has evolved, she has taken on leadership roles to support practice improvements. Carina has great love for the architecture profession coupled with a tenacious commitment to continuously evolving aspects of it, such as her passion for making the profession more inclusive and equitable.We talk about: - Carina’s transition from a technical architect to leading a firm-wide role focused on culture, training, and staff development- How speaking up for junior staff and challenging the status quo positioned her as both an advocate and internal leader; helping her to lead initiatives to replace outdated learning models with intentional coaching structures and peer mentorship programs which support emerging professionals.- How her firm stayed connected and resilient through remote work by investing in mental health, flexible policies, and virtual engagement to maintain a strong firm culture- As the current President of AIA California, Carina discusses her leadership across local and statewide levels and how she advances initiatives that support culture change, climate action, digital innovation, and advocacy within the profession____Links:Connect with Carina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carinamills/AIA CA's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aiacalif/Carina's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/architect_carina/RDC: https://www.instagram.com/rdc.collab/AIA CA Website: AIA California – The Voice of Architecture in CaliforniaConnect with Architectette:- Website: www.architectette.com (Learn more)- Instagram: @architectette (See more)- Newsletter: www.architectette.com/newsletter (Behind the Scenes Content)- LinkedIn: The Architectette Podcast Page and/or Caitlin BradySupport Architectette:- Leave us a rating and review!Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay.
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062: Sydnor Elkins: Exploring Curiosity, Design, and the Eames Legacy
Sydnor Elkins is a licensed architect and the Senior Director of Design and Construction at the Eames Institute. With over 20 years of experience in architecture, her rigorous approach to problem-solving and curiosity drive her pursuit of creating spaces and structures with lasting impact.We talk about:- We start with Sydnor’s early inspiration—how growing up in a creative family and attending NC State’s Design Camp sparked her passion for architecture.- She then describes her decision to leave architectural practice, the stigma of stepping away, and what drew her to the mission of the Eames Institute.- Next, Sydnor shares what it’s like designing for a living archive, and how the institute brings Ray and Charles Eames’ principles—like curiosity and the guest-host relationship—into everyday work.- Lastly, Sydnor reflects on how working alongside the Eames legacy has influenced her home life, creative process, and long-term outlook on design.This episode is for anyone navigating career pivots or seeking inspiration at the intersection of design, legacy, and innovation.____Links:https://www.eamesinstitute.org/ranch/https://www.instagram.com/eamesinstitute/https://www.dezeen.com/2024/08/01/eames-institute-headquarters-archive-california/https://www.instagram.com/sydnorelkins/Connect with Architectette:- Website: www.architectette.com (Learn more)- Instagram: @architectette (See more)- Newsletter: www.architectette.com/newsletter (Behind the Scenes Content)- LinkedIn: The Architectette Podcast Page and/or Caitlin BradySupport Architectette:- Leave us a rating and review!Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay.
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(B013) Emily Almloff: Licensed at 22, Becoming the Youngest Architect in the US
Today’s bonus episode features the youngest licensed architect in the United States!Emily Almloff is a 2024 graduate from the University of Kansas with a Masters of Architecture and Masters of Construction Management degree. She is a Healthcare Architect with HFG Architecture where she works on hospitals throughout the Midwest. Her interests are focused on ways that the built environment can create a positive impact through crisis response, healthcare architecture, and affordable housing. We talk about her education, work, and her incredible effort to get through all 6 AREs and secure her license at 22. ____Links: Connect with Emily: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-almloff/____Connect with Architectette:- Website:www.architectette.com (Learn more)- Instagram:@architectette (See more)- Newsletter:www.architectette.com/newsletter (Behind the Scenes Content)- LinkedIn:The Architectette Podcast Page and/orCaitlin BradySupport Architectette:- Leave us a rating and review!-PatreonMusic byAlexGrohl fromPixabay.
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061: Shadia Jaramillo: Service, Citizenship, and Licensure as an Architect
Shadia Jaramillo is an architect at Goodwyn Mills Cawood in Pensacola, Florida. Originally from Panama, she moved to the United States in 2013 to pursue a career in architecture. Shadia is deeply committed to community engagement both in person and online and uses her social media platform, @shadia_architecture, to mentor emerging professionals, advocate for design, and promote the value of architecture.We talk about: - Shadia’s devotion to leading through service and how she has paired her architecture expertise with volunteer opportunities on local and state levels. - We next discuss her experience as an immigrant working in the US. She shares her perspective on higher education, work visas, sponsorship, navigating the naturalization process, and reasons why she has chosen to mentor others following the same path.- We also chat about the emotional and logistical challenges of passing the AREs! Shadia shares the realities of studying, failure, and licensure success.- The episode ends by highlighting Shadia’s post-ARE hobby: 3D printing! We talk about her printers, what she’s making, and why 3D printing is a fantastic creative outlet.____Thank you to our sponsors:Arcol is a collaborative building design tool built for modern teams. Arcol streamlines your design process by keeping your model, data and presentations in sync enabling your team to work together seamlessly.- Website: Arcol.io- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/arcol-tech- Twitter/ X: https://x.com/ArcolTechLayer is the workflow platform for buildings, empowering teams to capture field data & photos, connect it to their drawings & models, and create beautiful deliverables & reports.Use Layer to build your own workflow to generate Room Data Sheets from Revit, manage your CA processes such as RFIs or Punch lists, conduct field surveys and much more. The best thing is, it’s all connected directly to Revit so you’ll never have to copy and paste data between windows again.- Website: https://layer.team/architectette____Links:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shadia_architecture/LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/shadia-jaramilloPublications/Articles:https://www.beyondthebuilt.com/shadia-jaramillohttps://www.mentordino.com/are-experience-stories-shadia-jaramillo/https://www.aia.org/aia-architect/article/aia-celebrates-designing-together-winner-finalistshttps://www.aia.org/aia-architect/article/five-high-impact-quotes-wls-2024https://issuu.com/aiacollegeoffellows/docs/2024-q3_togetherinwashingtondchttps://issuu.com/youngarchitectsforum/docs/connection_2023_q2_v2Podcasts:https://www.iheart.com/podcast/338-from-the-honeycomb-96371578/episode/ep-89-understanding-the-symbiotic-relationship-121320540/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zP4lhbYDDRE____Connect with Architectette:- Website: www.architectette.com (Learn more)- Instagram: @architectette (See more)- Newsletter: www.architectette.com/newsletter (Behind the Scenes Content)- LinkedIn: The Architectette Podcast Page and/or Caitlin BradySupport Architectette:- Leave us a rating and review!- PatreonMusic by AlexGrohl from Pixabay.
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(Replay) 008: Evelyn Lee: Tech, Transformation, and Disruption within Architecture
On today's podcast we are resharing our interview with Evelyn Lee.Evelyn started in architecture but is now the first-ever Global Head of Workplace Strategy & Innovation at Slack Technologies. She is also the Founder of the Practice of Architecture, Co-Host of the Podcast, Practice Disrupted; and is extremely involved in the AIA, most notably serving as the first-ever female Treasurer to the AIA National Board from 2020-2021.Evelyn has been widely published in Contract Magazine, Architect Magazine, and is currently working with Architizer to develop recurring content on the business of architecture. She is a recognized innovator in the profession and has received numerous industry awards, including the 2016 40 Under 40 award for Building Design + Construction and the 2014 AIA National Young Architects Award. We talk about: - How Evelyn was inspired to study architecture and balanced it- from the start- with other commitments that were important to her, like playing collegiate soccer. - We next review qualifications and expectations for achieving FAIA recognition.- Evelyn shares about her experience as the first employee at her firm to have a baby and how she negotiated a maternity and return to work plan with her employer.- Next, we chat about the Practice of Architecture and how Evelyn leverages her MBA and MPA to work with business owners to make their operations more efficient.- We then talk about what architecture firms can learn from Slack’s stance on in-person and remote work strategies. - Evelyn then elaborates on small changes that make a big impact on worker engagement like core hours, personal operating manuals, and dial-in policies.- We end with a few ways Evelyn continues to learn and evolve and where you can follow her efforts (see the show notes!).More Episodes You May Enjoy:048: Robyn Linstrom: Design and De-Stigmatization as a Mental/ Behavioral Health Architect045: Atelier Cho Thompson: Ming Thompson and Christina Cho Yoo on Diverse Strengths and Great Design026: Angela Watson: Embracing Challenges, Fostering Connection as CEO013: Erin Alley: Rising to Leadership in Architecture through Inquiry, Inclusivity, and Innovation009: FIFTEEN: Ximena Valle, Mary Beth Di Figlia, and Jill Lavine on their Women-led Firm017: Tigress Osborn: National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA) and the Built Environment037: Karen Hager & Lauline Mitchell: NAWIC Presidents027: Sharadan Rorabaugh: Architect to US Navy Civil Engineer Corps006: Tenille Bettenhausen: Soft Skills and Unexpected Career Twists011: Tami Hausman: Amplifying AEC Industries
Architectette inspires, elevates, and connects women+ in Architecture, Design, Engineering, and Construction.
Every other Monday, host Caitlin Brady features a new podcast guest to share their unique stories and experiences as women in AEC. We encourage and inspire more women and minorities to become licensed architects, promoted to leadership positions, connected in a strong community, and champion equality and inclusion. This podcast is your mentor on-the-go!
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