Photo by Mark Baumhover, BWBR architects

Chair: Michael Meehan, AIA
AIA St. Paul

Michael Meehan is a project manager and associate at BWBR Architects, where he has worked for 13 years. He received the bachelor of architecture degree from Iowa State University in 1994 and earned his license in 2002. His involvement with the Young Architects Forum began when he served as North Central States regional liaison from 2003 to 2005. He served as vice chair on the YAF Advisory Committee in 2006. Meehan is active with intern and young architect issues locally and nationally. Locally, he served as cochair of AIA Minnesota’s IDP Committee and has taught ARE review seminars with the AIA Minnesota IDP Committee members since 1999. He and his family live in Northfield, Minn., where they enjoy bicycling and playing at the park.



Vice Chair: Kristine C. Royal, AIA
AIA Rhode Island

Kristine Royal is an architect with Newport Collaborative Architects Inc., Rhode Island’s largest architecture firm. She is licensed to
practice in Rhode Island and Massachusetts as well as being NCARB certified and a LEED accredited professional. She is currently working on the Dynamo House, an adaptive use project of Narragansett Electric’s South Street Station for the Heritage Harbor Museum and Struever Brothers Eccles and Rouse. After graduating from Carnegie Mellon University in 1998 with a bachelor in architecture degree, she became an active member of AIA Rhode Island. She has served on several committees, including chair of the Emerging Professionals Committee and director on the Executive Committee. Currently she is participating on their AIA150 Committee. She is also active within her community and volunteers for Sail Newport, a nonprofit public sailing organization and she is an appointed member of the Historic District Commission for Newport, R.I., where she lives with her husband, Darris Witham.

Photo by Greg Walker

Events Advisor: Gregory Walker, AIA, LEED AP
AIA Atlanta

Gregory Walker has practiced architecture in Florida, Massachusetts, and Georgia, where he currently resides in Atlanta. He is the founding principal for Houser Walker Architecture, an architecture and design firm focusing on cultural buildings and the culture of building. Prior to the formation of Houser Walker Architecture, he worked in collaboration with Lord Aeck Sargent Architecture and Smith Dalia Architects, both in Atlanta, and Perry Dean Rogers & Partners in Boston. His work has been recognized with several awards, including honor awards from the Boston Society of Architects and the Atlanta Urban Design Commission. In 2004 he was awarded the AIA Georgia Young Architect Award. His work has been published and reviewed in Architectural Record, Boston Globe, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and has been exhibited in Boston and Atlanta. In 2001he served as a visiting assistant professor at the University of Arkansas and is currently an adjunct instructor at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Photo by WDG Architecture

Programs Adviser: Sean M. Stadler, AIA
AIA Washington, D.C.

Sean Stadler joined WDG Architecture as a senior designer; he is currently an associate principal of the firm with more than 12 years of architecture experience. He is directly responsible for design-related issues, including documentation, coordination, and construction administration, as well as directing the project team on all matters related to achieving innovative design. Stadler’s diverse experience includes commercial, residential, educational, sporting, and medical facilities. He holds a BArch degree from Kent State University. An active member of the AIA, Stadler has served on the Intern Development Program Coordinating Committee and has been a juror for the Institute Honors for Collaborative and Professional Achievement, as well as the IDP Outstanding Firm Award. In Ohio he has served as the associate director for AIA Cleveland and was responsible for informing, educating, and recognizing young professionals. Stadler was honored in Cleveland with an AIA Presidents Award for his service to the profession.

Photo by Keith Ball Photography

Communications Adviser: Lisa M. Chronister, AIA, LEED AP
AIA Brooklyn

Lisa Chronister has devoted herself to serving her profession and community since earning a BArch degree from the University of Oklahoma in 1994. Working in Oklahoma City for 10 years, she was an active member of AIA Central Oklahoma, serving on numerous committees and on the board of directors in almost every position, including president in 2002. In 2001 she and a group of concerned citizens successfully led the fight to preserve Oklahoma’s landmark Gold Dome bank building from demolition by an insensitive developer. In recognition of her exceptional leadership in design and service to the profession, she was honored with a 2003 AIA Young Architects Award. An alumnus of Leadership Oklahoma City, Chronister also dedicated her time and talents to the Junior League of Oklahoma City, the University of Oklahoma College of Architecture, and the Individual Artists of Oklahoma for which she was responsible for the design of a stunning gallery in a national historic district. In 2004 she moved to New York where she completed a MArch degree at Pratt Institute. She is currently a senior project manager with Helpern Architects in New York City, working on a variety of education and cultural projects.

Public Relations Adviser: Roy Abernathy, AIA, LEED AP
AIA Atlanta

Roy Abernathy is a principal with Jova/Daniels/Busby in Atlanta and serves as the firm’s president and chief executive officer. He holds a MArch degree, a bachelor of environmental design degree, and a bachelor of science degree from North Carolina State University. His work in operations and program management, real estate strategy, and workplace strategy spans projects of all sizes. A sought-after lecturer on workplace performance, business architecture, and the future of facilities performance, Abernathy's enthusiasm and progressive thinking benefit clients and colleagues alike.

Photo by Greg Katsoulis

Regional Liaison Adviser: Emily Grandstaff-Rice, AIA
Boston Society of Architects

Emily Grandstaff-Rice is an architect with Cambridge Seven Associates Inc., a multidisciplinary design firm in Cambridge, Mass. She is currently the project architect for the construction administration of the Boston Children’s Museum in Boston. She serves as cochair for the Boston Society of Architects Membership Committee, is on the faculty of the Boston Architectural College, and represents Young Architects on the AIA Continuing Education Quality Assurance Panel. During 2004–2006, she was the YAF New England Regional Liaison giving her first-hand knowledge of the YAF Regional Liaison network. Grandstaff-Rice is a graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., and has been a member of the AIA since 2003 upon licensure. She loves to travel and has been to India, Japan, Russia, Italy, and Finland. Originally from St. Louis, she moved to New England because she married a Rhode Islander. She and her husband, Matt Rice, AIA, live in Somerville, Mass., with their son and two dogs.