Erin Agdinaoay is an Architect and Project Manager at Work Program Architects. Erin leads the firm’s hiring process and sees pay transparency as a tool to attract and retain diverse talent. In 2021, Erin led the creation of WPA’s Summer Internship & Scholarship for Diversity Advancement which has attracted LBGTQIA+ and racially diverse applicants from a dozen universities. Erin is an active member of the Virginia chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) and believes the future resiliency of the profession and practice will be led by designers from nontraditional backgrounds. She is a graduate of Virginia Tech’s School of Architecture and Design and is proud to be a second generation Filipino-American.

Ryan Lewis, AIA is an Architect with Rosenblum Coe Architects, Inc. (RCA) in Charleston, SC and has been practicing architecture for 12 years. Ryan holds a Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Architecture, both from Savannah College of Art and Design. Since joining RCA in 2016 as a junior architectural intern, he has progressed to becoming a licensed architect, with increasing responsibility in project design and management, as well as business development for the firm. In his progression of leadership roles, Ryan has been instrumental in the design and management of various projects including higher education facility renovations and upgrades, new public safety facilities, and various facility/site assessments. Also leading the firm’s virtual reality endeavors, Ryan is responsible for the implementation of VR into our design process and the development of the firm’s VR procedure manual. As an active member of the local community, Ryan is involved in numerous initiatives throughout the Lowcountry. He currently is in his 3rd year as a Director for the Charleston chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and on the AIA Young Architect Forum Committee. In his role on the AIA Charleston Board of Directors, Ryan is constantly seeking to further AIA ties within the industry and other congruent organizations to identify sources of potential network growth. In addition to AIA, Ryan has been active in Charleston Young Professionals and Charleston Water Keepers.

Emily Pierson-Brown has been a fierce advocate for gender equity since growing up the only child of a single mother. Passionate about studying architecture from a young age, Emily attended the University of Virginia where she received a B.S. in Architectural Studies. After taking a 10-year detour from architecture to spend time with her other passion – books – as a retail manager for Borders Books & Music, Emily returned to graduate school to earn her Master of Architecture and Master of City & Regional Planning from Catholic University in Washington, DC. She graduated summa cum laude and was voted by her classmates to speak at graduation. Her Masters’ thesis, “Tactical Equity: Collective Memory, the Communal Porch, and Creating an Architecture of Opportunity” was awarded the Best in Thesis honor. Emily is a Senior Associate, architect, and planner with Perkins Eastman in Pittsburgh, PA, where she focuses her work on building equitable and healthy communities, primarily in senior living environments. She also serves as the firm’s PEople Culture Manager, leading the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiative globally and supporting the 26 PE offices in curating positive studio culture. In 2019, Emily received the Sho-Ping Chin Grant to attend the AIA Women’s Leadership Summit, and in 2022, received the Impact Designer Award from AIA Pennsylvania. In 2018, Emily launched the current iteration of Women+ in Design Pittsburgh with several other women in the design professions locally. The organization strives to build camaraderie within the industry and offer a support network for women’s leadership, mentorship, and professional development in architecture and design.

Mel Price is Principal and co-founder of Work Program Architects (WPA). Formed in 2010, WPA is an architecture and urban design practice located in Norfolk, Virginia. A key focus of WPA’s work is placemaking in urban areas, sea level rise and coastal resilience work. WPA is actively engaged in studies that will shape the future redevelopment of the region’s neighborhoods and economic corridors. Mel specializes in community outreach, always finding a way to bring polarized and highly charged groups of stakeholders to common ground where good design and development is embraced by the community. Mel believes strongly in pay transparency as a tool to build diversity and equity within the firm. 

Ty brings more than 10 years of strategic, innovative, and consultative benefits experience to employers who prioritize their benefits offerings to stand out in the talent market. By delivering creative and tailored solutions with financial impact, Ty has a proven track record of helping employer groups succeed in reducing operating expenses, mitigating the cost of turnover, and leveraging benefits as a means to fortify culture. Active within the professional consulting community, Ty regularly provides educational seminars for employers on topics and best practices in pharmacy contracting, practical use of predictive modeling, and relevant compliance-related issues. Ty earned his degrees in Business and Marketing from The University of Akron and holds all major life and health licenses as well as a Certified Benefits & Wellness Advisor (CBWA) designation. He has made it a priority to share time, treasure, and talent with northeast Ohio community non-profits, and professional organizations. These organizations include Habitat for Humanity, local food banks, and The University of Akron Board of Risk Management. Ty is a lifelong resident of northeast Ohio where he lives with his wife, Jennifer, and three boys, Colten, Lincoln, and Hudson.

Originally from San Juan, PR, Yiselle Santos Rivera, AIA, NOMA, LSSYB, LEED AP BD+C, WELL AP, is a Principal and Global Director of Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion at HKS. Santos Rivera is an activist architect who works to dismantle barriers and amplify underrepresented voices in design. As medical planner, Yiselle designs processes of co-creation that provide equitable access to care for those that need it most. As a trusted advisor, she also helps clients and firm leaders build more equitable, diverse, and inclusive organizations that are just and welcoming to all. She co-founded the Latin American Interior Designers, Engineers, and Architects (LA.IDEA) DC Committee and founded the “Women Inspiring Emerging Leaders in Design” (WIELD), which received the 2019 AIA Diversity Program Recognition Award. Yiselle served on the 2015-18 AIA NAC, 2019 AIA Strategic Council, 2020 AIA National Board, and the 2021-22 NOMA Board as R&D Chair. As an AIA committee member, Mrs. Santos Rivera led the creation of the Ethnical Diverse section of AIA’s Alternative Care Site Preparedness Assessment Tool V2.0, contributed to AIA’s Equitable Development Frameworks, and as an AIA “Equity and the Future of Architecture” Committee, she supported the development of the AIA Guides for Equitable Practice Executive Summaries. She now serves on the NAAB Board and the AIA DC Chapter as Board President empowering the DC community to design a better future. Yiselle is a storyteller and lectures on inclusive design, intercultural competency, and LGBTQIA+ issues in design. She is a “Latinas in Architecture” book author, 2015 CKLDP scholar, recipient of the 2018 AIA Associate Award and 2022 AIA Young Architect Award, and was named one of 2022 Top 50 Women Leaders in DC.