Design Review - Boards & Staff
Boards
The city is divided into eight geographic districts. Each district has its own designated Design Review Board, made up of volunteer members who are appointed by the Mayor and City Council. The 5 seats on each board represent the following interests: 1 design seat, 2 community / residential seats, 1 development seat, and 1 business / landscape design seat.
Board Members by District
Brittany Port
Bio + -
Brittany is a planning and development professional with 8 years of experience in land development and land use review. She was recently employed as a planning project manager at civil engineering and urban planning consulting firm AHBL where she practiced current- and long-range planning throughout Washington and California. Brittany earned bachelor and master’s degrees in city and regional planning from Ohio State University. She lives in Leschi.
Christopher Bendix
Bio + -
Christopher is a project developer at Mercy Housing Northwest, where he works on publicly funded affordable mixed-use and multifamily housing developments in and around Seattle. He has previously worked in the roles of associate project developer and project assistant. Christopher's responsibilities include financial analysis, site selection, design development, construction management, financial closing, lease-up, and financial conversion. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy at Whitman College before earning a Master of City and Regional Planning at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He lives in Columbia City.
Che Fortaleza
Bio + -
Che has practiced architecture for 24 years and currently works as a project manager at Jackson|Main Architecture. Her focus is on multifamily projects and her portfolio includes mixed-use, adaptive reuse, hospitality, retail, and industrial projects. Che earned a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Santo Tomas. She lives in Belltown.
Jake Woll
Bio + -
Jake is a project architect at Perkins&Will. His experience encompasses large urban multifamily and civic projects, as well as small-scale residential, master planning, and land use topics. Jake graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Science in Architecture followed by a master’s in architecture from the University of Washington. He lives in Belltown.
Gina Gage
Bio + -
Gina is a registered architect with more than 10 years of professional experience. She currently works as a project manager and project architect at Hybrid Architecture, focusing on multifamily and mixed-use projects. Previously, Gina was an architect at Perkins+Will in Seattle, and Behnisch Architekten and Hermann + Oettl Architects, both in Munich. Her career has focused on design and community centered roles. Gina earned a Bachelor of Science degree in geobiology at the California Institute of Technology, followed by a Master of Architecture degree from Washington University. She lives in the Admiral neighborhood.
Emily van Geldern
Bio + -
Emily is a certified landscape architect and project manager at Site Workshop in Seattle. Previously, she was employed at Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects PC and Ennead Architects, both in New York City. Emily holds a bachelor's degree in urban design and architectural studies from New York University and a Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania, in addition to a Certificate in Horticulture from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Emily lives in the Madrona neighborhood.
Todd Lee
Bio + -
Todd is the Executive Vice President of commercial development firm Urban Visions. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management from the University of Washington. He lives in Wallingford.
Kayleigh Schickler
Bio + -
Kayleigh is a NE Seattle resident of 10+ years and is self-employed as a real estate broker with Windermere Real Estate Co. She is an urbanist as well as a transit advocate, and is passionate about the built environment. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Photography from Sam Houston State University, and enjoys every opportunity to take inspiration from city life. She lives in the Maple Leaf neighborhood.
Solomon Wagner
Bio + -
Solomon is the vice president and real estate developer at Islanders Development Inc. He earned a Master of Urban Planning with an urban design specialization from the University of Washington. He lives in Ballard.
Ryan DiRaimo
Bio + -
Ryan is a project manager at Corgan Associates, Inc. focusing on aviation and mobility projects in the Pacific Northwest. In addition to professional work, Ryan volunteers for the Aurora Reimagined Coalition advocating for sustainable improvements to one of Seattle's busiest transit corridors. He lives in Aurora – Licton Springs.
Keshav Prathivadi
Bio + -
Keshav is an aerodynamics engineer at Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Keshav earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in aerospace engineering from The University of Texas at Austin. He lives in Greenwood.
Brenda Baxter
Bio + -
Brenda has 15 years of experience in design, construction, and real estate development in the Pacific Northwest. She is the senior project manager at Jones Lang LaSalle performing a wide range of roles including development, design, and construction management; space planning; feasibility studies; and capital and cost management. Brenda earned Bachelor of Architecture and Bachelor of Construction Management degrees from the University of Washington. She lives in Hillman City.
Kirsten Wild
Bio + -
Kirsten Wild is a partner at Weinstein A+U, a Seattle architecture firm with a broad range of project types, including adaptive reuse, multifamily residential, not-for-profit, and public sector buildings. She has lived and raised two girls in the Upper Rainier Beach neighborhood since earning her master’s degree from the University of Washington’s College of Architecture and Urban Planning in 1997. She’s a dedicated member of the Mount Baker Adult Crew program at Mount Baker Rowing and Sailing Center. She lives in Rainier Beach.
Gavin Schaefer
Bio + -
Gavin is a registered architect and associate director of Sidewalk Labs. His work focuses on design and architecture aimed to create adaptable, sustainable, affordable, and vibrant vertical development. Previously, Gavin was a project architect at Katerra Seattle, where he worked on large-scale mixed-use and multifamily projects along the West Coast, and a development planner at the City of Vancouver, Canada. Gavin’s education includes a Master of Architecture degree from Dalhousie University and a Master of Science degree in Sustainable Urban Development from the University of Oxford. He resides in the Fairmount Park neighborhood.
Rob McCulloch
Bio + -
Rob is a hazard mitigation specialist at FEMA Region 10. He spent the first several years of his career working in land development as a project manager and consultant, evolving to a broader path advancing community resiliency. He completed a master's degree in Master, City, and Regional Planning at Georgia Tech. Rob lives in the Genessee neighborhood of West Seattle.
Nicole Li
Bio + -
Nicole is a licensed architect employed at global architecture, design, and planning firm Gensler. Her work encompasses code and zoning research, programming analysis, design studies, and permit application submittals. She was previously a designer at Carrier Johnson Architects and SSW Architects where she produced design iterations for education and civic projects. She earned a bachelor’s degree in life sciences from McMaster University and a master’s degree in architecture from Southern California Institute of Architecture. She lives in the Denny Triangle neighborhood.
Tiffany Rattray
Bio + -
Tiffany is a design manager of a real estate development team at Burrard Properties with over 10 years of industry experience in architecture, design, real estate, and construction. Prior to moving to Seattle, she was a senior designer at Studio Tack and an architectural designer and project manager at Rockwell Group, both in New York. Over her career, Tiffany has worked on hospitality, highrise, and retail projects across the country and internationally. Tiffany earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Architectural Studies and a Bachelor of Science degree in Construction Management from the University of Washington before pursuing a Master of Architecture degree from Columbia University. She lives in the Squire Park neighborhood.
Kinsley Ogunmola
Bio + -
Kinsley is a software engineer at Meta. Kinsley earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied and Computational Mathematical Sciences from the University of Washington. He lives in Queen Anne.
Steve Allwine
Bio + -
Steve is the owner of Belldandy Consulting, LLC and has two decades of experience working in marketing and IT for the architectural industry. Steve previously worked on the historic preservation board for the City of Sumner and has a graduate degree from the University of Washington, School of Urban Design & Planning. He is also a veteran of the US Coast Guard, serving as a coxswain for Seattle’s small boat rescue station. He lives in the North Beach neighborhood.
Staff & Program Administration
The Design Review Program is administered by the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections.
Staff
Our Design Review Program staff:
- Manage the program
- Recruit and train residents to serve on the Design Review Board
- Schedule and advertise the Design Review Board's project review meetings
Shelley Bolser, Program Manager
shelley.bolser@seattle.gov
(206) 733-9067
Brinn Campaz, Scheduling and Administration
brinn.campaz@seattle.gov
(206) 684-8919
Heather Harris, Senior Public Relations Specialist
heather.harris@seattle.gov
Allie Gilvezan, Public Relations Specialist
allie.gilvezan@seattle.gov
Daphne Piggee, Public Meeting Facilitator
daphne.piggee@seattle.gov
Erika Ikstrums, Program Specialist
erika.ikstrums@seattle.gov
(206) 684-3160
Design Review Planners
Our Design Review planners:
- Lead developers and architects and their development projects through the design review process
- Explain the land use code and design guidelines
- Serve as professional staff support for the Design Review Boards
Ellen Aebischer
ellen.aebischer@seattle.gov
(206) 386-1981
Corey Buttry
corey.buttry@seattle.gov
(206) 727-8607
Irving Chu
irving.chu@seattle.gov
(206) 684-8737
Carly Guillory
carly.guillory@seattle.gov
(206) 684-0720
Annie Hillier
annie.hillier@seattle.gov
(206) 256-6499
Joe Hurley
joseph.hurley@seattle.gov
(206) 684-8278
Alisa Johansson
alisa.johansson@seattle.gov
(206) 733-9964
Greg Johnson
greg.johnson@seattle.gov
(206) 727-8736
David Landry
david.landry@seattle.gov
(206) 684-5318
Theresa Neylon
theresa.neylon@seattle.gov
(206) 615-0179
Scott Reynolds
scott.reynolds@seattle.gov
(206) 386-0044
David Sachs
david.sachs@seattle.gov
(206) 684-0814
Crystal Torres
crystal.torres@seattle.gov
(206) 684-5887