What excites you about your career here at CLR?

Working with such a fun and talented group of people to create inventive and boundary pushing designs! Animal conservation is close to my heart and being able to support the facilities that are leading the way in conservation through design is a dream come true.

What do you like about exhibit design?

Exhibit design provides the opportunity to connect the public with animals they may have never encountered before and create lasting memories and empathy towards the animal. In a world where many species are in decline, it’s more important than ever to do what we can to help keep these beautiful animals alive and thriving, and a big part of that is giving people a reason why they should care.

What do you enjoy doing on the weekend?

When I am not working on one of my hundred half done creative projects I love to get out and explore the city! I love to wander through vintage shops and bookstores, and of course, get an over-priced coffee along the way.

Tell us something fun or funny about yourself that most people don’t know.

Growing up our house was called “The Zoo” because of all the furry and feathered friends I had in my care. Go figure this is where I would end up!

What excites you about your career here at CLR?

I love that my career at CLR is more than architecture. I’m able to design buildings and environments for clients that deviate from the traditional design world. I feel fortunate to have unique design opportunities and a great work environment daily.

What do you like about exhibit design?

I like studying each animal and learning about what they need to thrive. I love hearing stories from zoo staff about each animal’s personality and unique character traits. The visitor experience is also extremely important, and I enjoy approaching exhibit design through the visitor’s perspective.

What do you enjoy doing on the weekend?

I love spending time with my family. My husband and I have two growing boys that keep me busy with fun activities (when they’ll let me). Our preferred activities are going to the beach, seeing new sights, and relaxing whenever possible.

Tell us something fun or funny about yourself that most people don’t know.

When I was a kid, I would catch lizards and make environments for them in large glass bowls. I also had a variety of pets such as newts, frogs, birds, fish, cats, and dogs. I would create land and water environments whenever possible and pretend I created a new world and home for them.

What excites you about your career here at CLR?

The level of detail that CLR works at with in terms of animal and human experience is something that drew me to want to work here. I’m excited to learn more about how architecture that makes a difference at varying scales is achievable in practice. Then in the day to day I look forward to blending illustrative and digital processes to create architecture that is focused on experience and is experimental in it’s innovation for the future.

What do you like about exhibit design?

I enjoy the variety! There’s always a new animal with species specifications and differing site conditions. I’m also passionate about Habitat loss being one of the biggest conservation obstacles. Therefore, being able to recreate or innovate exhibits is an opportunity to get visitors to care and learn about animals, but just as importantly the places and conditions that make up their homes.

What do you enjoy doing on the weekend?

I enjoy a lot of seasonal activities and being outside doing activities like hiking and ice skating. But I also can often be found at the gym, reading, bingeing movies, antiquing, (attempting) to learn languages, etc. Basically, accumulating random hobbies and random stuff.

Tell us something fun or funny about yourself that most people don’t know.

Before I leave the house, I have to consider the danceability of my clothes, for some reason ability to dance to Rasputin is the benchmark, even if it’s going to a scenario like a meeting or presentation where dancing will never occur I have to be ready to bust a move.

What excites you about your career here at CLR?

I’m excited to be able to combine my two passions: animals and design. Not to mention, it’s great to work with a fun and knowledgeable team who care about what we do, including our leopard gecko, O.P. (office pet).

What do you like about exhibit design?

With every project and critter, we have the chance to explore never-before-seen ideas that promote their special set of skills and inspire humans to take part in their conservation.

What do you enjoy doing on the weekend?

I don’t always leave my house, but when I do, I enjoy propagating plants, collecting tchotchkes for my desk, jigsaw-puzzling with my grandparents, shopping for chenille sweaters, and walking my two Alaskan Malamutes, Lizzie and Teemu.

Tell us something fun or funny about yourself that most people don’t know.

When I was little, I wanted to grow up to be a cowgirl…this is as close as I could get and also have a 401k.

What excites you about your career here at CLR?

The people! It’s great to work with both landscape architects and architects. Everyone brings a slightly different perspective to a project and works together to create the best spaces for all users.

What do you like about exhibit design?

I love designing experiences and at CLR we have the special task of designing experiences for not only visitors and Zoo staff, but also animals! Learning about the behaviors and habits of different animals is one of the most interesting parts of the design process.

What do you enjoy doing on the weekend?

On the weekends I can usually be found starting a new art project. Currently, this means painting all the furniture in my apartment. I also love to try new restaurants and am constantly in search of the world’s best ice cream.

Tell us something fun or funny about yourself that most people don’t know.

As a kid, the only pet I ever wanted was a dolphin. My parents settled on a hamster instead.