2026 Board Voting

Welcome to the 2026 AIASB Board of Directors election

AIA SB members (Architect, Associate and Emeritus members only) – it’s time to elect your 2026 Board of Directors!

The Board of Directors shall consist of the following: 23 Directors maximum, 7 Directors minimum

 Directors Include:

• 5 Officers (President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Emerging Professionals Chair)
• 2 Past Presidents
• Up to 4 Allied Members

Candidate statements and a description of responsibilities are provided below. Write-in candidates are permitted and can be submitted at the time of voting. Your AIA Member Number is required for your vote to be counted.

Votes must be submitted by 11:00pm Monday, December 1st. Candidates who receive a majority of the votes cast are elected. Results will be announced at the annual Gala on December 4th, and elected directors will assume their responsibilities on January 1, 2026.

Our bylaws require a minimum of one-third of the eligible membership to cast a vote. We hope all eligible members will vote!

If you have any questions, please contact our Executive Director (ivonneschley@aiasb.com).

Erica Obertelli, AIA

Erica is passionate about supporting the work that AIA does to inspire our community. She is particularly interested in committees related to sustainability, community building, and programs. During the years that she served as the director for Emerging Professionals, she developed a monthly lecture series, which provided a forum for local architects and related professionals to share work that arose out of passion and excellence. She would be honored to serve as Vice President for the exceptional AIASB community.

Chris Richards, AIA

Chris is the California Senior Design Associate at Wade Weissmann Architecture in Santa Barbara and has been working in Santa Barbara for over a decade. He aims to enhance the AIA Santa Barbara Chapter as a candidate for Treasurer. He is dedicated to developing the Emerging Professionals Committee, fostering growth and active engagement among both unlicensed and newly licensed professionals. With a focus on strategic expansion, Chris envisions reaching out to the SB AIA’s associate and new members to strengthen the chapter’s role in cultivating a dynamic community of architects. His goal is to promote a culture of continuous learning and collaboration between everyone within the chapter.

Jesiy Richards, AIA

Jesiy Richards is a Project Manager at Appleton Partners LLP, in Santa Barbara. She holds an Architectural License in both Missouri and California and is a member of AIA and the Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara. Jesiy began her career working for an Architectural Materials Rep with various systems from terra cotta and aluminum rain screens to operable glass walls and custom metal ceilings. This experience gave her the opportunity to work directly with product manufacturers, architects, and contractors. These interactions strengthened her global understanding of the field of Architecture. Jesiy later transitioned into working for Specialty Residential Design Firm in Kansas City before moving to Santa Barbara. 

Lindsay Campbell, AIA

DIRECTOR CANDIDATES (16 positions, one-year term)

RESPONSIBILITIES: Directors of the board serve yearlong terms and may serve multiple terms if re-elected. Directors are one of a team charged with helping to develop guidelines and priorities for the chapter. In addition, Directors provide fiscal and governance oversight for the chapter. Directors are expected to attend all monthly board meetings, all major events and to engage members around key priorities. Directors are also responsible for leading assigned committees and ad-hoc task forces.

Matt Gries, AIA

Matt is a Senior Project Architect at DMHA, residing in the downtown area with his wife and two children. Holding a Master’s Degree from SCI-Arc, Matt has dedicated the past 25 years to the study, practice, and advancement of Architecture. His commitment has consistently extended to community development initiatives and a passion for ecosystem services. He previously served as a board member for Sweetwater Collaborative and spent four years on the Partnership Council for the Community Environmental Council (CEC). Matt has delivered four workshops on stormwater and greywater management, fostering innovative discussions to bridge cross-disciplinary gaps. During the 2020 Design Charrette, while co-chairing one of the charrette groups, he established and managed PlanSB.org to enhance and coordinate the charrette teams’ efforts effectively. 

Jolie Wah, AIA 

With over 30 years of experience in architecture, Jolie has enjoyed working in multiple facets of the field – from hospitality and retail projects, custom residential homes, to affordable and senior housing. Her goal has remained to bring to the community, spaces and surroundings that inspire and invigorate, but also bring a sense of comfort and ease. Jolie has been a resident of Santa Barbara for the past 19 years, volunteering on various fundraising and service committees such as ArchitecTours and as a member of the AIA Montecito Recovery Center. Jolie also took part in the revitalizing State Street Charettes, past and current. She has been inspired and impressed by the energy and ideas generated. Jolie is a senior architect and manager with RRM Design Group.

Clay Aurell, AIA 

I am a past board member and past president of the AIA SB. After sitting on the board for over eight years, I decided to take two years off and rejoined the board in 2022 as a Board Director. During the course of the past year, I took on being the Chair of the Design Awards Committee and sat on several other committees such as the Advocacy and Sponsorship Committees.  I continue to be impressed with the esprit de corps of our local Architectural community and the amount of time many board members spend both on the board and on committees. We truly have an active chapter and board and I am honored to be a part of this organization. I have found that the AIA is really the place for me to partner and make a bigger impact going forward.  I hope that the board and the AIA members will honor my request to come back to the board and be a part of several committees to forward the goals and intentions of AIA SB.

Vandhana Balachandran

I am writing to express my interest in serving on the Board of Directors for AIA Santa Barbara in 2026 I am passionate about the profession of Architecture and the community-building aspect of our profession. I believe we have a responsibility to work towards professional development and design excellence through participation, initiative, and collaboration as a collective. AIA Santa Barbara has been a part of my professional journey since I moved to Santa Barbara in 2019, and serving on the board allows me to actively participate in the efforts of the chapter. As an emerging professional and an Associate AIA member, I am interested in promoting collaborative opportunities that foster learning and engagement for emerging professionals in our chapter. I look forward to working with members of our dynamic AIASB chapter, board members, and the community at large by serving on the AIASB board in 2026.

Paul Belmont

Paul is a licensed Civil Engineer who specializes in structures, working closely with local architects, developers, and contractors. His experience dabbling in a wide range of construction trades, including welding, concrete, framing, and carpentry, elicits a unique approach in his work. As an alumnus of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the California Central Coast has been his region of focus throughout his career. His involvement in the Santa Barbara AIA began in 2012, and he quickly became heavily involved in ArchitecTours.  He is looking forward to serving the AIA Board of Directors again in 2026.

Ellen Bildsten, AIA

Ellen has been actively involved in AIA Santa Barbara board positions and activities since joining in 2008. She served in all the executive board positions, including AIASB president in 2011, the year she helped lead the Housing Charrette. With others, she helped establish ArchitecTours, AIASB’s annual public outreach tour of members’ projects, which is the chapter’s primary fundraiser and is now in its 15th year. She has served for several years as co-chair of the Advocacy committee, which engages our local jurisdictions in permit process improvements, policy initiatives, and ordinance draft reviews. As a sign of the committee’s effectiveness, City and County staff reach out for Advocacy input on a broad range of efforts currently underway.

Dedicated to the importance of community housing since the firm’s establishment in 2002, Bildsten Architecture and Planning focuses on projects involving new housing, primarily ADUs and multifamily ADUs. Seeing the impact on housing opportunities due to recent California laws, Ellen recognizes the importance of AIASB’s engagement in state-level discussions through our California AIA. If given the opportunity to serve our local chapter at the state level, she looks forward to positioning AIASB’s Advocacy efforts in the broader context and bringing state-level awareness back to our local architects.

Natasha Elliot

I am nominating myself as a member of the Board of Directors for the Santa Barbara chapter of the AIA. I had the privilege of serving in this position for the last 3 years. I also serve as a board member at the Central Coast Green Building Council. One of my primary goals and interests in serving on the AIA SB Board of Directors is to keep sustainability an integral part of what we do at AIA SB. I believe as designers and builders, we can have a profound impact on the environment, and I would like to be there to give voice to that fact.

I have also taught in the SBCC drafting and horticulture program as well as for the Metropolitan Water District and have spoken for various other organizations. I enjoy inspiring and engaging people in the field of design, and would like to have the opportunity to do this through the AIA by serving as a member of the Board of Directors.

Cassandra Ensberg, FAIA

I would like to nominate myself to be considered as a member at large to the AIASB Board 2026 and to do my best to help promote balance, good communication, and design excellence according to the bylaws and goals of the organization, as guided by the board. I have been an AIA Member since 1983 as an associate and in 1996 as a professional. I am a licensed California Architect, AIA Fellow since 2016, a recipient of the Lutah Maria Riggs Award Medal, A LEED Accredited Professional, a Commissioner of the City of Santa Barbara Historic Landmarks Commission, and a practicing artist and will work with the board members for the goals set by the board and with particular interest in the art of architecture, preservation, sustainability, and to promote positive relations and collaboration with our community and leaders.

I currently attend and participate in the Advocacy Committee, and I served as co-chair of the committee for several years before and during the Charrette 2020. I stepped away from that leadership role when I was appointed to the City’s Historic Landmarks Commission. I previously served on the AIASB board from 2008 to 2014. I currently, and will continue, to work to help and to promote new Fellows. As always, I am happy to help overall and to step up when additional support is needed.

Eric Johnson

I would like to submit my name and skills as a volunteer participant to the AIA SB as a potential board member. Allen Construction has long been a partner of our local AIA chapter, and I want to reinforce and continue that relationship by being considered as a member of the board.

Your institute’s commitment to designing spaces that are better for the environment inside and outside of the structure aligns to many of the goals Allen Construction has. As a graduate of the Environmental Studies program at UCSB I would like to be a part of the Committee on the Environment at the AIA SB. I think my education and real-world experience as a builder in Santa Barbara could be a real asset to the committee and to the AIA Board on this subject. Additionally, the architecture found throughout the Santa Barbara area is one of the special elements that make our corner of the world unique. A goal of mine is to see these accomplishments more publicly recognized by both our local population and visitors. Participation in the ArchitecTours would help advance this goal. I would add that a builder’s perspective on the board would be beneficial by bringing a practical understanding of the building process, construction costs, and communication practices that will improve the building process for the architect, builder, and our shared client, the Owner. Thank you in advance for your consideration.

Bob Kupiec, AIA 

Bob Kupiec has been the principal of Kupiec Architects PC, celebrating 40 years of providing service for numerous commercial, institutional, and residential projects throughout this country and abroad. A resident of Santa Barbara since 2003 he has completed the downtown campus for Antioch University as well as the SB Airport Industrial Park on Hollister Avenue. He has recently completed the 50-million-dollar renovation of the Santa Barbara Museum of Art and is busy restoring the Ojai Playhouse theater due to open next year. Bob is a past Chairman of the National Institute of Architectural Education and twice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the VanAlen Institute for Projects in Public Architecture. He currently serves as a Planning Commissioner for Santa Barbara County in Montecito.

Jennifer Lewis, AIA

Jennifer Lewis is a Senior Project Manager at Michael G. Imber Architects and, hopes to serve on the Board of Directors for a third year and is continuing her role as co-chair for the Women in Architecture committee and chair of the Single-Family Design Board. She has enjoyed her experience highlighting the work of women in design in our community and looks forward to continuing to host impactful speakers for our WIA conversation series.

John P. Margolis, AIA 

I would like to renew my commitment to the AIA/Santa Barbara Chapter. I have served on multiple AIA/SB committees including the Design Awards and Advocacy Committees. I have encouraged Appleton Partners, the firm where I work, to continue their annual sponsorship support and participation on a number of important levels including the 2020 Design Charrette, Design awards Gala and more recently Architectours. I look forward to being considered for another year of service.

Detlev Peikert, AIA

Detty is a past president and has served on the board since 1985.  He is currently a principal with RRM Design Group and heads the firm’s Santa Barbara office. He has been working in the field of architecture for more than 40 years. Detty is thoroughly knowledgeable in all aspects of architecture practice with a particular emphasis on design, project management and real estate development. He has extensive experience in designing and developing affordable and market rate housing.  As one of the founders of The Sustainability Project of Santa Barbara, he is committed to the principles of sustainable design and green building. Detty is actively engaged in local community organizations including the Santa Barbara Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, Coastal Housing Coalition, and Garden Court Foundation.

Andrew Petrovsky, AIA

I have practiced architecture in Santa Barbara for the last nine years and have, in that time, developed a fluency in the local architectural language and knowledge of the developmental challenges the area currently faces. After attending AIA SB events over these years I now feel the time is right for me to take what I have learned and help apply it to serving the local community in a broader sense. I would like to help the Chapter advance its impressively progressive advocacy and climate goals at a critical time for both. The City, County, and State are all up against waves of anti-development sentiments, environmental defeatism, and anachronistic mindsets when it comes to things like the “reopening” of State Street. I would like to do what I can to help point the community in the right direction. Thank you for your consideration and support.

Paul Rupp, AIA 

Paul is a senior designer, architect at Bildsten Architecture and Planning, Inc and holds an NCARB certificate with 40 years of architecture firm experience in New York, Washington, Oregon and California. He has designed and executed projects nationally and internationally. He serves on multiple community boards such as the Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara, and academic advisory boards for SBCC, VACE and design studio support for UCSB. Paul is passionate about the transformational power of great design and the role of professional mentorship serving the AIASB Emerging Professionals/Mentor program to support all generations of professionals to perform at the highest standard possible.

Cash Upton  

Cash Upton is Design & Sales Coordinator for Brighten Solar and has served on the AIASB Board of Directors since 2022. Cash has been the chair of ArchitecTours for the 2021 & 2022 tours. Cash majored in Political Economics with an emphasis on Environmental Sustainability at UC Berkeley and is passionate about furthering people’s access to a healthy and sustainable built environment.  Cash continued to pursue his dream of sustainable living and converted a shipping container to an off-grid home and agave farm. Cash has been working with solar since 2014, when he installed an array atop his shipping container home using salvaged upcycled panels. As an advocate for education, Cash can be found at local elementary school science nights, getting kids excited about solar. A major emphasis of his life is social and environmental justice, and Cash advocates for building relationships that can solve the problems that perpetuate poverty and suffering.

Dan Weber, AIA 

I believe that architects have a responsibility to be leaders in our community.  As we sit at the intersection of community development, commerce, and regulatory agencies, it is incumbent upon us to leverage our position to guide our projects, clients, and communities toward creating a better world.  We spend nearly all of our time in built environments, designed by architects.  The impact of what we do, whether intentional or not, is enormous.  We need to use all of our combined resources to influence the direction of our built environments toward positive, sustainable impacts on the communities and environment.  We can’t do this individually.  I want to be part of a large, impactful, community-based team that shares these values.  I believe that AIASB, its Board of Directors, and its members comprise the team that I am aligned with in this mission.  AIASB works to support each other, elevates the influence of architects and the mission that every architect must share, and works to impact our community through design excellence.  Having grown Anacapa’s team of designers to be a force of 20 employees and 50+ active projects, I believe that we have scale that is substantial enough to be a strong contributor to this community effort.  I look forward to working shoulder to shoulder with my colleagues and the big group of dedicated professionals that the AIA has worked to bring together.