April Women in Architecture Conversation Series

AIA Women in Architecture
Tuesday, April 7th
5:30 PM
Mission Audio
1910 De La Vina Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101

We hope you’ll join us for our monthly Women in Architecture gathering. This month, we will be hearing from Ellen Kokinda, Santa Barbara City Planner & previous Design Review Supervisor, who will be joined with Santa Barbara’s new Architectural Historian.

Ellen Kokinda is an urban planner with over a decade of experience in community development, land use policy, and public engagement. She currently serves as City Planner with the City of Santa Barbara’s Community Development Department, having previously served as Design Review Supervisor. In both roles, she has guided applicants through the City’s permitting and design review processes and advised on how to keep projects moving forward. Ellen is currently overseeing the City’s Single Family Streamlining Project — an initiative to simplify the approval process for single-family residential projects through Zoning Ordinance and Single Family Design Board amendments, balancing greater flexibility for homeowners with Santa Barbara’s tradition of quality architecture and neighborhood character. Prior to moving to the West Coast, Ellen worked with the City of Cambridge’s Community Development Department, leading the development of a Net Zero Action Plan — a multi-stakeholder process that resulted in the City adopting a 25-Year roadmap toward net zero carbon emissions from building operations. Ellen holds a Master of Arts in Urban & Environmental Policy & Planning from Tufts University and a Bachelor of Arts in Media Arts & Design from James Madison University.