The 2024 Tri-State Design Awards jury is a panel of leading Chicago-based architects, both practitioners and educators.
Chris-Annmarie Spencer, AIA, NOMA
Principal | Wheeler Kearns Architects
Jamaican by birth, Chris-Annmarie received a Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Studies from the Caribbean School of Architecture at the University of Technology before attending graduate school at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Chris-Annmarie is a principal at Wheeler Kearns Architects, where she has worked on many noteworthy projects including: The Alice at Goodman Theatre, Go Green Community Fresh Market in Englewood, and Inspiration Kitchen’s Garfield Park – which won ten national and local awards including the 2013 Rudy Bruner Gold Medal Award for Urban Excellence. Chris-Annmarie’s outstanding work and leadership in the profession has been recognized with many prestigious awards including the 2015 AIA Chicago Dubin Family Young Architect Award and the 2017 AIA National Young Architect Award.
Julie Michiels, AIA, IIDA, ASID, LEED AP
Partner | MAS Studio
Julie Michiels is an architect, interior designer, and partner at MAS Studio. She has extensive experience leading teams focused on developing innovative yet timeless design solutions from the inside out. While she is rooted in Chicago, her work has taken her all over the world and given her the opportunity to practice at a variety of scales and on a wide range of project typologies. With a focus on interiors, throughout her career she has led the design of commercial office and workplace projects, libraries, K-12 schools, university buildings, single-family and multifamily housing, and cultural institutions.
Additionally, Julie is an editor for Chicago-based non profit MAS Context and an executive board member of IFI (International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers).
Lesley Roth, AIA, AICP, LEED AP | Planning & Landscape Market Leader
Principal | Lamar Johnson Collaborative
In her 20-year career, Lesley has been responsible for public engagement, project management, project design and direction, client contact and public process facilitation on a variety of architecture and urban planning projects. She has experience in a full range of architecture and planning project types and scales and is adept at leading complex, multi-disciplinary project efforts.Her diverse experience includes both domestic and international thought leadership and practice experience.. Lesley is passionate about contributing to the community through her work and engagement with diverse communities to build capacity, foster empowerment, and cultivate relationships. Her involvement and active participation in multiple professional organizations and associations demonstrate this commitment.
Sara Lundgren, AIA
Partner | Krueck Sexton Partners
Sara is a Partner with Krueck Sexton Partners who leads the academic and residential studios in the practice, with a focus on enduring and elegant detailing. As the firm’s Sustainability Champion, she oversees the company-wide commitment to achieve 100 percent net-zero energy on all its projects by 2030. Sara recently completed documentation efforts for the major restoration and upgrade of the Chief of Mission Residence in Paris (the Hotel Rothschild) for the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Overseas Building Operations, a project which has prepared a resilient future for this historic treasure.