Julie Snow, FAIA & Matthew Kreilich, FAIA - Co Chairs
Julie Snow and Matt Kreilich are Fellows of the American Institute of Architects and lead a studio-based design practice in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Their work, interests, and process consistently engage issues of social, cultural, environmental, and economic well-being to elevate the human experience through design thinking. Their expertise and interests span from the scope of a single building to large scale planning within the public realm.
Katie Blaisdell, AIA, LEED AP, CID - Executive Director
Katie serves as the interim executive director of ASK in 2023. She is an accomplished architect and advocate for a healthy, sustainable, and just built environment. She brings a broad range of experiences to ASK’s leadership that give her a unique perspective and approach to ASK’s work with communities.
Sarah Vermeer, Associate AIA - Secretary
Sarah is a committed urbanist with a passion for making cities more livable and sustainable. She has a particular interest in the negotiation between vibrant public space and the everyday domestic.
Sarah holds a Master of Architecture from UC Berkeley, and a BA in English from Dartmouth College. While in graduate school she focused on housing density and affordability, as well as the ability for housing stock to anticipate change over time. Along with teammates, she was awarded first place in the 2019 James R. Boyce Affordable Housing Competition, by a jury of architecture, planning, and finance professionals. She strives for an empathic and nuanced design approach.
Frank Grazzini - Treasurer
Frank Grazzini is CFO and co-founder of Prevent Biometrics, a wearable tech startup. Born into commercial construction, he worked 10 years after college in manufacturing, another 10 years in startups, and stayed connected to construction through advisory and trustee boards. He volunteers as Soo Visual Art Center’s board chair, and a Carlson School of Management alumni board member.
Malini Srivastava, AIA - Officer
Through her practice and research, Malini negotiates the systemic tug-of-war between needs, goals, scarce resources and human agency within infrastructural systems. Malini is Assistant Professor and Director of the Masters of Science in Research Practices program in the College of Design, University of Minnesota. She is a practicing architect, and co-founder of Dandelab.
Kara Wallace, MBA - Officer
Kara Wallace has spent her career in business-to-business firms, from private start-ups to a global publicly-traded company. Kara draws upon her passion for bringing together the disciplines of sales, marketing and strategy to advance the organizations she serves. She is currently Sr. Director of Strategic Marketing and Business Development for Mortenson, a United Way Emerging Leader, and an AEC Business Builders Forum member.
Matt Tierney, AIA - Officer, Past Executive Director (2020-2022)
Matt Tierney, served as the executive director of ASK from 2020-2022. He is a practitioner, educator, and citizen architect. His work in the profession and academy pushes the scope and role of the architect outside its traditional bounds through research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and public interest design. His portfolio connects public interest design with scholarly research and interdisciplinary problem solving at many scales. His unique design perspective is formed by extensive work in East Africa, Copenhagen, India, and all over the United States.
Sarah Hughes, Associate AIA - Officer
Sarah appreciates the problem-solving nature of architecture and enjoys the challenges supporting industry operation. She has a unique professional arc, as an architect-turned-accountant. A decade as a designer, followed by another decade of small, creative business financial consulting has allowed her to understand multiple sides of architectural practice. Sarah strives to approach finance and operations as one would approach any architectural project. She researches precedence, assesses scope of work, and determines company best practices. Her education and experience have fueled her passion for promoting the value of architecture as a service and fair pricing models.