Board of Directors

Luke Johnson, AIA

Co-President, Education Chair

CannonDesign

About Luke Johnson, AIA

Luke is a design leader for CannonDesign skilled at bringing clients’ visions to life in physical form. He specializes in project development during the conceptual and schematic phases of design, helping clients make important design decisions that allow projects to move forward in a timely and efficient manner. As an avid collaborator, Luke believes that the best ideas come from the creative collision of diverse minds. He’s an active voice in the Buffalo design and non-profit community; he’s a board member of the Buffalo Architecture Foundation and the co-chair of its Architecture + Education program.

Favorite Buffalo Building: One M&T Plaza

Cheri Weatherson, AIA

Co-President, Architecture + Education Chair

CannonDesign

About Cheri Weatherson, AIA

Cheri is a registered architect, focusing her expertise on creating healing environments in healthcare and inspiring spaces in education. Cheri has also co-founded and manages Amp, an internal incubator within her firm for surfacing new products, business practices and services to help clients and advance the industry. Cheri recently was awarded the 2018 AIA Buffalo/WNY Young Architect Award. Outside of work, she chairs the 2019 Architecture + Education program to build interest and understanding of the built environment for K12 students in the Buffalo Public School District. She is the mother of a spunky little boy, who can’t wait to grow up to become a ‘builder’ and build what mommy designs!

Favorite Building: The Frank Lloyd Write Blue Sky Mausoleum at Forest Lawn Cemetery

Michael Reyen

Secretary

Hodgson Russ LLP

About Michael Reyen

Michael Reyen is a real estate and finance attorney at Hodgson Russ LLP. He represents companies, developers, landlords, tenants, financial institutions, municipalities, and nonprofit organizations in a wide range of commercial real estate matters, including acquisition, development, financing, leasing, and construction matters.

In connection with his commercial real estate practice, Michael has also counseled clients on:

Acquisition and financing of multi-family housing, including large portfolio transactions.
Construction law matters, regularly representing owners and developers in construction and design contract negotiations.
State and local tax incentive programs, including with industrial development agencies.
Telecommunication leasing, with a focus on representing tenants.
Large-scale energy projects.
Municipal real property transactions.
Real property tax exemptions for not-for-profit corporations.

In addition to serving on the board of the Buffalo Architecture Foundation, Michael is also the President of the United Church Manor which owns and operates a low income housing facility for seniors and the disabled in West Seneca, New York. Prior to joining Hodgson Russ, Michael was an associate at a national law firm. Before attending law school, he was a bank officer and senior auditor with a major financial institution operating in upstate New York and northeastern Pennsylvania.

Favorite Buffalo Buildings: The Guaranty Building and City Hal

LaLuce Mitchell, RA

Vice President

Flynn Battaglia Architects

About LaLuce Mitchell, RA

LaLuce Mitchell is a Preservation Architect at Flynn Battaglia Architects in Buffalo. He went to college in Chicago but interned in Buffalo and fell in love with the city and its historic architecture and so now calls the city home. He is a licensed architect in New York State and is also vice-chair for the Association for Preservation Technology’s upcoming 2018 conference in Buffalo. When he’s not out preserving old buildings, he enjoys eating the craziest, most interesting food he can find and taking roadtrips to explore little-known corners of the US and Canada.

LaLuce was first introduced to the Buffalo Architecture Foundation when he participated in the Architecture + Education program in 2013 at School 53 on the East Side of Buffalo and found it to be a very rewarding experience. He has also presented in the Building Stories program and enjoys hearing the diversity of others’ presentations, a collage of ideas that tell the story of our city.

LaLuce has been a board member since January of 2017 and is involved in the Architecture + Education, Building Stories, and Fundraising committees.

Favorite Building: Buffalo City Hall

Chris White

Treasurer

Chiampou Travis Besaw and Kershner, LLP

About Chris White

After graduating from the Univeristy of Albany (SUNY) with a degree in accounting in December of 2015, Chris was drawn to Buffalo in part by its rich history, which is visible in the architecture throughout the city and the surrounding region. After gaining several years of professional experience he decided he wanted to offer the skills and knowledge he had gained to support positive initiatives and help better the community.

Chris is currently a senior accountant with Chiampou Travis Besaw and Kershner, LLP, where he has worked for over two years. Throughout his career Chris has worked with numerous Western New York based companies. His experience covers various industries, including manufacturing, real estate, construction contractors, and non-profit organizations.

Favorite Buffalo Building: Buffalo Central Terminal

Courtney Creenan-Chorley, AIA

Past President

CJS Architects

About Courtney Creenan-Chorley, AIA

Courtney is a registered architect with multi-faceted experience in the architecture industry, specifically focused on project coordination and management, historic preservation, adaptive reuse and master planning, including managing the design team for Richardson Olmsted Campus Core Project. She often works with constituent groups and seeks to build consensus from all parties. She is an active voice within the professional community advocating for the diversification of the field and pro bono projects.

Courtney has been an active board member for the Buffalo Architecture Foundation since 2014, serving on the Pro Bono, Building Stories and Fundraising committees. She has served as President since 2016.

Favorite Buffalo Building: Marine A, Silo City

Elizabeth D'Amore, AIA

Board Member

About Elizabeth D'Amore, AIA

Elizabeth D’Amore has worked as an architect in the Buffalo area since returning to her hometown in 2014, after working with architecture firms in Washington, DC and New York City. She is proud to have contributed to the redevelopment of Buffalo’s largest building, One Seneca Tower, since her return. Elizabeth received her Professional Bachelor of Architecture Degree from the University of Notre Dame in 2011 where she also earned a minor in Historic Preservation. She grew to appreciate quality urbanism and historic architecture during her year abroad in Rome, Italy, and subsequent travels throughout Europe.

Elizabeth began her involvement with the Buffalo Architecture Foundation as a volunteer with the Native American Programming Education event in 2016. She is currently on the BAF marketing and the 6 Minute Building Stories committees. She looks forward to sharing her love of architecture with the Buffalo community through the Buffalo Architecture Foundation.

Favorite Building in Buffalo: Hotel Lafayette

Matt Etu, PE

Board Member

Tredo Engineers

About Matt Etu, PE

Matthew is an Partner with Tredo Engineers in Buffalo, NY where he has worked since 2003 specializing in both building Structural Engineering and Civil/Site Design and Planning on a variety of municipal, commercial, educational, institutional, industrial, health care, and housing projects.

In addition to BAF, Matt is a Village of Williamsville board member, former member of the Williamsville Zoning Board of Appeals, former Chairman of The Glen Park Joint Board, and served on the subcommittee to rewrite the Zoning Ordinance for the Main Street Multi-Use District in Williamsville, NY. A native of the Buffalo area, Matt has strong ties to the community and firmly believes in community service and education. Towards that end, Matt and his daughter steward a Little Free Library to promote literacy, the love of reading and to build a sense of community in his neighborhood.

Favorite Buffalo Buildings: Guaranty Building, Buffalo City Hall, and Corpus Christi Church

Denise Juron-Borgese, AIA

Founding Board Member

Ciminelli Real Estate Corporation

About Denise Juron-Borgese, AIA

Denise joined the Ciminelli team in 2010 as Development Project Manager and was named Director of Development in 2013 and Vice President of Development & Planning in 2014. In her current role she oversees day-to-day operations of the development team and is the lead on several initiatives for Ciminelli. The scope of her responsibilities include overseeing project site planning, entitlements, presentations to the community and municipalities, design coordination and building construction.

She is a licensed Architect in New York State, earned undergraduate degrees in Architecture and English from SUNY at Buffalo, holds a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and is a LEED Accredited Professional with a specialty in Building Design and Construction. She is also an alumna of the Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart.

Denise is a founding member of the Buffalo Architecture Foundation, Inc. which she has served as a past-president and is currently on the Board of Directors. She is the recipient of the 2014 Edward B. Green Distinguished Service Award from AIA Buffalo/WNY.

Favorite Buffalo Building: Kleinhans Music Hall by Eliel and Eero Saarinen

Kailey McDermott

Board Member

Young + Wright Architectural

About Kailey McDermott

Kailey McDermott is an Architectural Designer at Young & Wright Architectural with a Masters of Architecture from the University at Buffalo. She specializes in early education and works to create dynamic learning environments for countless Western New York public schools. Kailey had the pleasure of assisting in the publication of “Urban Renewal and School Reform in Baltimore – Rethinking the 21^st Century Public School by Erkin Özay”. She thrives on collaboration with teammates, and loves exceeding clients’ expectations.

As an active member of the community, Kailey docents the annual Parkside Tour of Homes for the Parkside Community Association and volunteers as marketing coordinator for the annual Taste of Buffalo Festival, the largest two-day food festival in the United States. Residing in the Lower Westside Village, she can be found participating in the clean-ups of the downtown area through the Buffalo-Niagara Waterkeeper. Kailey has been a board member for the Buffalo Architecture Foundation since 2020, and plans to continue her involvement within the community. She is a Buffalo native aspiring to make her mark on the city during its unprecedented renaissance

Favorite Buffalo Buildings: Buffalo Connecticut Street Armory, General Electric Tower, and The Richardson Olmsted Campus.

Jennifer McQuilkin

Board Member

CCNY

About Jennifer McQuilkin

Jennifer is an Evaluation Associate at Community Connections of New York (CCNY), a local nonprofit management services organization. In her role as a program evaluator, she leverages design thinking and research methods to help clients improve processes, increase positive outcomes and further community impact. Prior to her current role, Jennifer managed healthcare communications for one of the world’s leading healthcare architecture and design firms, in addition to serving as co-leader of the firm’s Women’s Forum and as a member of its Diversity + Inclusion Council.

Formally trained in design and environment-behavior research in architecture, Jennifer holds a Master of Science in Architecture (Inclusive Design concentration) and is an EDAC certified professional. She is passionate about the built environment’s ability to improve quality of life and experiences, and is committed to improving diversity, representation and inclusivity within the architecture industry. Jennifer currently serves on the Buffalo Architecture Foundation’s Marketing Committee, the Buffalo Niagara Partnership’s Diversity + Inclusion Council, and the Western New York Chapter – Alzheimer’s Association’s Advocacy Committee.

Favorite Buffalo Building: Richardson Olmsted Campus

Luke Johnson, AIA

Cheri Weatherson, AIA

Michael Reyen

LaLuce Mitchell, RA

Chris White

Courtney Creenan-Chorley, AIA

Elizabeth D'Amore, AIA

Matt Etu, PE

Denise Juron-Borgese, AIA

Kailey McDermott

Jennifer McQuilkin

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