Designer. Dot Connector. Storyteller.
An architecturally-trained designer and preservationist in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Rachel is an authority influencer known for her award-winning storytelling collaborations in architecture, design, placemaking, historic preservation, spirituality, and sustainability.
Rachel's work has included historic site documentation, historic structures reports, state and national register nominations, consulting on spiritual design for varying traditions and sites around the world, architectural and landscape design, and developing community engagement pieces - including writing and filmmaking - about architecture, acequia, and trail projects. She works to confront New Mexico’s architectural mythology, as well as celebrate our thousand year tradition of sustainable design. Rachel also documents the work of mid-century modern designer Alexander Girard in New Mexico.
Rachel has done several TEDx and Pecha Kucha talks about architecture and place, and has done talks for the Creative Placemaking Leadership Summit, the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, the School for Advanced Research, AIA-Albuquerque, AIA-Santa Fe, AIA-New Mexico, and the national AIA Women’s Leadership Summit, as well as for UNM, CalPoly, Mesa State, and other institutions. Rachel has curated panels, tours, talks, magazines, and exhibits for various organizatons. She has served as a preservation commissioner in Taos, the host of the UNM-Taos Sustainability Institute, and co-host of TEDxABQWomen.
Rachel’s work has been featured on HGTV, Bravo, NMPBS, and Canadian PBS; in Reader’s Digest, Sunset, Trend, THE, Fine Art Connoisseur, and Inc. magazines. She’s been featured in numerous articles, talks, podcasts, interviews and books on design, leadership, and finding courage in difficult circumstances.
Rachel is an expert people connector and "sparkplug" who brings a new and exciting energy to everything she does. She’s also a minister, with a Unitarian focus.
And she's going blind with macular degeneration.
Education
- Masters of Architecture and Certificate in Historic Preservation, Texas A&M, 1998
- Bachelors of Environmental Design, Texas A&M, 1995
Accreditations
- Exceeds the Secretary of the Interior’s Guidelines in Historic Architecture + Architecture History
- Listed at NMSHPO as an Architectural Historian
- NCARB certified
- American Institute of Architects: Past National Associate Director - Region of the Virginias; Past Architecture Week Chair
Awards
- New Mexico Architectural Foundation Architecture + Community Award
- AIA New Mexico Leadership Award
- AIA Virginia Award of Merit for Public and Community Service
- New Mexico Women in Film Scholarship Award
- Santa Fe Mayors Sustainability Award runnerup
- Resilient Communities Award
- New Mexico Business Women of Influence Award
- Emerging Social Sector Leaders
- Recognition at South by South Lawn festival for the community impact of her work. The Obama White House.
- President's Volunteer Service Award. from George W. Bush.
- American Collegiate Schools of Architecture Award
- Consortium for the Advancement of the Arts and Education Award
Accolades
- Local Ambassador: Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative; Global Ties; Council on International Relations
- Leaders of Design Council
- Affiliate: US Department of Arts and Culture
- Official Internship Host: University of Bologna
- Women Talk Design Speakers Group
- Peer Mentor: Santa Fe Community Foundation
- Taos Historic Preservation Commission (2012-2014)
- Host: UNM-Taos Sustainability Institute
- Co-Host and Speaker Coach: TEDxABQ Women
- State Coordinator: Red Cross Wyoming Disaster Action Teams
- Preservation Fellow: Acequia Madre House
- Fellow: LT Jordan Institute
- Fellow: San Antonio Conservation Society