Joy joined McMillan Pazdan Smith in 2022 to play a key leadership role in supporting various studio teams committed to serving the CSRA and broader communities of the region. She offers a wealth of knowledge in master planning and design — including hospitality, multifamily, and healthcare. Joy is passionate about fostering a healthy work culture and mentoring emerging architects. An alumnus of the Christopher Kelley Leadership Development Program (CKLDP), Joy serves on the Historic Augusta Board of Trustees, and the Westabou Montessori School Board of Directors.

Marissa seamlessly integrates her architectural passion with technological expertise, ensuring a comprehensive approach to diverse projects. Proficient in cutting-edge production software, she navigates seamlessly across project types, from hospitality to multi-family high-rise and higher-education athletic facilities. Marissa’s growth mindset and collaborative approach enhance each project, emphasizing transparency and communication. Beyond her architectural career, she launched the tech company Toss, showcasing skills in rapid prototyping, UI/UX, and project management, with the app now available for download on Apple and Android app stores.

Ai-Lien Vuong, a three-time Georgia Tech alum, holds degrees in Architecture, Architectural History, Integrative Biology, Architecture, and City & Regional Planning with a focus on Urban Design. Passionate about community service, she’s involved in various alumni and professional groups, including AIA-Georgia Equity in Architecture and NOMA-Atlanta. Serving as an At-Large Director on the AIA-Georgia Board, Ai-Lien advocates for mass transit, affordable housing, urban design, and sustainable development. With a diverse professional background in public and private sectors, she currently works as an Architect at HOK, contributing to projects in higher education, science & technology, adaptive reuse, historic preservation, healthcare, affordable housing, and transit-oriented development.

Christian Sottile, architect and urban designer, serves as a professor at the Savannah College of Art and Design and is the principal of Sottile & Sottile, an architectural firm in Savannah, Georgia. His expertise lies in civic design, master planning, urban analysis, and community-wide engagement with a focus on historic research. With degrees from SCAD and Syracuse University, Sottile has garnered over 50 awards, including international recognition from the Congress for the New Urbanism, the American Planning Association, and the AIA. Recognized as one of the top 100 academics in the nation by USA Today, he is also a member of the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB).

Will Stanford became part of BTBB in 2012, relocating from Montgomery, Alabama, to Macon. Designated Principal in 2015, he has excelled as a Project Manager, leading Design Teams and managing on-site construction from start to finish. Will’s expertise encompasses project cost estimating, construction document production, and job administration. A graduate of Mississippi State University, he holds a Bachelor of Science in Architecture. He currently serves on the AIA Middle Georgia Board executive committee.

Hailing from Turkey, Gulcin pursued architecture at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University in Istanbul and earned a master’s degree from the Southern California Institute of Architecture in Los Angeles. With a 13-year career spanning California and Georgia, the architect, now based in Atlanta since 2019 and part of The Beck Group, focuses on design-build projects in healthcare and higher education. Actively involved in CKLD 2023 Class and the Equity in Architecture Committee, they advocate for positive change through thoughtful design and professional equity. Gulcin’s multicultural background enables empathy and understanding, while her commitment to promoting women in architecture stems from personal experiences as a female architect and mother.

Ryan R. Murphy, AIA, defies conventional architecture career paths, embodying a civil servant and citizen architect. Serving nearly a decade in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, he contributed to critical projects in Afghanistan, addressing infrastructure challenges in a woman-led police department. Post-military, Murphy founded Shamrock+, integrating technology like drones and LiDAR into architectural processes. A 2020 graduate of AIA Georgia’s Christopher Kelley Leadership Program, he chaired the program in 2022, focusing on diversity and inclusion. Committed to advancing the profession, Murphy shares expertise through courses on emerging technologies in AEC.