Announcing the AIA Pittsburgh 2024 Board Candidates

AIA Pittsburgh’s Governance Committee undertook an open call for three new Board members for 2024. After reviewing applications against Board needs, the Governance Committee recommended the following slate of 2024 Board candidates. The slate was voted on and approved by the full fourteen member AIA Pittsburgh Board of Directors, and will be put before members in attendance at the Annual Meeting on December 7th.

Learn more about the candidates and the current Board members being elevated to Officer roles in 2024.

2024 Slate of New Board Members

Brenna Martin-Shaffer, AIA

Gensler

3-year term

Brenna has over 13 years of experience as an architect, designer, and project manager. Her diverse portfolio of work encompasses a wide range of practice areas and she has contributed to projects locally, regionally, and internationally. She has been practicing in Pittsburgh for the past decade and she joined Gensler in 2021 as a Design Manager and Architect. Brenna earned her Master of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania and her Bachelor of Architecture with a Minor in Integrative Arts from Penn State University. In 2021, Brenna was selected to join Next to Lead, a national pilot association leadership program of the AIA for ethnically diverse women in architecture. She co-chairs the AIA Pgh Advocacy Committee and was a participant in the AIA Architecture Foundation Leadership Institute for Emerging Professionals from 2017-2018. With an unwavering dedication to professional excellence, equity in the built environment, and mentorship of the next generation, Brenna is committed to evolving the profession and amplifying the value that architects bring to the table.

Chris Pless, AIA

NEXT architecture

3-year term

Chris is an experienced architect, designer and firm leader in the Pittsburgh architecture community since 2005. He joined NEXT architecture in 2011 and advanced as a principal in 2017. At NEXT, Chris is focused on client relationships, project management, conceptual design approaches and process advancements. Chris has a wide variety of project experience in the design and construction of commercial office buildings, workplaces, retail complexes, light industrial facilities, residential and mixed-use development. He is a 2006 Kent State graduate and has kept close ties with the university through teaching as an adjunct instructor in the College of Architecture and Environmental Design and invited design critiques. Chris’s wife, Rachel, is an Interior Designer at NEXT, and they share two children, Miles and Paige. Chris is an avid golfer and enjoys grilling on his Big Green Egg.

Catherine Wick, AIA

IKM Architecture

3-year term

Cat is a Project Architect with IKM, specializing in healthcare design and planning. A native of New Hampshire, Cat has called Pittsburgh home for over a decade. As a new mom, Cat enjoys spending time with her family, riding bikes, and playing tennis.

2024 AIA Pittsburgh Board Renewal

Prerana Paliwal, Assoc. AIA

Gensler

1-Year Term

Serving as a Technical Designer at Gensler working on aviation, Prerana has a rich array of project exposure in her career, including institutional buildings, multi-housing, commercial offices, and airports. A creative thinker from Pittsburgh, she is deeply passionate about crafting restorative environments.

A 2019-graduate of the Leadership Institute, in 2020 Prerana co-founded the Minority Architects of Pittsburgh Scholarship, dedicated to promoting diversity in architecture. In 2023, she took on a leadership role as an AIA board member, actively participating in the Outreach Committee and the Committee on the Environment (COTE). She is now running for her second 1-year term on the Board.