The Team

  • SOPHIA XIAO-FAN AUSTRINS

    Architect

    Sophia seeks to share the power of the built environment with communities who have been left out of our design processes; not only because they deserve to create their own futures, but also to find the moments of delight and community growth that the act of designing together can create. As a practicing artist and musician, she brings an attention to craft and choreography to all her work regardless of scale or medium. Projects by the community and for the community are her passion. She also finds delight in working with larger clients to challenge the status quo and improve their processes to better meet the needs of communities they serve.

  • BRYAN BRADSHAW

    Designer

    Bryan Bradshaw is a designer who brings transparency and collaboration to Colloqate’s processes. His collective design approach acknowledges historical disparities and advocates for elevating voices that have been marginalized in traditional design processes, continually spreading resources to those that do not share the same privileges as others. In addition, Bryan’s art background brings a level of craft and sculptural creativity to our work.

  • ANGELA FRENCH

    Finance

    Angela French provides mission driven accounting services through the support of local nonprofits and startups. Her work enables us to continue to grow Colloqate while also setting a foundation for other Design Justice organizing and advocacy, including work with the Design as Protest Collective and Dark Matter University.

  • KARIM HASSANEIN

    Co-Director, Storytelling & Communications

    Karim Hassanein is an interdisciplinary, values-driven design professional committed to supporting civic engagement and creating a more just world in everything he does. He works and thinks at multiple scales, from storytelling to event coordination to urban design, with a commitment to excellence and tangible positive outcomes for the organizations and communities he serves. Karim is motivated by hope for a liberated future, and to democratize organizational structures. All of this is fueled by his love of complexity and the ways that embracing uncertainty can lead to radical change.

  • BRYAN LEE JR.

    Founder, Design Principal

    Bryan Lee is an architect and national Design Justice Advocate with over a decade of experience in the field of architecture. He is the founding organizer of the Design Justice Platform and organized the Design As Protest National Day of Action. Bryan has led two award-winning architecture and design programs for high school students through the Arts Council of New Orleans and the National Organization of Minority Architects. He works to give people and practices tools to pursue Design Justice themselves.

  • DR. AMINA MASSEY

    Design Justice Organizer

    Amina D. Massey, Ph.D. is a medical sociologist and community organizer committed to developing and implementing adaptable strategies for positive social transformation. She has worked with academic and medical institutions, non-profit organizations, researchers, urban planners, policy makers, and artists to establish accountable partnerships and collaborations. Amina’s work and research has employed creative and participatory methodologies to illuminate shared meanings and experiences, expand access to social resources, and foster equitable communities.

  • TINA TAEB

    Designer

    Tina Taeb is a designer with experience in mutual aid and Disability Justice and a strong drive for clarity and delight in graphics as artifacts of communication. She challenges injustice and oppression that is manifested through the built environment by prioritizing the needs and narratives of impacted communities, and approaches design as a tool for collective liberation. She is passionate about being a conduit for human connection and joy by building and fostering authentic relationships personally and professionally.

  • NATALIA REVELO LA ROTTA

    Designer

    Natalia Revelo La Rotta, a Colombian-born designer challenges inequality and injustice through an interdisciplinary perspective that seeks to uproot oppressive policy, honor cultural practices and relationships. She strengthens Colloqate’s vision of working at the intersection of organizing, advocacy, and design through a holistic view that sees the urgent necessity for each part in support of the other. In her project work, she brings in colloquial knowledge and embraces the idea of the pluriverse, where there is more than one unravelment to any challenge.

  • LELUND MARZELL

    Operations

    Lelund Marzell puts his heart into helping people with whatever resources are available both within and outside of the office. Lelund supports Colloqate’s ability to rethink the design process and implement creative practices that heal and empower communities while breaking systemic oppression for marginalized groups including people of color and those with limited financial resources.

  • MAHALAH LEWIS

    Operations

    Mahalah has brought a social justice lens to the work of architecture and design from early on while participating in and directing camps for Project Pipeline, a program where students identify needs in their communities and help them design buildings fulfilling that need. Her work at Colloqate enables us to continuously improve our own internal processes and seek justice with our clients for the communities we serve.

  • KALIN NORMAN

    Visual Video Storyteller

    Kalin Norman is a New Orleans native and visual video storyteller. His goal is to shed light on the conditions and experiences of communities, and those who work to improve them. Growing up in southern Louisiana, Kalin witnessed firsthand the impact of design on communities of color, and how even the smallest changes can have lasting effects. Through his video work, Kalin aims to inspire hope and motivate people to take action and do their part in creating a better future.

  • KATHERINE MARPLE

    Designer

    Katherine Marple weaves her passion for culture, history, and storytelling into a design practice that seeks to uplift community voices and advocate for imagining and building community-centric futures. This comes with a love for graphic design and spatial design that tells a story. Her narrative-based approach supports Colloqate’s design process that is rooted in place and building relationships with the folks we are working with.

  • PAGE COMEAUX

    Page Comeaux is a registered architect and organizer, deeply committed to creating design practices that foster justice, equity, and community empowerment. Through his work, he engages with communities impacted by systemic violence and social injustices, and is passionate about translating these experiences into liberatory design processes. Page’s design philosophy aligns with the values of Colloqate, as he seeks to integrate history, land, power, race, and ecology into every stage of the design process.

  • ELIZABETH CHEN

    Alumni

  • JOHN LUDLAM

    Alumni

Community Design Advocate Alumni

  • MULTNOMAH COUNTY LIBRARY

    Portland, OR

    CDA #1, Bethlehem Daniel, Anabertha Alvarado Martinez, Anthony Deloney, Athena Rilatos, Dominique Garcia, Isa Ruelas, Jay Tang, Jess Smith-Carlock, Jenica Ocker, Marih Alyn-Claire, Miguel Rodriguez, Som Subedi, Sophie Garcia

  • JEFFERSON HIGH SCHOOL

    Portland, OR

    Soap Box Theory (Cleo Davis, Kayin Talton-Davis), Dominique Garcia, Anita Mason, Meera Bowman-Johnson, Michael Stevenson, Taeviondre Thomas, Michael Bernard Stevenson, Jr.

  • NATURE IN NEIGHBORHOODS

    Hillsboro, OR

    Katherine Ingraham, Brandon Culbertson, James Abrecht, Daria Bigham, Patricia Kepler, Centro Cultural, Beaverton Black Parents Union (BBPU)

  • CBSE

    Portland, OR

    Syncier Sevier, Michelle Yemaya Benton, Gabrielle Riley, Mims Rouse

  • CID

    New Orleans, LA

    Sue Press, Polo Silk, Teresa Thomas, Cherise Lockett

  • STORIA-DELTA

    New Orleans, LA

    Ginny Hanusik, Shawn "Pepper" Roussel, Jessi Parfait,

  • MSI

    St. Louis

    Jada Scaife, Diedre Wortham, Inez Bordeaux

  • TRINITI PARK CONSERVANCY

    Texas

    Brian Washington, Jason Hernandez, Olinka Green, Arthur Aguiano, Richard "Chico" Smith, Ruhma Syeda, Tiara Cooper, Tisha Crear

The Board

WHO WE’VE WORKED WITH

  • NEW ORLEANS, LA

    Partner Organizations

    Save Our Soul, The Historic New Orleans Collection, Studio Be/Eternal Seeds, Paper Machine, Prospect New Orleans

    Clients

    Jane Place, The Promise of Justice Initiative

  • PORTLAND, OR

    Partner Organizations

    Imagine Black, Greater Good Northwest, Soul Restoration Center

    Clients

    De Rose Community Bridge, Multnomah County Library, Portland Public Schools, York Collective, Portland Community College

    Partner Firms

    Bora Architecture + Interiors, Lever Architects, Mahlum Architects, OPSIS Architecture, Walker Macy Landscape Architecture, PLACE Studio

  • ST. LOUIS, MO

    Partner Organizations

    Black Arc
    Public Design Bureau
    Dark Matter Facilitation

    Clients

    City of St. Louis

  • PHILADELPHIA, PA

    Partner Organizations

    Dark Matter University
    Community Design Collaborative

  • NEW YORK, NY

    Partner Organizations

    Architecture Research Office (ARO) SCAPE Landscape Architecture

  • DALLAS, TX

    Partner Organizations

    Trinity Park Conservancy

  • NATIONAL

    National Organization of Minority Architects

  • Olympia, WA

    Partner Organizations

    ABLE Studio

FUNDERS