Donna thrives at giving the ordinary – extra attention to obtain extraordinary results. This has been a career-long journey, executed one day at a time, in the art of growing a meaningful and productive creative practice. Her clients are exceptional people, and the exchange of ideas and knowledge with them affords her the audience and fellowship she enjoys today. As VIA’s founding principal she has learned that creativity is not a talent but rather is a way of operating. This is her art and the genesis of her design energies.
She guides the firm’s strategic planning efforts and has transitioned VIA design into a firm in which clients seek out. Her work portfolio, inclusive of many building types, includes those within the ecology of urban redevelopment, the exploration of twenty-first-century research and learning environments, and the complexity of waterfront floodplain sites. Her passion for these 3 forward-thinking focuses has positioned VIA as a leading firm in the industry. To this note, VIA defines resilience differently than most, as their inspirations and motivations are focused on the future and “next time” with the notion of doing it better to last longer.
Donna is a known leader within her community and the architectural profession and she is recognized as such with an AIA Fellowship. Her commitments and influences are evident in the many positions held as Chair of multiple civic boards, arts boards, AIA committees, and City Council-appointed boards. She drives a positive firm culture and the vision for the firm’s future-forward as a business model. She is often called to make inspirational presentations on firm ownership and speak at industry conferences to demystify the value of the design profession. Her passion and relentless pursuit of design excellence continues to lead to AIA jury invitations for the work of students, design professionals, and civic design awards programs.
“I’ve always enjoyed the endless pursuit of doing what you love and the resilience it brings as leadership is not about having great ideas; it is about ensuring light is brought to the best ideas and they are allowed to emerge.”
Where did you go to architecture school?
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Bachelor of Architecture, 1983.
What do you think it takes to be an architect?
Behavioral Practices:
- A constant keen awareness of your surroundings and an aptitude for patience with the notion of making the built environment different
- A creative, flexible mind willing to take risks
- The ability to tease out the unspoken intentions of key objectives
- Intuition
- Grit and “stick-to-it-ness”
- Humility
- Humor
- Compassion
- Good Energy
- A laser-sharp future focus
Is there an architect that particularly inspires you?
Alvar Aalto. His work is masterful with form, light, and finish. Studying his work while in school hugely inspired my early career and I still find that influence emerging in various projects today.
What are you currently reading?
I am continually in the middle of several writings that help me organize my current thought trends and stimulate future ones: A Clearing in the the Distance, by Witold Rybczynski, illuminates Frederick Law Olmstead’s role as a major cultural figure at the epicenter of nineteenth-century American history. I have been an outdoor sportsman: fishing, hunting, hiking, and observer of the patterns and beauty of nature on any given day or in any weather condition. These landscapes, through seasonal change, fascinate me; so does the life story of Olmstead. His story and influences are powerful in that he was a landscape architect before the profession was established. Moon Magic, by Diane Ahlquist: Clearly, the Moon is much more than something interesting to look at in the sky! It is powerful and impactful, mystical, and an influence to pay very close attention. Comfortable with Uncertainty, by Pema Chödrön: 108 teachings on cultivating fearlessness and compassion.
What’s the best meal you’ve ever had?
There is continually one more “best ever” occurrence. Frankly, I have lost track! My husband and I love to cook, experiment in the kitchen, and test-drive new recipes on our family and friends. Our outdoor-adventuring lifestyle procures all the game and seafood that lands on our table without exception or waste. To this notion, managing our 3 freezers provide a diverse array of fowl, seafood, and large game. Our feathered friends are duck, brandt, geese, doves, quail, pheasant, and rails. Our antlered friends are white-tail and mule deer, elk, antelope, caribou and moose. We have even ventured with musk ox and grizzly from the more extreme hunts. The fin and shellfish catches are eaten mostly fresh to avoid too much locker time of which may include, striper, trout, tuna, mahi mahi, wahoo, blue crab, and clams.
With all this, I do believe our local dish called “Crab Norfolk” trumps all! Our home has thus been nicknamed “Hook Hoof & Claw” and our table guests are always on standby.
Why do you volunteer with AIA?
I returned home from my first architectural work experience at Bürgin & Nissen in Basel, Switzerland in 1984. At that time, I did not have any local architectural friends or established pathways to connect with other architects. A TGIF event introduced me to the AIA, and this was the beginning of my new network. Through this connection, my eyes were opened to the greater possibilities within our profession, leadership opportunities, meaningful social exposures and influences, and the concept of building my tribe of mentors. I was on my way because of the AIA. I appreciate and I am grateful for the constant voice which protects and upholds the importance of our role in our communities and in volatile political arenas. Double standards are not welcome and all are encouraged to continually raise the bar in professional performance and service. The separation between professional and private life is basically a blur when you are an architect and the AIA grooms and promotes model citizen behavior to help you calmly align this journey. Their Code of Ethics has been a guiding light in my career and I have always received more than I have given by adhering to this Canon. Thank you AIA!
