The Design Collaborative Team

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Our Team

CUA DC Projects

Mission Based Outreach

Faculty

Tonya Ohnstad, director

Program Lead and Project Manager, Visiting Assistant Professor

Current Projects: Kakenya Center for Excellence, Settles Harper Gallery, Unity Day Clinic

Upcoming Projects: Oneness Montessori School, Dance Theater, Haitian Community Center

Tonya Ohnstad is a designer and educator based in Washington DC. Her professional focus, as a practitioner and professor, is understanding the expanding role of the designer as a global citizen in an era of massive change. She is interested in the intersection and innovations between natural construction and new technologies.

Tonya has worked on design projects across the world. Impact work has long been a focus, she is excited to have the opportunity to serve these communities and to share her expertise with architectural interns in the process.

Georgeanne Matthews
Georgeanne Matthews is a practicing architect and has a PhD in Urban Planning and a Masters in Architecture. In addition to teaching architecture and urban design, she has been active in the profession with projects focusing on public architecture and community planning. Her portfolio includes library design, community centers, college campus planning and K-12 education. She has served as a studio design critic at the graduate and undergraduate level and led seminar courses in real estate development and urban practice for architects. Georgeanne worked with the the National Mayor's Institute for City Design creating strategies for resilient and adaptive community design. She received a research fellowship to study urban design and creative housing typologies that support collective living. Georgeanne Matthews has received degrees in architecture and urban design from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Maryland.

Student Interns

Andrew Masison
Unity Health Clinic: Adam’s Place Day Center Summer 2020

Settles Harper Gallery: Native American Gallery

“Architecture is not just about building. It's a means of improving people’s quality of life.” - Diebedo Francis Kere
Anna Paviglianiti

Unity Health Clinic: Adam’s Place Day Center Summer 2020

Settles Harper Gallery: Native American Gallery

“It is not about how much you do, but how much love you put into what you do that counts.” -Mother Teresa
Julia Pryor

Kakenya Center for Excellence Library 2020

Julia Pryor is inspired by impact design and hopes to expand her knowledge and experience this summer while working on the KCE Library.
Liz Meyer

Kakenya Center for Excellence Library 2020

Liz has a strong love for the field of architecture and has always wanted to find a way to make a difference through it.
Brianna Booth

Kakenya Center for Excellence Library 2020

Settles Harper Gallery: Native American Gallery

Brianna has always enjoyed helping others and being able to do it through architecture is an amazing opportunity.
Matthew Zernis

Unity Health Clinic: Adam’s Place Day Center Summer 2020

Settles Harper Gallery: Native American Gallery

"The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away." Pablo Piicasso
Rebecca Ambouroue

Kakenya Center for Excellence Library 2020

Rebecca is passionate about architecture that makes a difference in the communities it serves.
She hopes to expand her knowledge and share her experience along the way, which is why she
is glad to be working on KCE Library and EiA.
Schola Eburuoh

Unity Health Clinic: Adam’s Place Day Center Summer 2020

Schola really enjoys being involved in service events through Catholic University and saw CUA DC as an opportunity to combine her love for serving others with a passion for architecture and design.