Some new faces and new goals - meet Ashley Morales Diaz, Sara Lotz, Janvi Kanani, and Stephanie Silva as they step into new roles on the 2025 AWA+D Executive Board. Get to know them through a Q+A, and what to look forward to!
STEPHANIE SILVA, AWA+D SECRETARY
What is your current role outside of AWA+D?
My current role outside of AWA+D is an urban ecology/design student at the University of Utah and a site civil commercial drafter at Focus Engineering.
Where is your hometown?
My hometown is Salt Lake City, Utah.
What is your favorite color?
My favorite color is blue.
What is your favorite book?
One of my favorite books is The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz.
What is your favorite food?
My favorite food is quesabirria with A LOT of spicy sauce.
What is one of your favorite design projects?
One of my favorite design projects is "The Great Salt Lake Wave" pavilion that I did for one of my architecture classes.
What is your favorite piece of advice for others the design profession?
My favorite piece of advice is based on a quote "To create, one must first question everything." — Eileen Gray.
What is one of your goals as a board member this year?
One of the goals as a board member is to understand the organization's culture and build leadership.
JANVI KANANI, AWA+D PARLIAMENTARIAN
What is your current role outside of AWA+D?
Principal Architect at ARCADIS.
Where is your hometown?
Mumbai, India.
What is your favorite color?
White.
What is your favorite book?
Backable and the Harry Potter Series.
What is your favorite food?
Any cuisine that has some spice to it.
What is one of your favorite design projects?
Singapore’s Changi Airport.
What is your favorite piece of advice for others the design profession?
Be agile. Design is never static — whether it’s new technology, shifting user needs, or changing priorities, your ability to adapt with curiosity and flexibility will define your growth.
What is one of your goals as a board member this year?
To continue growing our student chapters across Southern California.
SARA LOTZ, AWA+D VICE President
What is your current role outside of AWA+D?
Senior Project Architect at DLR Group.
Where is your hometown?
San Diego.
What is your favorite color?
Black. Always.
What is your favorite book?
The Locked Tomb Series. And anxiously awaiting the fourth book.
What is your favorite food?
French fries and chocolate ice cream.
What is one of your favorite design projects?
I worked on the Asian Leopard Exhibit at the San Diego Zoo when I was a junior designer and it is still in my portfolio and hands down one of my favorite projects I have ever worked on.
What is your favorite piece of advice for others the design profession?
Never stop learning and exploring. And get out of the office and explore another creative pursuit.
What is one of your goals as a board member this year?
I’d love to be able, as the VP, to assist the organization in furthering our professional development series and providing fun experiences and new opportunities for our members.
ASHLEY MORALES DIAZ, AWA+D President
What is your current role outside of AWA+D?
Associate/Project Manager at lewis|schoeplein architects.
Where is your hometown?
San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles.
What is your favorite color?
I go back and forth between purple and green.
What is your favorite book?
One of them is Where There Was Fire by John Manuel Arias.
What is your favorite food?
I'm always up for Korean BBQ.
What is one of your favorite design projects?
The first one that comes to mind is the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown LA.
What is your favorite piece of advice for others the design profession?
Every work or project experience is a valuable lesson, and it should teach you something about yourself as well as how to do better next time.
What is one of your goals as a board member this year?
One of my main goals is to make our incoming student chapter members feel welcomed and supported, and another would be to continue to expand our network and resources across the country at a time where people may feel alone or without hope. We have each other, and that always counts for something!