Principal, Holmes Structural

Katy has been involved with AIA SF and CREWSF to promote equity in the profession. Katy is in a unique position in that she is part of Holmes Management team and was able to implement the in-house equity research project related to salary, years to promotion as it relates to gender. Now well established this tool is utilized each year to verify equity and avoid implicit bias as it relates to overall compensation and promotion.  Katy works with the management team to identify areas to open doors and encourage the promotion and development of women in the field which is still dominated numerically by men. Katy has been involved in the expansion of the company to other cities and the mentoring of staff.  Katy is a trained architect who now is a Principal in the firm in the related field of structural engineering.

Senior Associate, Ogletree Deakins

Michael Thomas is a Senior Associate with Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Steward P.C in Los Angeles - a global management side labor and employment law firm.  Michael represents employers in both class action lawsuits and single-plaintiff litigation including discrimination and harassment claims. He is also a member of Ogletree’s Pay Equity group where he regularly conducts pay equity audits and provides advice, counseling and workplace trainings on issues involving diversity and inclusion, and unconscious bias.  Michael has a Bachelor of Arts from Bucknell University and a Juris Doctorate from Boston College Law School. Michael has also studied yoga, meditation and mindfulness.  Michael is a recipient of the 2018 American Arbitration Association Higginbotham Fellowship and was recently selected by the National Bar Association as one of the Top 100 African-American Attorneys.

Architect, Pivot Architecture

Karen E. Williams is consistently working to educate people about the inner benefits of the architecture community. She is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Oregon where she teaches Revit and Professional Practice. As a means to be professional example, Karen is on the AIA-SWO board and supports STAnDD a local student group. She joined PIVOT Architecture in 2014 as a Project Architect after practicing on the east coast for 9 years.

Karen has been active in the Southwestern Oregon chapter of the American Institute of Architects. She has been instrumental in the design and construction of Howard Elementary and River Road Elementary. In 2014, Karen was honored as the Young Architect of the Year by the American Institute of Architects.