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Joel Mills
Director, Communities by Design
joelmills@aia.org
Joel Mills serves as director of the AIA Center for
Communities by Design, the primary resource for
architects and citizens interested in building healthy,
sustainable, safe, and livable communities. Under his leadership,
the AIA Center for Communities by Design is at the forefront of the
AIA’s organization-wide initiative conducting local-level
targeted outreach, issues advocacy, resource development, and case
study collection that is slated for the coming years.
His experience includes community-based technical assistance,
process design, facilitation and training across a number of fields
including juvenile justice reform, local government, education,
family strengthening, civic media and emergency management. During
the 1990s, Joel spent several years supporting international
democratization initiatives by providing technical assistance to
parliaments, political parties, local governments, and civic and
international organizations. His scope of work included
constitutional design and governing systems, voter and civic
education, election monitoring and administration, political party
training and campaign strategy, collaborative governance, human
rights, and civil society capacity building. He maintains active
memberships in the International Association of Facilitators (IAF),
the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2), and
the Mid-Atlantic Facilitators Network. He also serves on several
public and private boards.
Marsha Garcia
Manager, Outreach
mgarcia@aia.org
Marsha serves as the primary link between the Center for
Communities by Design and all AIA components, communicating and
coordinating Center activities with local components and monitoring
local component activities related to the mission of the
Center. She coordinates the Center’s outreach efforts
with AIA Component Relations and AIA Marketing & Promotion
departments. Her vast community outreach experience and
ability to convert underserved constituencies with local community
design initiatives makes Marsha an invaluable resource for the
future of the Center and its programs.
Previous to the AIA, Marsha was the Senior Coordinator of
Professional Development at the University of Oregon’s
Ecological Design Center at the School of Architecture and Allied
Arts. Prior to that role, she worked as the Assistant Manager, LEED
Workshops at the U.S. Green Building Council. She has also worked
as an interior design assistant at Bartelomei & Co., a high-end
residential firm in Georgetown, and as a meeting planner for the
National Wildlife Federation. Marsha holds a Bachelor degree from
Drew University in New Jersey and is currently pursuing her Master
of Environmental Science and Planning degree at Johns Hopkins
University.
Erin Simmons
Director, Design Assistance
esimmons@aia.org
Erin Simmons leads selected
initiatives involving community outreach and facilitation to foster
leadership opportunities for AIA members, AIA local components, and
the public. She focuses on the relationship-building aspects of
creating healthy, sustainable, safe, and livable communities. Erin
manages the design assistance programs offered through the Center
including Sustainable Design Assessment Team (SDAT) and Regional
and Urban Design Assistance Team (R/UDAT) programs.
Erin holds a Master’s degree in Historic Preservation from
the University of Georgia, College of Environment and Design.
She earned her BA degree in history from Florida State University.
Before joining the AIA Erin was senior architectural historian and
historic preservationist with Terracon Consultants, Inc., in
Duluth, Ga. Prior to Terracon Consultants, Inc. she served as a
historic resource surveyor in Georgia.
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