In this episode, we’re talking with Valarie Franklin, an architect, and Senior Associate at the 2021 Firm of the Year, Moody Nolan. Valarie is founding member and immediate past chapter President of the Nashville Chapter of the National Organization for Minority Architects, otherwise known as NOMAnash. Valarie is a Tuskegee University graduate with over 21 years of experience and a portfolio of healthcare, corporate, religious, and institutional architectural design. 

 A native Nashvillian, Valarie serves on Metro Development and Housing Agency’s (MDHA) Design Review Committee and the Plumbing Board of Appeals. Valarie strives to continually be an asset, voice, and sounding board for minorities in our city. Valarie also serves on the Board of Directors for AIA Tennessee and the Civic Design Center, and she has been recognized by AIA National as a Citizen Architect.​

Valarie took time out of her jam-packed schedule to talk with us over Zoom about her COVID year, the decision to homeschool, and how she makes the most of her most valuable resource - time.

In this episode, we’re talking with Kim Hawkins, founding principal at Hawkins Partners, Inc. HPI is a leading landscape architecture and planning firm based here in Nashville. Kim’s commitment is to cultivate community through thoughtful, informed design that enhances the human experience. 

Kim has been an active part of the community throughout her career.  Notably, she was the founding president of the Nashville Civic Design Center in 2000 and has served on numerous boards and commissions. She is the current Governance Chair and outgoing District Chair of the 800 member Urban Land Institute – Nashville, and a member of Leadership Nashville class of 2002. Kim has been named as a top 100 Power Leader in Nashville for several years, and we have to agree.

Hawkins Partners has been involved with several award-winning projects in green infrastructure and sustainable site planning and design in the southeast, including Riverfront Park and Ascend Amphitheater. Hawkins Partners also led the Metro Nashville Parks and Greenways Master Plan. In our conversation with Kim, we heard the best definition of a landscape architect, and about the benefits of forest bathing.

In this episode, we’re talking with Gary Gaston, the CEO of the Civic Design Center here in Nashville. Their mission is to advocate for civic design visions and actionable change in communities to improve quality of life for all.

As CEO, Gary has helped lead numerous planning and design efforts for the Design Center, including its visionary The Plan of Nashville: Avenues to a Great City, published in 2005. He is co-author of two books, Moving Tennessee Forward: Models for Connecting Communities, and Shaping the Healthy Community: The Nashville Plan. It’s evident that Gary is all about designing a better future for Tennessee.

As you’ll hear, Gary’s been through it this year. We’ll talk about weathering a tornado, rebuilding after the downtown bombing, and the importance of taking time for the people you care about.

Nashville is no stranger to disasters and challenges, but 2020 was a particularly tough year.
From tornadoes and flooding to a global pandemic and terror attack, our beloved city has been through it. What have we learned over the past year? How will we bounce forward and build back stronger? In a new podcast series, AIA Middle Tennessee is exploring how Nashville can be more resilient through business and practice, the built environment, and community and culture. In this premiere episode, our panel will share what they’ve learned over the past two years, how they’ve adapted in their work and communities, and how we can all work together to build a more resilient city.

Join hosts Amy Hardin and Kelsey Oesmann as they chat with guests Joseph Cole, Erika Taylor, Betsy Littrell and Logan Crowell in a live podcast recording during Nashville Design Week 2021.

Get ready for a podcast about the lessons we’ve learned since 2020, and how we can build more resilient communities in Middle Tennessee.