Kathryn Dethier, RA, NCIDQ, LEED GA

Kathryn Dethier is Chair of the Design Department at Moore College of Art & Design, a private college of art and design in Center City, Philadelphia where she has taught since 2009. She is an accomplished scholar, administrator and full professor in the fields of architecture and interior design. Kathryn joined Moore after having taught and served in administrative roles for more than a decade at Drexel University and Philadelphia University.

As an active volunteer with Philadelphia’s Community Design Collaborative, Kathryn curated Storefront Stories, a retrospective exhibit of the Storefront Challenge bi-annual competitions that was exhibited at the Center for Architecture. She managed the architectural team that produced the Conceptual Design for Creating a Sense of Place on the North 22nd Street Corridor and has worked to restore and revitalize urban corridors through the design of several storefront projects.

Dethier’s interests include sustainable design, an enduring and evolving topic critical to the practice of architecture, and the intersection of design and humanitarian action for crisis responses to disasters, migration and immigration.

She holds an MS in Architecture and Urban Design from Columbia University, a BFA in Architecture from the Rhode Island School of Design and a BS from Cornell University.

Michael Spain, Assoc. AIA, NOMA

Michael Spain is a practicing designer and educator whose career spans over three decades, having worked in some of Philadelphia’s most noted architectural firms. Michael, who received his Bachelor of Architecture from Cornell University’s College of Architecture Art and Planning, has been instrumental in the design, development, and execution of a wide range of architectural project types and sizes.

For 15 years, Michael served as an Adjunct Professor of Architectural Design at Jefferson Universities College of Architecture and the Built Environment, where he received the Distinguished Adjunct Faculty Award in 2005. He continues to serve as a student advisor, guest lecturer, and critic.

Michael actively contributes his talents and exhibits his dedication tot he design and architectural communities by having served on several boards and committees, including Co-Chair of the Design Committee, Associate Chair of The Philadelphia Chapter of the AIA. and Founding Board Member of The Philadelphia Charter School of Architecture and Design. He is a member of the Advisory Council of the volunteer on various initiatives. Michael also Co-Chairs the Center for Architecture and Design’s AIE Program and has co-chaired, facilitated, and/or participated in several public charrettes. In 2019, Michael received the Philadelphia AIA Chapter’s Thomas U Walter Award recognizing the contributions to the architectural community through his service to the American Institute of Architects and other related professional organizations.

As a member of the Philadelphia chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects, (Phila NOMA) Michael has served as President, Educational Chair, Director of C.A.M.P Sustainability, a youth program exposing students to the design professions.

Walt Geiger, AIA, FARA, PE-R,

Walt Geiger degreed in architectural engineering, architecture and landscape architecture, has approached his 45 year career with the approach of a client-centric collaboration with architects, planners, landscape architects, artists, engineers, scientists, graphic artists, lighting specialists, preservationists and over 30 other specially consultants on complex, innovative and highly integrated projects.

His work has focused in Asia for the past decade. Recent projects include destination resorts, entertainment parks and attractions, mixed-use, commercial, corporate headquarters and government and projects. His notable Asian projects are Tongluo Shan Mining National Park, Chongqing, Jiayu Cinema and Commercial destination, Chengdu; Fuzhou Strait Intangible Cultural Heritage Ecological Park, Fuzhou; Tongda International Center, Xiamen; China Mobile Beijing IT Park, Beijing; Minqiao Center, Fuzhou; C&G Internal Center, Xiamen; Chengdu Panda Town, Chengdu; Shenyang International New Town, Shenyang; Yeutan Street, Beijing; Hanking Center, Shenzhen, Dingfeng International Center, Xiamen and R&F Jiangwan New Town, Harbin.

Domestic project include the Disney Village Marketplace in Lake Buena Vista, FL., St. Joe’s Pier Park in Panama City Beach FL., Terminator II: 3D Battle Across Time attraction in Universal Studios FL, Hollywood, NASCAR’s Hall of Fame in Daytona Beach, FL. and Destination Space Campus, Dulles, VA.

As a Juror Walt critiques all submissions from 1) a contextual standpoint, 2) the successful achievement of a submitter’s written parti, 3) an appropriate, tempered applications of materials, finishes and colors, 4) a long-term approach to sustainability to the form, its operations and impact on the environment.