Born on a small Azorean Island called Graciosa, my front yard views were to the scenic mountainside of our dormant volcano. From our back yard were wide open views to the horizon on the Atlantic ocean. The natural beauty of the island sharply contrasts to the rigors of daily life and the grit of its hardworking citizens. Seeing the value of leading by doing, recognizing and embracing the challenges, and continuously striving to push ahead has served me well. I completed a rigorous 7 year program at the Boston Architectural College while working full time at Shepley Bulfinch Richardson and Abbott. Following graduation, I was promoted to Associate at SBRA and worked on large Healthcare, Academic and Science projects for a total of 13 years. Wanting to explore different projects types, I moved on to cbt architects where I worked as a Lead Designer for 14 years.

My role at cbt architects was to help push the design direction for multiple project types of all shapes and sizes. As a Lead Designer and Associate Principal I learned the importance of implementing a thoughtful and systematic design process. It has been an honor and privilege to have collaborated with many talented, creative, and truly inspiring colleagues while at Shepley Bulfinch and cbt architects over the past 28 years. The insight and drive my colleagues and students shared with me renewed my desire to redirect my career and set a new business model. I left cbt architects to pursue those goals.

jmb-designstudio is guided by the belief that we should inspire the creative environment that we inhabit everyday! Every project has the potential to be special and that genuine collaboration should serve as the basis for working. My passion is to help guide the design process through defining and setting clear project objectives, understanding the constraints, challenges and opportunities and collectively developing creative solutions to maximize project value.

I work individually on smaller projects but have a network of talented architects, Interior Designers, Artists and Builders that I am collaborating with. This flexible structure allows us to be lean and nimble with our projects. We leverage technology to work and meet remotely, and continually push for best outcomes.