Katherine Austin, AIA
AIAO At-Large Director
Hello, I’m Kathy Austin, and I’m your newest At-Large Member of the Board. I was licensed in 1991 in California after graduating from UCLA in 1986 with an M Arch. I’m currently licensed in Oregon after moving here six years ago to Bend. Though I moved here from CA I was born in Maryland and raised primarily in Alexandria VA. I have a BFA and MFA in painting from Boston University.
I have a long history with AIA, having joined in 1991. I served 5 years on the Housing Knowledge Community at National and then 3 more years on the Board Knowledge Committee. I am a past President of the Redwood Empire Chapter and served on the California Board representing my Chapter. This past Grassroots was my 10th. So I’m a bit of an AIA nerd, if you will. One of the main reasons I’ve been a long-time AIA member is for its advocacy for our profession.
Advocacy and its impact on our profession is a significant part of my being. I am currently on the Bend Section’s Leadership and have been on the City of Bend’s Affordable Housing Advisory Committee for four years. Bend members may recall that I helped put on a couple of programs on Affordable Housing as that has been my focus since starting my own practice in 1995.
In addition to my AIA involvement, I’ve been a Planning Commissioner, City Councilor and former Mayor of the small town of Sebastopol in California. I understand deeply the connection between our state and local laws pertaining to land use and its impact on our profession. I am part of a stakeholder group in Bend re-writing our zoning code to meet HB2001 to allow for the missing middle housing we so greatly need. I know what is coming to all of our cities in Oregon and would like to help where possible as a resource to our members. Additionally, I sit on the board of Housing for All - a Central Oregon group dedicated to all issues around housing affordability. We advocate locally and support State Legislation that impacts Housing.
So yes, I do have a practice, but as I get older I’m in a position to work more part-time. My most recent work is in that missing middle type of housing. I work on live/work, cottage clusters, town homes, mixed-use and small lot subdivisions. I’ve designed homeless shelters, multi-family affordable housing, self-help build homes, senior housing and Habitat for Humanity homes, all at a higher density. My nickname in CA was Dr. Density.
On the State Board I have advocated to start a Housing and Community Development Committee patterned after the National Knowledge Community. We have had one informal meeting for those interested. I hope to grow interest in the group and help advocate for issues on Housing for our members. I am also the liaison for the Committee on Local Affairs and lead that group in Bend. I believe there will be times for crossover between those two committees and with the Legislative Affairs Committee. Synergy is our friend.
I’d like to see more involvement from our membership in Advocacy for our profession. I hope that I can serve as a resource to our membership in that regard. If you are interested in joining our Housing and Community Development Committee or forming a Committee on Local Affairs please get in touch with me directly or through Kathy Wendland. Our voices are respected by our elected officials; we are recognized as experts in our field. You shouldn’t be so busy with work that you don’t look up and examine how you can impact our entire built environment with your Advocacy. I hope you will join me in that effort.
Katherine Austin, AIA, Architect