Denver Single-Stair Housing Challenge Jury Panel!

Cole Chandler, Homelessness, City and County of Denver
Michael Eliason,  Larch Lab
Lauren Folkerts, HMH Architecture + Interiors
Jon Gambrill, Gensler
Kate Hilbert, Real Estate Development, Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver
Matt Hutchins, CAST Architecture
Sean Jursnick, SAR+ Architects
Peter LiFari, Maiker Housing Partners
Terra Mazzeo, Stantec
Sarah Parady, Denver City Council
Todd Wenkoski, Livable Cities Studio

Cole Chandler is a collaborative and solutions-oriented leader working to address Denver’s housing and homelessness crisis as Mayor Mike Johnston’s Senior Advisor on Homelessness and Deputy Director of All In Mile High – Mayor Johnston’s effort to end unsheltered homelessness in Denver. Prior to joining the Johnston administration in July 2023, Cole served as the first Director of Homelessness Initiatives at the Colorado Department of Human Services, as the co-founder and Executive Director of the Colorado Village Collaborative where he developed Denver’s micro-community model, and as a live-in volunteer at the Denver Catholic Worker House where he learned about Denver’s housing and homelessness challenges firsthand from housemates coming directly from the streets. Cole holds a Master of Divinity from Baylor University where he began to embrace his lifelong passion for creating social change. He loves skiing, biking, and running, and lives in North Denver with his wife and two young sons.

Michael Eliason, R.A. is the founder of Larch Lab - an architecture and urbanism studio/'think and do' tank - focusing on housing; research and policy; decarbonized low-energy buildings; and climate adaptive urbanism. Michael is an award-winning architect specializing in mass timber, baugruppen, and ecodistricts. His career has been dedicated to advancing innovation and broadening the discourse on sustainable development, passivhaus, non-market housing, and decarbonized construction. His professional experience includes work in the US and Germany, and he is also a writer, releasing a book titled “Building for People: Designing Livable, Affordable, Low-Carbon Communities” through Island Press.

Lauren Folkerts, Boulder City Council, Architect HMH Architecture + Interiors. Originally from outside of Seattle, Lauren developed a love for architecture that harmonizes with the natural landscape, characterized by simple forms that elevate the beauty and poetry of the everyday. Her education at the University of Oregon, where she focused on sustainable design.  In 2013 she was awarded a traveling fellowship allowing her to explore Europe's most sustainable cities and study how their architecture, urban design, and culture contribute to achieving aggressive sustainability targets while enhancing quality of life.


Currently working as project manager at HMH Architecture and Interiors, Lauren's design philosophy emphasizes the integration of systems within buildings to create beautiful and timeless solutions.  Lauren's concern for community and environmental sustainability drove her to engage beyond the building industry, running for and being elected to Boulder City Council in 2021. As a council woman she has successfully advocated for zoning and occupancy changes, the first embodied carbon code in Colorado for all new construction, and enhancements to bike and pedestrian infrastructure, along with many other items.

Jon Gambrill, Architect, Co-Managing Director, Gensler. As a Co-Managing Director, Jon brings a level of leadership and guidance instrumental to the continued growth and success of Gensler’s Denver office, which will celebrated its 50th year in 2023. Recognized for his ability to challenge design teams to think outside the box, Jon is also passionate about client relationships. An award-winning architect and community leader, he is a sought-after spokesperson on the subjects of commercial building design and repositioning development. Jon is actively involved in the Colorado Chapters of AIA, NAIOP, ULI, and the Downtown Denver Partnership where he is active on the Civic Ventures Board. Jon earned his Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Cincinnati. He practiced professionally in New York, London, Chicago and Los Angeles before pursuing a Master of Architecture at the University of Illinois in Chicago and settling in Denver.

Kate Hilbert, Senior Director of Real Estate Development, Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver. Kate is the Senior Director of Real Estate Development for Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver.  Kate’s team is responsible for all land and housing acquisition, land planning and housing design, entitlements, constructability, construction project management and project financing, as well as creative partnerships in the homeownership realm.  Her tenure at Habitat has included many years overseeing the construction and construction support departments with Habitat as well.  Kate has been a leader in Habitat’s significant growth in families served over the past twelve years, more than doubling the impact achieved over the prior three decades.

Prior to being called to Habitat, Kate was a project manager for Urban Ventures, LLC, a Denver based mixed-income, mixed-use developer, developing a 230-unit student housing project at the Auraria Campus, a 53-unit mixed-income condominium project in the Rino neighborhood of Denver and an 8-unit convent for the Sisters of St. Francis, among several other condominium and commercial projects.  Volunteering with Habitat was her weekend gig. Her prior practice as an architect provided her with the experience in planning, design, entitlements, and construction administration that has served her well in her chosen career in real estate development.  Kate has been a licensed Architect in the state of Colorado and received her B.A. from St. Lawrence University and her M.Arch. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.  Kate serves as a member of the Technical Advisory Board of the City and County of Denver, the City of Littleton Housing Task Force, the City of Denver Advancing Equity in Rezoning Task force, the DEI Committee of Housing Colorado, and as the affordable homeownership appointee to the Colorado State Energy Code Board.

Matt Hutchins, AIA CPHD is a founding principal at CAST architecture, a housing advocate, Seattle Planning Commissioner, Passive House designer, policy wonk, zoning hacker, occasional professor, former design-builder and first-time developer.  He is focused on abundant housing, climate action through sustainable building and green zoning, and making cities great places for the people who live there.

CAST architecture has been designing single-stair buildings for small urban lots for more than a decade. Our first certified Passive House, the 10-unit Echo on Eastlake, is currently under construction. His self-developed Spokane Six, also under construction, is proof-of-concept for stacked flats as infill middle housing in low-density neighborhoods.

Matt is AIA Seattle's 2024-25 President, and was named one of Seattle’s Most Influential People by Seattle Magazine in 2019.

Sean Jursnick, AIA, is a licensed architect and Co-Chair of the AIA Colorado Housing Committee. A recent recipient of an Emergent Ventures grant to support building code advocacy and host a national single-stair design contest, Sean was also awarded the AIA Colorado Fisher Travel Scholarship to study smart cities’ carbon reduction efforts, has volunteered on the AIA Colorado Committee on the Environment (COTE), and Government Affairs Committee. His advocacy efforts include presenting at the AIA24 National Conference on Architecture & Design, AIA Colorado Practice + Design Conference, presenting to the Minnesota Chapter of the American Planning Association, and at YIMBYtown 2024 about efforts to reform building code to as a strategy to create more efficient and affordable housing options.

Peter F. LiFari is the Chief Executive Officer of Maiker Housing Partners, a socially conscious public housing authority, owner, operator and developer of multifamily affordable housing based in Adams County, Colorado. In his role as CEO, LiFari leads a passionate team committed to ending the cycle of generational poverty by providing individuals and families with access to affordable housing, support programs and by engaging in community development. LiFari is a compassionate visionary whose leadership style is grounded in treating individuals with empathy, warmth and grace.

Beyond his work with Maiker Housing Partners, LiFari is currently using his expertise to provide strategic guidance to Rocky Mountain Partnership, a collective impact model, as Co-Chair of their Steering Committee. Additionally, he was appointed by the Governor of Colorado to serve on the inaugural Colorado Statewide Middle Income Housing Authority Board and was recently appointed Vice Chair. LiFari is the recipient of the 2023 NAHRO Outstanding Professional of The Year Award, and past Chair of the National NAHRO Community Revitalization and Development Committee. LiFari is the current 2023 Housing Fellow and past Terry J. Stevenson Fellow at the Common Sense Institute and is frequently invited to showcase his expertise in affordable housing through local and national speaking engagements including panel discussions and podcasts.

LiFari is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. He earned his MFA from Queens College and his MBA from the Florida Institute of Technology.

Terra Mazzeo is an architect and urban designer committed to the creation of joyful cities. She is the design leader for Stantec's CoRE Architecture Studio, leads the AIA Colorado's Urban Design Committee, and advocates for policy changes to compel the creation of more equitable, beautiful and resilient cities.

Terra has extensive experience in complex projects of all scales and typologies. Her award-winning portfolio includes urban design and master planning projects, collections of commercial office, hospitality and multi-family residential projects, and research and development of factory-fabricated resilient urban housing for Denver and beyond.

Sarah Parady is a trusted advocate for economic justice and workers’ rights. In her time on Council, she has led on budget matters, labor protections, good governance, and housing policy. Sarah began her career at Colorado Legal Services, fighting to protect older Coloradoans, young families, and other vulnerable homeowners from foreclosure. She then cofounded a small public interest law firm focused on representing Denver workers.

Before being elected to Denver City Council, Sarah was a go-to resource for policymakers fighting for the constitutional, civil, and workplace rights of their constituents, and was a primary drafter of the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, which made Colorado a national leader in pay transparency. Her advocacy as an attorney led to a verdict believed to be the largest disability discrimination verdict in Colorado history, the return of hundreds of thousands of dollars of stolen wages to 200 drywall workers on a luxury condo project, a seven-figure settlement for a family injured in a mistaken police raid, and a change in nationwide policy by the Centers for Disease Control leading to coverage for mammograms for low-income trans women, among many other outcomes. Aside from her work, Sarah participates in mutual aid groups, shows up on picket lines, and mentors a broad range of young people. She has two small kids and lives in the Whittier neighborhood.

Todd Wenkoski is an urban designer with planning and redevelopment experience in both public and private sectors. Throughout his career, he has been responsible for leading multi-disciplinary teams, establishing long-range visions and guiding them through strategic implementation. He specializes in the area of complicated urban design and planning projects focused on redevelopment, mobility, public space design, community outreach and city building.

With over 20 years of planning, urban design and redevelopment experience, he has expertise in urban infill and community-building initiatives. In his previous role with the City and County of Denver, he oversaw a portfolio of planning initiatives and capital projects totaling over $100 million in public investment of new parks, riverfronts and multi modal infrastructure.

Todd also served as the City’s Principal Urban Designer where he focused on citywide urban design and plan implementation initiatives. Todd’s international experience includes projects in China, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates where he focused on large-scale urban redevelopments, waterfronts, parks and plazas. In the United States, his urban design and public space design experience includes the 16th Street Mall and Millennium Bridge at Riverfront Park in Downtown Denver, Cherry Creek North/Business Improvement District, and numerous large mixed-use redevelopments.

In addition to his extensive public and private sector experience, Todd has been a regular instructor and critic at the University of Colorado Denver, a studio critic at the University of Texas, Auburn University and a Career Discovery instructor at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design. Todd has degrees from the University of Arizona and Harvard’s Graduate School of Design.