Jennifer Esposito

October 9, 2019 BEAT Toronto

The Executive Chair is responsible for leading BEAT and coordinating the work of the Executive Committee. Jennifer Esposito guides the Executive Committee team and is responsible for coordinating resources for events and projects organized by BEAT, as well as ensuring that the organization is working towards its long-term and short-term goals.

Jennifer is an architect and educator with over 15 years in professional practice. Jennifer is an architect and educator with over 15 years in professional practice. She is a registered Architect in Ontario and principal at Place of Work, an architecture studio based in Halifax, NS and Toronto, ON. She currently holds a position as assistant professor at Toronto Metropolitan University’s Department of Architectural Science. She currently holds a position as assistant professor at Toronto Metropolitan University’s Department of Architectural Science.

Graduating with a post-professional Master of Architecture II from Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Jennifer previously earned a Master of Architecture and a Bachelor of Architectural Studies with Highest Distinction from Carleton University, where she was named to the RAIC Honour Roll. She is also a recipient of the Canada Council for the Arts JBC Watkins Award, which enabled her to pursue postgraduate education beyond Canadian borders.

Jennifer is a past Associate at Superkül (Toronto, ON) and MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects (Halifax, NS), where she led single family residential projects, a typology she has specialized in for over a decade. Additional past work experience includes Pin/Taylor Architects (Yellowknife, NT), Brown + Storey Architects (Toronto, ON), LUCE et studio (San Diego, CA), and William Rawn Associate Architects (Boston, MA). She has held teaching positions at Harvard GSD (Career Discovery Program), Dalhousie University, and the University of Waterloo.

Committed to mentorship and advocacy in the profession, Jennifer volunteers her time to OAA Intern Architects as well as students in the Carleton Alumni Mentorship Program, Harvard GSD's Women in Design, and Harvard Mentor Collective. Jennifer is currently co-chair of Harvard GSD Alumni Council Governance Committee and previously served as co-chair for the 2023 Harvard GSD Alumni Award Jury.

As a Toronto native, Jennifer developed a deep appreciation for urban environments. She leveraged her architectural education and professional experiences to explore cities worldwide, spanning South America, North America, Europe, and the Middle East. She brings this internationally informed expertise to her projects marrying ideas with thoughtful practice.

Ramona Adlakha

October 8, 2019 BEAT Toronto

Ramona Adlakha is the Vice Chair of BEAT's Executive Committee. Her professional work spans a wide range of architectural typologies with a special focus on institutional and large-scale cultural arts projects. Ramona is a practicing architect (OAA) at KPMB Architects, a member of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, and a LEED-accredited professional. She holds a Master of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania where she received the Alpha Ro Chi Medal for professional merit, and a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture, Fine Art and Literary Studies from the University of Toronto. At UofT, Ramona was also the recipient of the four-year Provincial Laureate scholarship by the Government of Canada’s Millennium Scholarship Foundation.

Ramona is deeply committed to promoting the visibility and voice of women in design. Her first book, Women [Re]Build: Stories, Polemics and Futures, co-edited with Franca Trubiano and Ramunė Bartuskaite is now available in bookstores worldwide and online.

Melanie Rank

October 2, 2019 BEAT Toronto

After pursuing her interests by beginning her studies in Mathematics and Fine Arts, in 1998 Melanie graduated from Carleton University with a Bachelor of Architecture, with High Distinction. In September of 2000, Melanie joined BDP Quadrangle where she currently leads a small team in developing feasibility studies. She brings a solid understanding of building components into the early planning concept stage, with a focus on business development by inspiring new clients and providing engaging concepts to existing clients. This role affords her the opportunity to concentrate on her keen interest in various scales of site plan development, identifying site opportunities and constraints, analyzing zoning parameters and quantitative analysis in a consistent and sophisticated early design process. In 2006, Melanie became a registered Architect with the OAA and in 2009, obtained LEED AP accreditation.

As a member of the BEAT Executive Committee since 2019, Melanie previously focused on the planning and organization of the BEAT Dinner Series and has currently assumed the role of Treasurer.

Vineetha Sivathasan

October 1, 2019 BEAT Toronto

Vineetha Sivasthan - IL1_8955.jpg — Vineetha Sivathasan

**Programming - Mixes**
M.Arch., B.A (Hons)

Vineetha Sivathasan is a graduate of the Masters of Architecture program from the University of Toronto’s John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design. She currently works at Kohn Partnership Architects, where she is continuing her path to become a fully licensed Architect in Ontario. She believes that giving back in some form is essential for professional and personal growth. She currently sits in as an Interns Committee Member of the Ontario Association of Architects, where they tackle issues pertaining to future architects like herself. When time permits, volunteers with Toronto Society of Architects.

Vineetha pursues various freelance projects including visual, conceptual and 3D representation of clients’ intended ideas for the City of Toronto, exhibition visualization for various museums in Toronto, and event/exhibition coordination and graphic design for the Ontario Association of Architects’ Intern Committee for their //MOVE Party, an art installation party. Recently, she worked with Esther E. Shipman, an internationally renowned curator, to design and create her brand and website for her new business venture focusing on art, architecture and cultural tourism in Portugal.

Dimitra Papantonis

September 30, 2019 BEAT Toronto

Dimitra Papatonis - IL1_4337.jpg — Dimitra Papantonis

*M.Arch, OAA*

Dimitra received a Master of Architecture from Daniels School of Architecture, Landscape and Design at the University of Toronto, and a Bachelor of Arts with Honours double majoring in Architectural Design and Economics from the University of Toronto.

Her research and interests are in housing, historical development of spaces, and typologies. She has led and worked on a variety of complex projects including residential, commercial, and mixed use. Dimitra has a keen understanding of the city of Toronto’s zoning by-laws and Ontario building code making her adept at shaping buildings that abide by current standards while meeting the needs of the client. Her most recent projects include a mixed commercial residential building, with a focus on multi-generational living, and the second phase of a Midwives Clinic.

As a Founding Executive Committee Member of BEAT, Dimitra has focused on the annual Seminar which provides recent graduates and young professionals exposure to more experienced members in the industry.

Safoura Zahedi

January 9, 2019 BEAT Toronto

Safoura is an Architectural Designer at Superkül with experience on a diverse range of projects, including residential, institutional, civic and master planning. She is highly committed to the design community and acts as Awards Coordinator at the DesignTO Festival and Executive Committee member at BEAT (Building Equality in Architecture Toronto), where she co-founded the annual BEAT Forum, devoted to addressing issues of diversity and inclusion in the design and architecture industry. Safoura's independent work has been exhibited at the Design Exchange 3DXL exhibition, DesignTO Festival, and Gladstone Hotel's Come Up To My Room and GrowOp exhibitions.

Mahsa Malek

September 2, 2018 BEAT Toronto

Mahsa Malek

Programming - Talks

M.Arch, BAS

Mahsa Malek is an Iranian-Canadian designer and educator. She is currently an adjunct professor at Syracuse University School of Architecture. Previously, she was a designer at Williamson Williamson Inc. in Toronto, where she worked on several award-winning commercial and residential projects. She has worked at multiple offices in Canada and the United States including Bjarke Ingels Group and Leroy Street Studio and has been a guest critic at the University of Toronto, Syracuse University, Virginia Tech, and University of Virginia.

She holds a Master of Architecture AP from Princeton University with a certificate from the Media and Modernity Program, where she was the recipient of the Suzanne Kolarik Underwood Prize for excellence in design. She also holds a Bachelor of Architectural Studies with distinction from the University of Waterloo in Canada, where she graduated on the dean’s honors list.

As an advocate for women in architecture, she currently serves as a committee executive of Building Equality in Architecture Toronto (BEAT) where she organizes the BEAT Talk series.

Kiana Mozayyan

August 2, 2018 BEAT Toronto

Kiana is a Planner at the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine. She holds a Master of Arts in Persian Mystical Poetry, as well as a Master of Architecture from the University of Toronto. Over the course of her studies and after graduating from UofT, Kiana has taught and assisted in courses exploring health and architecture, urbanism, and core studio courses. Kiana is an active member of Toronto’s design community and is an executive committee member with BEAT (Building Equality in Architecture Toronto). Kiana is currently involved in a research project focusing on the intersection of health, physical space, and policy.

Maya Mahgoub-Desai

October 17, 2017 BEAT Toronto

Maya Mahgoub-Desai is the current Chair of Environmental Design and an Associate Professor in the Design for Health program at OCAD University. Maya’s current research is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC / CRSH) and the Government of Canada’s Sustainable Development Goals Program and investigates themes related: to human-environment behaviour, public health policy and public realm design, addressing equity in design education (with a focus on disability) and inclusive teaching pedagogies.

As the Senior Urban Designer for Moriyama Teshima Architects, Maya has led several urban and peri-urban campus, community and municipal plans which focus on sustainable approaches, cultural resilience, and a collaborative community engagement process. Her portfolio includes serving as a subject matter expert for Waterfront Toronto; developing master plans for Qatar's Education City, Surrey City Development Corporation, and the Town of Whitby; and campus plans for the University of Lethbridge, Wilfrid Laurier University, and Conestoga College.

Maya also remains actively engaged in professional and volunteer activities that focus on health and equity. Maya currently serves as a committee member of the RAIC Promoting Equity and Justice Advisory Committee and as an Executive member of BEAT, co-leading the annual BEAT Forum.

Persis Lam

October 12, 2017 BEAT Toronto

Persis Lam is a Toronto-based architect, born and raised in Vancouver, BC. Her practice is inspired by collaborative and beautiful design rooted by site and community relationships. Her drive for elegant design solutions to solve real problems stems from a technical and common sense. She believes each design has a story that is revealed in the final built form. She graduated with a Diploma of Building Technology at BCIT, Bachelor of Environmental Design and a Master of Architecture from Dalhousie University, where she received the RAIC Ernest Wilby Memorial Scholarship and the Rosetti Scholarship 2005: Havana. Since joining Diamond Schmitt Architects in 2002, Persis has worked on a range of academic, commercial and residential projects, including: the Hudson Condominiums in Toronto; the School of Medicine at Queen’s University; Lethbridge Leisure Centre in Alberta, the Papadakis Integrated Sciences Building at Drexel University in Philadelphia and 505 Richmond Great Hall.

Persis enjoys mentoring in the architecture community, has been a guest critic at University of Waterloo School of Architecture, a speaker at Engineers Without Borders Conference and continues to support collaboration at all levels of the design field. As well as keeping a strong focus on design and project management at Diamond Schmitt Architects, Persis enjoys spending time with her two young children and participates in the office rock band, Thundertrϋss.

Persis is an Executive Committee Member of BEAT and focuses on BEAT Talks which is a small private event at a host architectural firm that showcases their work and the people behind it.