2026 has been a year of building for architect Tyler Kavanaugh, who was promoted to associate at Spokane-based ALSC Architects PS and named president of the American Institute of Architects Spokane chapter for 2027.

Kavanaugh, 29, is one of the leaders of ALSC’s K-12 market sector, primarily working with districts across Eastern Washington designing spaces for students that spark curiosity, promote engagement, and foster belonging.

The Tri-Cities native joined ALSC in 2020 after graduating from the University of Southern California School of Architecture.

In addition to her president-elect role at AIA Spokane, Kavanaugh also is the Eastern Washington representative for the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, which gives her an opportunity to work with emerging professionals who are seeking licensure.

Why did you decide to pursue a career in architecture? It actually started in the seventh grade. I took this extracurricular math class, and we were designing a city park, where we basically got a whole brief, and we had to include certain things. It was creative and up to our imagination of what this park was. I just fell in love with that whole design side of it.

Then in high school, I took a course at the University of Texas Austin on architecture specifically. It was a summer-long studio, that had three different example architecture projects, and we worked in teams. Again, I really fell in love with the design and creativity, but also being able to work within a team and create something real. So, here I am.

What are some of your goals for AIA Spokane under your leadership? Our biggest goal that we started this year, but are hoping to really kick off next year, is to pilot a mentorship program. Bringing in young professionals with zero to probably four years of experience and trying to pair them more with people that have 10-plus years of experience. 

There's such a big wealth of knowledge in Spokane that is so hard to transfer over. A lot of firms right now are seeing a huge influx of new young professionals or newer architects and we just want to find a way to connect those people together to bring more of a mentorship aspect to our architecture scene here.

So this year, we're going to kick off by talking to the other firms in Spokane and see what they think would be the most helpful for their younger professionals. Then next year, fingers crossed, we'll kick off an attempt at the first year of the program.

We'll see what happens, but that's the goal.

What new skills or areas of development are you pursuing? I'm constantly trying to learn more about K-12 design and how the physical spaces we create directly affect the development of students.

Space can influence how safe and confident students feel. It can bring teachers together or be used as a tool for curriculum. Schools are often the heart of the community, and it's up to us to continue learning about how to make them better.

What advice would you give to somebody who’s interested in pursuing a career in your field? I would say that if you're interested in architecture, or if you just graduated college and you're starting in that world, to really stay curious and say "yes."

Say yes to the most random things, because a large part of how I got to where I am now, was just going to that first AIA Spokane event — even though I didn't know anybody — or by following some of my coworkers to a site visit and meeting other people.

This business is really small, especially in Spokane. So, the more people you can get to know, and the faster you can grow your network just by going to certain events, the more helpful it'll be.

Have you been influenced by any mentors in the Inland Northwest business community? I would not be where I am today without mentors like Jodi Kittel, Gale Stanley, Drew Leeper, and the amazing leadership team at ALSC. I interned with ALSC during college, and without that team, I don't think I would have continued the journey of being an architect. Every step has been supported by these mentors.

What makes you good at your job? My No. 1 goal is to make sure all team members are successful and pushing on achieving their goals. We can't succeed and create projects that change communities if everyone isn't working together.

I am passionate about designing learning environments and love working with and learning about people.

What drives your commitment to your industry? The people and connections I've made. I'm surrounded every day by smart, thoughtful, talented people. From architects, to engineers, to contractors, I have learned so much from the people around me. It's inspiring and I'm constantly learning new things.