People
John Lynch Sanders, FAIA LEED AP
Bachelor of Architecture, University of Tennessee
John is a founding partner of Sanders Pace Architecture, created in 2002 primarily to focus on design opportunities within Knoxville’s Downtown Central Business District and its immediate surrounding neighborhoods. His passion for design can be seen in the challenging projects that he and his firm have been involved within those areas. Along with his professional investment comes his personal redevelopment endeavors of several properties within the district that have been completed, returning blighted or unusable properties back to vibrant reuses. His influence is evident in the thoughtful rehabilitation of forgotten, neglected buildings in fringe neighborhoods, elevation of overlooked project typologies, and energetic service through teaching and civic engagement. John’s work is meaningful, creative, and inspirational. John is an active member of the AIA and has served on the State board and planning committees and as local chapter president. He has served on and chaired several chapter design award juries and in 2015 served as co-chair of the AIA Tennessee State Convention. John is a graduate of the University of Tennessee where he has served as an Adjunct Lecturer. He continues to participate as an invited studio critic and juror for the College of Architecture and Design. John was elevated to the AIA College of Fellows in 2018 in recognition of his contributions to the profession.
Brandon Frazier Pace, FAIA LEED AP
Master of Architecture, Yale University
Bachelor of Architecture, University of Tennessee
Brandon Pace is a founding partner of Sanders Pace Architecture, started in Knoxville, Tennessee in 2002 with partner John Sanders. With work that is extensively researched and thoughtfully executed, Brandon has become a critical voice for a region and context often overlooked. In an era of increasing globalization, Brandon approaches architecture with a local mindset, identifying and expanding upon those cultural, physical, and social characteristics and circumstances that define a place and make it unique. By identifying opportunities within these constraints Brandon has established a foundation and framework for a design process that has led his projects to more than 50 local, regional, and national AIA design awards and publication in books and magazines throughout the world.
Brandon holds degrees from Yale University and the University of Tennessee where he has served as an Adjunct Lecturer and invited critic. He is also an active critic and lecturer at colleges of architecture and design across the United States and has become a resource to other AIA chapters across the country through invited lectures and as jury chair for multiple local and state AIA design awards programs. In recognition of his design work and contribution to the profession Brandon was elevated to the AIA College of Fellows in 2019 He currently lives in the historic Fourth and Gill neighborhood of Knoxville with his wife Ashley and children Esther, Theodore, and George.
Josh Shelton, AIA
Bachelor of Architecture, University of Tennessee
Josh joined SPA as a Principal in January of 2024. From 2002-2023 he served as Partner and President for an award-winning critical practice based in Kansas City, Missouri and Portland, Oregon. His primary focus is on design excellence within our shared urban environment. He has a particular interest in mission-driven urban design projects that maximize social impact within a diverse set of contexts, typologies and communities. He has a depth of experience with catalytic projects that leverage complex funding sources that include innovative public-private partnerships, HUD funding, tax credit financing, EPA grants and private sector philanthropy. Josh believes that design excellence should be available to anyone, anywhere.
At an architectural scale, Josh has worked on or completed significant projects in over 20 cities across the United States and abroad. His attention to craft and detail spans scale and typology. His work has been published widely, including feature stories in Architect Magazine, Architectural Record, Metropolis, Azure, Architectural Digest, Curbed, and The Plan. During his career, Josh has received over 50 awards for design excellence, many at a national or international level.
Josh grew up in South Knoxville and received his BArch from the University of Tennessee in 1995. In addition to practice, Josh has a passion for education. He has taught Urban Design at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas; Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri; and Lawrence Technological University in Detroit, Michigan. He was a member of the Dean’s Advisory Board for the University of Tennessee College of Architecture and Design from 2015-2019 and has recently attended as guest critic for the Harvard Graduate School of Design, the University of Oregon, the University of Idaho and the University of Tennessee. He has served as a juror for awards programs across the United States and has lectured at over 20 universities.
Michael Aktalay, Associate AIA LEED AP
University of Tennessee
After studying at The University of Tennessee, Michael served as an Intern Architect at Martella Associates. During his time here he worked on a variety of projects including the award-winning Hope VI project in Mechanicsville. Mike’s later work with The Benefield Richters Company included projects at a range of scales from large private institutions to small public projects. Michael is currently a project manager for Sanders Pace Architecture. His work includes a broad spectrum of projects ranging from retail, office, and restaurant to multi-family residential. Included in his body of work are many award-winning historic projects including the recently completed Ziegler Building which is included on the National Park Service list of historic buildings and was the successful recipient of historic tax credits.
Zane Espinosa, Associate AIA
Bachelor of Architecture, University of Tennessee
While studying architecture at University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Zane developed a passion for construction and woodwork. After graduating in 2017 he went to Nashville, TN to work as a contractor and carpenter. In this role he had the opportunity to work on a wide range of projects that included historic renovations, residential additions, commercial interiors, furniture, and casework. Zane joined Sanders Pace Architecture in 2022.
Keith Kaseman
Master of Architecture, Columbia University
Bachelor of Science in Design, Arizona State University
Keith is a designer, researcher, production strategist, and architectural educator. Since 2004, he has held various academic posts at the University of Pennsylvania (2004-2013), Columbia University GSAPP (2005-2014), the University of Tennessee Knoxville (2014-2016), and the Georgia Institute of Technology (2016-2023). While at Georgia Tech School of Architecture, he founded and led Spatial Futures Lab, a multidisciplinary research initiative focused on future modes of inclusive design practice enabled by interweaving emergent technologies including mixed reality (MR), aerial robotics, and advanced fabrication approaches. In 2003, Keith launched the spatial design practice KBAS with Julie Beckman upon having their design competition entry selected for the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial. KBAS cultivated a diverse body of work rooted in advanced production and delivery, ranging from permanent public art projects in Philadelphia, PA, Salt Lake City, UT, and Knoxville, TN, to their 2020 completion of a fully customized and CNC-produced self-supporting steel façade in Brooklyn, NY. Before KBAS, Keith was a designer and project manager at AA Praha (Prague, CZ, 1996-1998) and SHoP Architects (New York, NY, 2000-2003). Keith will be starting his new post at UT Knoxville School of Architecture in early 2024, this time joining the Faculty as Associate Professor of Practice.
Caroline Lezon, ASLA, PLA
Master of Landscape Architecture, University of Tennessee
Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Tennessee
Caroline is a landscape architect deeply inspired by the idea that connection with natural environments and systems is necessary in our busy world. She believes that thoughtful landscape spaces can offer rest, inspire healing, and explore expressions of equity and resiliency. After working in Boston for seven years, where Caroline contributed to a variety of public, commercial, and residential landscapes across New England and the US, she moved home to Knoxville and joined the SandersPace team in 2023. Currently she contributes to local planning efforts, as well as site design for public and residential spaces.
Aaron Pennington, Associate AIA
Bachelor of Architecture, University of Tennessee
Aaron is a 2001 graduate of the University of Tennessee. Aaron’s career began as an intern at Barber McMurry Architects. He first joined Sanders Pace as an intern architect in 2004. In 2007 Aaron left to join local developer Dewhirst Properties. In 2016 Aaron rejoined Sanders Pace where he leads many of the firm’s adaptive reuse and ground-up development projects.
Jun Li, AIA
Master of Architecture, University of California Berkeley
Bachelor of Environmental Design, Jiangnan University, China
Jun Li was born and grew up in China. She completed her undergraduate study in Environmental Design at Jiangnan University in Jiangsu and graduated with top honors in 2012. She then pursued her passion in architecture by moving to the United States and she received her Master of Architecture degree from the University of California, Berkeley in 2015. Much of her graduate work has been awarded, exhibited, and published. Prior to joining Sanders Pace Architecture in 2022, Jun Li worked at Sparano + Mooney Architecture in Salt Lake City, Utah since 2016. During that time, she worked as lead designer and/or key contributor on many of the firm’s award winning projects in the residential, commercial, and institutional sectors.
Jun Li is a registered architect in the State of Tennessee. A life-long learner, she is very passionate about her work which she gratefully embraces with every design challenge.
Ashley E.B. Pace, RA
Master of Industrial Design, Pratt Institute
Bachelor of Architecture, University of Tennessee
Ashley is a Registered Architect in the State of Tennessee. Her prior experience includes work in both Nashville and New Haven, Connecticut. Previous experience includes work with multi-family, mixed use, and educational facilities. Ashley received her graduate degree from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and her undergraduate degree from The University of Tennessee where she was valedictorian of her School of Architecture class. With degrees in both architecture and industrial design, Ashley’s work covers a broad range of design including furniture, product, interiors, and architecture. Ashley’s role at Sanders Pace Architecture includes assistance in marketing materials and proposal requests. Additionally, Ashley has taught at The University of Tennessee as an Adjunct Studio Professor teaching Color Theory and first year design studio.
Katie DeBinder
Bachelor of Science, University of Tennessee
Moving to East Tennessee when she was very young, Katie considers Knoxville her hometown. After graduating from college, Katie joined Perma-Fix Environmental Services, where she spent the next 14 years in a variety of roles. Katie brings in great organizational and accounting experience, working with a variety of government and private environmental engineering contracts, as well as a great working knowledge of the history and growth of Knoxville, UT, and East Tennessee. Katie and her husband Robert lovingly call Knoxville home with their children Hadley and Everett. They enjoy hiking, going to the beach, and all the various children’s sports and activities that keep them busy.
Jared A. Eisenhower, AIA
Bachelor of Architecture, University of Tennessee
Jared is an architectural designer and abstract artist working in Knoxville, Tennessee. He is a 2015 graduate of the University of Tennessee’s College of Architecture and Design where his student work was recognized for an AIA Middle Tennessee Design Excellence award. Following his undergraduate studies and prior to joining Sanders Pace, Jared worked for CetraRuddy Architecture in New York, NY where his professional experience included cultural, educational, and multi-family residential projects that have been featured in multiple National AIA Emerging Professionals Exhibits. Additionally, Jared’s experience includes work as a research assistant and illustrator for Sun, Wind & Light: Architectural Design Strategies, 3rd Edition where he developed a keen understanding of both passive & active sustainable design strategies. In both his architectural designs & abstract artwork, he is heavily influenced by light, scale, proportion & landscape. In his free time, Jared enjoys traveling with his wife and playing the piano.
Carmina Ferreras, Associate AIA
Master of Architecture, North Carolina State University
Bachelor of Science, North Carolina State University
Carmina was born in the Philippines and grew up in Winston-Salem and Concord, NC. In 2015, she received a bachelor’s degree in Secondary Mathematics Education from NC State University and subsequently taught high school math for 3 years prior to pursuing a Master’s Degree in Architecture and in 2021 she received her degree from NC State. During her time at NC State, she was a teaching assistant for First Year Design, and the Architectural Drawing Studio. After graduation, Carmina worked at Cannon Architects in Raleigh, helping design education and faith-based type buildings.
Since July 2022, Carmina has lived in Knoxville with her fiancé Greg and her dachshund pup named Penny. In her free time, Carmina enjoys spending time outdoors hiking and snowboarding.
Scott Searle, AIA
Bachelor of Architecture, University of Tennessee
After receiving his Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Tennessee in 2012, Scott worked as an Intern Architect at McCarty Holsaple McCarty. During his time there, he contributed to a variety of project types and sizes. In 2014, he ventured to the Pacific Northwest to gain experience designing highly unique modern homes with David Coleman Architecture in Seattle, Washington. Many of his projects have been featured in print and online design publications. In 2020, Scott joined Sanders Pace Architecture where he focuses on the firm’s growing portfolio of single-family residential projects. His approach to design is elemental, applying timeless architectural principles to modern challenges and contexts. He is driven by the belief that a well-designed space plays a key role in the joy of everyday life.
Scott is a registered architect in the State of Washington.
Claire Shue, Associate AIA
Master of Architecture, University of Michigan
Bachelor of Art in Architecture, University of North Carolina Charlotte
After graduating from the University of Michigan in 2021, Claire worked in Raleigh, NC, where her experience included higher education, science, and civil projects. Her work explores compelling design questions through narrative and placemaking. Additionally, Claire has taught at NC State University as an Adjunct Studio Professor teaching Digital Representation. Claire joined Sanders Pace Architecture in 2023. She can usually be found with her nose in a book and having consumed too much coffee.
Jake Froning, Associate AIA
Master of Architecture, University of North Carolina Charlotte
Bachelor of Arts in Architecture, University of North Carolina Charlotte
Jake Froning is a 2022 graduate of UNC Charlotte’s Master of Architecture program. While attending UNC Charlotte, Jake won numerous design awards including Best Diploma Project, and served as a student intern at SILO AR+D. Jake joined Sanders Pace Architecture in 2022.
Benjamin Pollak, Associate AIA
Master of Architecture, Harvard Graduate School of Design
Bachelor of Architecture, Rice University
Born in Santiago de Chile, Benjamin Pollak is an architect and designer trained at the Rice School of Architecture in Houston, TX. After graduating from Rice, he worked for seven years in offices in Beijing, Shanghai, New York, and Princeton. He recently graduated from the Master of Architecture II post-professional program at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. He is driven by the combination of design and architectural history, materiality, and buildings as collections of knowledge. He joined Sanders Pace Architecture to continue a line of inquiry on the importance of site and place in architecture as a possible architecture project.
Mickey Sutliff, AIA
Bachelor of Architecture, Oklahoma State University
Mickey is a seasoned architect with 30 years of experience, graduating from the Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor of Architecture. Mickey developed his passion for design integrity, quality detailing and serving clients well through practice with Multistudio (formerly Gould Evans) in Kansas City, Cockrill Design & Planning and Barber McMurry Architects in Knoxville. As the lead project architect, Mickey built his experience through award winning projects in a broad range of project typologies, including healthcare, religious, higher education, K-12, hospitality, and civic projects. He has been an active member of the AIA, serving on local and state committees for Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion as well the annual ET AIA Golf Tournament event. Mickey enjoys spending time with his family, golfing, and volleyball.
Cameron Bolin, AIA
Bachelor of Science in Construction Management, East Tennessee State University
Master of Architecture, University of Tennessee
Cameron Bolin, AIA is a Project Manager at Sanders Pace Architecture. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management at East Tennessee State University and holds a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Tennessee College of Architecture and Design where he regularly serves as an invited studio critic and juror. In addition to his efforts towards equitable progress of downtown neighborhoods like his own, his interests and research champions a particular focus in advocacy for aspirational environmental and community-based design in the Southeast and beyond. Outside of practice, Cameron serves on the AIA East Tennessee Board of Directors, is the Chair of the AIA East Tennessee Committee on the Environment (COTE) and serves as an appointed board member of the City of Knoxville’s Downtown and Infill Housing Overlay Design Review Board.
Collaborators (Since 2002)
Blake Emerson
Beth Lane
John Felderman
Tina Ash
Brad Province
Rachael Stollar
Matt Hutchinson
Emily Bradley
Daniel Luster
Emily Murphy
Caitlin Turski
Shane Elliott
Chuck Draper
Greg Spaw
Carlos Anderson
Samuel Mortimer
Lauren Mullane
Jenny O. Wright
Jordan Birkhead
Keith Kaseman
Geneva Hill
Dillon Dunn
Breanna Browning
Amy Bryant
Danny Rose
Andrew Newman
Lauren Buntemeyer
Dustin Toothman
Justin Hare
Madison Butler
Lindsay Clark
Allie Ward
Carly Orr
Tyler Sanford
Carson Fischer
Will Reynolds
Anna Everence
Michael Davis
Will Nix
Natalia Almonacid
Lauren Mullane-Searle
Aubry-Quentin Munana
Chloe Dyer
Lauren Van Dyke
Grace Maclean
Daniel Jones
Russell Hopper
Roxann Febbo
Adrienne Weber
Parker Greene
Alec Persch
Lacy Mangione