SERA Architects has promoted 19 employees to firm leadership, including two Principals, four Associate Principals, and 13 Associates. In addition to being named a new Associate, one employee was promoted to Director of Finance. These employees have exhibited a consistent drive to improve their work, the work of the firm, and the firm’s cultural and financial sustainability. Collaborative, design-minded, technically savvy, thoughtful and fearless, this group of employees is entrusted with guiding SERA to its next half-century of innovation. Find a full list of our leadership here.

Promoted to Principal

Natasha Koiv, LEED AP BD+C
Natasha Koiv is a dedicated leader with the desire to help others improve and succeed. She has been with SERA since 1985 and serves as the firm’s Higher Education Studio Director. In addition to providing more than 30 years of design and management experience on a variety of Higher Education and Civic sector projects, she is responsible for project staffing and career development as the firm’s Staffing Director. Recent and ongoing projects under her leadership include the University of Oregon’s Erb Memorial Union renovation and addition, the renovations of Eastern Oregon University’s Quinn Coliseum and Hoke Hall, and a number of projects with Clackamas County. Koiv is a member of the University of Washington Alumnae Association, the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) and Society for College and University Planning (SCUP).

Stuart Colby, NCARB, LEED AP
Stuart Colby is passionate about design and has a talent for simplifying the most complex projects. As the founder and director of SERA’s Workplace Studio, he works to define high value workplace approaches and help clients translate them into custom solutions. A SERA employee since 2005, and with more than 30 years of experience, one of Colby’s notable strengths is inspiring others to contribute and grow professionally. He has lead major transformation efforts on the Edith Green Wendell Wyatt Federal Building, the Oregon Department of Transportation Headquarters and has provided his workplace expertise for clients such as Nike and Google.

Promoted to Associate Principal

Becky Epstein, LEED
David Stephenson, CSI, LEED AP BD+C
Scott Shumaker, M. ASCE
Suzanne Blair, LEED AP

Promoted to Associate

Brian Stevens
Elizabeth Johnson, LEED AP
Erin Reome, AICP, LEED AP BD+C
Jeff Hosea, LEED AP
Jeff Roberts, AIA, LEED AP BD+C
Josh Lupkin
Kyle Emery, LEED AP BD+C
Marc Abadie, LEED AP
Mark Perepelitza, AIA, LEED AP BD+C
Ray Chirgwin, AIA, LEED AP
Steve Rainey, AIA, LEED AP
Travis Dang, LEED AP
Jerry McAvoy (also named a Director; bio below)
Jerry McAvoy is a new Associate and has been promoted to Director of Finance at SERA Architects. He joined SERA in 2013 from the Chicago area, bringing more than 15 years of finance and management to the firm. Acting as the strategic financial business leader, McAvoy maintains all financial metrics and develops and implements the firm’s business plan for short- and long-term financial solvency. He received his Master’s in Finance and Accounting from Keller Graduate School of Business. In addition to being named a Director, McAvoy was also made an Associate of the firm.

About SERA

SERA is a 100% employee-owned Architecture, Interior Design and Urban Design & Planning firm that specializes in sustainable placemaking at all scales. Founded in Portland, Oregon, in 1968, SERA has been instrumental in the development of the city’s national reputation for livability. Today, the firm builds on its early experience of adaptive re-use and historic renovations through high-performance design and planning for hospitality, workplace, mixed-use housing, higher education and civic projects. Now with a second office, in Silicon Valley, its vision remains to create places that enrich the human experience, evoke delight, and provide an enduring legacy for future generations.

Serving diverse clients like the University of Oregon, Marriott Hotels and the U.S. General Services Administration, SERA’s portfolio of multi-award winning projects includes the Edith Green – Wendell Wyatt Federal Building modernization; The Collaborative Life Sciences Building and Skourtes Tower; and the Pearl District Residence Inn.

Contact: Shelby Schroeder, Marketing Communications Coordinator, SERA Architects, Inc. 503-445-7393 | Email