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Please join us in congratulating the 2023 Gibbs College Faculty & Staff Awards recipients. Recipients were honored by Dean Butzer during the Gibbs College Back to School Meeting on Thursday, Aug. 17. They were nominated by their colleagues via an open nomination process.
Read on to learn more about the recipients, including quotes from colleagues who nominated them.
Bryce Lowery.
“Bryce Lowery partnered with the Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency to determine how to best deploy approximately $36 million to support unhoused and housing-insecure Oklahomans. The plan has been adopted by HUD and will be used to guide spending of this significant investment in Oklahoma’s unhoused and housing-insecure Oklahomans. That Oklahoma is taking such a rigorous, evidence-based approach to allocating this investment is in large part due to Dr. Lowery’s leadership.”
Shooka Motamedi.
“In this role, [Gibbs College Diversity Liaison] she has kept Dean Butzer up to date on happenings in the DEI Division and she has also taken a leading role in jump starting our National Organization of Minority Architecture Students group in trips, conference and competition opportunities. She is genuinely caring and respectful of all of her colleagues, committed to promoting inclusion for our whole community.”
Lee Fithian.
“Lee is on the International Code Council’s International Energy Conservation Code Envelope Embodied Carbon Subcommittee, the IECC Technical Committee of the Oklahoma Uniform Building Code Commission and is serving as a Technical Jury Reviewer for the American Institute of Architects COTE Top Ten Awards. She is consistently promoting sustainability in regional and national arenas, giving of her time and expertise generously along the way.”
Elizabeth Pober.
“Elizabeth Pober not only led the successful Interior Design accreditation process in 2022-2023, but she also collaborated closely with the other division directors to develop interdisciplinary programming and co-facilitated Gibbs College’s annual design camp. During the camp, 30 high school students from across Oklahoma were introduced to OU’s Interior Design and Architecture degree programs and associated professions.”
Chelsea Holcomb.
“Chelsea is always thoughtful – giving her colleagues ample notice when something is coming up that needs their attention, thanking them after the fact, acknowledging them in passing, and always organized and kind. I cannot think of someone more deserving of this award!”
Matthew Reed.
“Mat’s contribution to the C_ML and tireless pursuit of ways to educate himself on software, equipment knowledge and better ways to serve the Gibbs College of architecture make him a perfect candidate for the Jerri Hodges Bonebrake Staff Award.”
Deborah Richards.
“Deborah works tirelessly to merge her design practice with community needs. She leads with her values, inspiring the next generation of architects to do the same. It can be hard for ‘design researchers’ to truly feel at home in academia and Deborah is setting a strong example for what that can look like.”
Negar Matin.
“Dr. Matin has demonstrated exceptional leadership skills by establishing the OU Eco-Sooner Team. She led the University of Oklahoma team for the 2023 Solar Decathlon and helped them become finalists for the first time in the history of OU. Her leadership skills have been an inspiration to her colleagues and students alike.”
Congratulations to all winners! We are so proud of the incredible work you are doing in Gibbs College and beyond.
Gibbs College of Architecture is proud to recognize Petya Stefanoff, who is pursuing her doctorate in the Planning, Design & Construction (PDC) program, has been appointed the new role of Director of Community Development for the City of Shawnee, Oklahoma. She joined the city in 2024.
Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce that Amber N. Wiley, Ph.D., associate professor in the Division of Planning, Landscape Architecture and Design and director of the Institute for Quality Communities, has received national recognition for her book Model Schools in the Model City. The book has been named a finalist for the 2026 the PROSE Awards.
Gibbs College of Architecture Regional + City Planning Professor of Practice Vanessa Morrison and Associate Professor of Architecture Deborah Richards’ Open Design Collective received top honors at the inaugural BlackSpace Urbanist Collective Studio KIN Pitch Night Competition, held last month in Brooklyn, New York City.
