The Ontario Association of Architects is excited to announce its two panels of jurors, along with facilitator, for the 2026 OAA Awards season. Read on to learn more about these individuals, who will come together in February at the OAA Headquarters in Toronto to review the submissions and make their selections.
Paul Cravit
PRINCIPAL EMERITUS, CS&P ARCHITECTS
As Principal Emeritus of CS&P Architects and former Director of Design, Paul Cravit led the firm in numerous competition-winning and award-winning projects prior to retiring his licence. His portfolio includes significant civic, institutional, recreational, residential, and planning projects, including buildings and master plans for many of Ontario’s colleges and universities.
Throughout his career, Paul’s primary focus has been on creating designs that enrich the public realm, foster social interaction, and strengthen the sense of community.
He received his Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Toronto
in 1972 and a Masters of Architecture in Urban Design from Harvard
University in 1976. Paul is a Fellow of the Royal Architectural
Institute of Canada (RAIC).
Nathalie Dion
PRINCIPAL, PROVENCHER_ROY
Nathalie Dion is a Partner at Provencher_Roy in Montreal, bringing 30 years of experience in leading award-winning projects in the transportation and hospitality sectors.
She holds a degree in architecture from the Université de Montréal and a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Urban Architecture from the École d’architecture de Paris-Belleville.
Nathalie served as Vice President of the Ordre des architectes du Québec (OAQ) for five years before being elected President in 2013. During her presidency, she played a pivotal role in the establishment of the Examination for Architects in Canada (ExAC) and contributed to numerous initiatives aimed at enhancing the recognition of architecture in public spaces.
She also served as President of the Canadian Architectural Certification Board (CACB) from 2020 to 2022.
Carol Moukheiber
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
PRINCIPAL, STUDIO (n-1)
Carol Moukheiber has been an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto's Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design since 2007. She has also taught at the American University of Beirut, the California College of the Arts, and UC Berkeley.
Her office, Studio (n-1), undertakes projects across a range of scales, from the domestic to the urban. Her work has been published widely in academic and mainstream media, including The New York Times Magazine, Praxis Journal of Architecture, and Domus. In 2012, the studio was honoured with the Architectural League of New York, Emerging Voices award.
Her publications include The Living, Breathing, Thinking Responsive Buildings of the Future (Thames & Hudson, 2012) and Wild Wild Urbanism, Redesigning California (CCA, 2006).
Lola Sheppard
PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO
PRINCIPAL, LATERAL OFFICE
Lola Sheppard is a Professor at the University of Waterloo School of Architecture and a founding partner of Lateral Office, a Toronto-based architecture practice. The firm focuses on using architecture as a tool for cultural empowerment in rural and remote regions, working closely with First Nation and Inuit partners.
Lateral Office has received numerous design awards, including a Canadian Architect Award of Merit, Holcim Foundation Awards for Sustainable Construction, and Azure Design Awards.
Lola is the co-author, alongside Mason White, of Many Norths: Spatial Practice in a Polar Territory (Actar, 2017) and of Pamphlet Architecture 30: COUPLING – Strategies for Infrastructural Opportunism (Princeton Architectural Press, 2011).
Tyler Walker
PRINCIPAL, MJMA ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN
A Principal and Architect at MJMA Architecture & Design, Tyler Walker has been the lead designer of the mass timber zero carbon and net zero energy Neil Campbell Rowing Centre and the Churchill Meadows Community Centre and Sports Park projects—both past OAA Design Excellence winners. Tyler brings a thoughtful and rigorous approach to his design work, balancing functionality, simplicity, and materiality. His focus within MJMA has been the advancement of innovative mass timber structures that are rooted in a community-based design approach.
Mary Ellen Lynch
JURY FACILITATOR
PRINCIPAL, LYNCH + COMISSO: ARCHITECTURE + LIGHT
Mary Ellen Lynch is a Partner at Lynch + Comisso: Architecture + Light, a Toronto-based design studio specializing in custom design of varying scales to both public- and private-sector clients.
With more than 25 years of experience, Mary Ellen has worked on award-winning architectural, interior, and lighting design projects, particularly in adaptive reuse, spanning from East Harlem in New York City to the Greater Toronto Area and beyond. She has also led numerous unique residential renovations, allowing Lynch + Comisso to incorporate fresh ideas into the rich existing architectural fabric of cities and towns.
A firm believer that good design should benefit everyone, Mary Ellen has been actively involved in teaching design, contributing to OAA Committees, and participating in such creative urban initiatives as Nuit Blanche.
Eman Abelsabour
SENIOR ARCHITECT & SUSTAINABILITY LEAD, BDP QUADRANGLE
Eman Abdelsabour is a Sustainability Lead and Senior Architect (OAA) at BDP Quadrangle with more than a decade of experience in advancing climate action, carbon reduction, and social value in large-scale architectural and urban projects.
She leads firm-wide sustainability strategy, embedding embodied and operational carbon targets into all project phases, and has helped develop carbon tracking tools used across hundreds of projects. She also contributed to Canada’s first WELL Platinum–certified architecture studio.
Sam Dufaux
PRINCIPAL, SVN ARCHITECTS + PLANNERS
Sam Dufaux is a Principal at SvN Architects + Planners and an Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, at the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design at the University of Toronto. Sam leads design and innovation at SvN, focusing on the integration of architecture, landscape architecture, and ecological systems to build a post-carbon world. His award-winning work centers on regenerative projects that repurpose city infrastructure into mixed-use and community-oriented developments.
Amy Lin
PRINCIPAL, SUULIN INC.
Amy Lin is the founding principal of Suulin Inc. Cultivated during her studies at MIT and the Harvard GSD, Amy’s approach to design centres on creating reciprocity between landscape and architecture to reinforce a strong sense of place with a genuine commitment to sustainability. Her early experience includes the award-winning Sisters of St. Joseph Home (Shim-Sutcliffe Architects), the Clinton Presidential Library and the Standard Hotel (Ennead Architects).
Amy holds LEED AP, Passive House, PHIUS, and Living Future certifications and participated in a 2023 Sustainable Architecture delegation to Copenhagen. She has advanced community-driven projects in housing and education, often embracing the challenges of adaptive reuse, broad stakeholder engagement, and landscape restoration to realize the full potential of a project’s social and environmental impact. Suulin was the OAA’s 2018 Best Emerging Practice and their work has received a Governor General’s Medal, an AIA Interior Architecture Award, and most recently a Toronto Urban Design Award.
Lara McKendrick
OAA PRESIDENT
Lara McKendrick is the OAA Council President, where she helps lead the governing board of directors for the regulating body of the practice of architecture in province. An Ottawa-based Architect with 25 years of experience, she is the founder of Lara McKendrick Architecture Inc. (LMA), specializing in adaptive reuse, custom residential projects, and deep energy retrofits. Her work is guided by a first-principles approach to sustainability, creating healthy, flexible, durable, and beautiful spaces.
McKendrick has been an active member of the OAA Council since 2021, playing a pivotal role in shaping the Association’s strategic initiatives. Over the years, she has held numerous roles on Council, including Senior Vice President and Treasurer, as well as being on the Complaints, Registration, and Finance and Audit Committees, and chairing the Building Committee and the Continuing Professional Education Committee (CPEC). She has also sat on the board for Pro-Demnity Insurance Co.
A graduate of Carleton University’s School of Architecture, McKendrick worked with several prominent Ottawa firms before establishing her practice in 2011, honing her expertise in institutional, commercial, and residential architecture.
Craig Race
CO-FOUNDER, LANESCAPE & PRINCIPAL, CRAIG RACE ARCHITECTURE INC.
Craig Race’s design process emphasizes environmental and contextual sensitivity, with a particular talent for crafting buildings that fit sensitively into their surroundings. This approach has fuelled his passion for laneway development.
In addition to his role at Lanescape (winner of the 2024 OAA Best Emerging Practice Award), Craig leads an architecture and development practice focused on environmentally conscious and contextually sensitive residential design. His time on the West Coast was pivotal, as it was there that laneway housing emerged as a legitimate concept, allowing Craig to gain deep insight into both the opportunities and challenges of this innovative housing typology.
Tim Wickens
PRINCIPAL, NICHOLSON SHEFFIELD ARCHITECTS INC.
Tim Wickens approaches every project as a unique opportunity to collaborate with clients and consultants in context-specific place-making. He has served as project architect on numerous award- and competition-winning projects, including Canadian Architect, Urban Design, OAA, and Governor General’s awards. With a broad range of architectural experience, Tim has worked on projects of varying types and scales, from urban master plans to intimate single-family residences. Invested in crafting unique and powerful spaces, he focuses on the study of place, context, site, and landscape, while maintaining a deep understanding of construction details and the integration of related disciplines.
Day to day, Tim feels fortunate to pursue his first architectural passion: designing diverse and equitable housing solutions for his community. His work is rooted in care, empathy, and a profound understanding of the human condition. Tim is also deeply committed to serving his community and advancing the profession through volunteering, education, and mentorship. He has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Waterloo, design instructor in the RAIC Syllabus program, and member of the City of London Urban Design Peer Review Panel. Currently, Tim chairs the London Society of Architects (LSA).
Tamara King
JURY FACILITATOR
WEBSITE & COMMUNICATIONS LEAD, ONTARIO ASSOCIATION OF ARCHITECTS
Tamara King is an accomplished communications professional entering her twentieth year as a staff member with the Ontario Association of Architects (OAA). She leads the OAA Website and Awards programs, is a key member of the Conference team, and brings deep institutional knowledge and a broad understanding of the Association’s practices and policies. Tamara spearheads major initiatives including the SHIFT Challenge, the Design Excellence Awards, and the Service Awards, guiding all phases from jury selection and submission platform development to event planning and execution.