Session Spotlight
“Open Mic: Voices That Resonate”
Thursday, August 7, 3:30 – 4:30 CT
Step into a dynamic storytelling session where emerging professionals and seasoned architects come together to share honest, powerful moments from their personal journeys. Through rapid-fire storytelling and reflective dialogue, this session explores how mentorship, access, leadership, and cultural representation shape our profession across generations—and inspire a more inclusive future in architecture.
Panelists
Jimmie Tucker, FAIA, NOMA, LEED AP
Jimmie Tucker is a native Memphian, who has passionately combined a distinguished career as an architect, planner and educator dedicated to community revitalization.
Jimmie is co-founder of Self + Tucker Architects (STA), and the firm’s stated mission is “Designing a Better Memphis and Delta Region”. STA has created innovative and award-winning designs for the Big River Crossing, Memphis Heritage Trail, National Civil Rights Museum, the STAX Museum and Academy, Orange Mound Library and Genealogy Center, the Revitalization of the Universal Life Insurance Building, as well as many other projects that have had a positive impact throughout Memphis and the Delta Region.
Jimmie earned a bachelor’s degree in Architecture and Urban Planning from Princeton University and a Master of Architecture from Washington University in St. Louis. Jimmie was the 2008 President of the AIA Memphis Chapter and a 2009 AIA Tennessee Board Member. Jimmie has also served at the AIA National level on the AIA Framework for Design Excellence Task Group and the Public Outreach Committee. In 2019, Jimmie was inducted into the AIA College of Fellows.
Jimmie and his partner, Juan Self, are working diligently to develop and transition to the next generation of firm leaders, to sustain the legacy and impact of Self + Tucker Architects.
Kem Hinton, FAIA
Kem Hinton is an architect, urban designer, visual artist, historian, public speaker, and author. He was born in Nashville and raised in nearby Murfreesboro. Kem received the Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Tennessee in 1977 (recipient of Torchbearer Award) and Master of Architecture degree from the University of Pennsylvania and the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1981.
In 1984, he joined with friend Seab Tuck to establish Tuck-Hinton Architects. During his 35-year career, Kem was responsible for the design of educational facilities, private homes, theaters, museum, churches, parks, and memorials.
Kem’s most known accomplishments as lead designer are the Tennessee Bicentennial Mall, Land Trust for Tennessee emblem, renovation of two historic homes designed by noted architect Edwin Keeble, Civil Rights Room and Votes for Women Room (both in the Nashville Public Library), Tennessee World War II Memorial, 96th Bell on Capitol Hill, and Tennessee State Library & Archives. After the retirement of Seab Tuck and sale of their firm in 2019, Kem established a sole-practitioner studio. He continues to provide design services and is a frequent lecturer on architecture, urban design, area history, and religious structures. He has also successfully sponsored numerous others for AIA Fellowship, AIA Tennessee William Strickland and Samuel Morgan Lifetime Achievement Awards, and other deserved recognition.
Kem lives with wife Marilyn in their LEED Platinum Home, the first in Williamson County. They have one grown son, T.J., PhD. In their family, T.J. is “Dr. Son” and Kem is “Mr. Father.”
Brittany Hodge, AIA, LEED GA
Brittany brings an enthusiastic spirit and an array of experience spanning commercial, medical, residential, and civic design, to EOA. Brittany is a passionate advocate for emerging professionals, and co-hosts the second season of AIA Middle Tennessee’s Re:Form TN. She works to promote and produce engaging podcast episodes on equity and diversity in architecture and how to move the profession forward. Originally from Greenville, Ohio, Brittany’s favorite part about working in architecture is the people, moments, and problem-solving. Passionate about civic design, she loves to work on projects that honor the local community, respect the character and history of the region, and bridge the gap between the past, present, and future of design. When she isn’t in the office, you can find Brittany listening to podcasts, reading books, and spending quality time with her husband and two Aussies.
Rosa Manzo
Rosa Manzo is an architectural designer based out of Nashville, TN with over 6 years of experience working on a range of project types and scales from civic, federal, and industrial to commercial/mixed-use, housing, educational, and healthcare. Currently she is a design manager at Davis Stokes Collaborative where she leads design efforts on a wide range of healthcare projects.
Rosa graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2016, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Architecture with a concentration on Computational Design. In 2022, Rosa received her Master of Architecture at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor where her thesis focused on folkloric knowledge and the symbiotic relationship humans have with the environment and buildings, in what she termed the “spatial folklore” of architecture. She was awarded the 2022 George G. Booth Fellowship to study thatching building practices of the Andean communities as “spatial folklore” practices. She is an active member of her local architecture community, where she works with the AIA Middle Tennessee to support emerging professionals in their professional development and mentorship.
Outside of her professional pursuits, you can find Rosa at a local park walking with her dog, a barre class, or at a concert venue enjoying live music. Rosa finds inspiration in the human condition, the natural world, and from architects like Lina Bo Bardi, Luis Barragan, and Alejandro Aravena.
Sophorn Olsen, AIA
Sophorn Olsen is a licensed architect and associate at LRK with over 20 years of experience in commercial, office, and retail design. She has played a key role in transformative projects across Memphis, working as an architect, interior designer, and environmental graphic designer. Her design philosophy is rooted in cultural context and a deep awareness of environmental and social impact.
Sophorn is especially passionate about projects that foster community pride. Her portfolio includes the Orion FCU Headquarters at the historic Wonder Bread Bakery and the ServiceMaster and Terminix Headquarters at Peabody Place—both adaptive reuse projects that revitalized abandoned downtown landmarks into vibrant Class A office spaces.
Beyond her work at LRK, Sophorn is a dedicated mentor to young women in architecture and a guest juror at University of Memphis design reviews over the years. She serves on the Downtown Memphis Commission Design Review Board and has contributed to the AIA Tennessee conference committee for over a decade.
Through her work, mentorship, and civic engagement, Sophorn continues to shape the built environment with purpose and vision.