BAC Hosts 18th Annual Alumni Awards

On Friday, October 2, the BAC hosted its 18th annual alumni awards ceremony to honor our outstanding graduates and celebrate their achievements, with guests virtually joining from around the world, including France, Canada, Colombia, the Netherlands, and Nigeria.

Watch the 2020 Alumni Awards Ceremony here.

Each year we recognize esteemed BAC alumni from these four categories: Emerging Designer, Distinguished Alumni in Service, Distinguished Alumni in Practice, and Selfless Labor. "We were so thrilled with the breadth of nominees this year. Our alumni are doing great things in New England, the United States, and around the world. The committee is so impressed with the winners who will join a great group of alumni award winners from the past," said Christina Oliver, Alumni Council Co-Chair.

We are proud to celebrate the following BAC alumni who have made significant contributions to society, and whose career accomplishments and service have honored the BAC legacy of excellence.

Emerging Designer

Jessi Flynn, MLA '15
Owner, One Health Design, Kigali, Rwanda

As a BAC student, Jessi received the 2014 Boston Society for Landscape Architects Scholarship, served as a student ambassador, was a teaching assistant for two classes, and served as officer for Student American Society for Landscape Architects (SASLA). Her master's thesis, Water/Cycle, involved a combination of urban stormwater green infrastructure and protected bicycle lanes. The project is now being considered for pilot project funding. Jessi currently works as a landscape design consultant and has worked on residential design, ecological design/build, and urban multi-modal design projects with firms such as Timothy Lee Landscape Design, Land Escapes, and Toole Design Group.

She also volunteers for the Boston Cyclist Union, helping get community support for multi-modal infrastructure by creating drawings and renderings of proposed projects. Jessi is frequently contacted by BAC students and alumni for insight into international practice and non-traditional applications of her landscape architecture education. In her words, she likes to convince people that the power of a design education "is not a job, but a tool." She has worked with the BAC Alumni Council and was a presenter for the "Designers to the Rescue" installment of BAC Talks in June 2020. Jessi is an articulate and passionate ambassador for the BAC and landscape architecture.

Distinguished Alumni in Service

John Dalzell, AIA / LEED Fellow, B. Arch '88
Sr Architect for Sustainable Development, City of Boston, Boston Planning & Development Agency

John serves our Boston community by leading sustainable development and climate resilience practices at the building and neighborhood scales and by helping to craft new national and international green building standards. In his 19-year tenure with the BPDA (formally the BRA), John has led several Green Building and Sustainable Development initiatives through two administrations (Menino and Walsh). John will be leading a new initiative to establish Zero Net Carbon Zoning in support of Mayor Martin J. Walsh's goal for carbon neutrality by 2050. Recognizing the need to drive practice transformation, John and his colleagues at the Dept. Neighborhood Development established the E+ Green Building Program to prove the feasibility for affordable urban housing prototypes that are energy, environment, and equity positive.

In addition to his work at the city of Boston, John regularly serves as a guest critic and panelist at the BAC and is involved with the Sustainable Design program and, most recently, Real Estate Development program.

Distinguished Alumni in Practice

Shpresa S. Theodhosi, B. Arch '78
Principal, Theodhosi + Michael

Shpresa Theodhosi has been a leader in the design community with her professional design contribution to new construction, beginning with One Post Office Tower design with Pietro Belluschi-Jung/Brannen in 1979 and any number of high rise towers in Boston and Providence. She is a pioneer in renovation projects starting with Peabody Terrace Condominiums, designed and constructed in parallel with the first "This Old House" renovation in 1980 and multiple school, office and religious projects before opening Theodhosi + Michael. As a leader in the Albanian community, she expressed her dedication to her ancestral homeland by developing a new high-rise residential building completed in 2020 in Tirana Albania becoming a proud owner. Theodhosi + Michael received the James West Award for visionary service in design for her work designing two buildings at Camp Squanto BSA, Plymouth Massachusetts.

Shpresa was mentored by and became close friends with Peter Blake and Arcangelo Casieri who encouraged her to be directly involved with the granting of the Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1978 to BAC graduates. She holds both an original professional Certificate and Bachelor of Architecture from the BAC. She served many times as a design critic at the BAC and a mentor to many young professionals and students.

Selfless Labor

Richard Martini, B. Arch '84
Executive Managing Director, The Fallon Company

Richard Martini is responsible for the oversight of all projects from initial concept through opening and operations. He is a registered architect with expertise in mixed-use projects involving complex design and site issues. He is also well-versed in the budget and coordination challenges that require deep experience and finesse to balance the diverse needs of project participants and stakeholders.

Prior to joining The Fallon Company, Richard served as senior vice president of design and construction for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, where he directed more than $6 billion in development and construction projects throughout the U.S. and Canada. He has received numerous awards over the course of his career, including two international development competitions for Starwood properties. Richard is also a member of the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, the American Institutes of Architects, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and serves as the Chair of the Board of Trustees at the BAC.

Thank you to the Alumni Council Awards, Scholarship & Recognition Committee: Christina Oliver (Co-Chair), Philip Reville (Co-Chair), Arick Dyrdal, Luis Perez, and Janet Roche; and everyone who joined us in celebrating our 2020 award recipients