CHRIS DORMAN
A licensed California architect and member of AIA since 2000, Chris Dorman opened his own firm in 2001. One of Chris’ focuses has been child care architecture, including Reggio inspired child development centers for Corporate clients as well as many prominent non-profit providers. Residentially, Chris has created distinctive designs for numerous multi-million dollar custom homes and remodels for individual clients as well developers and Tribal Communities. Most recently he has engaged in various Mixed Use hospitality ventures which focus on how architecture can augment the user’s experience.
Chris received a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from UC Berkeley, and his Masters in Architecture from the University of Oregon. He began his career in 1996 when he joined the San Rafael firm Chris Lamen and Associates where the firm’s focus was on Affordable Multifamily Housing.
Design Principal
MARY PETERSON
Mary Peterson, Project Manager and Interior Designer, a ‘00 graduate of Philadelphia University with a BS in Interior Architecture & Design, Mary relocated to the Bay Area in 2006. While in Philadelphia, she began her design career in the contract and healthcare design fields, focusing on space planning, design collaboration and FF&E selection and coordination.
Mary’s career continued to develop with commercial projects for financial institutions in the Philadelphia area, and furthermore in the retail design field once relocating to the Bay Area in 2006. As a Project Manager for a national retail store with projects nationwide, Mary’s focus was on clear client communication & collaboration, overseeing the design & documentation process.
In 2007, Mary joined Dorman Associates. Since then, Mary’s experience has expanded to include childcare, hospitality and residential design, with an increased focus on the architecture, universal design, consultant coordination, and client collaboration of the project as a whole. Mary has worked on a range of corporate and hospitality projects, including the overall interior visioning, signage & furniture design of a 28,000 s.f. marketplace in San Jose Del Cabo, Mexico.
Mary is involved in all stages of the design process, bringing a strong knowledge of state and federal building codes, specifically applying to commercial spaces and universal barrier-free design in existing and new spaces. Her specialties also include selection of sustainable materials, fixtures, and equipment, as well as the overseeing and coordination of project documentation from Schematic Design to Construction Administration. Mary is committed to creating healthy environments that enhance the quality of life for the end user.
Senior Project Manager
DECKER FLYNN
A licensed architect in California since 2003 and member of the AIA, Decker Flynn joined Dorman Associates in 2015. Prior to that, Decker worked as a Design Associate and Project Architect at Skidmore Owings & Merrill in San Francisco for almost 15 years, where he worked on complex projects ranging from airports to stock exchanges, from university student housing to conference centers, from mixed-use office towers to hotels. His ability to understand the context of a project, recognize design opportunities and constraints, provide innovative solutions, and coordinate the entire project team makes him a very effective project architect. Decker is versatile, possessing a broad range of design and management experience, leading design teams from concept design through construction administration, generating project work plans and schedules, and managing client, contractor, and consultant relations.
Since joining Dorman Associates, Decker has become an integral part of the team. His longstanding experience overseeing large-scale projects has allowed him to step in and contribute to the direction and quality control of the permit documents for several recent projects at DA. He is currently overseeing a 13,000 square foot corporate childcare center that will be incorporated into an existing 43 story building in San Francisco’s financial district. His oversight and attention to detail have already proven valuable in managing the expedited permitting process and construction schedule necessary to hit the client’s deadlines for that project.
Decker received a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from UC Berkeley in 1992, and his Masters in Architecture from the University of Oregon in 1996. Soon thereafter he joined SOM in New York before transferring to SOM San Francisco.
Senior Project Manager
MELANIE VICTOR-SMITH
Melanie Victor-Smith is a U.C. Berkeley graduate of Social Sciences and a Marin County native. Melanie joined Dorman Associates in early 2022 as Studio Manager. Melanie has a wide range of experience in different industries with the consistent factor being a passion for working in small, entrepreneurial environments. From Finance to Mortgages, Fine Art and her own entrepreneurial venture (Artream – a mobile art gallery in an Airstream trailer), Melanie has developed a well-rounded business acumen in Sales, Operations, Accounting and Communications.
Studio Manager
ANDREA MONTALBANO
Andrea Montalbano is a licensed architect and began working as Senior Project Manager at Dorman Associates in 2022. She has spent her career focused on issues related to Housing and Urban Design. She received her Master’s degree from the University of California at Berkeley, and has designed and managed numerous projects throughout the country, from single-family homes in New York and California, to affordable and market-rate, multi-family housing developments in California, Hawaii, Arizona and Washington state. She has taught both undergraduate and graduate level design courses at UC Berkeley’s Architecture and Landscape Architecture programs. She is passionate about maintaining a balance between the natural and built environments, and has served on the Tamalpais Area Design Review Board since 2017.
Senior Project Manager
AVA FARAB
Ava Farab is a design professional at Dorman Associates. Before joining Dorman Associates, Ava worked as Design Associate with Harmony Center in Iran, where she worked on commercial, office, exhibition and multiple interior design projects, ranging from the Middle East, to China and Italy. Ava’s background includes furniture design, interior design as well as graphic design and marketing.
Ava received her Bachelor of Science in Architecture from IKIU University in Iran, and her Masters in Architecture from University of Michigan. While at the University of Michigan, Ava was Research Assistant to professor Sean Ahlquist, collaborating with him on his pioneering research through the use of a large-scale CNC knitting machine for the design and fabrication of pre-stressed lightweight structures and innovations in textile-reinforced composite materials. Through collaborating with computer science teams, the team was able to create interactive and touch-sensitive spatial installations that would benefit children with learning disabilities and autism.
Since joining Dorman Associates, Ava has worked on multiple childcare projects. She has worked as Project Associate on two different childcare centers for Stanford University, and smaller childcare centers for non-profit organizations.
Ava has a passion for socially responsible architecture. Her pro-bono design work in Iran has been featured in Memar and Honare Memari magazines. Her Thesis on architectural responses to migration crises has been published in the University of Michigan’s Dimensions publication.
Project Manager, LEED AP BD+C, WELL AP
AKI LAFLIN
Aki Laflin, Associate Designer, graduated from UC Berkeley with a Bachelor of Arts degree in architecture. After graduating he pursued 2D animation as well as graphic design. Aki has previous experience as a draftsperson for a Bay Area photography / marketing company as well as a San Francisco catering company where he worked as an event manager.
Assistant Project Manager
OLUMIDE OMOBULEJO
Olumide Omobulejo joined Dorman Associates, Inc. in 2019 after relocating from Sparks, Nevada where he worked as an Architectural Designer at Tesla Motors, Inc. He has a passion for practicable and affordable design. Olumide holds a B.sc Arch from Anglia Ruskin University Chelmsford, UK and a M.Arch from the School of Art Institute of Chicago.
At Dorman Associates, Olumide is mostly involved in residential, multi-family, and commercial architecture design projects.
Associate Designer
IRIKAA PILANIA
Irikaa graduated with a Bachelor’s in Architecture from Sushant University in India. Before coming to the United States, Irikaa began her career with ARCOP associates working on high-end residential projects, focusing on construction drawings, coordination with consultants, and graphic design.
With a determination to focus on interiors, she graduated from the University of Oregon with a Master’s in Interior Architecture in 2019. While at the University of Oregon, she worked with the University’s in-house construction team for new campus dorms and renovations of existing buildings on campus. She helped define project requirements during the budgeting and construction phase with custom millwork drawings, furniture, lighting, flooring, materials, and FF&E selections.
Irikaa believes in the integrated design process, understanding and implementing the client’s perspective in projects. Since joining Dorman Associates, Irikaa has helped with childcare, residential and commercial projects, from Schematic Design to the Construction Documentation stage. With guidance from Project Architects and the Principal designer, she is expanding her experience in interiors as architecture, focusing on space planning, design collaboration, FF&E selection, and coordination of projects.
Irikaa is also gaining knowledge of state and federal building codes, specifically applying to commercial and healthcare spaces to create Universal Design Architecture. She wants to contribute towards designing different human experiences for everyday users in creating a better place.
Associate Designer
KYRA SIMON
Kyra Simon joined Dorman Associates, Inc. as a part-time Office Manager in January 2019 after deciding to make a career switch and follow her passion for design and architecture.
She is a Mill Valley, CA native who received her BA in Art History and Studio Art from UC Davis, and her professional background is in Human Resources and Recruiting. After many years of working in tech, she went back to school to pursue a degree in Interior Design at City College of San Francisco.
Kyra graduated with an Associate of Science in Interior Design in May 2021 and began working full time with Dorman Associates, expanding beyond administrative work to assist the team with residential, commercial, and childcare projects. Her talents in organization and communication have been a strong asset for creating office systems and standards, and she is excited to bring those skills to the design side of the business as well.
Kyra has always been a creative person and is now gaining a better understanding of the design process, including FF&E selections, sourcing materials, ADA codes and compliance, and Construction Administration. She is looking forward to further developing her design skills and participating in client projects to make ideas come to life.
Office Manager / Junior Designer
EINAR GUNTVEDT
Einar Guntvedt joined Dorman Associates, Inc. in 2021 after graduating from UC Berkeley with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Architecture.
Einar is a Bay Area native, born in San Francisco. He grew up in Veracruz, Mexico before he decided to return to California to pursue an architecture degree.
While completing his degree at UC Berkeley, Einar was awarded a fellowship through the College of Environmental Design. The award consisted of an internship with an architecture firm in Oakland, California where he gained experience working in multi-family affordable housing projects.
Junior Designer
NATHAN SCHWARTZMAN
Nathan Schwartzman Joined Dorman Associates, Inc. in May of 2022 after graduating from the University of San Francisco with a Bachelor's degree in Architecture. Nathan is a Bay Area native, but was born in Massachusetts and moved to California in 2010.Nathan has interned at a number of architecture firms in the Bay Area, and is experienced in many software programs such as Sketchup, Revit, Photoshop, Illustrator, and AutoCad. In college, Nathan worked on various design projects as well as completed an Honors Thesis on the importance of walkable cities.
Junior Designer