2020 Judges
Nathaniel L. Wallace
Nathaniel L. Wallace joined Knight Foundation in September 2019.
Wallace joined Knight with nearly two decades of entrepreneurial and business management experience. Previously, he served as vice president of operations and co-owner of his international family firm, Communications Professionals Inc. (CPI). There, Wallace created both the IT services and staffing arms for the $20 million firm; developed infrastructure to pursue new markets; and led business and partnership development, talent acquisition, and growth strategy.
As a proud Detroit native, Wallace is deeply motivated by new possibilities for the city and its residents. He is an avid supporter of the local arts and cultural community and a strong advocate for artists of color. Wallace has hosted exhibitions, artist talks, art salons, poetry readings, rap cyphers and a myriad of art-focused programming.
Wallace is President of the Detroit Institute of Arts, Founders Junior Council, and also serves on the Board of Directors for Downtown Detroit Partnership, and Artworks by Matrix Human Services. Other organizations Wallace has served include the Music Hall of Performing Arts, Habitat for Humanity’s Global Village program, NEIdeas, Emerging Art Leaders Detroit, The District Detroit Art Advisory Committee, and Michigan Opera Theatre’s Opera Club.
Wallace earned a bachelor’s degree in Executive Business Management from Northwood University in Midland, Michigan.
Max Strang
For 20 years Max Strang has demonstrated a commitment to creating high-quality designs with a focus on academic and professional engagement. His design approach acutely considers the future impact climate change will have on residential and urban development in the coming decades, and his iconic designs thoughtfully integrate with South Florida’s subtropical climate.
Elevated to the College of Fellows in 2016 and consistently recognized locally, regionally, and nationally for the strength of his design work, Max has won dozens of awards, including the 2013 AIA Miami Silver Medal for Design, and 2018 AIA Florida Medal of Honor for Design.
Max has been published in over 200 magazines, news interviews, and books. His firm’s monograph, Environmental Modernism: The Architecture of [STRANG], released in 2017, reflects the concepts of “environmental modernism” showcased in the firm’s numerous residential projects. Max has generated an impressive and well-crafted body of work that is consistent, rigorous, and varied. His use of materiality, detailing and scale pushes projects beyond necessity into the world of architecture that is art.
Lucia Athens
Lucia Athens, LEED AP, is the City of Austin’s first Chief Sustainability Author. Over a 20-year period Athens has helped to develop Austin Energy’s Green Building program, chaired the Site and Water Technical Assistance Group for the LEED® 2.0 Rating System, and led the City of Seattle’s sustainable building initiative. Lucia has served on the National Board of Directors for USGBC, GBCI, and EcoDistricts. She frequently collaborates with nonprofits including Rocky Mountain Institute, Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems, U.S. Global Green, and SXSW.
A licensed Landscape Architect, Athens has contributed to many green building projects including Austin’s LEED Platinum Library, Seattle City Hall (LEED Gold) and Evergreen State College’s Seminar II building (LEED Gold). Lucia has served as Austin delegate to the C40 Mayors Climate Leadership group at summits in Johannesburg, Sao Paolo, and Copenhagen. She is a frequent keynote speaker, including for events hosted by The Economist, The Atlantic, The Advanced Leadership Foundations, and Metropolis Magazine. Athens is author of the Island Press book Building an Emerald City: A Guide to Creating Green Building Policies and Programs. Her forthcoming book, The Optimist’s Guide to Sustainability, explores true tales of sustainability heroes who charted a path for today’s practitioners and innovators.
2020 Emcee
Candice Digby
Candice has a wide range of experience spanning marketing, advertising, sponsorship development, partnerships, programming, artist, and event management. In 2011, she helped to open and run artist-owned record label, The Noise Company. In this role, Candice realized her passion for finding innovative platforms to support artists. She took her drive for fostering creative communities to tech education at General Assembly, where she served as the Marketing Lead for Texas. Diving further into tech infrastructure, Candice has recently joined Vapor IO, where she heads up their partnership program and international event programming. Candice is one of the founders of Austin Design Week, which launched in November 2016. Austin Design Week brings together designers from all practices and celebrates Austin’s creative culture. In her free time, you can usually find her enjoying some of the best food the city has to offer, or at a live music show.