The Jury

Alexandra ‘Alita’ Gonzalez-Vučina

Born in Chile and raised in Toronto, Alexandra ‘Alita’ Gonzalez-Vučina (she/her) has over 20 years of international experience in Design and Advertising. She is the designer behind global branding and pictogram design for the XVII Pan American Games, as well as a series of gamified, eco-conscious light installations at Nuit Blanche and Winterlude. As principal and creative lead at AxD, she collaborates with a variety of clients and agencies. In addition, she serves as a mentor and sessional instructor in OCAD University’s design and advertising program.

Kendra Jackson

Kendra Jackson is the deputy editor of Azure magazine, Canada’s leading publication that celebrates the very best in international architecture and design and the vanguard practitioners who are contributing to the betterment of the built world and beyond. Working in the magazine publishing industry for more than 20 years, Kendra has successfully combined her passions for journalism and contemporary design, and is continuously inspired by the people and projects she encounters through her position at the magazine, on both a national and global scale.

Martin Gomes

Martin Gomes (He/They) is an Afro/Latino, queer writer and composer born and based in downtown Toronto. He currently works as an artist facilitator teaching poetry and beatboxing for organizations such as Unity Charity, Lakeshore Arts, JAYU, VIBEArts, tdsbCREATES, and Shakespeare in Action. He’s been afforded the opportunity of performing for people and places such as Opera Atelier, CBC, Sony, Soho House, Harbourfront Centre, Nuit Blanche, TOLive, and Treemonisha. With their art, he hopes to set an example of authenticity, empathy, and observation wherever possible in an attempt to spread messages of loving each other’s neighbours even through all the noise.

Myriam Tawadros

Myriam Tawadros, Senior Associate, joined KPMB Architects in 2002. A graduate of the architecture school at the University of Toronto, she was the recipient of both the RAIC and AIA Henry Adams medals. At KPMB, Myriam has been instrumental in guiding projects from concept to completion. Her portfolio includes urban, residential, and institutional projects, including Canada’s National Ballet School, the Rotman School of Management Expansion, and the Park Hyatt Toronto. Myriam is currently working on a country-wide portfolio of residential projects with Kindred Works to build inclusive and sustainable communities while providing affordable housing in Canada.

Renée Powell-Hines

Renée Powell-Hines is an artist and aspiring architect who views the field of architecture and design through the lens of equity, ethnography and sustainability. She is currently an M.Arch Candidate at the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design at the University of Toronto, where she received her Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in Architectural Studies in 2021. Renée is an executive member of the Black Architects and Interior Designers’ Association (BAIDA), and the president of the BAIDA Students. She is also co-creator and facilitator of the Building Black Success through Design mentorship program at U of T.

Quan Thai

Quan Thai is a licensed architect, Associate at SvN Architects + Planners, and founder of Never Only Architecture. His practice builds on over ten years of experience working on high-profile conceptual and built work across North America, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. His interests and expertise in practice and academia are driven by his position that design can be used as an agent for change, demonstrated through his work at the scale of the community, to the detail and materiality of interiors and furniture design. He remains connected to his community as a volunteer for various events and organizations, and lectures at several design schools. He is the inaugural Emerging Practitioner Fellow (2023-25) at the University of Waterloo School of Architecture.

The 12th annual DesignTO Awards are supported by KPMB Architects