Advisory Board

Yakuh Askew

San Francisco native Yakuh Askew founded Y.A. studio in 2004 to create contextually sensitive and socially impactful architecture. His work—spanning custom residences, hospitality, commercial spaces, and multifamily housing—balances urban scale with pedestrian warmth and sustainability. Yakuh is especially recognized for his leadership in affordable and supportive housing design, shaping projects like Liberation Park, 4200 Geary, and Potrero Hill Block B to foster pride, connectivity, and resilience in Bay Area communities. Under his guidance, Y.A. studio brings the same rigor and care to projects of all scales, challenging the status quo and enriching the public realm through thoughtful, emotionally resonant design. Yakuh is the 2025 Vice-President for the San Francisco Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIASF), and the 2026 President-Elect.

Lilian Asperin

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Lilian values a firm culture that embraces collaboration, connection to the community, risk-taking, and fostering talent. As one of the studio’s partners, she helps lead the design process and build teams that deliver aspirational outcomes. Lilian approaches design as an opportunity to create spaces that spark curiosity and prioritize a culture of belonging. Since joining WRNS Studio, she has led various projects for higher education and workplace clients. Lilian utilizes her experience as a practice leader and licensed architect to develop synergistic relationships with leaders throughout the architectural and educational communities. Serving as an At-Large Director of the Board of the Society for College and University Planning (SCUP), Lilian continues the work she started with the Pacific Regional Council where she has led workshops and conversations investigating decarbonization, equity, well-being, evolving learn/work modalities, and innovative project delivery models.

Sandy Blair

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Sandy Blair is Vice President and Regional Manager of the San Francisco Office of Marx|Okubo Associates Inc. She directs operations and Marx|Okubo’s work in the Northern California region. She oversees client relationships, while allocating human resources, managing schedules, and collaborating with other regions. Sandy has been engaged in the fields of architecture and construction for more than two decades, including design/build work in the San Francisco Bay Area, where her responsibilities have included design development, construction document preparation and construction observation involving various residential, retail, and commercial facilities. Additional duties have included managing subcontractors, construction planning, budgeting, scheduling, permitting, and inspection of construction quality. Sandy earned her bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of California - Berkeley. She is a licensed architect in California and a member of the American Institute of Architects, as well as a Certified Access Specialist (CASp) in California. Sandy has been part of the firm’s Board of Directors since 2013.

Charmaine Curtis

Charmaine Curtis is a residential real estate developer with a 30+ year track record developing both market rate and affordable housing throughout the Bay Area. Her career encompasses a diverse portfolio of work; one that speaks to her unique perspective as an African-American woman who values providing housing for individuals and families at all income levels and developing pioneering, vibrant, mixed-use urban infill projects. Before starting her own company in 2004, she was the President of A. F. Evans Development where she oversaw the development of 4,000 units of both market rate and affordable housing. Earlier in her career, she was the Director of Housing Development for Mercy Housing California. Charmaine began her career as an urban planner with a Master’s degree from U.C. Berkeley and received a B.A. from Dartmouth College. She is a member of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy board of directors and serves on the board of the Homeless Prenatal Program in San Francisco. In 2020, she was recognized as one of the 100 most influential women in business by the San Francisco Business Times.

Macy Leung

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Macy Leung is a Senior Housing Policy Development Specialist at the California Department of Housing and Community Development, where she leads the 2026 California Statewide Housing Plan and 10-Year Housing Data Strategy Plan update. She also advances affordable housing through the innovative State Excess Sites Program, leveraging state public land to facilitate affordable housing development. With professional experience spanning affordable housing finance and development, land use economics, and architecture, she brings a multidisciplinary, mission-driven approach to addressing complex housing and community development challenges across California. She has held senior and executive roles in nonprofit affordable housing organizations, leading cross-functional teams and managing development portfolios. Earlier in her career, she served as a Senior Economist specializing in land use and economic development policy and began her professional path in architecture. Macy was the elected founding Board President of a regional land trust and a three-term mayoral appointee to a Northern California city’s Design Review Board. She has received national arts awards, lectured on housing finance and design at Harvard and UIUC, and contributed to the Encyclopedia Britannica Architectural Forum. She holds a Master’s in Design Studies (Urbanization/Housing) from Harvard Graduate School of Design, where she was elected Class Marshal.  In addition, she holds a Master of Architecture and a BA in Economics.

Raymond Lucchesi

Raymond Lucchesi RA, LEED AP is a Principal at Regenesis, whose work is partnering people and their place to regenerate ecosystems and the human spirit. Ray has 40 years of experience in the built environment as an architect and planner practicing regenerative development, sustainable and integrated design, biomimicry and interpretive planning. As an architect, Ray has been involved in several projects obtaining LEED Certification, including the Springs Preserve and Desert Living Center and Garden, which produced seven LEED Platinum buildings. Ray graduated from Arizona State University with an emphasis in arid-region ecosystems and passive-design. He also planned and led the development of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Architecture, was the Founding Director, and on the faculty for 25 years.

Pramod Sanoor

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An Associate Principal with BAR Architects & Interiors, Pramod Sanoor is committed to creating enduring spaces that positively transform communities and the environment. He champions innovation, curiosity, environmental stewardship, and social equity to meet today’s needs while enriching the built environment for the future. A leader in creating quality affordable, student and market-rate housing for over 20 years, Pramod has demonstrated that thoughtful, purposeful design has the power to shape behaviors, support ecosystems, foster connections, and promote social well-being across generations.  As important, Pramod leads research and is committed to implementing strategies to reduce operational and embodied carbon and exploring alternative construction methods such as mass timber, prefab, and volumetric modular systems. He is currently working on a variety of housing projects throughout California including leading the design of UC Merced’s Promise Student Housing, a 488-bed mass timber Design-Build project currently under construction. A licensed architect and accredited LEED AP BD+C, professional, he holds a Master of Architecture from Texas A&M. A philatelist, he also enjoys hiking in the Bay Area and the Sierras, and spending time with his family and dog.