2025 Recognition Award WInners

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  Gold Medal / Michael Guthrie, FAIA, LEED AP

  Founding Partner & Principal | INFORM Studio

  Michael L. Guthrie, FAIA is a Founding Partner of INFORM Studio, where he leads the firm’s vision, culture, innovation and strategy. He received the 2003 AIA Detroit Young Architect Award and was elevated into the AIA College of Fellows in 2024.
  
  Michael’s accomplishments range from professional to academic. His commitment to the firm’s progressive work is illustrated by a broad range of projects including cultural institutions, community spaces, hospitality and urban design projects centered around pedestrian bridges. Michael has been an adjunct professor at the University of Michigan and lectured at numerous universities and congresses around the world.
  
  He has achieved significant professional awards and distinctions including National AIA Design Awards in 2023 and 2025, and participated in numerous prestigious award juries that include AIA New York and AIA Chicago in 2025. His work has been published in Architecture, Architectural Record, Archiworld, CA Concept, Albenaa Magazine, and various other publications; and shown in numerous exhibitions globally, including New York, Guangzhou and Cairo.
  
  Michael’s focus on changing the design and delivery process of the built environment has inspired and impacted projects and communities from coast to coast, and his work is often cited as critical precedents for connectivity and placemaking.
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  Charles Blessing Award / Rebecca Binno Savage

  Architectural Historian Consultant

  Rebecca Savage was born in Detroit, and her professional career began in advertising where she worked for nine years. She later attended Columbia University’s school of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, and received a Master of Science degree in historic preservation in 1997. Rebecca worked as a historic preservation specialist at the Greater Downtown Partnership. She was previously employed at Kraemer Design Group, a downtown Detroit architectural firm.
  
  Rebecca has served as a board member for the Michigan Historic Preservation Network, Preservation Detroit, and the Greening of Detroit. She also was chair of the Hamtramck Downtown Development Authority and served on that board for ten years. She is currently Vice President of the Detroit Area Art Deco Society.
  
  Rebecca worked as Lead Architectural Historian at the City of Detroit Historic Designation Advisory Board from 2020 to 2025. Today she is a historic preservation consultant and lives in Detroit.
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  Young Architect Award / Matthew Guinta, AIA, NCARB, WELL AP, LSSYB

  Project Manager | Diekema Hamann Architecture + Engineering

  Matt has 16 years of post-graduate architectural experience and has been a registered architect since 2015. He is passionate about advancing the profession and providing unparalleled service to clients through code and technical research/knowledge. He has focused on healthcare for his love of patient and clinical outcomes. Additionally, his community activism has led non-health clients to seek him out, knowing he will provide them with the level of attention and service they deserve. As a project manager, he is responsible for all aspects of success.
  
  Matt’s career has brought him much fulfillment, designing and managing projects around the globe and now local to him in Michigan. He has led projects from the roles of subject matter expert and project manager. Matt has made a focus to be a “whole architect”, mastering building codes and guidelines for healthcare specific projects. He has taken opportunities to temporarily relocate to California and India. His natural and honed ability to be a contemplative leader has served him well in these instances.
  
  Over the past sixteen years, Matt has been a constant learner: joining leadership programs, tackling a Master of Business Administration, and becoming a competitive sailor. What he is even more proud of his ability to take the lessons learned in many facets of his life and to use these at teachable moments to his colleagues and mentees. He has been kept humble by the human nature of his practice. He has taught two semesters as adjunct and spoken at twelve national conferences on Healthcare Education Simulation. He is published nationally.
  
  Matt works to share his time, talent, and treasure with non-profit causes in his community. He is on the board of two LGBTQ organizations, teaching in an adult sailing program, and formerly led an urban youth outreach arm. He is a volunteer and host committee member for Detroit’s Belle Isle Park’s non-profit conservancy “Garden Party” and prides himself on the three current committees at AIA Michigan he sits on and the one which he chairs.
  
  Matt is grateful to the mentors and loved ones who have supported him.
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  Associate Member Award / Jacob Smith, Associate AIA

  Architectural Designer & BIM Manager | Albert Kahn Associates, Inc.

  Jacob is an Architectural Designer with experience across industrial, commercial, and healthcare projects—creating spaces that balance functionality, efficiency, and thoughtful design. He approaches architecture with a strong design sensibility and a curiosity for how emerging technologies can enhance both the process and outcome.
  
  In addition to his design practice, Jacob serves on the AIA Michigan Board of Directors, where he helps guide initiatives that advocate for innovation, leadership, and the next generation of architects. He also gives back to the academic side of the profession as a Design Studio instructor at his alma mater, Lawrence Technological University, mentoring future designers and fostering creative, critical thinking.
  
  While his primary focus is architectural design, Jacob recently stepped into the role of BIM Manager, growing his expertise in digital delivery and interdisciplinary collaboration. He’s especially interested in how AI, VR, and other emerging tools can push the boundaries of what architecture can be—from conceptual development to user experience.
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  Honorary Allied Member Award / Ellie Schneider

  Director of Programming and Strategy | Industrial Sewing and Innovation Center

  Ellie Schneider is a proud lifelong Detroiter, attorney, and design-minded leader with over a decade of experience in strategy and economic development in Detroit.
  
  Ellie currently serves as Director of Programming and Strategy at the Industrial Sewing and Innovation Center (ISAIC), a Detroit-based national institute that supports innovation, skilling, and workplace culture in the textile and apparel manufacturing industry. Ellie led the development of ISAIC's strategic plan and manages delivery of ISAIC skilling programs onsite and through national partners, as well as ISAIC's Employee Business Unit. She has launched several programs to help local fashion entrepreneurs develop and scale their ideas. She also works to build business and partnership opportunities with ISAIC's global network of brands, innovators, and manufacturers.
  
  She is the former Director for Detroit City of Design initiative and represented Detroit in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. Ellie provided an important leadership role in connecting Design Core’s business and public programs to a global context. She is skilled at making connections between different partners, programs, and opportunities and in thinking of ways to create accessible points of engagement for the public. She staffed the application process for the UNESCO City of Design designation, helped develop the Detroit City of Design Action Plan, and recruited our local coalition of Detroit City of Design partner organizations. She served as co-coordinator for the UNESCO Design Cities subnetwork from 2016-2020.
  
  When she is not at work or tied up in an endless renovation project, Ellie enjoys spending time outdoors and in the garden, in Detroit and up north.