AIA Vermont is pleased to welcome four new board members who will serve for the 2026 term. These board members were approved by a vote of the membership at the 2025 AIAVT Annual Meeting on December 4th at Champlain College in Burlington.

Jade Jimenez, AIAS is a soon-to-be master's student studying Architecture at Norwich University. She has competed in design competitions and interned under Professor Stonorov, contributing to the Time Space Existence exhibition at the Venice Biennale as a Project Intern and Assistant with Norwich University and Stonorov Workshop Architects. She has also interned at Freeman French Freeman in Burlington, Vermont.

Originally “from nowhere but everywhere,” Jade grew up as a military child, living across Colorado, Texas, Utah, South Korea, and New York. These experiences shaped her adaptability and continue to inform her perspective on place, culture, and the built environment.

Owen Smith, AIA grew up in Hinesburg, VT as the son of an architect. This early exposure to the profession led him to attend Cornell University where he obtained a Bachelor of Architecture. During college and after, Owen worked as a carpenter where he developed a deep appreciation for the intersection of design and craftmanship. Owen is now a principal at SAS Architects in Burlington where he leads project design. Through his work at SAS, Owen has developed a passion for public architecture and believes that good humanistic architecture can enrich communities. As a member of the AIAVT Board, Owen will seek to support the continued growth of the profession throughout the state.

Chris Bertrand, Allied AIAVT brings over 30 years of industry experience to his role as DEW’s Vice President of Business Development for our Northern Region. Chirs is responsible for building and maintaining strategic partnerships throughout northern Vermont, northern New Hampshire, and Upstate New York. With an 18-year tenure with DEW, Chris has advanced from Project Engineer to Vice President of Field Operations throughout that time. Raised in a construction family in Massachusetts, he gained early exposure to the industry through his family’s diverse roles, including well drilling, development, plumbing, cabinet making, and construction supervision.

Following his college education, Chris served as a manager at American Skiing Company, overseeing up to 70 employees and managing 11 distinct budgets. Chris then embarked on his career with DEW, starting as a field engineer. Over the years, he rapidly acquired knowledge in commercial construction and progressively assumed greater responsibilities, culminating in his current role. 

Chris is an outdoor enthusiast who loves spending time with his dogs, his wife, and their daughter. He enjoys backcountry skiing, surfing, mountain bike and gravel racing, endurance events, road cycling, and running marathons. Chris and his family cherish hiking with their dogs and savoring the peace and quiet of Vermont’s natural beauty.

Ashar Nelson, AIA has worked as both a design architect and in construction. Ashar’s deep understanding of building design and construction offers added value to VIA’s clients as he can quickly and effectively weigh alternative solutions to a variety of problems and help facilitate a good discussion about how to proceed. Skilled in master planning, project management, and energy efficiency, Ashar has worked on cultural, municipal, educational, and commercial projects including the mass timber Tang Science Annex to the Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium, the Vergennes Opera House, and the home campus of Vermont Youth Conservation Corps. He taught at Middlebury College and was a Faculty Advisor to both the 2011 and 2013 Solar Decathlon teams. Ashar’s projects have been awarded for their excellence in design, including sustainability, energy efficiency, and historic preservation. Ashar is a registered architect in the State of Vermont.