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Welcome !

We are pleased to be celebrating over 50 years of fellowship.

Since 1973 the Organization of Women Architects and Design Professionals (OWA+DP) has been an active support network for the many women involved in architecture, building engineering, planning, landscape architecture, interior and graphic design, and related environmental design fields.

Join us


Our Mission

The OWA+DP is a non-profit organization that supports and promotes women in design-related fields in all phases of their professional lives.  We seek to:
  • Improve the professional standing of women in architecture and design-related fields.
  • Promote networking opportunities among our members and related professional groups.
  • Provide support for women entrepreneurs and business owners in the design industry.
  • Advocate for young women and students entering design-related fields through mentoring, education, and employment opportunities.
  • Support women in creating a healthy balance between their professional and personal lives.

Upcoming events

    • 7 Oct 2025
    • 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
    • AIA East Bay, 2150 Allston Way, Unit 310, Berkeley, CA 94704
    Register

    Please join us for our Annual Member Business Meeting! 

    We need a minimum of 32 members to attend for quorum

    Join Zoom Meeting

    https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83732280022?pwd=racEvuibuz8fEhalkkKYBqTQlytMxk.1

    Meeting ID: 837 3228 0022

    Passcode: 193413


    AGENDA: 

    5:30pm  Dinner and refreshments

    5:45pm  Welcome and Call to Order (introduce any new/prospective members)

    6:10pm  Steering Committee elections

    6:30pm  2026 Budget approval

    6:50pm  Fundraising and Non-Profit Vision  

    7:20pm  Raffle for next years membership

    7:30pm  Adjourn Annual Business Meeting

    We need a quorum to hold the meeting, so please attend! In person attendees will be entered into a raffle for a free one year membership. 

    This will be a hybrid event, you can join us in-person or on Zoom.

    Thank you again to the AIA East Bay for hosting us at no cost. 



    • 23 Oct 2025
    • 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
    • 2421 4th Street, Berkeley
    Register

    Hi fellow OWA members,

    This year, the OWA Steering Committee launched a new panel talk series, bringing together our members from diverse backgrounds to share their expertise and experiences. Our goal is to create a space where members can learn from one another, especially those who may not know where to seek guidance.

    For Panel Talk #2 we have invited 4 of our OWA members who have had experience as representatives and project managers on the owner’s side of projects.   We are excited to have Cammy White (Kaiser Permanente), Rita Ho (Kaiser Permanente), Mignon O’Young (Marx|Okubo Associates) and Yumi Chon(Starbucks) on the panel to share their paths to the owner’s side and any advice they may have for those looking to embark on this journey.

    Each speaker will have about 15 minutes to share their insights, followed by a Q&A session.

    This panel will be hybrid.  If you can join us in person, we will be meeting at my office at SDT Architects at 2421 4th Street, Berkeley.  Since the conference room is a bit small, we will need to cap the in person attendance to 20.  Please indicate in your registration if you will be attending in person.

    For those joining on Zoom, here's the Zoom info:

    Join Zoom Meeting
    https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82415370298?pwd=QvdNnYeOjTU6PsbRuXYcoc64X8DuXF.1

    Meeting ID: 824 1537 0298
    Passcode: 021488

    Below are brief bios of the panelists:

    Yumi Chon - After years of working at large corporate Architecture firms, with 2008 financial meltdown I went back to practicing medical projects and ventured into education projects. I was introduced to Starbucks in 2013 as a program manger for the western mountain region and recently retired this year as senior design manager for Northern California territory.  

    Rita Ho is a licensed architect and has been working at Kaiser Permanente for the past 6 years as a project manager. Rita has been in the architecture field for 30 years in U.S. & Hong Kong, including 25 years in healthcare projects as a medical planner and project manager.

    Mignon O’Young is an architect working as a Senior Associate at Marx|Okubo Associates. Shortly after she graduated from Cal, she was recruited to join the OWA Steering Committee by Mui, her professor at Cal and one of the founders of OWA. 

    Cameron White, OWA member for over 50 years, worked as an Owner's Rep for Kaiser Permanente for 17 years. She managed several large projects in the Bay Area. She has been a Project Management Professional (PMP) and is an architect (retired). She believes it can be beneficial for architects to know about the principles of project management.

    Looking forward to seeing you at the event!

    Amy Chang

    OWA Steering Committee / Program Coordinator

    • 25 Oct 2025
    • 11:30 AM - 3:00 PM
    • Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University
    Register

    Let’s lunch, draw, and explore art together at the beautiful Stanford campus!

    Address:

    Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University

    328 Lomita Dr, Stanford, CA 94305

    Schedule

    • 11:30–1:00 pm – Arrival and lunch at Tootsies at the Cantor Arts Center
    • 1:00–3:00 pm – Sketching at the Rodin Sculpture Garden, visit the Cantor Arts Center, and explore the Anderson Collection (modern art)

    We’ll start with lunch and catching up, then spend the afternoon sketching and visiting the museums. Both the Cantor and Anderson are free to enter.

    Feel free to “choose your own adventure”—join for sketching, touring, or exploring at your own pace.

    Parking details to follow.

    • 28 Oct 2025
    • 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
    • Zoom
    Registration is closed


    A supportive space for moms in architecture to connect, share, and navigate the challenges of balancing motherhood and practice.

    Join us for a virtual meeting to introduce ourselves, to share what we're working on, and to discuss topics like parental leave, childcare, managing sick days, flexible schedules, and supportive work environments


    This group meets on the fourth Tuesday of the month.

    https://zoom.us/j/3938376203?pwd=YWlaQ25HTUpqVVQ1eHIxMnRFeG1Hdz09
    Meeting ID: 393 837 6203
    Passcode: xM8S35

    • 25 Sep 2026
    • 4:00 PM
    • 27 Sep 2026
    • 3:00 PM
    • Westerbeke Ranch, Sonoma, CA
    Register


    Each year we get together at Westerbeke Ranch in Sonoma for a 3-day retreat in the fall. Accommodations are shared rooms in rustic redwood cabins set among landscaped grounds including pool and hot tub. The towns of Sonoma and Glen Ellen are minutes away.  Join us for a weekend of conversation, fun, exercise, hiking, swimming, hot tub, massage, music, art, and delicious food. Give everybody a chance to know you better, develop closer ties with friends and colleagues, and return home inspired by new ideas from our group.

    We have room for 50 guests for the weekend, but Saturday-only (no overnight) registrations are available as well.

    Accommodations include access to gardens, swimming pool, adobe dining hall, and shared bedrooms in rustic cabins which is all set in beautiful, Sonoma, wine country.  Financial assistance for scholarships is available for students and those in need.  We encourage participants to join OWA+DP.

     

Past events

23 Sep 2025 Mom Support Group for Design Professionals
5 Sep 2025 2025 OWA+DP Annual Retreat
28 Aug 2025 AIA East Bay’s Women in Architecture: Ruth Asawa Exhibit Visit (2 LU)
26 Aug 2025 Mom Support Group for Design Professionals
21 Aug 2025 August Third Thursday
2 Aug 2025 Regional Gathering in Sausalito!
22 Jul 2025 Mom Support Group for Design Professionals
20 Jul 2025 Bobbie Sue Hood Memorial
17 Jul 2025 July Third Thursday
24 Jun 2025 Mom Support Group for Design Professionals
19 Jun 2025 June Third Thursday
31 May 2025 Davis Tour!
15 May 2025 May Third Thursday
23 Apr 2025 OWA Panel Talk Series#1 - Starting Your Own Practice
17 Apr 2025 April Third Thursday
30 Mar 2025 East Bay - Regional Social Gathering
25 Mar 2025 Architect Mom Support Group
20 Mar 2025 March Third Thursday
8 Mar 2025 Tour Enso Village, Healdsburg
20 Feb 2025 February Third Thursday
16 Jan 2025 January Third Thursday
14 Dec 2024 2024 Holiday Benefit Party
21 Nov 2024 November Third Thursday
24 Oct 2024 SPATIAL JUSTICE IN ARCHITECTURE w/ Academy of Art University B. Lab
17 Oct 2024 October Third Thursday
8 Oct 2024 OWA+DP Annual Member Meeting
20 Sep 2024 2024 OWA+DP Annual Retreat
19 Sep 2024 September Third Thursday
22 Aug 2024 Tax Talk for Designers w/ Hannah Cole
15 Aug 2024 August Third Thursday
18 Jul 2024 July Third Thursday
28 Jun 2024 Wine + Walk w/InsideSource
27 Jun 2024 Book Discussion - Burnout by Emily Nagoski PhD and Amelia Nagoski DMA
20 Jun 2024 June Third Thursday
16 May 2024 May Third Thursday
10 Feb 2024 Steering Committee Meeting
30 Jan 2024 Audio Visual Design Considerations Seminar

OWA+DP is a 501(c)6 non-profit organization. 

PO Box 9478, Berkeley, CA 94709-9991


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