Jamie first brought her exceptional creativity and business acumen to programming and planning projects at Page in 2005. She arrived at the profession of architecture via a circuitous route: psychology major/pre-med student at Harvard, management consultant focused on emergence of the internet and modernization of banking networks right out of school, then internal strategist at a New York investment bank for two years, finally rounded out by a brief stint as fulfillment manager at a media marketing firm before getting her MArch at Rice.
As Jamie tells it, "I worked with a lot of smart, great, passionate individuals before I went back to school to get my Masters in Architecture, and I gained a broad understanding of the dynamics and drivers of the business world. What drew me to architecture initially was the opportunity to get out of the theoretical world of business (projections, forecasts, profit models) to work in the physical space of form, material, and functionality. I found the spatial problems I was looking for, but I was not prepared for the transcendent power of the design ethic underlying the field.
"By design ethic, I am referring to the root passion that unites all those practicing in the field of architecture (and, I believe, exceptional engineering as well): the conviction that trying harder to make a better design is worth the effort because through better, more thoughtful and intentional design, the physical world we all inhabit will be a better place. Even before sustainable design principles went mainstream and placed renewed urgency on how buildings are designed and function, I was struck by and caught up in the passionate purpose of our field.
"I will never be a designer in the specific sense of the word (I couldn’t have spent as long as I did staring at spreadsheets in my early career if that was my relative strength), but I love that my analytic pre-design work contributes to the bigger purpose we all work towards. I am inspired by the conviction and integrity of the designers I know, and optimistic that together we can and will realize better places everywhere."
Prior to joining Page, she served as an associate in the Corporate Strategy Group at Lehman Brothers in New York developing firm-wide strategic planning and analysis. Jamie also served as an analyst for a strategic consulting firm in Washington, D.C., and consulted for internet start-ups in New York and Denver. After joining Page, she took advantage of a unique opportunity to spend over a year working on business development and estimating strategy at Brochsteins Inc. where she gained valuable experience in pursuit of her architectural license and an insider’s understanding of millwork manufacturing and the delivery of high end custom architectural interiors.
