About

Whitney graduated from Western Washington University where she got her BA in Business Administration with a concentration in marketing. After graduating college, she jumped around to different jobs and even ended up in California for a bit. It wasn’t until a friend suggested she check out drafting programs that she decided to pursue a career in architecture. In 2018 she went back to South Puget Sound Community College and graduated with an AS in Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Technology.  June 2024 will be her 5^th year working in Architecture.

When Whitney is not working, she enjoys typical PNW activities, such as: camping, hiking, paddle boarding, and backpacking. She also loves going to concerts any chance she gets. If she isn’t outside or at a concert, you can find her at home on the couch with her fiancé, dog, and a romance novel or around a table playing board games with friends.

"Always strive to be a stone cold cool as a cucumber adventurer"

Paige grew up in the PNW and received her undergraduate degree in Business from the University of Washington. With a love for design and problem solving, Paige then earned her Master of Architecture degree from the University of Colorado. After enjoying a few years of Denver sunshine, she returned home to Washington and joined Carve shortly thereafter.  

Outside of work Paige loves spending time with her family and enjoying the outdoors on a sunny day. Animal rescue is another one of Paige’s passions and she has been volunteering for various rescue organizations since college. She has never met a senior dog she didn’t want to adopt.

Paige’s motto is simple, “be nice to people”.

Catrina has spent most of her time living and working in the Pacific Northwest. She has worked in various business management roles with an emphasis on accounting and human resource roles. She handles the finance and daily operations here at MSGS Carve Architects.

She enjoys spending as much free time enjoying the outdoors. Her favorite hobbies are upholstery and restoration of vintage furniture.

Be prepared for the unexpected.

Josh grew up outside Portland, Oregon graduating from University of Oregon with a BS in Environmental Studies. He then moved to Montana to recreate in the Rocky Mountains and eventually earn his Master of Architecture from Montana State University. As a licensed architect, he has worked throughout the US and internationally on a variety of projects. When asked what type of architecture Josh does, he usually replies “all of them?”. He believes that architecture can create a more inclusive and sustainable built environment that fosters a sense of belonging and a responsibility to place.

Outside of Architecture Josh enjoys a variety of outdoor recreation. Whether by foot, two or four wheels, or under sail he spends his free time exploring wide open country with his wife and friends. He can often be found sitting by a campfire strumming a country tune or some random indie rock song from the late 90s.

“Do cool shit!”

Michael Kershisnik was born and raised in a small town on the high desert plateau of Wyoming. The western landscape, its inhabitants and the culture of individualism and self-reliance influenced the development of his aesthetic sensibility. He came to the Northwest to attend the University of Washington and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture. Graduate school took him to the east coast where he attended Penn and earned his Masters of Architecture from the Graduate School of Fine Arts. He has worked on a diverse range of project types including fine single-family homes, multi-family housing, adaptive reuse projects, offices, banks, and higher education. He believes that architectural design that is faithful to its inhabitants, place, and time creates a strong and vibrant built environment.

When not at work, Michael is either carving hand pressed prints with themes relating to sense of place and personal history or wandering the banks of a Western stream, casting hand-tied flies to trout and gathering inspiration for his next creation. Of course, every move he makes is under the watchful eyes of Roo and Koda, the ever faithful (and always overwhelming) Chesapeake Bay Retrievers.

“Be as the river.”

Hsinyu grew up in Taiwan. After finishing her architectural engineering education in junior college, she moved to the States and received a BA degree in interior design at Utah State University. She then moved to Washington state where she earned her Master of Arts in Interior Design from Washington State University (Go Cougs!). 

During her time in the two year interdisciplinary program at WSU, she had exposed herself to architecture, construction management, interior design and landscape architecture courses. Hsinyu had found herself enjoying larger scale projects and continued to stay in architectural design.

Aside from Architecture, Hsinyu enjoys various arts and crafts. From painting (acrylic, water, digital) to building legos and wooden model sets, she indulges in it all! 

You can also catch her curating new dessert recipes, taking pictures and spending time with her family (at least when she can catch both her daughters, who are away at college).

Additionally, Hsinyu loves exploring the outdoors with her pup and husband and equally loves to indulge in the berries on the path...even though she is told not to!

"Seize the Day and make it beautiful."

Garner is a native Washingtonian, having lived and practiced architecture on both sides of the Cascade Mountains. A graduate of Washington State University, his professional passions include educational and civic design, low-income housing, and historic preservation, believing “the most sustainable building is the one already built”.  Every project should have one goal: to make better the lives of the building’s users, its community, and the planet as a whole.

Whether it be on the water sailing, on the trail hiking or on the slopes snowboarding, Garner enjoys spending his free time outdoors reveling in the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. He enjoys blowing off steam with his rock and roll cover band, Nana’s Pants Suit!

“It is wonderful how much may be done, if we are always doing”

Joyce is a versatile graphic designer with a creative approach to all things. She has worked on diverse projects ranging from logo, web design, packaging and even some confectionary design for many startup businesses in Olympia.

Olympia is a unique place in that there are many people who “go for their dreams” starting businesses, creating products, and opening food establishments. I have been part of many small business concepts helping them create their brand. You may recognize my work at Prime 1889 Steakhouse, i.talia pizzeria, Ruby Street Quiltworks, Tanasse Chiropractic, Lucky Devil Farms, Candela Display Systems, Craft 19 (Sumner, WA).

After graduating from college, she worked for a porcelain sign company where she started as an illustrator and moved up to art director, managing clients and projects through the proprietary production process. Clients included the National Park Service, BLM, many museums/aquariums, and some retail.

If you have spent any time on the trail in Washington or Southeastern Oregon, you may have come across interpretive signage with illustrations I created.

Joyce had a freelance business for 15 years affording her the time to raise her son. At that time her clients, also diverse, ranged from event invitations to cottage food branding.

Oddly, I enjoy cleaning and organizing. I find it meditative. It’s a good thing too because my husband Kevin and I have a working dog who, let’s just say, doesn’t know how to wipe her feet.

My goal is not necessarily vacationing the world, but to create vacation in my home.

My son, Duncan and his fiancé, Kirin light up my world when we do ANYTHING together.

I am an artist who works primarily in colored pencil.

Sometimes simplicity is complex.

Think ABOUT the box

Tom Rieger is a licensed architect residing in Olympia, Washington. He received his architectural degree from Washington State University in 1999 prior to relocating to the Olympia area. Tom gained hands-on construction experience early in his career, building an appreciation for quality craftsmanship and how materials come together to create value. He trained with small local architectural firms, focused on providing personal attention to every client with bespoke solutions to meet their needs and budgets. Over his 20+ year career, Tom has worked on a vast variety of projects including mixed use multi-family, historic renovations, commercial office spaces and even a catamaran.

When not in the office, Tom likes to escape to the woods to relax, or off to a beach to carve sand.

So many to choose from… office mates know: “Spell it out!”

My boys know: “You COULD do that.”

In general: “CARVE ON”