Orchids & Onions Jury
Meet the Orchid & Onions 2026 Jury
Jorge Gracia is the Founder and Principal of GRACIASTUDIO, an architecture and design practice based in Tijuana, Mexico. Working across Mexico and the United States, his work is shaped by the unique cultural and environmental conditions of the Baja California, California border region.
His practice is rooted in the belief that architecture should respond to place, climate, and context. Through a restrained and timeless approach, he creates spaces that strengthen the relationship between people, landscape, and the built environment.
Matthew Geaman, AIA, LEED AP, is a Partner and Managing Principal of JWDA Architects, where he has helped define the firm's culture and award-winning portfolio since 2008. A registered architect in California and Illinois, Matthew has helped shape the built environment throughout Southern California through the design and leadership of transformative residential, mixed-use, hospitality, and civic projects that have strengthened neighborhoods, advanced urban revitalization, and contributed to the evolving character of the region. An involved leader in the architecture profession for over two decades, Matthew has served on the boards of AIA San Diego, the San Diego Architectural Foundation, AIACC, the La Jolla Music Society, and is an active member of the Downtown San Diego Partnership. Some of his honors include AIA San Diego's Young Architect of the Year Award, ENR California’s Top 20 Under 40, recognition by the San Diego Business Journal as a Leader of Influence in Architecture and Design, and numerous project-specific recognitions and awards.
Beginning in October 2026, Jonathon serves as the Prebys Foundation Senior Fellow for Art & Design in residence at the Downtown San Diego Partnership, where he focuses on opportunities for art and design to enhance and expedite the revitalization of the urban core, in particular the burgeoning Art & Design District in and around the Civic Center.
Prior to this appointment, Glus served as the director of the Department of Cultural Affairs at the City of San Diego for seven years, where he led the city's first cultural planning process, called Creative City; commissioned creative economy studies leading to the city's first creative economy economic development strategy; and represented the City on the board of WDC2024 San Diego-Tijuana. He led the city's annual investments in arts and culture through grantmaking, as well as stewardship of a civic art collection.
Glus has also served as chief executive for local arts agencies across the country, and prior to that was with the International Sculpture Center/ Sculpture magazine in Washington, DC. He studied urban economics and public policy at Indiana University, and Art and Architectural History at the University of Illinois.
“Gabrielle “Gigi” James is a fifth year student at The New School of Architecture and Design perusing a degree in Architecture with a minor in Construction Management. She is now serving her second year on the AIAS Board as the NCARB Representative for her school. While at NewSchool Gigi has had two of her studio projects selected for the Project Parade. One of these projects was even held for accreditation and recognized for excellence.
Currently, Gigi is interning with Jeff Svitak, helping to develop presentation level drawings. She has previously worked in Yakima, Washington for 3D Yakima Architecture Firm, where she was exposed to a variety of projects.
From an early age, Gigi has had a strong appreciation of and affinity for the fine arts. Whether it’s playing classical piano, dancing ballet, or painting, she incorporates art into her daily life. Growing up in Eastern Washington, Gigi has learned to recognize the importance and beauty of a tight knit community. This has inspired her to pursue a career in architecture that will make a direct impact on the built environment that has the potential to change people’s lives. “
Michelle is the founder and principal of Michelle Harrison Design (MHD). MHD is a celebrated San Diego interior design firm with more than 26 years of creating thoughtful, experience-driven spaces. Specializing in multifamily communities, Michelle is known for blending demographic research, storytelling, and design to create environments that enhance the resident experience and add long-term value. She is passionate about supporting great design throughout San Diego. Michelle is honored to serve as a judge for the Orchids & Onions Awards, recognizing excellence in architecture, landscape architecture, planning, and urban design.
Ian Patzke is an award-winning, international architectural, interior, and hospitality photographer. His work has been featured in numerous international publications, and he has collaborated with a wide variety of clients and projects, most recently including the San Diego International Airport's Terminal 1. He is also a photography professor at his alma mater, The NewSchool of Architecture, where he earned his degree in architecture.
Prior to photography, Ian practiced architecture, working on a diverse range of projects from multifamily mid- and high-rises, industrial developments to custom residential homes and ADUs. At the heart of everything he does is a desire to build interconnected community.
Through his photography, he hopes to inspire people around the world to push for one of his core beliefs: that thoughtful architecture creates healthy environments to live in, and that in turn fosters a more peaceful personal life and a more connected world.
Taal Safdie is a Founding Partner of Safdie Rabines Architects, an award-winning full-service architecture, interiors, and urban design firm she established with her husband and partner, Ricardo Rabines, in 1993. What began with a focus on custom single-family homes has expanded to include civic, commercial, institutional, infrastructure, affordable housing, student housing, mixed-use developments, and large-scale master planning. The firm's notable projects include UC San Diego’s North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood and Seaside Forum, UCLA’s Court of Sciences Student Center, the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook, the Imperial Criminal Courthouse, and mixed-use developments in Arkansas and Las Vegas.
Taal earned a Bachelor of Arts from Vassar College and a Master of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania’s Weitzman School of Design, where she met Ricardo. Today, Safdie Rabines Architects has grown to more than 50 architects, designers, interior designers, and support staff. Taal and Ricardo remain actively involved in the design of every project, guiding the firm’s creative vision as it continues to expand its work across the United States.
A Principal in OJB’s Solana Beach office, Judy manages projects from early conceptual design to final completion and helps oversee the ongoing care of several built OJB landscapes. Her focus on materials and earth-based systems is her greatest tool in deploying sustainable design, construction practices, and instituting maintenance strategies that are specific to the ecological characteristics of their site. A natural collaborator and clear communicator, Judy’s working style invites cross-disciplinary exploration of design and construction solutions. She is also keenly attentive to the cultural and natural history of sites and seeks to find the authentic sense of place with natural materials and local planting palettes. Judy joined OJB in 2012 after earning a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from California State Polytechnic University at Pomona. While at Cal Poly Pomona, she was honored with an ASLA Award of Excellence for her work in the publication Subsurface. Growing up outside of Los Angeles, the team often consults Judy’s extensive knowledge of Southern California and Southwestern plants and architectural history. Living in Encinitas, California, she enjoys taking her three kids to all the parks and open spaces around the city and throughout greater San Diego. She finds continued design inspiration from seeing her kids’ interactions with nature.
Katalina Silva is a transborder designer and co-founder of Enigma Creative and Tijuana Design Week. Her practice uses design to narrate, connect, and reconfigure worlds, creating spaces that amplify voices and enable change.
She co-authored the proposal that led to San Diego–Tijuana becoming World Design Capital 2024. She was a Designer in Residence at the UCSD Design Lab, served on the Advisory Board of the Don Norman Design Award (2024–2025), and is currently a member of the International Council of Design. Since 2014, she has led CreativeMornings Tijuana and, in 2023, co-founded Here and There. In 2025, she presented Play Borderisms at the London Design Biennale.