Having grown up in a suburb of Miami, Alyssa’s early childhood was shaped by the flora and fauna of the Everglades. She loved learning about each plant and creature and how everything worked together to create full and rich ecosystems, and eventually, she began to see the beauty of each individual element as a unique design solution to local climate and site influences. This shaped her approach to design, rooted in site and inspired by nature to create unique solutions.

Alyssa received a Bachelors of Arts in Biology and Visual Arts with an emphasis on sculpture from Bowdoin College. While there, she studied abroad in Copenhagen, which was formative in shaping her design values and aesthetic. Drawn by an admiration for timber framing and a deep interest in sustainability, she moved west and graduated from the University of Oregon, after studying abroad at the Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Following internships with architectural firm Xian Dai in Shanghai and the Seattle Architecture Foundation, she worked for design firm CO Architects in Los Angeles before moving back to Maine in 2016. Since moving back to Maine, she has worked with PDT Architects (now CHA) and SMRT Architects and Engineers on a variety of project types at all phases (pre-design, design, and construction), including healthcare, procedural and teaching laboratories, incubators (science and technology), workplace, athletic facilities, train depots, and higher education facilities.

In addition to being a Registered Licensed Architect with NCARB and AIA, Alyssa is the President of the Portland Society for Architecture and a board member of the ACE Mentor Program of Maine.

At Whitten Architects, Alyssa enjoys being part of a Maine company that constantly pursues design excellence at all scales of a project. She finds that her approach to architecture is to balance discovery and craft with logic and reason to shape the experience of a space that conveys a relationship to light, a connection to the outside, and a sensitivity to program and place.

When she's not at her desk, Alyssa is slowly renovating a 70's Gambrel style house in Yarmouth, protecting her garden from local deer, playing the guitar, sewing in linen, painting, and enjoying all the activities each season in Maine brings.