2017 Mohawk Group Emerging Professional Award Winner: Amber Turner

Name: Amber Turner
Appellations: IIDA Associate
Place of Work: Czopek Design Studio, Inc.

Knowledge: In a relatively short amount of time (2 1/2 years), Amber has enthusiastically embraced every element of our firm’s practice. She has shown interest in understanding our business practices at the same time she has consistently put in additional time and effort learning how to bring her strong design skills to our projects. She has tackled design for higher education, retail, office and housing; she has dug into cutting-edge projects, and she has brought the same diligence to large-scale government projects. Amber is very intuitive, and has quickly moved into a critical role in our office. Her thirst for knowledge extends beyond our workday as she often takes advantage of after-hours events that add to her experience in the field. She actively questions both solutions and processes, learns and makes our work better!

Value: Amber brings enthusiasm to the workplace every day – it doesn’t matter what she is working on – and that positive energy is very valuable in a workplace.  She understands how to research and discover, and easily shares her findings with her colleagues.  Her professionalism, maturity and commitment is evident in both the quality of her design work, and in her interaction with her peers. Amber is a strong team member always more than pulling her own weight, and quick to offer input and opinions.  She is able to give honest feedback in a kind, open,  professional manner, and is an excellent critic.  Amber has high standards for herself and others, and one of her best qualities in the workplace is sense of humor!

Community: Amber joined the Oregon Chapter IIDA Board this year, acting as the Director of Event Sponsorship, and is committed to actively participating in this organization as it advances the profession in Oregon.  She has also signed on to participate in the Architects in Schools program sponsored by the Architecture Foundation of Oregon, and will be using her past camp counselor skills to expose a new generation of 3rd, 4th and 5th graders to the world of architecture and interior design.  Amber is a wonderful representative of a new generation of designers, and I have no doubt that she will be a stronger leader for our field throughout her professional career.