Special thanks to the following Historic Seattle staff for participating in the Conference Planning Committee: Taelore Rhoden, Naomi West, and Eugenia Woo. Read more about them on Historic Seattle's website.

Special thanks to Nicholas Vann who participated in the Conference Planning Committee.

Nicholas Vann is second-generation Chinese-American, and currently serves as the Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer for Washington State. A licensed architect, he most recently served as the State Historical Architect, and has thoroughly enjoyed working in an advisory role on hundreds of historic rehabilitation projects throughout Washington. He previously worked in the private sector in New Orleans, where he earned Master’s degrees in both Architecture and Preservation Studies from Tulane University.

Through recent exposure to similarly personal stories related to familial legacy in the context of the Chinese Exclusion Act, Nicholas has embarked upon a journey to raise awareness about all underrepresented resources through his lens as the son, grandson, and great-grandson of immigrants.

He currently oversees several preservation program areas, and serves on several policy committees relating to underrepresented communities, building codes, and seismic vulnerability of historic structures. He is also deeply immersed in conversations and initiatives to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in both state government and in the historic preservation field.