“What keeps me committed to this work is creating spaces that offer not just shelter, and safety, but also delight and a genuine sense of community.”
Chris-Annmarie Spencer, AIA NOMA LFA
Chris-Annmarie joined Wheeler Kearns Architects in 2004 and became a firm principal in 2019. Born and raised in Manchester, Jamaica, Chris-Annmarie earned a Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Studies from the Caribbean School of Architecture at the University of Technology in Kingston, Jamaica, and a Master of Architecture from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Chris-Annmarie has led many noteworthy projects, with a particular focus on community-driven work and adaptive re-use including The Alice at the Goodman Theatre, Mansueto High School, and Wolcott School—the first school designed specifically for students with learning differences in the Chicago region. Most notably, on Chicago’s west side, Chris-Annmarie helped transform a century-old factory structure and three vacant overgrown lots into a prominent community asset, Inspiration Kitchens Garfield Park. This nonprofit—which offers job training for unemployed and underemployed individuals—has won ten national and local awards including the 2013 Rudy Bruner Gold Medal Award for Urban Excellence.
Chris-Annmarie also led the Go Green Community Fresh Market project in Englewood, in one of Chicago’s most underserved neighborhoods that significantly lacks adequate access to healthy food. The renovation transformed a dilapidated two-story masonry building built in 1906 into a grocery store serving fresh fruits, vegetables, cheeses, meats, and prepared meals, along with social services. It is the first project in a much larger visionary, equitable-development campaign to revitalize Englewood called “Go Green on Racine”.
Chris-Annmarie’s outstanding work and leadership in the profession has been recognized with many prestigious awards including the 2015 AIA Chicago Dubin Family Young Architect Award, and the 2017 AIA National Young Architect Award. In 2019, Chris-Annmarie was among 40 accomplished and diverse individuals nominated as a 2019 Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow, joining a legacy of building, and strengthening the pipeline of civic leaders who will influence the future of Chicago. In 2008, Chris-Ann and her husband Grant Gibson, an architect at Garafolo Architects won third place in the White House Redux Competition. In 2012, Chris-Annmarie was recognized as a local innovator by the Chicago Urban League during their Economic Empowerment Summit.
Chris-Annmarie is Living Future Accredited (LFA) and a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA). She participates in the Architects in Schools (AIS) program, Green Apple Day of Service, and annually hosts students from Wolcott School for a career day. She served as the Board President for AIA Chicago Foundation and helped establish the Diversity Scholarships program.
Chris-Annmarie lives in Oak Park with her husband, Grant Gibson, their two children, and their dog.
Education
| 2004 | MArch, University of Illinois at Chicago |
| 1998 | BArch, Caribbean School of Architecture |
Professional Affiliations
| 2022-2024 | AIA Chicago Foundation Board President |
| 2020 | AIA Chicago Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee – Member |
| 2020-2022 | AIA Chicago Foundation – Vice President |
| 2018-2019 | AIA Chicago Foundation Board – Treasurer |
| 2017-2019 | AIA Chicago Foundation, Board Member |
| 2017-present | AIA Chicago Foundation – Chair of New Diversity Scholarship Committee |
| 2013-present | American Institute of Architects |
| 2013-present | National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) |
| 2012-present | Chicago Women in Architecture (CWA) |
Individual Honors
| 2021 | Crain’s Chicago Notable Women in Construction and Design |
| 2020 | Interior Design Best of Year – Firm Leader, Honoree |
| 2019 | Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow – Class of 2019 |
| 2017 | AIA National Emerging Professional – Citizen Architect Exhibition, Washington D.C. |
| 2017 | AIA National Young Architect Winner |
| 2015 | AIA Chicago Dubin Family Young Architect Award Winner |
| 2012 | Chicago Innovator “Thinking Beyond the Box, Empowerment through Innovation” (Chicago Urban League) |
| 2008 | White House Redux Competition, Third Place |
| 2008 | CAC Burnham 2.0 Exhibition |
| 2004 | 10 Visions Exhibition with Garafalo Architects |
| 2004 | Roche Traveling Fellowship, UIC |
| 2004 | Schiff Fellowship, Nominee, UIC |
| 2004 | SOM Traveling Fellowship, Nominee, UIC |
“In her role as the lead architect on Noble’s largest and most complex new construction project in our 17-year history, Chris-Annmarie has time and again proven herself to be a strategic thinker who executes with the highest level of precision, creativity, thoughtfulness, and efficiency. This is in part the result of her leadership as well as her willingness to visualize solutions instead of just seeing problems. It is also the result of her relentless drive to provide Noble students with a rich and successful school experience. This outcome-based thinking and fanatical drive in service of our students places Chris-Annmarie at the head of the pack as a partner to Noble.”
Mike Madden, President of Noble Schools