Millennium Magazine_6th Ed

11 Millennium - A Marquis Who’s Who Magazine M ason Andrews received a Bachelor of Arts in English literature and in history from the University of Virginia in 1976 and a Master of Architecture from Princeton University in 1982. She attributes her successes in professional, academic and civic endeavors to habits of active listening, respect and confidence. Her interests lie literally in the public realm – at the intersection of design decisions and their impact on public life. A founding partner of the design practice ARCHIPELAGO, which began operations in Manhattan in 1984 and later relocated to Virginia until 2009, Ms. Andrews also began and led several successful real estate development companies operating in New York and Virginia. Her work has been published in national design magazines, and she is herself the author of two monographs for Rizzolli. In 2009, Ms. Andrews began teaching at Hampton University, believing her experiences might help students learn skills to persist and contribute to their communities and to a profession in which they may not be initially welcomed. Special projects have included Team Tidewater’s entry in the Department of Energy’s 2011 Solar Decathlon, and an urban design program in France annually since 2010. In 2014, Ms. Andrews began a cross-university cross-disciplinary program focused on mitigation and adaptation strategies for urban neighborhoods anticipating impacts of sea level rise and climate change, the Coastal Community Design Collaborative. The recipient of an array of awards and grants, the program works closely with community members, an experience Ms. Andrews believes is crucial to successful design and to the creation of successful designers. Ms. Andrews’ commitment to public engagement, to urban design and to her native region of southeastern Virginia have led to decades of public service. She hopes to continue lending her skills to the challenges of keeping Norfolk neighborhoods safe and dry for the near future, following her life philosophy, “Make what you find a little better.” She is married to her husband, Bill Understood, with whom she shared one child, Alston Cook Underwood. MASON ANDREWS ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF ARCHITECTURE Hampton University Hampton, VA ARCHITECTURE, CONSTRUCTION AND REAL ESTATE