Our Jury

Kenneth Acton is a distinguished educator and civic leader who has served as a Professor of Architectural Technology at St. Clair College since 1997 and an Affiliate Faculty Member at the Boston Architectural College. A dedicated advocate for historic preservation, Acton was invested as an Honorary Member of the Ontario Association of Architects (Hon. OAA) for his immense contributions to the profession. For nearly two decades, he has provided local executive leadership as the Executive Secretary for the Windsor Region Society of Architects (WRSA), connecting provincial frameworks with regional architectural conservation.

Acton’s influence on the built environment seamlessly bridges progressive urban planning with heritage protection. As a Board Member for the Michigan Chapter of the Congress for the New Urbanism (MiCNU), he champions human-scale design, walkability, and community housing. This deep focus on “social infrastructure” shapes his role as Chair of the Windsor and District Labour Council (WDLC) Labour History Project Steering Committee, where he underscores how industrial history and union movements have historically anchored working-class neighborhoods.

A hands-on community preservationist, Acton actively brings local heritage to life. He hosts annual Jane’s Walks in Ford City, leading educational tours through the unique urban fabric of communities like Drouillard Road. Furthermore, he supports heritage collaborations with Doors Open Windsor and the Architectural Conservancy Ontario (ACO) to promote iconic landmarks, including the 1922 Albert Kahn-designed Ford Powerhouse. Through these efforts, Acton champions the philosophy that preserving industrial architecture is essential to maintaining an authentic local identity.

Dr. Robert Shipley is an Associate Professor in the School of Planning at the University of Waterloo where he completed his Ph.D. in 1997. He was the Chair of the Heritage Resources Centre and a Research Fellow at Oxford Brookes University in Oxford, England. Professor Shipley is recognized as a leading international expert on the role of public participation in planning for the future of communities. He is also in the forefront of research in the area of culture, heritage and tourism and particularly in the economic aspects of heritage
development. Studies on the financial values of heritage properties and the demolition of historic buildings have been key documents in improving heritage planning in Canada.

He is a founding member and VP of the Ontario Association of Heritage Professionals from whom he received the Award of Merit in 2006. Shipley is also a Project Evaluator for the European Science Council.

Megan Torza is an architect and partner at DTAH. She was fortunate early in her career to play a key role in the Artscape Wychwood Barns and Evergreen Brick Works projects, cementing her passion for community-based projects and meaningful public engagement. Her socially-minded, contextually-sensitive portfolio has grown to include the award-winning entrance pavilion to Tommy Thompson Park, the revitalization of the northwest corner of Dufferin Grove Park, the St. Andrew and Dane Avenue Child Care projects, the Niagara Falls Exchange: Farmers’ Market and Cultural Hub, and the Baker District One Planet Living Redevelopment in Guelph.

Dr. Carl Bray (BLA, PhD, CSLA, CAHP, MCIP RPP) is a distinguished heritage planner, landscape architect, and urban designer with over 40 years of international experience across Canada, the United States, the Caribbean, and Great Britain. As Principal of BRAY Heritage, his career spans both the public and private sectors, including foundational roles with major firms and government bodies.

Dr. Bray specializes in uncovering and analyzing the distinct cultural meanings and values that local residents assign to their communities. His unique expertise lies in translating these community values into successful, consensus-driven strategies for conservation and development, ensuring historical identity is respected as growth proceeds.

His extensive portfolio includes major cultural heritage resource evaluations, award-winning master plans, and numerous Heritage Conservation District Plans across Ontario. A dedicated educator, he also serves as an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Queen’s University School of Urban and Regional Planning, where he teaches heritage planning and community design.

Dorian Moore – With over 35 years of experience as an urbanist architect, educator, and entrepreneur, Archive Design Studio vice president, Dorian Moore, FAIA, is dedicated to improving cities through investigation, documentation, and implementation. He has
travelled to and documented urban conditions in more than 500
cities globally. Dorian studied architecture at the University of
Michigan and the Techniche Universitat in Vienna. He has taught
at numerous local universities. He is an Affiliate Member and
professional advisor to the University of Windsor’s Center 4 Cities
and a Fellow of the Canadian Urban Institute. His expertise spans
architecture, planning, and urban design, internationally, with
projects in both the US and Canada. He is also a retail
entrepreneur with the Pure Detroit brand and as a civic leader has
been a member of multiple municipal and arts boards.

Mark Nickita, FAIA, is an architect and urbanist whose career is rooted in the heritage of Detroit and the regeneration of post-industrial cities. Raised in Detroit, his lifelong tie to the region fueled a passion for preserving historic urban fabric and transforming underutilized districts into vibrant, walkable environments.

In 1991, Nickita co-founded Archive Design Studio in a vacant Detroit loft. The firm champions historic rehabilitation, adaptive reuse, and urban infill projects across North America’s “Lake Belt” cities. His notable projects include the Midtown Development Urban Design Master Plan and restoring Detroit’s iconic Vinton Building. Beyond design, Nickita launched Pure Detroit and the Rowland Cafe to bring localized commerce and community back into the city’s historic skyscrapers.

Nickita also applied his urban principles to civic leadership, serving as a City Commissioner and two-term Mayor of Birmingham, Michigan. As an educator, he spent nearly three decades teaching architecture and urban design locally. To inform his work, Nickita has studied the architectural roots, layouts, and preservation practices of more than 450 global cities, bringing centuries of urban wisdom home to revitalize American communities.