Spotlight on Stacey Z. Keller

10 Questions with board member Stacey

I grew up in Monona, WI. After high school, I studied at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee for architecture, and lived and worked there for a total of ten years. Following grad school, my then fiancee and I moved to Topeka, Kansas, so I could work on the Kansas Capitol Restoration. After having our first child in Topeka, we knew we needed more support, so we returned to the Madison area where both our extended families remain. We now have three children and we feel so grounded in our decision.

Professionally, I am a Senior Architect at InSite Consulting Architects. My passion is for service: for the built environment and its diversity, to the design teams I lead, and to the profession as a whole. My expertise is in renovations and historic preservation/adaptive reuse projects, exceeding the requirements of the Secretary of Interior Standards for a historic architect.

I’ve held numerous roles in the AIA, Landmarks Commissions, Boy Scouts, and Girl Scouts. I am visible in the profession and community, maintaining speaking engagements regarding historic preservation, leadership, and emerging professionals. I was a 40Under40 Awardee in 2018 and recognized in 2020 with the AIA Young Architects Award at both the state and national levels, the Athena Award from Madison’s The Business Forum, and a Community Service Award from the University of Milwaukee Alumni Association.

1. What three traits define you?

Extreme Extrovert

Optimistic

Tenacious

2. What’s one thing you couldn’t live without?

COFFEE!!!! But also my “tribe.” It takes a village to keep this train moving.

3. What are you listening to/reading these days?

“Unleashed” by Amber Swenor - my friend, a fellow Madison 40Under40 awardee, an entrepreneur, a transformational brand strategist, and a lead singer in a metal band rocker. She always inspires me to live by my authentic self.

4. What is the one thing you cannot resist? (food/dessert/candy/etc.)

Ice Cream and Coffee

5. Where is your favorite place to be?

I know that I need to live near water. I grew up in Monona with the lakes, went to college in Milwaukee with a Great Lake, and then I lived in Kansas with little to no lakes. No surprise, I’m back in the Madison Area with the lakes. Plus, I love to travel to places with water.

6. What is your favorite thing to do?

I love to travel to see the places, how people interact, try new foods, and the adventure of it all.

7. Where is the best place you’ve traveled to and why?

Japan was one of the most influential places that I’ve traveled, which was a historic preservation/architecture tour as part of my graduate studies. We visited World Heritage sites, saw modern architecture, met Japanese architectural students, ate amazing food, stayed in a Buddhist Temple, spent time in small villages, and explored the large cities like Tokyo. It presented a totally different approach to mixing modern with old than typical American views of preservation.

8. What would you do (as a volunteer) if you weren’t doing this?

The question is more like what else DO I do as a volunteer. I am a Cub Scout den leader for my son’s den, and also the Pack Committee chair and Popcorn Chair. I volunteer for my former high school Mariner Girl Scout Troop, that has been in existence since the 1960’s. I am on the steering committee for a Women In Design Group. I am the co-chair for the AIA Wisconsin Disaster Assistance Committee that works on resiliency and post-disaster assessments. I also co-chair the AIA Wisconsin Architect Mentor Program (AMP) that is a leadership development program for mid-career architects.

9. What's one thing about you that surprises people?

I am a lifetime Girl Scout, and none of my children are enrolled (...yet - my daughter is only 2 ½). Although I suppose in high school, I was voted most likely to be a Girl Scout leader.

10. What’s your favorite building in Madison and why?

I think this is an impossible question for an architect - so “sorry-not-sorry” there are three.

The State Capitol has been impressionable on me, because my dad worked on it as an electrician, which set a career path for me to work on the Kansas Capitol Building Restoration.

The Overture Center is a favorite because I am a big fan of Cesar Pelli’s work; I like the mix of old and new; and they tied in the Yost storefront (where my grandma used to take the bus from Monona to go shopping).

And then I’d be remiss if I didn’t bring up MY first Madison Project at the Madison Water Utility on Main Street, which re-utilized an old liquor distribution warehouse combined with a modern addition.