Faculty

Bob Mandy

Bob is a registered architect with over twenty years of experience in architecture and construction. He began teaching architecture at Lake Washington Institute of Technology in March, 1997. Bob earned both his bachelor and master of architecture degrees from the University of Buffalo, in Buffalo, NY. Bob has a very diverse career background with experience in residential, commercial, graphics design and historic preservation. He also served two years as a consultant for the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. Additionally, Bob operates his own architectural practice.

Bob is active member of the American Institute of Architects, National Trust for Historic Preservation, American Design Drafting Association, and Construction Specifications Institute.

John Balestri

John has been a professor in the Architectural Technology program at Lake Washington Institute of Technology since 2017. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Master of Architecture degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Before arriving at LWTech, John was a drafting and design instructor for five and a half years at a technical college, culminating as the department chair. His architectural experience is primarily based in residential design with projects located in Illinois, Massachusetts, Oregon, Washington, and Texas.

In the classroom, John provides a high-quality environment that focuses on the success and well-being of his students. He strategically structures his courses in such a way that students not only learn the technical skills but use and develop their soft skills as well. He uniquely manages each course based on the information covered, the type of work to be completed, and its point in time within the program.

Sandra Higgins

Sandra Higgins is a registered architect in Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Hawaii, and British Columbia. Sandra earned both her bachelor, and professional degrees from Washington State University. Since 2001, Sandra has had an active practice which has employed multiple graduates of LWTech. Sandra has served in leadership on the City of Everett Planning Commission, Historical Commission, Everett Museum of History Board, and Lake Washington Institute of Technology Advisory Board. 

Sandra’s architectural career began in the field with the construction of the Expo Center Dome at Expo ’86 in Vancouver, B.C. After several years and a broad spectrum of projects, Sandra established Capital Architects Group in Everett, WA.

Capital Architects has enjoyed the privilege of commercial, residential, corporate, tribal and public work. As the founding Architect, Sandra provides overall leadership of each project while building a rapport between the client and her team.  

With great enthusiasm, Sandra has accepted the opportunity of sharing her practical experience in the classroom.

Taryn Rehn

Taryn is a licensed architect with experience in architecture, real estate development, and construction. She is detail-oriented and focused on meeting deadlines within budget. Through her exposure to all facets and disciplines in the AEC field, she can collaborate with and perform quality control reviews in a wide variety of subject matter related to the built environment. Among her talents, Taryn utilizes excellent organizational skills and analytical capabilities. In her free time, Taryn enjoys teaching, kayaking, and landscape photography.