Krista Nelson, AIA, LEED AP, CSI, CDT, EDAC, recently celebrated her silver anniversary with ABA. Having rose through the ranks to associate principal and design lead for its Health and Wellness Practice, Krista has made significant contributions benefiting the firm’s growth and strong internal structure. Krista’s exceptional design talent and attention to detail have enabled her to continuously grow as an architect, team member and leader, and her analytical and practical skills have affectionately made her a go-to technical and sustainability guru.
“Krista and I have worked closely together for 25 years and counting, and I am always amazed at how she is willing to stretch beyond her comfort zone, remain focused on her greatest strengths and also expand those strengths in areas that are, at first, the most challenging,” says Founder Pamela Anderson-Brulé, FAIA. “Krista is an outstanding architect, mentor and teacher, and, among many traits, her generous nature as a leader has made a true impact on the firm and our entire team.”
Describing Krista’s professional contributions, ABA’s Managing Principal, Lee Salin, FAIA, says, “Krista’s dedication and passion for doing high quality work is truly inspiring. She is always seeking new knowledge to advance ABA’s technical capabilities and sustainability strategies. Her leadership presence on our health and wellness projects engenders much trust from clients, and her technical insights improves all of our projects across the firm.”
Since joining ABA in 1995, Krista has developed a large following of very satisfied clients, including many current leaders within the Bay Area healthcare community. She’s worked on numerous projects for Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, Kaiser Permanente, and Washington Hospital projects, as well as noteworthy projects like Valley Specialty Center and Mills-Peninsula Medical Center.
Looking ahead, Krista is excited about the opportunities to build on her successes, continuing to develop relationships with the next generation of healthcare leadership, and working collaboratively to design exceptional people-centered healing spaces for the future.
Krista attributes much of her career satisfaction and professional success to her love for healthcare design and ABA’s culture. “I’m proud of having been part of community-shaping projects and developing a practice based on listening to the client and end users,” she says. “I’ve been encouraged to stretch beyond what I thought I could do and to build upon my strengths. Most importantly, I love working with and am inspired by my ABA colleagues.”
