Civita Institute Board of Directors
Nancy Josephson, M.Arch., President, Board of Directors
Nancy joined the Board of Directors in 2007 and served as Treasurer from 2011-2017. She was elected President in 2018 - an office that the Board has annually re-elected her to continue to serve. Nancy led The Civita Institute to become a Provider of the American Institute of Architects Continuing Education System in 2014 and co-leads the 'Historic Preservation and Sustainable Design in the Etruscan Hill Towns of Central Italy' AIA educational program.
In 2024, Nancy was honored to give a keynote presentation at Riseba University in Riga, Latvia entitled 'The Civita Institute - a Legacy of Architect Astra Zarina'. She was a teaching assistant to Professor Zarina in 1984-85 and a student in her Architecture in Rome I and II programs in 1983-84. Nancy earned her graduate degree in Architecture at Columbia University in 1988 and co-created with Stephen Day, ‘Outside the Walls – Rome’s Modern Quarters’, as a post-graduate Kinney Traveling Fellowship.
Until 2018, Nancy’s career focused on the administration, design, and construction of award-winning public schools in the Pacific Northwest where she also participated in the creation of the 'Washington Sustainable Schools Protocol' in 2006. She served as the President of the Washington Chapter of Council of Educational Facility Planners International in 2007-08 (dba A4LE). In 1993-94, Nancy was President of the Board of Directors for the Cherokee, a New York City Landmark in Manhattan's upper east side.
Christina Wallace, M.S. Historic Preservation, Secretary and Treasurer
Christina has contributed to the success of The Civita Institute for decades, as a volunteer and a major donor. In 2014 she became a Civita Institute Creative Retreat Fellow and prepared (with co-author Robert Wallace) the 'Facilities Maintenance and Management Plan for The Civita Institute'. Christina has served for many years on the Civita Institute Facilities Committee and has participated in many facilities' work groups in Civita di Bagnoregio.
Her professional work in preservation is extensive, including significant work with historic property conservation at the Presidio and Fort Mason in San Francisco, a city where she resides when she is not traveling the world.
In 2017, Christina was chosen to be a James Marston Fitch Fellow and wrote the 'Architecture of the Salish Sea Tribes'. She has also been an Associate Fellow of the Getty Center Museum in Los Angeles. She holds a B.A. from the University of Washington and a Master of Science in Historic Preservation from Columbia University in the City of New York.
Steve has worked as a professional planner for over 35 years, both in the public and private sectors, in the states of Washington, Oregon, Maine and Wisconsin. He currently serves as the Planning and Policy Manager for Municipal Research and Services Center (MRSC) where he conducts research and provides information to Washington’s cities, towns, and counties on issues related to planning, land use, urban design, affordable housing, and homelessness.
Steve has been the President of both the American Planning Association–Washington Chapter (APA-WA) and the Maine Association of Planners. He is the co-chair of the APA-WA’s “Youth in Planning” Task Force and was a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners’ (AICP) Ethics Committee from 2011 to 2020. In 2008, he was inducted into AICP’s College of Fellows. During his time as a Civita Institute Dennis Tate Fellow in September 2017, Steve studied le piazze in Civita di Bagnoregio and other Italian hill towns.
Stephen Day, AIA, Director
Stephen is principal and founder of Stephen Day Architecture PLLC in Seattle. He is an architect and developer focusing on the revitalization of historic buildings and cultural properties; an awardee of the National Trust for Historic Preservation Honor Award, of Historic Seattle's honor award, and a Washington SHPO honoree.
Working with Astra Zarina in Rome as a student, and later as her teaching assistant in Italy, was a profound experience that still resonates in his life and work. Stephen was honored to be the NIAUSI president for 6 years during a pivotal time for the organization, leading the efforts in transferring the Civita properties and collections, and in furthering the long-held goal of of establishing The Civita Institute in Italy for fellowships, residencies, research and education, centered on these remarkable historic properties.
Elaine Latourelle, Architect, Director
Elaine re-joined the Board of Directors in December 2022 for the purpose of assisting the board in a careful and deliberate outreach for individuals with the expertise and capacity to serve on the Board of Directors of The Civita Institute. She brings veteran experience and commitment to this endeavor. She is a former president of NIAUSI (NW Institute of Architecture and Urban Studies in Italy) dba The Civita Institute and has served several terms as a board member. She has been a major donor to the Institute since its inception and she also serves on the Legacy Advisory Group of The Civita Institute.
In 1976, Elaine founded Elaine Day LaTourelle & Assoc. (EDL&A) which became one of the first few women-owned architecture firms in Seattle. For more than 25 years, EDL&A provided consultant services in public architecture, primarily libraries including the Seattle Public Library, and community college projects. Elaine also began teaching in the University of Washington’s College of Built Environments in 1976 and is now professor emerita. As a colleague and friend of the late Professor Astra Zarina, she was co-professor in the UW Architecture in Rome programs of 1986 and 1999.
Luis Medina is Principal at Studio 397 Architecture in New York, where he brings together design excellence, sustainability, and constructability. Trained as a Certified Passive House Designer and with a background in finance and construction management, he approaches architecture through a pragmatic yet creative lens, balancing vision with the realities of building. At Studio 397, Luis’s work spans complex urban projects, including Google’s workplace and hospitality spaces (such as 111 8th Avenue) and Barclays’ stay-in-place transformation of 745 Seventh Avenue. His team has also contributed to civic and corporate efforts such as the Penn Station Reconstruction and Turner Construction’s New York Headquarters, experience that deepens his understanding of how design and building processes intersect.
Luis’s engagement with the Civita Institute began with the Design Climate Action Fellowship in 2022, where he explored the intersections of sustainability, heritage, and place. He is also a two-time Pantheon Institute Fellow in Rome (2024, 2025). These experiences in Italy continue to inform his architectural practice, reinforcing his commitment to linking contemporary design challenges with enduring lessons from historic settings.
His work and research have been featured in major media and design outlets, underscoring his role in advancing architecture that bridges practice, culture, and sustainability.
Brooks Romano is an architect in Seattle. She has a BS in Interior Design from UNC-Greensboro and a M. Arch from the University of Oregon. While at the U of O she participated in their Rome study program, held in the University of Washington Rome Center, where professor Astra Zarina served as a reviewer for the project.
Brooks has served on several boards since 2002. Recently she was a participant in The Civita Institute’s AIA continuing education program, ‘Historic Preservation and Sustainable Design in the Etruscan Hill Towns of Central Italy,’ where she earned three years’ worth of WA state’s required Health/ Safety/ Welfare learning units.
She has traveled through Italy extensively and visited Civita di Bagnoregio twice. Her fondness of Civita and love of Italy summarize her interest in serving on the board.