Dusty Frye
LEED Green Associate Architecture |
www.linkedin.com/in/dusty-frye
dustyjafrye@gmail.com
• Researching, designing, and delivering spatial projects from concept through implementation.
(217)552-9708
Portfolio: bit.ly/DustyFrye
• Teaching and presenting effectively across verbal, visual, and written formats, with cross-cultural experience abroad.
• Thriving in collaborative, multidisciplinary environments with diverse teams and stakeholders.
• Integrating environmental, economic, and social frameworks to shape and achieve sustainability goals.
• Demonstrating construction and material sensibility through hands-on experience in building and technical drafting.
University of California, Los Angeles | Master of Architecture
• Received two multidisciplinary certificates: Leaders in Sustainability, and Urban Humanities Initiative.
• Attended the 2023 and 2024 Net Zero Conferences, organized by Verdical Group.
Sep 2023 - Jun 2025
• Participated in the 2023 Architecture After the Green New Deal conference and workshops, organized by UCLA Architecture and Urban Design.
• Participated in intramural volleyball and intramural soccer team sports.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies
• Received multidisciplinary minor: Sustainability, Energy, and Environment Fellowship Program.
Aug 2016 - May 2020
• Participated in 2021 round tables “On Architectural Education,” jointly organized by the Illinois School of Architecture, Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbismo at the Universidad Nacional de La Plata, and the UPC Escola Tècnica Superior d’Arquitectura del Vallès.
• Participated in school Jazz Combos, Tau Kappa Epsilon, Men’s Ultimate Frisbee team, and international exchange program.
• Participated in the 2020 U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon Build Challenge.
UPC Escola Tècnica Superior d’Arquitectura del Vallès | Yearlong Exchange Program
Aug 2019 - May 2020
• Elected Student Representative. Roles included liaising between faculty and student body, and organizing final reviews.
• Participated in hand drawing, photo and video, urban sustainability, and building envelope workshops.
• Participated in educational travel around Spain and abroad, while maintaining an architectural journal.
• Adobe Creative Suite - Illustrator (+5 yrs), Photoshop (+5 yrs), InDesign (+5 yrs), and Premiere (2 yrs)
• AutoDesk Suite - Revit (3 yrs), AutoCAD (5 yrs), and Maya (1 yr)
• Rhinocerous 3D (+5 yrs) and Ladybug (1 yr)
• SketchUp (+5 yrs) and Sefaira (1 yr)
• Climate Consultant (2 yrs)
• V-Ray (3 yrs) and Lumion (2 yrs)
• Microsoft Office Suite (+5 yrs) and Bluebeam Revu (2 yrs)
• Spanish Language (+5 yrs) - Limited Working Proficiency
• CPR- and OSHA 30-Certified
Illinois Solar Decathlon - 2020 DOE Solar Decathlon Build Challenge
May 2020 - Oct 2021
• Designed the system, developed the codical strategy, and garnered political support for implementing one of Illinois’s first residential greywater reuse systems.
• Communicated directly with authorities having jurisdiction and stakeholders, including the Illinois EPA, local and state health departments, the City of Champaign, the University of Illinois, Habitat for Humanity, Greywater Action, a local State Representative, and multiple venders in pursuit of a building code variance.
• Worked on-site during construction of the home.
Champaign Mural Project
• Co-founded, planned and implemented a mural-painting project in an economically disadvantaged area.
Aug 2020 - Oct 2020
• Coordinated with the city government, local business and property owners, legal counsel, the artist, and local donors.
• Raised $5,000 with donations from 108 community members using a social media campaign.
Appalachia Serice Project
Aug 2013 - Aug 2018
• Weeklong volunteer construction projects to make homes warmer, safer, and drier in the Appalachia region. Projects included carpentry, roofing, insulation and underpinning, and painting.
UCLA Introduction to Architecture Summer Programs
Studio Instructor - TeenArch In-Person
Jul 2025 - Aug 2025
• Led studio instruction for high school students, facilitating conceptual and technical project development through regular desk critiques and guidance.
• Designed and delivered lectures on architectural fundamentals, drawing and modeling methods, and precedent studies tailored to early design learners.
• Coordinated student progress toward final reviews, ensuring projects met pedagogical goals and deadlines.
• Organized and moderated midterm and final juried reviews with guest critics, fostering a collegiate studio atmosphere.
Teaching Assistant - TeenArch Remote
Jul 2024 - Aug 2024
• Independently instructed high school students from diverse international backgrounds in a remote design studio setting.
• Designed and delivered interactive lectures and tutorials on 3D modeling, architectural drawing, and digital workflows tailored to younger learners.
• Provided individualized support during office hours to foster design skill development and remote engagement.
• Adapted teaching strategies to virtual platforms, promoting accessibility and active learning.
Teaching Assistant - JumpStart
Jul 2023 - Aug 2023
• Co-led workshops for a global cohort of pre-professional and graduate-level students, introducing architectural design tools, model making, and portfolio development.
• Created instructional materials and tutorials on digital fabrication and architectural communication.
• Contributed to curriculum delivery across varying skill levels, emphasizing technical skill-building and studio culture.
UCLA Architecture and Urban Design Shop Technician
Aug 2023 - Jul 2025
• Revamped the workshop’s layout and appearance, including design alterations such as making cabinets and decal painting.
• Planned and executed a project to relocate the architecture building’s computer and 3D-printing labs, including planning the layout of the rooms, wiring ethernet ports, constructing workstations, navigating existing conditions, and ensuring compliance.
• Provided hands-on guidance to students in architectural model-making techniques, offering expertise in CNC, laser cutting, power and hand tool usage, and technological assistance.
• Enforced safety protocols in the shop including conducting trainings, and efficiently managed resources for accessibility and availability.
Teaching Assistant - Building Climatology
Mar 2024 - Jun 2024
• Collaborated with instructor to facilitate interactive learning sessions and project reviews on energy efficiency and passive solar design strategies to Master of Architecture students.
• Conducted grading processes, evaluated student submissions and presentations, and provided constructive feedback to foster improvement on course concepts.
Reifsteck Wakefield Fanning & Company (Formerly Reifsteck Reid & Company Architects)
Architectural Designer
Feb 2021 - Jul 2022
• Consulted pro-bono with the firm on a low-energy-footprint housing project for the homeless while enrolled at UCLA (May 2023).
• Developed construction documents for concurrent projects at different stages of completion.
• Participated in architectural charettes and prepared schematic design presentations for client use.
• Collaborated on BIM files using Revit. Evaluated contractor submittals and solicited contractor bids.
• Upcoming Publication “Beyond the Desk: Librarians As Keepers of Public Space,” by Dusty Frye, Jordan Wynne, Ana Arreguin, and Cristy Porlock, in Critical Planning Journal Vol. 28: Margins and Junctures, UCLA, 2025.
• Urban scholarship work featured in UCLA Exhibitions “Tuning the Commons,” 2024, & “People’s Library for Downtown LA,” 2025.
• Featured Model, “Student Annual Architecture Models + Artifacts,” Kennesaw State University, 2020.
• Drawings and Photographs Featured in Exhibition “Looking through La Seu d’Ègara,” Terrassa, Spain, 2019.
• Finalist, Edward C. Earl Prize, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 2019.
• 3x National Guard Challenge Coin Recipient, for work with Camp Corral, 2015-2017.
• Eagle Scout, Boy Scouts of America, 2016.