SPOTLIGHT ON: MICHELLE LANKER, AIA, LEED AP
Mez Joseph
Spotlight On is a Liollio tradition of interviewing team members to celebrate them and get to know them better. Our February Spotlight On feature is Michelle Lanker. Michelle joined the Liollio team in January 2023, relocating from Seattle. An Ohio native and graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michelle is a versatile architect with more than 20 years of experience. She is known for building trust with clients and teams through clear communication and by bringing a strategic and focused approach to each project. We sat down for a Q+A session with our latest Spotlight On feature:
Where did you grow up?
Loveland, Ohio
Do you have children?
My dog Arnie is definitely like my child.
What do you like to do for fun?
I like to garden, paint when I can (love watercolors), walk around the downtown Charleston since I live downtown, ride my bicycle whenever I can, hang out with friends, and hang out with my dog a lot.
Tell us about Arnie.
He is a 16-year-old mutt named Arnie that I adopted from a shelter out in Portland, OR 15 years ago after he lost a leg and was scared to death of people. He has traveled everywhere, including cross-country from Seattle, WA to Charleston and back three times now with me. He is my best friend.
Favorite place(s) to go locally?
I love Hampton Park and Battery Park, walking there quite frequently. Arnie and I like to go to Folly Beach and hang out when it’s not the tourist season. Probably my favorite place is my own garden space which is rare to have in downtown Charleston.
Favorite restaurant?
A spot called Harvest Moon out on Highway 17.
Favorite food?
Gourmet grilled cheese and tomato soup!
Least favorite food?
I’ll try just about anything. I try to avoid processed foods though, so those would probably be my least favorite.
Favorite book or author?
Erik Larson, Devil in the White City. I love all his books.
Do you play any instruments?
No. Tried playing the clarinet in middle school, but not my thing.
What song is at the top of your most played list?
Home by HAIM (Barbie movie soundtrack)
Favorite musical artist or genre?
I’m pretty eclectic, but my favorite band is called Metric.
Favorite visual artist?
Monet
Favorite television show?
Six Feet Under
Last book you read?
I Am Bunny by Alexis Devine
Favorite podcast or blog?
Ologies with Alie Ward
Favorite movie or genre?
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Last movie you watched?
To Sir with Love
Favorite place you have traveled to and why?
It’s close – I love two cities – Barcelona, Spain and Medellin, Colombia. I am enamored with how both cities have managed to make dense urban environments feel so tied to nature either in the way the architecture is inspired by organic structures such as coral and forest canopies and various animals and plants (in Barcelona) or how transit systems tie the urban fabric to the natural mountains that surround via trolleys and escalators and light rail (in Medellin).
Favorite style of architecture?
Probably Expressionism. How buildings affect the way we think and feel has always been very important to me as an Architect.
What building have you visited that most impressed or inspired you?
Sagrada Familia
Where is your favorite place you’ve traveled to and why?
I went to Spain years ago for three weeks by myself. I bought a one-way ticket to Madrid and then just stayed at hostels while on a very loose itinerary that took me all over the country and even to Paris for a few days before coming home. It was life changing for me.
What would the book or movie about your life be called?
Wherever Life Takes You, Embrace It
Who would play you in a movie about your life?
She is not anywhere close to my age or even younger than me, but I was always told I look a lot like Ali McGraw, and I would say my personality is similar to her character in her most famous role, Love Story.
If you could be any animal, what would you be and why?
Sea turtle, without question. They are solitary, they travel a lot. Symbolically, they have always meant a lot to me representing longevity, wisdom, carrying the world on it’s back. I have a tattoo of a sea turtle on my right shoulder.
Are you messy or organized?
Most of the time organized, lol.
What’s your pet peeve?
Interrupting and talking over others.
Guilty pleasure?
Buying flowers for myself when I go to the grocery store.
Tell us a random fact.
My dad is from Nicaragua, and I have an uncle who was, and a cousin who is, an Architect in Nicaragua today.
Favorite quote?
”Nothing is invented, for it’s written in nature first.” – Antoni Gaudí
If you could interview one person (dead or alive) who would it be?
My maternal grandparents who both died when she was a teenager. I would like to tell them what a wonderful woman my mother is and how proud they should be of her.
If you could witness any historical event, what would you want to see?
1998 NBA Finals, Chicago Bulls vs Utah Jazz, Game 6 (Michael Jordan’s last game) - I worshipped him as a kid.
If your house was burning down, what is the one non-living thing you would save?
A necklace from my family in Nicaragua and my maternal grandmother’s engagement ring.
What three traits characterize you?
Empathy, honesty, openness
What’s your astrological sign?
Leo
What is your personal philosophy?
Live in the moment as much as possible.
What’s one thing you couldn’t live without?
Getting outside and enjoying the fresh air.
What is the greatest challenge you have had to overcome in your life thus far?
Life not happening quite the way I expected and being okay with that because it has made me who I am.
What is your greatest fear?
I don’t think I’m really afraid of anything. As a kid I was deathly afraid of sharks after seeing Jaws. I would dream about them being in a pool I was swimming in and have even had a recurring nightmare like that as an adult. But I got to cage dive with Great Whites in South Africa several years ago and that shifted my fear to awe. They are amazing creatures and such survivors. I now admire their perseverance instead!
What is your superpower?
Adaptation
What inspires you most?
I am constantly inspired by my friends and family. Hearing their personal stories of overcoming great odds or doing something incredibly brave, or just being amazing humans that surround me with so much love is a wonderful gift I try my best to not take for granted.
What accomplishment are you most proud of?
Having the courage to start over.
What is your favorite thing about working at Liollio?
The openness and compassion here. Arnie comes to work with me nearly everyday and everyone has been just awesome in welcoming him along with me into this fantastic work family.
What does true leadership mean to you?
It depends on the circumstance. Leading a team means being able to clearly express a vision and/or set of goals and then empowering and supporting those around you to achieve that vision or reach those goals together. True leadership is also demonstrated in individual work though. Always striving for your best and when your best isn’t possible or you make a mistake, owning it and learning from it.
If you could do another job for just one day, what would it be?
A cartoonist
What would you most like to tell yourself at age 13?
Don’t sweat the small things so much.
How do you define success?
Being content, but always learning.
Tell us something that might surprise us about you.
I was very into basketball as a kid (my dad was a high school coach) and I was also a very tall preteen, so I decided to try out for an all-boys’ team in 4th grade and ended up being the starting center from 4-6th grade when we won the league championship. I did not grow an inch more and in junior high moved to forward and by high school was a shooting guard for my high school team. If I hadn’t gone to school for architecture, I would have played college ball somewhere, but the commitment was too much to do both.
What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
Sounds silly, but my mom and I both remind each other to “let it go” as it is sung in the movie Frozen.