Tonie Esteban
Associate Principal • BRIC Architecture
Tonie Esteban is an Associate Principal at BRIC Architecture in Portland.
Photo courtesy of BRIC architecture
A selection of Tonie’s public school projects
Photos courtesy of Tonie Esteban
Tonie is the Associate Principal and part owner at BRIC Architecture in Portland, Oregon. She currently lives in Portland with her two children and husband. Tonie was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area with roots in Mexicali. Encouraged by her grandparents and inspired by her cousins with engineering degrees, Tonie attended the University of California, Berkeley, to study architecture.
I’ve seen firsthand how a college education can change a life for good. I’m so grateful that I’m able to help rebuild schools, so others can grow and improve like I did.
With the help of her friend and fellow architect Karina Ruiz, Tonie landed her first Junior Architect job out of college, where she worked for three years before pursuing a graduate degree in urban architecture from the University of Oregon. After earning her degree, she reunited with Karina at Dull Olson Weekes Architects, working as a Project Architect.
In 2009, Tonie acquired her architecture license and started to design Franklin High School, a grueling 4-year endeavor. After completing the project, Karina and Tonie left the firm and started BRIC Architecture, one of Oregon’s few majority women-owned architecture firms.
A selection of Karina Ruiz (back left), Tonie Esteban (back right), and BRIC’s Leadership Team.
Photo courtesy of BRIC Architecture
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
Tumwata Middle School in Oregon City, Oregon
Photo courtesy of Josh Partee. Renderings of Tumwata by BRIC.
Franklin High School in Portland, Oregon
Photo courtesy of Josh Partee
Sherwood High School in Sherwood, Oregon
Photo courtesy of Josh Partee
Photo courtesy of BRIC architecture
Her joy of working with school spaces stems from the lessons she’s learned from her grandparents about the importance of education. Tonie strives for purpose over profit, supporting schools by building a better world with her projects. Her values translate to her day-to-day schedule as an Associate Principal at BRIC, ensuring that the company is living up to the meaning of their name: “Building Relationships and Inspiring Communities.” Tonie advocates for equitable approaches to decision-making, HR issues, employee benefits, and the firm’s overall values.
When I do work on projects in the construction phase, some folks on site act surprised when I walk in as the ‘lead architect.’ It did take some time to get used to walking into a meeting and being not only the only woman, but also the only person of color in the room. I do my best though to break down stereotypes and try to find a common thread with others who aren’t like me.
In 2020, she was appointed by Oregon’s Governor to the State’s Board of Architect Examiners. Inspired to apply for the position by the George Floyd protests, Tonie is determined to bring more BIPOC representation to government boards. Currently, Tonie is working as the senior project manager for all of the school improvement projects at Newberg Public Schools in Newberg, Oregon, managing ten K-12 school construction projects over the next two years.
Tonie is particularly proud to be an architect of color working for Newberg Public Schools. In addition to her service on the Oregon State Board of Architect Examiners and her school improvement projects, Tonie works to support and guide women who are architects of color and hopes to see more families and women in the field.
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