Growth
A practice that keeps changing shape.
2008 — Wilter begins
Independent contract and consulting practice.
2012 — Built environments
Evergreen, Tacoma, early community/design work.
2018 — Research and creative practice move to the center
MDS, Black in the City, community consulting, research, art.
2019–2021 — Preservation, landscape, environmental justice
4Culture, GGN, #DesignTheHill, Tacoma Environmental Justice Leaders Workgroup.
2021–Present — Building organizational infrastructure
Cousin Collective.
2019–Present — PhD research
Built Environment at UW, culminating in current Tacoma Tideflats work.
Education
Ph.D., Built Environment, The University of Washington, Seattle, WA, Expected 2027
Advisor: Lynne Manzo, PhD
Dissertation research examines moral ecologies, environmental governance, infrastructure, and place in the Tacoma Tideflats through community-engaged, qualitative, document-based, walking, and creative research methods.
MDS with Distinction, Design for Human Health, Boston Architectural College, Boston, MA, 2018
Thesis: Black in the City: Equity-Centered Community Design in Tacoma’s Hilltop
Examined how culturally grounded, equity-centered revitalization in Tacoma’s Hilltop could support community health without displacing long-term residents.
Advisor: J. Davis Harte, PhD
BA, Built Environments Concentration, The Evergreen State College, Tacoma, WA, 2012
AAS, Tacoma Community College, Tacoma, WA, 2010
Selected Experience
Cousin Collective
Operations Director, 2021 - Present
Lead organizational, operational, and program infrastructure for a community-based nonprofit working across arts, agriculture, environmental education, and neighborhood stewardship. Responsibilities include organizational strategy, program development, grant writing and reporting, budgeting, administrative systems, partnership development, staff coordination, community engagement, curriculum design, and site-based project planning. Secured and administered public and private funding, developed recurring programming across multiple Tacoma sites, and built partnerships with schools, community organizations, and public agencies.
Wilter
Researcher, Artist, Writer, and Principal Consultant, 2008 - Present
Practice expanded to center research and creative inquiry in 2018.
Conduct independent and commissioned research, creative inquiry, public history and encyclopedia writing, community consulting, nonprofit consulting, and general business consulting.
Work includes community-engaged, archival, qualitative, and place-based research; writing and editing; grant development; curriculum and program design; project management; organizational strategy; content strategy; and business problem-solving.
Produce articles, reports, visual work, presentations, curricula, engagement tools, and organizational systems for clients and community partners.
GGN, Gustafson Guthrie Nichol
Graduate Research Fellow
2020 - 2021
Contributed research and writing to Radically Reimagining Landscape Architecture as Liberatory Praxis, examining how landscape architecture education and practice could more directly address racial justice, power, and structural inequity.
4Culture
Equity in Preservation Intern
Summer 2019
Conducted equity-centered preservation research, community-history research, survey work, and public documentation, resulting in the 2019 Equity in Preservation Survey and Inventory.
Publications
Forthcoming Publications
Rees, A., Bradshaw, P., Lawrence, J., Williams, T., Taufen, A., & Dunn, J. (forthcoming). “Moral Ecology of Dams.” In Urban Water Equity. Springer.
Reports and Public Scholarship
Cox, A., Maldo, D., Manzo, L., & Williams, T. (2021). “Radically Reimagining Landscape Architecture as Liberatory Praxis.” College of Built Environments
Fattani, F., Mohamed, N., & Williams, T. (2021). “Rapunzel’s Fairy Tale and its Mythical Persian Origin.” Polling and Open Data Initiative at the University of Washington
Fab-5, Mithun, & Tacoma Housing Authority (2019). “Design the Hill.” Tacoma Housing Authority
Williams, T. (2019). “Equity in Preservation Survey and Inventory,” 4Culture.
Encyclopedia and Reference Entries
Williams, T. (2020). “Jones, William” (1918–2009). HistoryLink
Williams, T. (2020). “After a 275-mile trek from Fort Walla Walla to Camp Nisqually, Buffalo Soldiers from the 9th Cavalry Regiment participate in the American Lake Maneuvers beginning on July 8, 1904.” HistoryLink
Williams, T. (2019). “The Evergreen State College’s Tacoma Program holds first day of classes as an official part of the college on September 26, 1983.” HistoryLink
Williams, T. (2019). “Mimms, Maxine Buie (1928–2024).” HistoryLink
Conference Proceedings
Cox, A., Maldo, D., Manzo, L., & Williams, T. (2022). “Radically Reimagining Landscape Architecture as Liberatory Praxis.” Proceedings of EDRA53: Health in All Design. Environmental Design Research Association
Teaching
Cousin Collective
Instructor, 2023 - Present
Beyond the Bell, Whitman Garden Club, Whitman Elementary
Design and facilitate place-based programs at Whitman Elementary involving gardening, environmental learning, art, design, food systems, and community stewardship, including Beyond the Bell and Whitman Garden Club.
University of Washington
Volunteer Teaching Assistant, 2024 - Present
Photovoice and the Art of Documentary Photography, Robin Evans-Agnew
Predoctoral Instructor, 2023
Introduction To Built Environments
Teaching Assistant, 2020-2023
Introduction to Built Environments, Vikramāditya Prakāsh
Cities, Health, and Well-Being, Adnya Sarasmita, Supasai Vongkulbhisal, & Shannon Tyman
A Global History of the Built Environment II, Daniel Coslett
Introduction to Urbanization, Mark Purcell
Seattle Architecture Foundation
Teaching Artist and Curriculum Planner
2018 - 2019
Developed and taught architecture and built-environment curriculum for young people, translating design concepts into accessible, hands-on learning experiences.
Families of Color Seattle
Parent Educator, 2018–2019
Facilitated support and learning groups for multiracial families and families with newborns. Contributed to curriculum revision to improve the relevance, clarity, and usefulness of program materials.
Honors
Making A Difference Foundation Scholarship, 2025
Pleneurethics Society Scholarship, 2020
College of Built Environments Ph.D. ARC Fellowship, 2020
College of Built Environments Ph.D. Fellowship, 2019
Master’s Thesis Excellence - Design Studies, Design for Human Health, 2019
The Edwin T. Steffian, ‘10 (Hon.) Centennial Award: Master’s Thesis Excellence - Design Studies, Design for Human Health, 2019