Trina Sandschafer
Trina Sandschafer, AIA, LEED AP served as Design Principal and Executive Vice President at Kahler Slater where she provides design leadership at a firm-wide level.
Based in Chicago, Trina serves as a national leader for residential, hospitality, and corporate practices. She is well known for her exemplary design skills, as well as her ability to build strong relationships and attract key collaborators. Passionate about the power of design, she lives at the intersection of design and strategy, leveraging both to move projects and organizations forward.
Trina leads all projects with a user-focused approach, resulting in clear conceptual analysis and engaging results. As a critical thinker, she excels at bringing clarity to complex programs. Trina’s extensive experience spans a wide range of scales – creating opportunities for diverse clients.
A sought-after expert, Trina has served on professional design juries, speaks frequently on the topic of design thinking, and has contributed to multiple publications.
An alumnus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Trina is actively involved with the Illinois School of Architecture as a mentor, professional practice liaison, and design critic, working with students to address critical architectural design issues in today’s cities.
In 2020-2021 Trina was the Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Illinois School of Architecture, leading the Chicago Studio and addressing the paradigm shift in urban housing. In 2019, she was honored to deliver the Illinois School of Architecture Convocation Address.
Trina serves as Chair of the Illinois School of Architecture Alumni Advisory Board.