Hi y’all — I’m Ryan, your friendly neighborhood architect and a lover of overlooked people and places.

I live and work in the Delta, one of the most storied and complex regions in the country, and I believe deeply in the beauty and potential of rural communities. I’ve been practicing architecture for over 25 years now — ever since I landed a summer internship after my freshman year at the University of Arkansas’s Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design. That journey eventually led to the founding of Kudzu Collective — a small but mighty practice rooted in the belief that forgotten places still have powerful stories to tell.

I’m licensed in five Southeastern states, and my heart and home are here in Arkansas, where my wife Natalie (of @shineidstudio) and I are raising our three boys in our hometown of Lonoke. In addition to architecture, our work at Kudzu extends into community development — leading workshops, building partnerships, and helping small towns build capacity for good work.

I’ve served two terms on our local city council, became a Delta Leadership Institute Executive Academy Fellow in the class of 2022, and continue to advocate for design as a tool for hope, clarity, and connection.

I also serve as Board President for Thrive, Inc. @thriveinc is a nonprofit based in Helena that brings beautiful branding and placemaking to rural communities across the Delta. I joined Thrive’s staff as Director of Development and Creative Placemeaking in 2019 to help deepen that impact, and the mission still fuels my work every day.

There’s great work to be done in our small towns — and it’s my privilege to walk alongside those doing it.

Thanks for being here. Let’s stay rooted, reach far, and keep growing. 🌱