Jake grew up in the North Carolina mountains before heading to the coast to study philosophy and anthropology at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. While there, he was afforded the opportunity to study in the Levant region of the Middle East. Extending his stay to work with refugees from multiple crises in Beirut, Lebanon, this experience convinced him of the power of architecture and urban planning to create and destroy prosperity and potential.

After a stint working with immigrant communities outside of West Philadelphia, Jake attended North Carolina State University where he obtained his Master of Architecture, graduating with honors. While there, he was twice nominated for the AIA Triangle Fellowship, recognized as a Kamphoefner Honor Fellow, and became SEED Certified. Now a resident of Durham NC, Jake is the founder and Principal of architecture and design studio …and other works. His work has received recognition for design at the local, state, and regional level.

Jake is the co-founder of Readings on Race, an organization created to foster dialogue about race and race relations in the United States. He intermittently teaches architecture at NCSU as a Professor of Practice, and is part of the house jury for Buildner, an international design competition facilitator. In 2024, he launched the North Carolina Architects Initiative through …and other works.

He was the 2021 recipient of the NCSU Alumni Legacy Award for his commitment to social justice and diversity. In 2022, he received the North Carolina AIA Young Architect Award. He received the 2025 Durham Arts Guild Artist Residency at the Golden Belt.

Above all, Jake strives to restore power to the oppressed, so that all people can live well in a just world. It is this motivation that led him to create Diversify Architecture, which he currently serves as Executive Director.