Team Member Spotlight: Amy Carr

Amy Carr’s journey in architecture is rooted in community, curiosity, and a love for people and place.

“I grew up in Elmhurst, Pennsylvania. My grandparents on both sides were close by, a lot of family around, nice church community. I had a great time growing up. I couldn’t wait to go to camp, church camp. And I did that as soon as I was old enough, and I kept going until I became a counselor, during my college years. I met this handsome, adventurous guy while in college, and the rest is history. We got married, and we have two grown kids who are awesome, and we’re really blessed.”

When Amy isn’t designing, she’s happiest immersed in the outdoors.

“My favorite place is probably out in the middle of a lake in my canoe. I love being outside. I love being active. I love working hard, hiking, climbing a mountain, paddling. Those are some of my favorites.”

Amy’s professional path began at Syracuse University, where architecture and international experience intersected.

“I went to Syracuse University to study architecture. I got to study in Italy, based in Florence, which was a wonderful opportunity that I really enjoyed. And then I graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture ready to go out and design buildings.”

Her career, however, wasn’t a straight line—and she embraces that.

“I took some detours, including staying home with my kids for a number of years. I also had the opportunity to work in full time camping ministry for over ten years. I have come back to the architecture profession, and recently completed all the requirements, passed all the tests, and am a registered architect in Pennsylvania.”

Now, as part of a growing architectural team, Amy sees the impact of collaboration every day.

“Having three architects on staff now, we’re able to handle even more projects and serve our clients even better because there’s three of us handling the projects.”

At the heart of Amy’s work is a passion for both people and problem-solving.

“I love architecture because it brings people together. I love listening and learning about what the client is interested in doing. I love that I need to get to know them well enough to design for them. Architecture requires creative vision, but I also love that architecture is very functional and practical. It has to work. And there’s that technical side of codes, structures, and how people use things. All of that comes together in a built space, and I love doing that.”

That same appreciation for collaboration is what makes her experience at JHA especially meaningful.

“Working at JHA has been such a great experience. I have never worked in house with so many different disciplines. Typically, I would be calling a consultant for civil or structural or working with survey, but to just have all those other professionals right there to talk to, sometimes even walking down the hall, has been tremendous. And I love what we’re able to offer our clients by having all of this in-house and working as one team. It’s such a great group of professionals who are nice people, but also do their work really well. And both of those are important to me.”

Ultimately, Amy’s alignment with JHA goes deeper than the work itself.

“I’m glad to be here. I think the thing that interested me the most about JHA was the mission. So clear on the website that we want to do great work and give glory to God through that, and I am all on board with that.”