Joe Dickerson grew up in northern New York state, in a small town about an hour and a half south of Buffalo with lots of family members living close by. His life’s direction was heavily influenced by his maternal grandmother, “Grandma Jean.” She was very caring and encouraged him to be himself.

When Joe graduated high school, he and his parents moved to Phoenix, Arizona. His sister Connee was already there, finishing her degree at ASU in Tempe. Joe went to ASU as well, attaining his bachelor’s in Art History in 2006, but he never really loved living in the Grand Canyon State.

After graduation, he worked at Wells Fargo as a mortgage processor, eventually getting transferred to San Diego, California. “I avoided architecture for a while because I didn’t intend to follow in my sister’s footsteps. I wanted to light my own path,” Joe said. “But,” he continued, “I’ve always been interested in houses…growing up on the east coast, there are so many amazing ones, and I had experience helping my dad build houses, as he worked in construction.” Joe finally took his first architecture class at Mesa Community College, and it clicked.

“I’m very visual. I also like the whys and wherefores. Building codes dictate why things are built the way they are. I’m also interested in what architecture can mean, beyond sustainability. How it can improve people’s lives…whether architects and architecture stand up to the moment and can deal with climate change.”

In five years, Joe would like to be licensed and get more involved in the environmental aspects of architecture. He and his husband Gus, who is from Spain, enjoy visiting art exhibits and like to travel in their free time. They have a cat named Calixto and now and then do some gardening together on their back patio.