About
With over 30 years in the storytelling business, I can help you reach your best prospects. You invest so much into your craft, and when your branding and marketing choices truly resonate, they create a powerful ripple effect, drawing ideal clients directly to you.
Empowering Your Vision with AI Insights
Meet Luna Lake's Founder, Amber
Amber Lombardo is the owner of Luna Lake, LLC, a technology consultancy in the architectural sector. She was Executive Director of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Memphis and founder of CiV, the Center for Architecture + Design in West Tennessee. Lombardo served on the 2025 AIA National Trust Board of Directors, the 2024 AIA National Board of Directors and Government Advocacy Committee (as liaison to the Strategic Council's Artificial Intelligence working group). Previous service includes 2023 President of the Council of Architectural Component Executives (CACE), 2023 Strategic Council, 2022 Secretary's Advisory Council, and 2019 Advocacy Capacity Building Group.
Lombardo has a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies in Architecture, Civil Engineering and Marketing from Mississippi State University. Upon graduation, she worked as a web developer for a variety of organizations (most notably the National Science Foundation Engineer Research Center) in the then-emerging tech industry. In 1999 she began her own web shop and sold it 17 years later after it evolved into an advertising agency, community magazine, art gallery and digital print shop, garnering over 70 industry awards ranging up to international recognition.
In 2016 she returned to architecture through grassroots advocacy efforts for the Mississippi Historic Tax Credit and later, in coordination with the National Trust, the Federal Historic Tax Credit. She has presented at several AIA National conferences, at the National Main Street Conference, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Preservation Action's National Preservation Week and more.
Her creative works (photography, writing, etc) have appeared in numerous notable publications including National Geographic Traveler, Preservation Magazine, Where to Retire, Southern Bride Magazine, and others. She has launched three magazines, Elevation the Journal of the Mississippi Heritage Trust, TourCollierville Magazine, and Folio the Annual of AIA Memphis.
Recent awards include the 2021 AIA Memphis President's Award, the 2022 Memphis Business Journal's Women Who Lead in Architecture, 2023 AIA Global Louise Blanchard Bethune Fellow, 2024 Richard Upjohn Fellow and 2025 Tau Sigma Delta National Architecture Honor Society Silver Medal.
At the risk of navel-gazing, I know you came here to learn a little more about this journey of mine so you'll understand better how you fit in.
Let's start by talking about the big issue I see:
When people leave their hometowns,
progress slows and may collapse entirely.
We remedy that by engaging our youth in shaping their own communities, learning from their lived experiences.
Rural Roots
"To understand the world, you must first understand a place like Mississippi."
-attributed to William Faulkner
Growing up in Enterprise, Mississippi, during the 1970s and 80s was a vastly different experience from that of my urban counterparts.
Before the internet, rural communities like ours often faced significant limitations in accessing educational and social services. This isolation meant that our local churches and schools were virtually our sole sources of information, and critical thinking was strongly discouraged, leading to a largely unquestioning acceptance of ideas we were taught. However, the advent of the internet dramatically leveled this playing field. Suddenly, any child with an internet connection, regardless of their zip code, gained access to an infinite wellspring of knowledge, democratizing information in an unprecedented way.
Now, with the rise of artificial intelligence, rural kids are not only consuming information but also creating. They can build virtual companies, generating six-figure incomes and making substantial contributions to their local tax base, proving that innovation and economic opportunity are no longer confined to cities.
Downtown Amber Brown
I grew up outside rural Enterprise, Mississippi in a tiny farmhouse community, Pine Hill. My class had around 40 students, kids we'd known since birth. The town's population was only about 500, but we were mighty – two-time state football champions in the 1A/2A divisions. Priorities!
Dad worked as a musical instrument salesman at Peavy Electronics in nearby Meridian, MS, where I would frequently hang out during trips to the city. As "shady characters" would enter the store (i.e., rock stars and rolling stones), Dad would give me a quarter for the soda machine on the upper floor and tell me to "go roam for a few minutes." I'd take the antique freight elevator up, grab a Coke and then crawl through the rafters that spanned across the top of the showroom, listening to the chatter down below, learning about... the ways of the world. It was also a great way to become fasincated with the structural bones of a building.
My mom, a Captain in the Army National Guard, served in the Gulf War during my senior year of high school, continuing a deep-rooted family tradition of military service that instilled in us a profound love for travel and adventure. She owned a Mustang convertible, and we'd often embark on impromptu road trips, the top down as we talked for hours about the various philosophies she'd picked up along the way. She taught me essential life lessons: how to navigate with an old-school map, the sheer joy of getting lost, and the art of making fast friends with anyone, anywhere. People were always fascinated by us, especially our southern drawl, which Mom wielded with expert precision, often securing favors with a charming, "Honey, would ya mind helpin' out a coupla wanderers?"
At 16, I was accepted into the Mississippi School for Math and Science (MSMS), an experience that irrevocably changed my life's trajectory. Dorm life in Columbus, Mississippi, on the campus of the Mississippi University for Women, offered a new sense of freedom and exploration. For the first time, I lived within walking distance of a bustling downtown.
Since I hadn't yet been given permission to ride in cars with classmates (spoiler alert - I did anyway), I spent most weekends exploring the streets of "Possum Town" on foot. I was enamoured by the antebellum architecture, historic churches, and the vibrant Main Street community. This led my classmates to nickname me "Downtown Amber Brown," after the popular MTV host, Downtown Julie Brown. Ten years later at 25, I opened Webz there, my first entrepreneureal leap.
It was at MSMS that I first learned to code, studied a foreign language, and learned about the Holocaust. Believe it or not, my true education about the Civil Rights Movement wouldn't come for another two decades. The internet hadn't emerged yet, and the adults around me weren't prepared to discuss it.
I didn't realize it at the time, but my departure from my hometown wouldn't be temporary, as the school's founders had hoped. Many of us graduated and left the state entirely, seeking places whose values more closely aligned with our own. It turns out the magnet school opened our minds to a broader world.
The next three decades were amazing, working all over the state of Mississippi, leading me to Collierville, Tennessee, now my children's hometown. I've been working in the city of Memphis for the last five years as well so it has captured a special place in my heart, too. Eight years with the American Institute of Architects brings me to today...
I can't wait to share more. Stay tuned.
EDUCATION
Enterprise Elementary & High School
Grades K-10
Softball, basketball, Girl Scout
Residential magnet school for academically gifted. High School diploma
Air Force Academy Congressional Nominee
The Mississippi School for Mathematics & Science
Mississippi State University
Bachelor of Science of Interdisciplinary Studies in Architecture, Civil Engineering & Marketing
Air Force ROTC Scholar | Decorated Cadet
TAGLINE
Michael W. Fazio, Ph. D
"What is architecture? "Who decides?"
I recently purchased Fazio's textbook and three decades collapsed in a moment when I read the intro paragraphs. Now I remember why I believe that all structures are architecture and that the user decides. More on that later.
While studying at the Mississippi State University School of Architecture, I worked as a student in the Architecture Library, where I befriended Dr. Fazio. As he consistently authored architectural history textbooks, his quiet demeanor shaped my initial understanding of what architecture truly encompasses. As an educator in Mississippi, he championed rural communities, highlighting their unique assets and showcasing their built environment (architecture) as remarkable, especially given the market and budget constraints faced.
During our many conversations, Dr. Fazio often lamented the limitations of print. He'd amassed a vast amount of research but was perpetually frustrated by how much was edited out. Printed textbooks and guidebooks typically dedicated only a few sentences to each place, which he felt was grossly inadequate for telling a complete story.
Years later, when we reconnected, I, as a coder and web developer, told him I felt I could help address this very issue. Though he passed away in 2020, and my demanding AIA career kept me from making meaningful progress then, I'm now ready to "walk the AI talk" and explore an entrepreneurial endeavor as a modern architectural educator.
TAGLINE
Two books
Many books speak to me
but these two changed me.
Ray Oldenburg's "The Great Good Place" fundamentally shifted my perspective on small towns, revealing their essential role in fostering community through informal public gathering spaces.
Henry Kissinger's "Genesis: Artificial Intelligence, Hope, and the Human Spirit" provided a crucial framework that helped me navigate and ultimately move through my existential anxieties about the future of AI.
Both would contribute to my career path in profound ways and fuel this farmgirl to soar.
Career
Each and every step along this journey was made possible by the people who supported and hired me. I'm eternally grateful.
Luna Lake, LLC
Collierville, TN: Founder & Chief Executive Officer. (2025 - Present)
AI/Architecture Alchemy. A consultancy that encourages the architectural community to leverage AI towards the collective solution of existential puzzles.
American Institute of Architects
American Institute of Architects | Memphis
Memphis, TN: Executive Director. (2020 – 2025)
CiV : : the Center for Architecture + Design
Memphis, TN: Founder & Executive Director. (2021 – 2025)
American Institute of Architects | Mississippi
Jackson, MS: Executive Director. (2017 – 2020)
Mississippi Heritage Trust
Jackson, MS: Director of Programs. (2015 – 2017)
Two-year grant-funded contract to work with state & federal governments promoting preservation policy including robust advocacy campaigns for the Mississippi and Federal Historic Tax Credit programs.
Webz Media
Collierville, TN: Owner, Web Developer. (1999 – sold in 2016)
Owned four downtown business entities with over 75 awards ranging up to international recognition.

Webz Advertising / ad agency specializing in community marketing & economic development
Webz Art / fine art gallery & stationery retailer
Webz Ink / digital print shop
TourCollierville / community magazine
Ayrix Technologies, Inc. /
Big Net
Jackson, MS: Web Services Director. (1998-1999)
National Science Foundation
Engineering Research Center
Starkville, MS: Electronic Publications Specialist, Web Developer. (1997-1999)
Other favorites
Dux D’Lux, Inc. Advertising
Starkville, MS: Graphic Designer, Web Developer. (1995 - 1997)
Mississippi State University Athletic Department
Starkville, MS: Marketing Assistant for Jim Ellis (media personality), basketball statistician. (1994 - 1995)
Mississippi State University School of Architecture
Starkville, MS: Library Assistant to Michael Fazio (architectural textbook author). (1993 - 1994)
Pushmataha Area Council Boy Scouts of America
Starkville, MS: COPE Ropes Course Instructor. (1991 - 2002)
Outward Bound-style program including corporate team-building activities, ropes obstacles, rappelling
The American Institute of Architects
AIA Trust Board of Directors (2025)
CACE Director
AIA Board of Directors
(2024 Richard Upjohn Fellow)
Artificial Intelligence Board Advisory Chair
Annual Meeting Resolutions Committee
AIA Strategic Council
(2023 Louise Blanchard Bethune Fellow)
Artificial Intelligence Working
Group Board Liaison
Equity Working Group
AIA Conference on Architecture
Presenter (2024, 2025)
AIA’24 Peer Proposal Reviewer (2023)
Government Advocacy Committee
(2020-2021, 2024 Co-Chair, 2025)
Presidential Appointment Task Force (2021)
Architects’ Platform Working Group (2020)
Task Force on Resilience (2019-2020)
Advocacy Capacity Building (2018-2019)
Young Architects Forum (YAF) /
National Associates Council (NAC)
Annual Meeting host at CiV (2024)
Girl Scouts USA National Convention
Expo exhibition assistant (2023)
Secretary’s Advisory Council (2022)
EVP/CEO Search Committee (2020-2021)
AIA Council of Architectural Component Executives
CACE Executive Committee
Vice President (2019-2020)
Secretary (2021)
President-Elect (2022)
President (2023)
Past-President (2024)
Accreditation Advisory Panel (2024)
CACE Annual Meeting
Host (Memphis, CiV : : the Center for Architecture + Design, 2022)

Keynote: “Determined: The Power of Storytelling for Climate Action”
(2023, Atlanta, GA)
Centers for Architecture Initiative
Working Group Chair (2022)
CACE Strategic Plan Development
Co-Leader (2021)
Economic Resilience Task Force
Co-Leader (2019)
Published “Economic Resilience
for the AIA Component”
AIA Memphis
CiV : : the Center for Architecture + Design
Founded at Beale Street Landing hosting public-facing programming to educate about the practice of architecture
folio
the printed annual of AIA Memphis
ARChive
an awards submission platform that populates a growing architectural index
AIA Mississippi
AIA National Excel Award Winner:
District to DC
Youth Advocacy Program (2019)
AIA National Safety Assessment Program (SAP) Disaster Assistance Training (2019)
AIA National Disaster Assistance
Bootcamp (2019)
SpeakUp!
an AIA National Advocacy Program
co-host with TedX Memphis (2018)
Good Samaritan Policy
Lobbying (2017-2020)
ScaleUp! Youth Outreach Program
(2019-present at AIA Memphis)
Accolades
Humbled by these recognitions from mentors, colleagues and friends
2025
Tau Sigma Delta National Architecture Honor Society Silver Medal
Bestowed by the University of Memphis for a record of distinction in the field of Architecture, Landscape Architecture or Allied Arts. Pictured with Michael Hagge, Chair of the Department of Architecture.
2024
AIA National
Richard Upjohn Fellow
Bestowed by the American Institute of Architects upon members of the Board of Directors, the fellowship celebrates service to the profession of architecture
2023
AIA National
Louise Blanchard Bethune Fellow
Bestowed by the American Institute of Architects upon members of the Strategic Council, the fellowship honors the first American woman recognized as a professional architect and the first female to receive a fellowship in the AIA.
2022
Women Who Lead in Architecture
Bestowed by the Memphis Business Journal upon professionals who make substantial contributions in their professional field
2021
President's Award
Bestowed by the 2021 AIA Memphis Board President, Victor Buchholz, AIA, in recognition of visionary leadership for the creation of CiV :: the Center for Architecture + Design
2016
ARCUS Inaugural Fellow
Bestowed upon graduates of ARCUS, a historic preservation leadership initiative funded by the National Trust for Historic Preservation
Learn more
This next career stage, Luna Lake, has been the obvious next step for quite some time now. You'll see from my career path that I have a deep love for exploring the built environment (nature, too, which works out well!) and am grateful for the opportunities to tell its stories. When you get to know the placemakers who crafted them, the story deepens in ways you could never imagine. Dr. Fazio would be proud to know that I ended up as a sort of AI-powered, modern day architectural historian, bent on helping communities help themselves.