Marlene Chen

Marlene Chen is Principal/Owner and COO of Olson Kundig, where she has worked since 2005, applying her architecture and project management background to the firm's operations and governance. A Seattle native, she earned a B.A. from Wellesley College and a Master of Architecture from the University of Washington, with additional study at Columbia University's "Shape of Two Cities" program and the University of New South Wales in Sydney. She has contributed to cultural and institutional projects for clients including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Tillamook, and Microsoft, and now focuses on bridging the firm's design practitioners and business operations.