Melissa Knesal

Melissa Knesal

Senior Project Architect
RA, NCARB
Melissa Knesal is a Senior Project Architect at MOA ARCHITECTURE with more than a decade of experience in educational design. She led the design of Traverse Academy, the nation’s first mental health treatment facility owned and operated by a school district, pioneering an emerging project type. Melissa recently completed Fletcher Miller School, a school for students with significant and multiple disabilities.

Melissa’s empathetic design process drives her to create specialized, user-focused environments that address the unique needs of each community. Her passion lies in crafting spaces that foster inclusion, support, and well-being for vulnerable populations.

Favorite MOA Project

Fletcher Miller School is one of my favorite MOA proejcts. Throughout this design process, I learned so much about the challenges that people with disabilities face when interacting with the built environment. This project has transformed my design mindset from simply meeting requirements to enabling people to meet their fullest potential.

Dream project:
A resource center or shelter for students experiencing housing instability.
My Myers-Briggs personality type:
INFJ
My Enneagram personality type:
1: The Perfectionist
Hobbies:
Gardening, Knitting, Sewing, Piano
My coffee shop order:
Nitro Cold Brew
A city I could wander endlessly:
Tokyo
Something that surprises people about me:
I am originally from Mississippi, but allegedly have lost my southern accent.
A book I recommend to everyone:
Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
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