Kristi Thompson
Principal Architect



Principal, Vice President and COO

Education: 5 year Bachelor of Architecture, College of Architecture and Environmental Design, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. 1992

Registrations:
- California Architect 1995
- Nevada Architect 2005
- Idaho Architect 2019
- Washington Architect 2020
- National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) 2004.

Experience: since 1988 in the San Francisco Bay Area and since 2000 in the Truckee-Tahoe area.

Ms. Thompson's responsibilities as Vice President and COO of MWA, inc. include Principal-in-Charge of design, operations, quality control, standards, scheduling, marketing, and project management.

Ms. Thompson has been with MWA, inc. since 2000 and principal since 2008 and has served as project manager and/or chief designer for many projects including:
- Numerous custom residences in Martis Camp, Lahontan, Northstar, Old Greenwood, Tahoe Donner, and the greater Truckee area.
- The Rock commercial mixed-use project, Truckee.
- Phoenix Executive Building, LEED Silver, Soaring Way, Truckee.
- Ski Run Center commercial development in South Lake Tahoe.

Ms. Thompson's talent and diversity of style has been recognized by winning the top award in the Tahoe Quarterly's 4th Annual Mountain Home Awards in 2007 for a mountain-modern residence at Northstar-at-Tahoe. The same home also won the gold award for The Best Home of the Year in the May 2006 issue of Electronic House. The 2016 Tahoe Quarterly Mountain Home Awards recognized her Lakefront design 'Tahizzle' for its stunning and unique combination of modern and Tahoe style. A Martis Camp family home she designed won the 2013 Tahoe Quarterly Mountain Home Award for "Legacy Home". In 2011 her 'alps-style' design in Martis Camp won Merit:Unique Vision award. Her efforts associated with the redevelopment of the Ski Run Center in South Lake Tahoe were rewarded with a TRPA Best in Basin Award. The 2015 Tahoe Quarterly Mountain Home Awards awarded her "Eco Estate" design, the Eco-Friendly Award. In 2004 she won another Tahoe Quarterly Mountain Home Award for a Truckee residence, and in 2008 the CEDIA Electronic Lifestyle Awards gave her the Best Large Home Theater Overall award for a home she designed in Lahontan. The fall 2006 issue of Diablo Magazine featured Thompson's Casa-California style design of a residence in Orinda, CA for its involvement in the Artful Living Home Tour.

As a member of CATT (Contractors Association of Truckee Tahoe), Ms. Thompson serves on the Local Government Affairs Committee (LGAC) and is the Chair of the Affordable Housing Solutions Committee. In 2016, Ms. Thompson was award the CATT Professional of the Year award. For six years Ms. Thompson served on the Design Review Board for the Glenshire/Devonshire HOA. She is a founding member of the Queen of Hearts philanthropic organization and also spends time in the community advocating for open space and sensible development. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her husband, visiting her two adult children, skiing, hiking, playing the violin, reading, gardening, cooking, and traveling.


All Staff

Anna and I wanted to tell once again how thrilled we are with your design of our home to be constructed in Tahoe Donner.

As builders of custom homes we have very high standards when designing our homes. especially one for our family to live in. We gave you an assignment that required you to meet my expectations from a constructability stand point and to express Anna’s functional and aesthetic desires. From my perspective as a builder you hit a homerun designing a home that will not only be cost effective to construct, and functional, but exceeded all of our design expectations. This home will truly be unique and very beautiful when constructed.

You listened to our needs and desires and gave us a home that takes full advantage of our entire 270 ° of views while designing it for our large family to feel at home in.

Please feel free to share this with anyone who needs convincing that you will give them everything they want and expect from an architect and then will exceed their expectations. It has been our pleasure working with you and we wish you the best of luck


-- Daniel Raber
Copyright © 2026 - All Rights Reserved