PMA Welcomes Architectural Designer Erin Coleman

A Smithfield resident and longtime friend of PMA Architecture’s principals, Erin joins PMA as an Architectural Designer following three separate internships with the firm. PMA was an obvious choice when she sought her first college internship at a mid-size studio where she could gain hands-on experience and mentorship on a variety of projects. That first internship began in the summer of 2017 and she fit into the team so well that she returned to intern during another summer and a winter break.

Following grad school, Erin accepted an invitation to return to PMA and join the professional design team. “Everyone at PMA was really helpful and I knew it would be a good place for me to come back to and grow as a designer,” she says. “What I am most looking forward to at PMA is not sticking to just one particular kind of project and getting to experience a range of project types.”

Erin earned her Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Architecture from Clemson University in South Carolina in 2020 where she excelled academically, making both the Dean’s List and President’s List. Through Clemson, she had the opportunity to study in Barcelona, Spain in the fall of 2019 – returning home just a couple months before the Covid pandemic hit.

She further honed her design skills by earning her Master of Architecture from the School of Architecture + Design at Virginia Tech’s highly-ranked College of Architecture and Urban Studies. She joins several fellow “Hokies” at PMA where she is currently working on renovation plans for a waterfront home in Gloucester.

A strong advocate of community service, Erin served on a Habitat for Humanity homebuilding team in South Carolina and has volunteered since 2008 at the Port Soup Kitchen, a service that offers free meals out of Newport News and Yorktown churches. She enjoys pencil drawing, playing the violin, her new hobby of watercolor painting and spending time with her cat, Olive.

Photo Credit: Sara Xu