Staff

NJRA Architects knows that our real strength is based in our staff. By cultivating a staff of talented, creative, and hard working professionals, and helping them develop into better architects, we ensure that the needs of your project will be met. Please read the profiles below to get to know the principals and key staff of NJRA Architects.


Selvam Rajavelu, AIA CEFPI - Principal

Selvam joined the firm in 1990 and is now the President and Principal at NJRA Architects. Selvam received a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Utah in 1991. He is a member of the National Golden Key Honor Society for his outstanding performance. He received a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Anna University, Chennai, India in 1989. He graduated at the top of his class and received the Gold Medal Award from the University. He is a member of the CEFPI (Council of Education Facility Planners International) and AIA (American Institute of Architects). He is certified by NCARB (National Council of Architectural Registration Board) and also a member of UFOMA (Utah Facilities Operation and Maintenance Association). He attends conferences regularly to know the current trends in healthcare and educational fields.

Selvam’s main focus is in designing Green and Eco-Friendly buildings. He attends LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) workshops regularly to update his knowledge. He has a strong passion for design and perfection. He concentrates on the accuracy of information provided in the construction documents. A well coordinated document helps the contractor to be on schedule and avoids costly change orders.

Selvam is very active in the community. He is actively involved in the fund raising, design, and construction of the India Cultural Center in South Jordan, Utah. He also served as treasurer for the India Forum of Utah for five years.

Keeping in shape, both physically and mentally, he plays tennis regularly. He enjoys playing chess with his wife, Priya. He loves playing with his son, Varun, and helps him with most of his school projects.

Gerald R. Nichols, AIA, Founder

Gerry has a very diverse background in art and architecture. He attended the Art Institute of Chicago; completed a one year Work Study Practicum (Art and Architecture) in Stockholm, Sweden, attained a Degree in Architecture from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah, and a Masters of Fine Art degree at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Gerry is licensed in several states to practice architecture. He is also NCARB certified. Gerry is a member of AIA (American Institute of Architects), CEFPI (Council of Educational Facilities Planners International), and UFOMA (Utah Facilities Operations & Maintenance Association).

In 1977, Gerry established the firm and since that time has worked with hospital, health care, educational, commercial, and residential projects. His goal has always been to establish long-term client/architect trust by creating good, efficient, cost effective, and attractive buildings. Communication is a primary skill in successful architecture. Over time, Mr. Nichols has developed the skills to work with clients to fully outline their needs to establish the construction budget and to design a facility which serves today’s needs and can accommodate their future needs through growth and/or economical renovation.

Active in the Salt Lake Community, Gerry serves as a board member of the Salt Lake Acting Company, Chairman of the Board for KRCL Public Radio, and volunteers his time for non-profit organizations throughout the community. A former bicycle racer, he and his sons recently took a bicycle tour from Montana to Wisconsin.

Jeremy King, AIA LEED AP

Having grown up in South Africa, Jeremy attended the School of Architecture at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg where he graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1988. He also received a Design Merit award on graduation.

In addition to some work experience in South Africa and the UK, Jeremy has been living in Salt Lake City for the past 15 years and is a licensed architect in Utah. Jeremy is proud to have taken US citizenship in 2008. Today he is a member of AIA (American Institute of Architects) and a LEED accredited professional. As a project architect, he has broad experience in commercial architectural practice and a strong interest in sustainable design principles. He believes that evaluating both interior and exterior environmental performance is very important for 21st century buildings. He also strives to be on the cutting edge of new technology relating to CAD and the production of construction documents. He has always developed good working relationships with both clients and construction managers.

Involvement in local community activities has always been important to Jeremy. Some of the projects he has been involved with include Habitat for Humanity, KaBoom playground building, open green space preservation, and Jordan River cleaning and community council activity. He has also served on various advisory boards including the SLC Redevelopment Advisory Committee, the 2009 Zoning Amendment Project Task Force and is currently on the Glendale Library Steering Committee.

Jeremy is an avid sports follower and fan of RSL and Utah Utes gymnastics. He takes advantage of Utah summers by biking to work and also tries to fit in time for playing cricket, tennis, cycling, and running, in addition to family time with his wife and two children.

Christopher Bachorowski, AIA

Mr. Bachorowski is a nationally certified and licensed Utah architect. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Vermont and attended the University of Utah where he graduated with a Master of Architecture degree in 1995. He was born and raised in Massachusetts and has now made Utah his home since 1991.

He is technically efficient and maintains a sharp eye for detail. He has extensive project management and documentation skills with an excellent track record working as a project designer / manager / consultant-in-charge for government, commercial, mixed-use, and institutional building types throughout the mountain west region. Chris has contributed to award winning buildings in Utah including the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, Artspace’s downtown residential Bridge Projects, and the LEED-designed Radius manufacturing warehouse.

Chris received a traveling study award for architects from the Utah Design Awareness Foundation in 2004. The resulting study included buildings new and old throughout the architecturally-rich cities of Berlin, Vienna, and Basel in Europe. His background in architecture relies on history and its ramifications in contemporary beliefs. His synthesis-solutions approach is a respectful blend of working with clients, listening to their diverse needs, and creating a process and product which responds to the clients' goals.

Chris has also served on several committees for the American Institute of Architects. He was the president-elect of the Salt Lake Chapter of the AIA in 2005, served as the chair of the programs committee, and has acted as a lobbyist for sustainable architectural initiatives on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. His local community involvement includes serving as a board member for the Girl Scouts of Utah.

Chris is an avid skier, enjoys renovating his own house, and loves camping with his twin daughters.

Tiffin West, Associate

Tiffin received a Bachelor of Science in Architecture degree and Master of Architecture from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, UT. During her education at the University of Utah, Tiffin received the Citizen’s Scholarship Foundation of America Award, had a project published in the Utah Opera Magazine, and was awarded the AIA/AAF Scholarship. She was also a teaching assistant for Environmental Controls and Architectural History courses.

By participating as a team member, job captain, and project manager, Tiffin has developed a positive communication style that clients enjoy. She joined the firm in 2000 and was promoted to Associate in 2007. Tiffin has managed several healthcare projects and has a good relationship with clients ranging from the University of Utah, to the University Medical Center, to private healthcare facilities and clinics.

Tiffin is an integral member of our educational design team.  She is currently the Project Manager for Emerson Elementary Addition and Lowell Elementary Addition.  In this capacity she works closely with the school district, staff, and community members to insure all of their views and comments are heard and taken into consideration for the new facility.  Tiffin has also managed several other projects for Salt Lake City School District (including Clayton Middle School and Highland Park Elementary School) and for Granite School District (including Granger Elementary, Hillsdale Elementary Addition, and the Central Food Services Facility).

Tiffin strives to keep up to date on educational trends, design solutions, and technological advances. She attend Neo-Con in 2008 and attended the “Design for Education Summit: Building for the 21st Century Learner” and the School Building Expo in Chicago, both in May 2010.

Sports enthusiasts, Tiffin, her husband, and her son Max take full advantage of Utah’s snow by snowboarding and skiing whenever they can during the winters. During the summer they can be found on any number of hiking trails around the area or camping in Utah and surrounding states. They are eagerly anticipating a new addition to the family in September. 

Shailesh Munot

Bio Coming Soon.









Sourabh Sinha, LEED AP

Sourabh is a LEED Accredited professional and holds a Masters degree in Architecture from the university of Utah in 2005 and Bachelors Degree with "Honors" in Architecture from Rajasthan University (MNIT), Jaipur, India in 2001. He has worked as a Licensed Architect in India before coming over to USA for pursuing his higher studies. Ever since he graduated in 2005 he has been working on various projects specializing in Healthcare and Education type facilities.

Sourabh’s passion for architecture directly translates into projects he is involved with at NJRA. He appreciates the way architectural environment affect human lives and can touch their emotions. His architectural experience ranges from Design, Project Coordination, Project Management and Construction Administration. His interest in Green and environment friendly Architecture strive him to design and detail his buildings that are energy efficient and have minimal impact on nature. He believes good design should be followed with detailed, thorough and easy to comprehend construction documents.

Sourabh is also active in the community currently serving as the cultural secretary for the Bengali Association of Utah. He is a trained singer and a keyboard player and has organized and performed at various social events at Salt Lake Valley. He likes to play Cricket & Badminton occasionally. When not at work Sourabh enjoys spending time with his family, hiking in the mountains, and traveling.

Hana Wright

Hana graduated from the University of Utah with a Masters in Architecture in 2006. She has been working in the field for 10 years and has recently joined NJRA in July 2009. For the last several years she has specialized in Educational Design for K-12 facilities. She has had an array of experiences working on municipal buildings, higher education facilities, office buildings, and hospitality centers. Some of her most recent projects are the Vocational Technology Center in Moab, Utah and the Robert and Carol Berry Biodiversity Conservation Center at the University of Wyoming.

Hana is a Revit expert and does all of our computer renderings using this software. She also strives to be on the cutting edge of new technology and is continually learning new applications that can be used within Revit from product manufactures for carpet, lighting, and other FF&E products.

When she’s not at work she enjoys training for and running marathons and taking advantage of the Wasatch front with snowboarding in the winter and long boarding in the summer.

Stacey Svitak

Stacey began her architectural career as a drafter working part time when she was in high school. She has many years of on-the-job experience in both design and construction document production and has a passion for colors and materials. She has been a project manager with NJRA for the past eight years. Since joining NJRA, Stacey has worked with a number of clients designing projects ranging from medical offices to a hospital heli-pad. She has worked with the placement of medical equipment such as MRI and CT scan machines and has completed several medical and educational projects.

Stacey is a very easy going person and always gets along with the clients and contractors, keeping all aspects of a project in mind during the design process, to ensure an end product that everyone is happy with. She has a very good sense for color and has enhanced the interior environment of our projects to be soothing for the building users. Her knowledge about interior finish materials makes her a valuable component of our team.

When not remodeling their house, Stacey and her husband, along with their teenage daughter and her little dog Frank, load up their RV and drive to the desert, mountains or lake for some hiking, 4 wheeling or wakeboarding during the summer months. During the winter they like to snowshoe, or just escape to the desert where it is a few degrees warmer and they can enjoy more outdoor activities.

Melissa Tracy

Melissa received a Bachelor of Science degree in Interior Design from a Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) accredited and National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) endorsed program at Brigham Young University – Idaho (BYU-I) in Rexburg, Idaho. While completing her degree she served on the American Society for Interior Designers (ASID) student board for three years as a historian, president-elect, and president. Melissa was also involved in the NKBA student chapter at BYU-I and entered a project in their student contest.

Melissa joined NJRA Architects in 2008 and is involved in most of the projects at NJRA in some way. She works on construction documents, submittals, organizes lunch and learns for the office, meets with manufactures representatives, and prepares marketing and presentation items.

Melissa is an avid learner and enjoys reading. She strives to keep up to date on the newest technology, products, colors, and construction/design innovations. Melissa is constantly studying codes, construction methods, design standards, and other research topics. As part of her studies Melissa is currently pursuing her national license.

Melissa is actively involved in the community. She is a volunteer teacher’s assistant for a 5th grade teacher and helps grade papers, record grades, and set up the classroom. Melissa also volunteers every Saturday at Primary Children’s Medical center on Kids Crew. This crew meets sick children’s needs ranging from bringing toys, movies, and crafts to their rooms to playing with the children.

When not busy at work, Melissa enjoys spending time with her family and friends camping, hiking, going to movies, taking pictures, reading, worshiping, exercising, serving, and playing games and sports.

Kristin Harrison, Administrative Principal

Kristin joined NJRA Architects in 1986. She is in charge of all administrative aspects of the business and also oversees the marketing for the firm. She is experienced in working in a fast-paced environment demanding organizational, technical, and interpersonal skills. Kristin is committed to superior customer service and is poised and confident while interacting with individuals at all levels. She is a very friendly person and knows our clients by name.

She actively keeps up to date on new accounting software, marketing ideas and trends, and the progress of each project. Kristin is actively involved in the Society for Marketing Professional Services-Utah Branch and attends their educational luncheons and workshops.

Kristin’s greatest joy in life is her three children. She keeps very busy shuffling them to soccer, acting, ballet and whatever else comes their way. When not at the office or in her car, Kristin escapes with running, having recently completed a couple half-marathons.