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Melissa Soots has dedicated 21 years to advancing affordable housing design with a focus on intergenerational living spaces. She began her career designing homes in the Boston area, where she witnessed the positive impact well-designed homes have on people鈥檚 lives.

Driven by the belief that thoughtful design should be accessible at every economic level, Soots moved to Portland to further her studies in affordable housing and sustainable design. She joined Carleton Hart in 2007 and quickly took on leadership roles, managing projects and proving to be a valuable team asset.

鈥淢elissa joined Carleton Hart early in her career and has been an integral part of the firm鈥檚 growth and evolution,鈥� noted Brian Carleton, principal, in Soots鈥� nomination for Women of Vision recognition. 鈥淔rom the outset, she demonstrated strong management skills and quickly became someone I could depend on, even before formal leadership roles were in place.鈥�

Soots leads the firm鈥檚 Accessibility Committee, setting high standards and ensuring best practices are applied across projects. She also founded the Residential Unit Design Committee, bringing a rigorous design process that has influenced company-wide residential design approaches.

Through her work on numerous projects, Soots actively engages with communities she designs for, whether serving seniors, families or young children. She incorporates resident and stakeholder perspectives into the design process while maintaining strong client relationships and treating clients as true partners. Outside of work, she serves on committees at her daughters鈥� schools.