Angela Boersma, AIA

Angela Boersma, AIA

In January 2019, Boersma took her oath of office, becoming the youngest person and first-ever architect to serve Brookings County, South Dakota, as a county commissioner. In that role, which she held through 2022, she served more than 36,000 residents by providing a strategic voice on infrastructure, public health, and community well-being. Her architecture background, along with her collaborative and analytical nature, helped her address challenging years in the community.

Her service coincided with two major FEMA flood events in 2019, which were followed by an unprecedented two inland derechos in the summer of 2022. The county greatly benefited from her experience in infrastructure and building assessments as she advocated for investment in resilient construction methods. Between emergency declarations, her thoughtful leadership steered the county through the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent allocation of $6.8 million for critical facility and first-responder investments.

In addition to her government service, Boersma is a founding principal of ID8 Architecture, a multidisciplinary studio in downtown Brookings, South Dakota. Boersma helped launch the firm in 2018 after six years as an assistant professor of interior design at her alma mater, South Dakota State University. She has been the architect of record for 14 downtown Brookings projects and has been a preservation consultant for 12 additional projects, positioning herself as a trusted advisor to countless community members.

One of the most impactful examples of her work is the restoration and reuse of the Brookings WPA Armory, originally constructed in 1937. Following efforts to demolish the building, she led a winning response to the city’s RFP for the property’s redevelopment that demonstrated how the addition of a boutique hotel would dramatically increase visitorship and the economic health of a rural downtown. The project was completed by Linchpin Corporation, a designer-driven development firm where Boersma is also a founding partner.

Rather than simply drawing attention to the issues she sees around her, Boersma shapes teams of professionals to create compelling solutions. She is always focused on actions that will benefit the communities she serves.