Our Team
Michael Rex
Principal Architect
Michael Rex has been creating architectural designs for more than 40 years in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Michael was born in Iowa but has been a lifelong Bay Area resident. He studied architecture at U.C. Berkeley’s College of Environmental Design, where he became passionate about designing spaces relevant to their setting. Michael apprenticed under San Francisco designer and muralist, Donald Clever, where he learned his expertise in using light and color to enhance designs.
Michael spent the early years of his career working for several architectural firms, including EPDA and John O’Brien & Associates. After developing a solid reputation, Michael established his own firm in Sausalito in 1983. He converted the town’s historic Ice House into a design studio and operated Michael Rex Architects from the studio for 12 years. In time, the practice outgrew its small location. Michael donated the landmark Ice House to the City of Sausalito where the space is now the town’s Visitor Center and Museum. Michael Rex Architects moved to its current location on Sausalito’s Waterfront in 1997.
Michael is active in community projects and organizations. He is a member of the Rotary Club of Sausalito and is the Chair of the Richardson’s Bay Maritime Association (RBMA); a non-profit dedicated to preserving the maritime heritage and working waterfront of Richardson’s Bay.
Every design at Michael Rex Architects must have Michael’s stamp of approval. He is passionate about every project and each client. Michael has built a dedicated and skilled staff and can boast average employee retention of more than 15 years - a rarity in the business.
Michael Matsuura
Senior Associate Architect
Joined MRA: 1992
BA Architecture, UC Berkeley
“In practicing architecture, I enjoy the creative process of design and the technical discipline required to make a design a reality. I find it especially rewarding to positively impact someone’s life through thoughtful design.”
Mike Stankus, AIA, LEED AP
Senior Associate Architect
Joined MRA: 2004
MArch, University of Oregon
BA Asian History, UC Santa Barbara
“I didn’t know it at the time, but when I was a 22-year-old student living in Japan I decided to become an architect. My love for places that feel natural, that celebrate craft, and that aren’t afraid to be expressive, has only grown stronger over the years.”
Nick Dragna
Senior Associate
Joined MRA: 2004
MArch, Rice University
BS Architecture, Ohio State
“It is gratifying to see our ideas become real spaces though a process which emphasizes individually tailored design solutions and integrates visual art, visual and functional design, and care in material selection and construction.”
Nina Manzo, AIA, NCARB
Senior Associate Architect
Joined MRA: 2003-04, 2015
MArch, UC Berkeley
BA Anthropology & History of Science, Stanford
“I am drawn to architecture because it combines so many of my interests and it crosses over so many disciplines. I love being part of the process of making visions into reality and I really enjoy working closely with our clients.”
Eduardo Rodrigues
Associate
Joined MRA: 2023
BA Architecture, Bandeirante University of São Paulo, Brazil
“I express ideas through drawing, using a visual language to create intelligent and attractive designs. In the world of lines and shapes, to me the practice of design is an interesting dialogue with architecture."
Rebecca Geil
Executive Assistant
Joined MRA: 2018
Liberal & Fine Arts, Oregon State University
“I enjoy being a part of the collaborative process of supporting a great team of architects, and watching their designs become beautiful spaces.”
Erin Costa
Business Manager
Joined MRA: 2019
MA Humanities, Dominican University of California
BA International Studies, Dominican University of California
BA A.E.D. Office Mgmt, SF Institute of Architecture
“My fascination with Byzantine architecture, wall mosaics, and icons began with the introduction to the magnificent Hagia Sophia, built during the reign of the 6th-century Eastern Roman Emperor, Justinian the Great, and the formidable Empress Theodora I.”