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Architect

SchenkelShultz Architecture

As a licensed architect at SchenkelShultz Architecture, Nathalie White has a strong passion for design, sustainability and supporting the community. Though she’s always followed her instincts to integrate the natural environment with architectural design, in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, White exerted a community influence that went well beyond architecture. That initiative began with five strangers on a text thread.

“I was one of the co-founders of Rebuild SWFL after Hurricane Ian in 2022. We helped mobilize thousands of volunteers and cleaned over 800 homes throughout Southwest Florida in some of the hardest hit areas,” White says. “Trusting my instinct has given me the courage to stand up for myself and others in difficult moments, which has changed the trajectory of my life in a positive way. Hopefully, I can inspire others to create change.”

In recognition of her dedication to the region, White was named a “Defender of the Gulf” by Gulfshore Life  and “Southwest Florida Citizen of Year” by SWFL Inc. She also organizes mangrove clean-up efforts and promoted a local screening of the documentary Path of the Panther, which highlights the elements pushing the Everglades to the brink of ecological collapse.