In this episode of Verify In Field, host Jacob Edmond sits down with Katelyn Rossier, a licensed architect in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and the founder of MentorDINO, a training platform built to close the gap between architecture school and real-world practice. Katelyn shares how spending more than half of her career on job sites reshaped the way she thinks about drawings, detailing, construction administration, and the relationships that make projects run smoother.
Together, they unpack a challenge both architects and trades feel every day: the disconnect between design and construction. From “design intent” that gets misunderstood to drawings overloaded with information that still miss the details people need to build, this conversation is a practical look at how teams can collaborate better and why mentorship is the real solution to the industry’s training problem.
About Our Guest
Katelyn Rossier is a licensed architect and the founder of MentorDINO, an education and mentoring platform designed to help architects strengthen their technical skills, communication, and jobsite confidence. After working in both small firms and large, multi-location environments, she saw firsthand how understaffing, burnout, and limited training impact drawing quality and construction outcomes.
Today, Katelyn runs two businesses: MentorDINO, and her architecture firm, Rossier Architecture and Design, bringing together field experience, practical detailing, and mentorship to help architects become stronger partners to contractors and trades.
What You’ll Learn
- Why jobsite experience can accelerate an architect’s growth
Katelyn explains how being on site consistently learning directly from trades builds a deeper understanding of how buildings come together and where drawings tend to break down.
- The training gap between architecture school and real practice
Architecture programs often focus heavily on design and concept, while practice demands competence in budgets, constructability, coordination, and field problem solving.
- How “design intent” can reduce rework when it’s communicated clearly
Instead of using “design intent” as a buzzword, the episode breaks down how explaining the “why” behind a detail helps trades coordinate and execute the end result more effectively.
- The value of solving problems collaboratively in the field
Katelyn shares why she prefers not leaving a site without an answer, using sketches, quick section cuts, and real-time conversations to align the team before things snowball.
- Why construction teams don’t always get the full design story
Many issues happen because the person on site isn’t the same person who designed or drafted the work, and because the “why” behind decisions often never reaches the field.
- How staffing shortages and meeting overload impact drawing quality
Katelyn explains what happens inside firms when teams are understaffed and senior staff are consumed by coordination leaving less time for clear, complete details.
- What MentorDINO is and how it helps architects improve technical execution
Katelyn outlines MentorDINO´s approach: short, practical “micro-lessons” (including foundational construction basics) and guidance on prioritization, communication, and field coordination.
- How AI is changing architecture faster than many expect
From clients generating AI renderings to contractors using AI tools to review drawing quality, the episode explores why design teams must understand how these tools are being used.
- What won’t change: resistance to change and what will force it
Katelyn points to the ongoing challenge of “we’ve always done it this way,” but also notes how retirements and knowledge loss across the industry will require new approaches to training and mentorship.
Key Insight
Better drawings don’t come from working harder. They come from stronger training, clearer communication, and tighter collaboration between design teams and the field. When architects understand how trades build and trades understand what architects are trying to achieve projects move faster with fewer surprises.
Where to Learn More
- MentorDINOS website link: https://academy.mentordino.com/pages/mentordino-home-page
- MentorDINOSLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mentordino-llc/
- Katelyn Rossier LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/katelyn-rossier/
- Katelyn Rossiers Email: Admin@mentordino.com
- MentorDINOS Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mentorDINO
- Find out more about this episode’s sponsor, Skillya: https://skill-ya.com/?utm_source=VIF%20Podcast
Final Thoughts
If you’ve ever looked at a set of drawings and thought, “This doesn’t match how we actually build,” this episode will feel familiar in the best way. Katelyn brings a practical, jobsite-informed perspective on how the industry can improve drawing quality, reduce friction, and develop better professionals through mentorship.
