Tonia Moy, AIA, retired at the end of 2025 after serving over 15 years as a Principal and Vice President at FAI Architects. Throughout her career as an architect and preservation professional, she has championed the protection and stewardship of Hawaii’s historic built environment.
Tonia joined FAI in 2004 after more than a decade with Hawaii’s State Historic Preservation Division (SHPD), where her experience included serving as Architecture Branch Chief, and has since spent decades working on projects involving historically significant buildings across Hawaii. She has worked extensively with federal, state, and city agencies on preservation related matters. Her work is widely regarded as influential within Hawaii’s preservation community for her thoughtful approach, regulatory knowledge, and sustained leadership.
Tonia oversaw historic projects and mentored the historic team. Throughout her tenure, she emerged as an exceptional designer and inspiring leader. Her award-winning work spans the State of Hawaii and includes the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Rehabilitation of Building T-112, a major restoration of the 110-year-old structure that returned the building to its original appearance while reviving many of its character-defining features.
Other notable projects include the University of Hawaii Gartley Hall Rehabilitation project, the State of Hawaii Department of Transportation Statewide Bridges, Island Palm Communities Palm Circle Historic Renovations, and the design of the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) Vietnam Pavilions and Interpretive Center.
Her design ethos, which balances beauty, integrity, and community enrichment, has fostered enduring relationships with clients, including the Tokumi Residence and Hobron-Lai Residence.
As an active preservation advocate, she works closely with the Historic Hawaii Foundation, where she served as a trustee and received the 2022 Frank Haines Lifetime Achievement Award; the American Institute of Architects, as a Board member; and the Dean’s Advisory Committee at the School of Architecture, University of Hawaii at Manoa. She is a founding member and former president of Docomomo US Hawaii and currently serves on the national board of Docomomo US.
In addition, she has supported public education through lectures on historic sites and preservation, including her 2019 presentation, “Preservation in Practice: Case Studies and Lessons Learned from Community-Based Preservation.” She has also helped FAI publish multiple informational documents, including the Hawaii Modernism Context Study and three booklets on Hawaii’s modern and civic architecture.
A career defined by sustained service, leadership, and technical expertise. Her work has shaped preservation practice within FAI Architects and has contributed to broader preservation efforts across the state. Colleagues and institutions have acknowledged her influence through formal recognition and continued reliance on the standards she helped establish. As she enters retirement, her professional legacy remains embedded in the buildings preserved, the organizations she helped lead, and the practitioners she mentored. The lessons she leaves behind are clear and enduring: lead with care, listen closely, stay open, and remember that preservation, at its best, is a collective effort grounded in human connection.