Mel Price

CEO/Principal

Work Program Architects (WPA)


Mel Price is Principal and co-founder of Work Program Architects. Formed in 2010, WPA is an architecture, interiors, and urban design practice located in Norfolk, Virginia. A key focus of WPA’s work is placemaking in urban areas, sea level rise and coastal resilience design. Mel specializes in community outreach, always finding a way to bring polarized and highly charged groups of stakeholders to common ground where good design and development is embraced by the community. She is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture, a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, and serves on various regional boards. Mel has distinguished herself as a leader in the field of architecture and urban design, culminating in her recent induction into the AIA College of Fellows. WPA’s mission is to strengthen community through a collaborative design process, only taking on projects that build social, economic, and coastal resilience. Under Mel’s leadership, WPA has gained national recognition for its open finances and pay transparency practices.