Ethan Nelson

Nelson was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil where his father was stationed while working for the U.S. Department of State. Upon the family's return to the U.S., Nelson spent his formative years in Washington DC, where he graduated from Sidwell Friends School. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Haverford College and a Master of Architecture degree from Columbia University.

Upon completing his M. Arch. at Columbia, Nelson relocated to Florida, where he joined Scott Merrill, Architect. Nelson returned to Washington DC to join Keyes Condon and Florance (now SmithGroup) where he was a member of the team that designed the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Education and Training Center in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Nelson then joined Hartman-Cox Architects where he was the Project Architect for the Georgetown University Law Center, McDonough Hall Extension.

In 1996, Nelson joined what was then the Paul Steelman Design Group. He was the Project Architect for The Resort at Summerlin (now the JW Marriott Las Vegas). Starting in 2011, as President of the newly formed Steelman Partners, Nelson oversaw project delivery, business development, and operations. He was also responsible for the development and implementation of the firm's strategic plan.[2] He oversaw the expansion of the practice into Macau, Zhuhai, Amsterdam, Vietnam, and Cambodia.

Nelson lives in Las Vegas with his wife, Dr. Elizabeth White Nelson. They have three grown children.