A National Carbon Manager who has built his own guitar. A trained classical Bharatanatyam dancer since childhood who doubles as an urban designer. A design manager who designed and built an entire board game from scratch.

These AEC professionals and 37 of their rockstar peers are recognized for their career achievements, passion for the AEC profession, involvement with AEC industry organizations, and service to their communities.

This is the Building Design+Construction 40 Under 40 class of 2026.

Each year, the editors of Building Design+Construction honor 40 architects, engineers, contractors, real estate developers, and AEC allied professionals as BD+C 40 Under 40 awards winners. Read about all 40 winners below, and check out the 40 Under 40 class of 2025 and 40 Under 40 class of 2024.

Interested in submitting a candidate for the 2027 40 Under 40 awards? The entry materials will be posted online here in Q1 2027. Reminders will be posted regularly in the BD+C Daily 5 newsletter. Sign up for our free BD+C Daily 5 daily newsletter.

MEET THE BD+C 40 UNDER 40 CLASS OF 2026

Beatriz Arostegui | Tyler Baldridge | Victoria Brinemugha | Neil Caudle | Katherine Chan | Mark Chen | Annie Chiang | Drew DiSilvestro | Alla Elmahadi | Naslha Espinal | Garrett Gonzalo | Mark Hildreth | Joëlle Jahn | Kyle Kiser | Chaitanya Korra | Travis Krimmel | Florim Kukaj | Wenting Li | Kerry Lorts | Alison Martin | Milan Mendapara | Steven Montoni | Bruna Monzillo | Arvind Nasit | Craig O'Halloran | Megan Octaviani | Jessica Orlando | Stephen Parker | Emir A. Pekdemir | Caitlin Potter | Vivek Prasad Velayutham Kandasamy | Devanshi Purohit | Jarid Scarafiotti | Sonam Shah | Krutika Shah | Caroline Souza | James Taylor | Matt Toddy | Kate Triplett | Chris Zoeller

Beatriz Arostegui, PE, SE
Senior Associate, Structural Engineer
Magnusson Klemencic Associates
Seattle, Wash.

AGE: 35

EDUCATION
Master of Science, Structural Engineering, Mechanics and Materials, University of California, Berkeley

Bachelor of Science, Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Contributed as a Design Engineer to San Francisco’s 61-story Salesforce Tower—the tallest building west of the Mississippi River and the first PBSD (Performance-Based Seismic Design) commercial office building in California

Advanced from Design Engineer to Senior Associate over 12 years at MKA, with a resume reflecting 120 projects and 40 project management roles; currently serves as Project Manager on the $2.6 billion Los Angeles Convention Center Renovation and Expansion, leading a team of 10+ staff on redevelopment tied to the 2028 Olympic Games

Led the Matson Block Historic Complex as Project Manager, a 593,000-sf historically significant office complex in San Francisco’s Financial District, managing an internal team of eight engineers and presenting directly to clients—work that earned her a promotion to Associate in 2022

Lent seismic and renovation expertise to the retrofits of the iconic Capitol Records Tower in Los Angeles and 300 Lakeside in Oakland, one of the largest office buildings ever seismically retrofitted

Serves as a voting member on the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) Provisions Update Committee and the Structural Engineers Association of Washington’s Earthquake Engineering Committee, helping shape national and regional seismic code standards

EXTRACURRICULAR
Long-time volunteer with the ACE Mentor Program, serving as an ACE Mentor, ACE Mentor Leader for the Seattle and Bellevue groups, and ACE Online Mentor across nearly a decade

Board of Directors member for the MKA Foundation, reviewing and approving research funding that advances the field of structural engineering

Nominated to participate in the inaugural ACE Women In Engineering Leadership program, focused on women’s leadership training in the field

OFF THE CLOCK
An avid trail runner and backpacker who has completed the 100+ mile Wonderland Trail loop around Mt. Rainier and Section J of the Pacific Crest Trail and the Orcas Island 25km five times

Spends weekends walking the Green Lake loop in Seattle and visiting the Woodland Park Zoo with her two-year-old son, Julien, teaching him Spanish (mostly “Spanglish” so far)

SECRET LIFE
Claims to have “beaten” Bop-It—specifically, she’s particularly skilled at Bop-It Extreme’s Solo Mode, a childhood game she rediscovered playing with her niece and nephew

WHAT IS THE BEST CAREER OR BUSINESS ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
“Not a piece of advice that was explicitly given to me, but rather one that I picked up through observing a few senior leaders successfully navigate project meetings. What I have learned is that there is power in listening more and saying less. It’s often more impactful to choose your moments to speak when what you have to say provides the most value and isn’t just filler.”

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR SINGLE BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR?
“My greatest professional achievement to date has been my ability to maintain an intense and challenging workload managing large and complex projects with construction budgets greater than a billion dollars while becoming a mother and starting a family. I consider this to be my single biggest professional achievement because I am able to show my children what a successful working mom can look like.”

Tyler Baldridge
Project Executive and Member
BELL Construction
Brentwood, Tenn.

AGE: 35

EDUCATION
Master’s, Building Science, Auburn University

Bachelor’s, Environmental and Soil Sciences, University of Tennessee

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Spearheaded the launch and growth of BELL’s Special Projects Division, building the group from a two-person team into a 16-person division with its own P&L and more than $55 million in revenue by its fourth year

Promoted to Member (owner) at BELL Construction at age 35; now helping shape the firm’s strategic direction after 55 years in business

Helped re-establish the ABC (Associated Builders and Contractors) Emerging Leaders program, growing participation from fewer than 10 members to more than 100 and helping develop new opportunities for the next generation of construction professionals

EXTRACURRICULAR
Serves on the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Executive Board as well as the Legislative Committee, evaluating and advocating for policy that strengthens the construction industry and workforce development

Member of BELL’s Employee Engagement Committee, supporting field staff and reinforcing safety initiatives

OFF THE CLOCK
Spearheaded BELL’s “Hunt for the House” fundraiser, a turkey hunting event supporting the Ronald McDonald House, helping grow it from $2,500 raised in 2025 to $9,500 in 2026

Spends most of his free time with his wife and two young children, while enjoying hunting whitetail deer, waterfowl, and upland birds

Restoring a ’78 Bronco and his great-grandfather’s ’77 F-150, despite admitting he is “no master mechanic” and enjoying the process of learning along the way

SECRET LIFE
Before moving in 2025, he and his wife ran a small farm in Lebanon where they grew hops, primarily Cascade and Chinook, along with corn and sunflowers and raised pigs. Some of their hops were sold to a local brewery and used in its Farm Fresh Ale

WHAT IS THE BEST CAREER OR BUSINESS ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
“Early in my career, a superintendent who looked out for me gave me a piece of advice that has stuck with me ever since: No one is going to look out for you more than yourself. Take ownership of everything that you do.”

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR SINGLE BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR?
“My single biggest professional achievement has been becoming a partner at BELL. To me, that represents more than a title or career milestone; it represents the trust the company has placed in me and the opportunity to have a meaningful impact on the future of the organization.”

Victoria Brinemugha, PE
Sr. Global Engineering Manager
Amazon
Arlington, Va.

AGE: 31

EDUCATION
Bachelor’s, Architectural Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Advanced from mechanical engineer to Senior Global Engineering Program Manager at Amazon, where she directs the standardization of MEP engineering requirements across 600+ buildings in more than 70+ countries.

Founded a woman-owned engineering practice focused on creating flexible, supportive pathways for women engineers in the AEC industry.

Served as lead mechanical engineer on the HVAC hydronic systems for the 18-story Michigan Central Station Office Tower and as lead MEP construction administrator overseeing 1,500+ RFIs on the historic Book Tower redevelopment, one of Detroit’s most significant restoration projects

Helped establish Osborn Engineering’s Detroit office in 2021 and supported business development that secured the 160,000-sf, $200 million Wayne State University Health Sciences Research Building

Provided technical assistance supporting $60 million in EPA Climate Resilience Hub federal grant requests across Missoula, Mont., St. Louis, Mo., and Detroit

EXTRACURRICULAR
Chaired CREW (Commercial Real Estate Women) Detroit’s 2025 Mentorship Program, matching 20 mentors with 20 mentees across engineering, architecture, construction, and commercial real estate

Mentored emerging women leaders in STEM and delivered leadership training to 100-110 participants across Africa, Central Asia, and the Middle East through the U.S. Department of State’s TechWomen program

Invited to present at the 2026 ASHRAE Annual Conference in Austin, one of the industry’s largest gatherings, drawing 3,800+ engineers, policymakers, and industry leaders

OFF THE CLOCK
Learned to ride a bicycle for the first time while studying abroad at Tsinghua University in Beijing, commuting to class on crowded streets where locals assumed she was part of a film crew

Hiked the highest peak in Madeira with her family, including a three-month-old and a toddler, and holds nightly family dance parties with her two kids after bedtime

Previously ran small businesses as a wedding planner, event decorator, and travel advisor before pivoting fully into engineering

SECRET LIFE
She and her husband grew up in Nigeria and attended the same secondary school, but didn’t reconnect until years later on LinkedIn while living in different countries, sparking a long-distance relationship between Chicago and Toronto that lasted through pandemic border closures

WHAT IS THE BEST CAREER OR BUSINESS ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
“Wherever you go, you water the ground around you—and regardless of your title, you are not truly a leader if others do not grow around you. It reframed how I think about success. Titles and project wins matter, but the real measure of leadership is whether the people around you are growing because you were there.”

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR SINGLE BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR?
“My most significant professional achievements span two phases of my career -first, delivering landmark Detroit projects, and now, advancing global engineering excellence at Amazon. Together, these experiences reflect a career built on advancing technical excellence while expanding opportunities for women in engineering.”

Neil Caudle
Vice President and Division Manager
Brasfield & Gorrie
Dallas, Texas

AGE: 38

EDUCATION
Bachelor’s, Building Science, Auburn University

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Rose from assistant project manager to Vice President and Division Manager over 15 years at Brasfield & Gorrie, now leading the Dallas Commercial Division—one of the firm’s largest by volume, generating $374 million in revenue in 2025

Helped oversee nearly 50 complex projects across seven states totaling more than $1.3 billion in combined value, including $800 million+ in Texas alone, and secured more than $300 million in new project wins in 2025

Played a key leadership role delivering award-winning Texas projects, including the $290 million Omni PGA Frisco Resort and the $168 million Sinclair mixed-use skyscraper in downtown Dallas

Elected President of NAIOP’s Alabama Chapter in 2022 after joining its board of directors in 2015; also active with the Texas Real Estate Commission and TEXO, the state’s largest construction trade association

EXTRACURRICULAR
Serves the ACE Mentor Program and previously participated in ABC North Alabama Chapter’s Future Leaders in Construction (2015) and Future Business Leaders (2016) programs

Supports United Way of Central Alabama, the Salvation Army, United Ability, and the American Cancer Society; joined the TouchDown Club of Dallas in 2026, benefiting the Ashford Rise School of Dallas

Longtime supporter of the Lutzie 43 Foundation, honoring former Auburn teammate Philip Lutzenkirchen and working to end distracted and impaired driving

OFF THE CLOCK
Father of four kids between ages 5 and 9; spends most of his free time coaching and attending their sports, and taking them golfing and fishing

His grandfather played football for Bear Bryant at the University of Kentucky before becoming an aerospace engineer with the U.S. space program in Huntsville, Ala.

SECRET LIFE
Served as backup quarterback and field goal holder on Auburn University’s 2010 BCS National Championship team, playing alongside Heisman winner Cam Newton

Jokes that being a rocket scientist technically runs in the family through his grandfather’s aerospace engineering career—a legacy he says “didn’t make it all the way down” to him

WHAT IS THE BEST CAREER OR BUSINESS ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
“Personal success isn’t measured by profits, awards, or titles. It’s measured by the impact you have on the people around you and the opportunities you create for them. If you focus your energy on helping the people around you grow, your own success has a way of taking care of itself.”

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR SINGLE BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR?
“My biggest professional achievement has been leading our Texas Commercial Division over the past two years as we’ve worked to grow Brasfield & Gorrie’s presence across Central and North Texas. I’m proud knowing that it enables our people to take on new challenges, grow in their careers, and provide for their families.”

Katherine Chan
Principal, Project Manager, Structures Group, Enclosure Engineering
Walter P Moore
New York, N.Y.

AGE: 35

EDUCATION
Bachelor’s, Civil Engineering, Columbia University

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Advanced from Senior Associate to Principal at Walter P Moore by age 34, specializing in façade design for high-profile projects, including the University of South Florida Judy Genshaft Honors College, the American Museum of Natural History’s Gilder Center, Dubai’s Sustainability Pavilion at Expo 2020, and Singapore Changi Airport’s Jewel Terminal

Served as lead technical designer for the Signia by Hilton Atlanta Georgia World Congress Center and Convention Center Expansion, which earned a 2026 ACEC National Recognition Award and the 2026 ACEC Georgia Grand Prize Award

Founded and served as President/Founding Co-Chair of the Society of Façade Engineering North America Hub since its 2023 launch, building a volunteer-run community that hosts 6–8 technical virtual and in-person events annually across New York City and Los Angeles

Serves as Assistant Adjunct Professor at Columbia University’s GSAPP, teaching façade and structural engineering integration to 60–80 Masters of Architecture students each semester; also teaches at Pratt Institute

Named a 2025 Zweig Group AEC Rising Star; her work on Steelhouse Omaha and the USF Judy Genshaft Honors College earned ACEC Texas Gold and AIA Florida Honor Awards, respectively

EXTRACURRICULAR
Founding member of Walter P Moore’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council, spearheading community engagement and industry education initiatives

Leads Walter P Moore’s New York office collaboration with Design Advocates, a pro bono collaborative that has built outdoor dining structures during the pandemic and designed outdoor pavilions for the Concourse House

Regularly collaborates with Build Out Alliance in New York and moderated a Structural Engineers Association of New York panel on building equitable and sustainable communities

OFF THE CLOCK
Explores mixed media sculpture and collage, and is developing a children’s book that encourages young readers to engage imaginatively with the built environment

Draws inspiration from her mother, a former seamstress who emphasized the connection between functional details and aesthetics—a lens Chan says she now applies to how she reads and designs building façades

Her father was among the first generation of computer science engineers, which she credits with socializing her early toward engineering and applied sciences as a field

WHAT IS THE BEST CAREER OR BUSINESS ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
“One of my mentors told me that everyone is replaceable. I would add, ‘so make yourself indispensable.’ The connotation is to stay relevant and in demand by taking the initiative, foster your own curiosity, stay engaged, and cultivate community around what you’re doing.”

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR SINGLE BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR?
“I’m proud to have worked on a lot of great projects. I’m particularly proud of the American Museum of Natural History Gilder Center by Studio Gang, which I worked on through the design and bid phases. To live so close to a project that was so inspiring to work on is really wonderful. The project itself and the project team were aspirational. Since then, I’m so glad to have worked on the University of South Florida Honors College by Morphosis, and to have become a Principal at Walter P Moore.”

Mark Chen
National Carbon Manager
Skanska USA Building
Seattle, Wash.

AGE: 33

EDUCATION
Bachelor’s, Civil Engineering, University of Washington

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Advanced from Sustainability Engineer to Skanska USA’s first-ever National Carbon Manager over seven years, leading enterprise-wide carbon tracking and reporting and developing the company’s annual Climate Plan toward a goal of net-zero carbon by 2045

Co-developed a new carbon tracking and reporting process with Skanska’s national Data Solutions Team that reduced the Sustainability team’s average labor for emissions reporting from 40 hours per quarter to about 15 minutes per quarter

Helped lead implementation of the Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator (EC3) in 2019—a first-of-its-kind tool that has since helped Skanska avoid more than 8,430 metric tons of carbon emissions through lower-carbon material procurement

Spearheaded the introduction of renewable diesel on the Lynwood Link Extension project in 2020, making Skanska the first contractor in Washington State to use the fuel at the time, and authored the Fossil Fuel Free Jobsite Manual in 2024 to guide teams nationwide on electrified equipment and renewable fuels

Became a Certified Passive House Builder in 2024 and served on the Board of Directors for the Washington Chapter of the American Concrete Institute (2023–2024) as its sustainability representative

EXTRACURRICULAR
Co-founded the Seattle Clean Street Collective in 2015, organizing bi-monthly community trash cleanups; also volunteered as a builder and fundraiser for the BLOCK Project, constructing tiny homes for Seattle’s homeless population

Served as advocacy chair, then co-chair, of the Cascadia chapter of the International Living Future Institute (2016-2020), organizing educational events connecting industry professionals with sustainability leaders

Mentored high school students through the ACE Mentor Program, educating them on career opportunities across construction

OFF THE CLOCK
Walked onto the University of Washington baseball team and played catcher for two years—his one and only career at-bat resulted in a double, giving him a perfect 1.000 college batting average

Has played guitar since age 10 and now owns five guitars, including one he built himself from reclaimed parts; explores genres from classical and blues to jazz and bluegrass

Enjoys following MLB and college football and spending time with his wife and two kids

SECRET LIFE
His mother’s side of the family hails from the Shanghai area; she was born in Taiwan, grew up in Japan, and became a college professor of Mandarin Chinese language and literature—meaning Mark grew up in a household that spoke English, Mandarin, Shanghainese, and Japanese

WHAT IS THE BEST CAREER OR BUSINESS ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
“I was part of a training that taught me that the most effective leaders have an ‘infinite mindset,’ meaning they set goals that can be strived for into perpetuity, with no finish line or winners. Advancing a cause, continuously improving a process, or investing in team members would be examples of ‘infinite’ goals. I also had a baseball coach who used to say, ‘Be good to yourself.’ As time has gone by, I’ve realized how important that is.”

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR SINGLE BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR?
“I would say working my way into the role I have now as Skanska’s first National Carbon Manager has been my biggest achievement. This really is a dream job for me, and I made a lot of mistakes, put in a lot of work, and learned from some great people to get to where I am today.”

Annie Chiang, DBIA
Designer, Associate
SmithGroup
San Diego, Calif.

AGE: 38

EDUCATION
Master’s, Architecture, University of Oregon

Bachelor’s, Anthropology and Environmental Studies, University of California, Los Angeles 

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Moved to San Diego in 2017 to help expand SmithGroup’s Southern California presence, growing the office from its founding into a 35-person team of architects, interior designers, planners, and engineers over the past decade

Served as a core design team member on the 197,000-sf, $244 million Sharp Healthcare Chula Vista Medical Center Ocean View Tower design-build inpatient bed tower project (with Hensel Phelps and AVRP Studios) from schematic design through construction completion

Currently leads healthcare project teams on major outpatient developments, including a new 90,000-sf, three-story outpatient medical office building and a previous 100,000-sf above-grade medical office building with a 113,800-sf below-grade parking structure

Received recognition for SmithGroup’s proposal to the Green New Deal Superstudio, which reimagined aging, decommissioned hospitals as community amenities; served as a founding member of the SmithGroup Health Climate Council, which helps healthcare clients achieve climate action goals

Certified Design-Build Professional (DBIA); served on the DBIA San Diego chapter steering committee helping plan luncheon panels, owner roundtables, and the 2025 DBIA Western Pacific Region conference in San Diego

EXTRACURRICULAR
Co-Chair of the Events Committee on the inaugural Board of the Association of Medical Facility Professionals (AMFP) San Diego Chapter, organizing more than 10 events within the chapter’s first nine months

Founded and champions A&E Industry Day, connecting San Diego community college students with industry design professionals through office tours and project presentations—grown to 100+ students from five colleges in its second year

Presented research on acuity-adaptable patient rooms to The Center for Health Design and the AIA LA Healthcare Committee during the Covid pandemic

OFF THE CLOCK
Organizes her office’s annual beach clean-ups with I Love A Clean San Diego and holiday volunteering with Feeding San Diego

Loves live performances of all kinds—musicals, plays, stadium concerts, small gigs—and is a passionate supporter of local artists; can occasionally be found behind a microphone singing ’90s power ballads

SECRET LIFE
She’s the first person in her family to earn both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in the U.S.—a first-generation American whose immigrant, working-class parents built a life for their family by running a Chinese restaurant

WHAT IS THE BEST CAREER OR BUSINESS ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
“The best career advice I’ve received is a simple set of questions: Do you like what you’re doing? Do you like where you are? Do you like who you work with? If you answer ‘No’ to two or more of these questions, it’s time for a change. Growth is often uncomfortable, and the next step might not always be obvious, but that discomfort is a sign that you’re ready to embrace something new or different.”

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR SINGLE BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR?
“The initiative I’m most proud to have championed is A&E Industry Day, a program that connects community college students from across the greater San Diego region with local architectural and engineering design professionals at SmithGroup. In just two years of organizing this initiative, we have hosted more than 100 students from five different colleges, and the program’s impact continues to grow.”

Drew DiSilvestro
Chief Executive Officer
AmeriTech Contracting
Meriden, Conn.

AGE: 39

EDUCATION
Executive MBA, University of New Haven

Bachelor’s, Business Administration, Business & Communications Management, Eastern Connecticut State University

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Took over AmeriTech Contracting when it faced closure with virtually no backlog or revenue pipeline, securing more than $10 million in contracts within his first two months and driving $250 million in federal contracts from 2022 to 2026 while purchasing the company and hiring 85+ professionals

Led AmeriTech to earn the ABC Connecticut Safety Contractor of the Year Award, embedding safety as a core organizational value through practices like the weekly “Safety Muscles Weekly Flex” newsletter

Established the AmeriThought Leadership Group, a leadership development forum where team members read and discuss leadership books and apply lessons directly to business operations

Achieved the E-8 rank as a Senior Non-Commissioned Officer in the Air National Guard within 19 years of service, placing him in the top 3% of military personnel to reach that level in that timeframe, while overseeing 130 personnel to ensure mission readiness

Recognized with the Globee Award for Transformational Leadership, Hartford Business Journal’s 40 Under Forty Award, and named an EY Entrepreneur of the Year–New York Finalist

EXTRACURRICULAR
Dedicates his time mentoring a fellow service-disabled, veteran-owned business, providing guidance on business strategy, operational processes, and organizational growth. His mentorship has played a meaningful role in helping the company strengthen its operations and grow their business

Co-founded AmeriHope, a nonprofit supporting veterans facing hardships like cancer or financial instability, and spearheads the Scott Dahl Memorial Golf Tournament in honor of AmeriTech’s late founder

OFF THE CLOCK
At age 16, played trumpet in a punk rock band that toured up and down the East Coast as part of the Warped Tour—and ended up negotiating the band’s venue contracts along the way

Recently had dinner with legendary UConn basketball coach Jim Calhoun (“He’s still sharp as a tack.”)

Enjoys golfing, fishing, and trying new restaurants in his downtime

SECRET LIFE
His great-great-grandfather emigrated from Belgium to the U.S. through Ellis Island in 1907 to reunite with his childhood sweetheart, cleverly disguising his exact $25 entry fee as a thick roll of one-dollar bills to convince immigration officials he had a substantial sum

WHAT IS THE BEST CAREER OR BUSINESS ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
“The best business advice came to me early on from my father. He used to constantly remind me, ‘You never really know what someone else is going through.’ Be slow to judge. Be willing to listen. Hold people accountable when necessary but leave room for compassion.”

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR SINGLE BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR?
“My greatest professional achievement has been building a successful career while continuing to serve in the Air National Guard. Balancing those two responsibilities has demanded an incredible amount of time, discipline, sacrifice, and focus, but I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.”

Alla Elmahadi, ARB/RIBA
Europe Architect, Design Manager
Procter & Gamble
Sutton, England

AGE: 35

EDUCATION
Master’s, Engineering, Architecture and Environmental Design, University of Nottingham

Master’s, Architecture, Real Estate Development, University of Maryland

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Built a decade-long international career across the U.K. and U.S., progressing from Part 1 Architectural Assistant in London to Architectural Designer at AECOM’s Washington, D.C., office—where she worked on a multi-million-dollar Qatari Air Force Base in Doha and an extension to the National Institutes of Health—before qualifying as a fully chartered Architect and returning to lead landmark City of London projects

Co-led Stage 4 delivery of the 199 Bishopsgate High Rise Office Refurbishment and a 30,000-sf heritage-sensitive sustainable retrofit of the Sackville House while at Buckley Gray Yeoman

Co-founded the Sudanese Diaspora Network in 2019, growing it from seven individuals to 50 active members across multiple countries; the organization has raised over $500,000 for humanitarian and development causes in Sudan and engaged more than 11,000 youth and young professionals worldwide through workshops, conferences, and in-person events

Named BCO NextGen Rising Star Winner for London & Southeast (2024), with judges citing her work on 199 Bishopsgate and Broadgate Tower alongside her research on regenerative design

EXTRACURRICULAR
Founding board member of Article 25’s NextGen Board (2025), helping shape strategy for the “More Than a Building” initiative connecting emerging and senior professionals around humanitarian architecture

Served as a NewGen Expert Panelist on New London Architecture’s Innovation Districts panel (2022–2024), nominated by Buckley Gray Yeoman to represent the next generation among senior built-environment leaders

Serves as an Architectural Consultant to the University of Maryland’s Colvin Institute, mentoring Master of Real Estate Development students through their capstone projects since 2019

OFF THE CLOCK
Loves exploring new cities through their people, culture, food, and music, and enjoys putting on headphones to walk for hours across London discovering new places and sunsets

Recently picked painting back up after nearly a decade away, calling it a lovely way to reconnect with her creativity without overthinking it

SECRET LIFE
Her grandfather, Professor Mandour El Mahdi, was a pioneer of education in Sudan who helped shape the country’s post-independence education system. He authored A Short History of the Sudan, a textbook she studied during her own master’s program to better understand her family history—despite never having had the chance to meet him

WHAT IS THE BEST CAREER OR BUSINESS ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
“Stay curious and never think you’re in the wrong room. Every opportunity is a chance to either contribute something valuable or learn something new. The best opportunities often begin by simply showing up, being willing to contribute, and being open to learning.”

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR SINGLE BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR?
“My single biggest professional achievement has been establishing a meaningful voice in the built environment early in my career, recognised through the BCO NextGen Rising Star Award. What mattered most was that the recognition went beyond individual projects—it validated a belief I’ve built my career around: that architects can shape the wider profession and use design to create lasting environmental and social value.”

Naslha Espinal
Chief Marketing Officer, Executive Director of Interior Design
BASE4 — Architects, Engineers & Designers
Tarpon Springs, Fla.

AGE: 34

EDUCATION
Master’s, Interior Architecture, Universidade da Coruña (Spain)

Bachelor’s, Architecture, Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (Dominican Republic)

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Rose from draftsman and project assistant to executive leadership at BASE4 by age 27, advancing through Architectural Project Manager, Team Leader, and Regional Director before becoming Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Director of Interior Design

Leads both BASE4’s Interior Design department and its global marketing strategy, repositioning design as a strategic tool that helps developers reduce risk, speed approvals, and align creative decisions with measurable project outcomes

Contributed to the Latin American urban-scale project Wawa Pukllay Niños Jugando in Peru as the Dominican Republic team representative, earning 1st Place at the Latin American Landscape Architecture Biennale and the Rain Bird Award

Co-founded Lane Studio SRL, gaining hands-on entrepreneurship and design leadership experience; previously served as Urban Zoning and Processing Manager for the Department of Urban Planning in Santiago de los Caballeros

Named a Women of Influence in Architecture and Design by GlobeSt. Real Estate Forum (2022)

EXTRACURRICULAR
Served as President of ADEARQ (the architecture students’ association at her university) and was a Teaching Assistant during her studies

Active in the American Society of Interior Designers, International Interior Design Association, The Hospitality Industry Network, Interior Design Society, and Sociedad de Arquitectos de la República Dominicana

Mentors female team members and professionals from India, Egypt, and the Dominican Republic, helping women develop their skills and see leadership as a possibility for themselves

OFF THE CLOCK
Runs at least one organized race every month and is an avid reader of translated literature from around the world

Recently learned to sew so she could make clothes for her two-year-old daughter, calling her “easily my cutest but most demanding client”

Active Rotarian in Tarpon Springs, drawn to the motto “service above self” as a way to stay connected to her community

SECRET LIFE
At her fourth birthday party, a group of men she was told were lawyers stopped by to wish her well—one of them later became the Dominican Republic’s 36th Vice President that same year, and a photo of the two of them still sits in her parents’ house

WHAT IS THE BEST CAREER OR BUSINESS ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
“‘Uplift your staff, and they will uplift you.’ Our CEO, Garry Vermaas, shared this with me in a casual conversation when I was a team leader. My grandfather shared a related lesson: being good at completing the work is not the same as being good at leading the people doing it.”

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR SINGLE BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR?
“Becoming an executive at 27 was a defining milestone, but the most meaningful part has been the opportunity to help other women grow. What gives that achievement lasting meaning is the chance to make someone else’s path a little clearer.”

Garrett Gonzalo
Client Executive
IMEG
Ann Arbor, Mich.

AGE: 38

EDUCATION
Bachelor’s, Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Advanced from intern to Senior Mechanical Designer III, then spent seven years as an embedded project manager at a chemical manufacturer before becoming Client Executive for IMEG’s 54-person process industrial team in Michigan—one of the firm’s highest revenue-generating teams since IMEG’s 2020 acquisition of his previous firm

Secured and delivered two multi-million-dollar roofing material manufacturing facility projects, among IMEG’s largest industrial wins, including serving as Project Executive/Manager on the Owens Corning Prattville Greenfield Shingle Manufacturing Plant

EXTRACURRICULAR
Co-led the engagement committee for the Engineering & Construction Community (ECC) Future Leader program in 2024 and co-led content development and speaker selection for the 2025 ECC Perspectives Conference; previously served as Liaison to the ECC Board

Chairman of the Livingston Christian Schools Board for the past three years (fifth year on the board overall), leading initiatives on hiring, governance, and expansion at the school his three sons attend

Supports the Evans Scholars Foundation through the Western Golf Association Leadership Council’s Detroit Chapter as a former Evans Scholar himself, mentoring University of Michigan students through career nights

OFF THE CLOCK
A former gymnast who can still perform a standing backflip and walk on his hands for a long distance

Coaches his sons’ recreational soccer teams and volunteers teaching Sunday school to three- and four-year-olds at his church

Enjoys CrossFit, disc golf, and adult-league soccer, and loves hiking and camping with his family in northern Michigan’s Sleeping Bear Dunes area

SECRET LIFE
His grandfather (“Lolo”) immigrated from the Philippines to work on the Alaskan pipeline in order to earn enough money to bring the rest of the family—including Garrett’s father, who arrived in the U.S. at age 16—to America

WHAT IS THE BEST CAREER OR BUSINESS ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
“The best advice came from one of my main mentors—and my former supervisor—who taught me about the importance of humility in how I portray myself and how I treat others. I learned that it was important to be confident in what I know, but equally important to be open about what I don’t know.”

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR SINGLE BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR?
“Professional achievement is a journey; there isn’t a point of arrival, but learning throughout a career. In terms of a milestone along the journey, one of the most significant achievements was leading a design team to win a FEL2 design competition for a major greenfield manufacturing facility, which resulted in IMEG being awarded full design services.”

Mark Hildreth, LEED Green Associate
Vice President–CM At Risk
McKissack & McKissack
New York, N.Y.

AGE: 36

EDUCATION
Master’s, Construction Administration, Columbia University

Bachelor’s, Building Construction, The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Advanced from field laborer to Vice President over a 17-year career spanning five firms in two major metro markets, managing $700 million+ of CM/GC work across education, life science, hospitality, commercial, residential, historical, cultural, and marine sectors

Founded McKissack & McKissack’s Marine Division from scratch, securing $60 million+ in new work within its first year

Serves as Project Executive on NYC EDC’s $200 million CM Retainer Contract, overseeing the Pier 94 Substructure Rehabilitation, Brooklyn Army Terminal improvements, and Hunt’s Point Meat Market façade repair, among other projects

Provided cost and schedule oversight, via joint venture, for the $156 million fit-out of trading floors 3-10 (625,000 sf) at 270 Park Avenue, JPMorgan Chase’s new global headquarters—the tallest fully demolished-and-rebuilt-on-site skyscraper in NYC and the city’s largest all-electric, net-zero-operations tower

Delivered the $80 million gut-rehabilitation of 100 Vandam Street, transforming a pre-war industrial building into a 25-story LEED Gold luxury condominium tower, including new pile excavation, dewatering, and underpinning of adjacent structures

Managed the $45 million Redeemer Presbyterian Church, the first ground-up church built in New York City in over four decades, on a constrained site with only 50 feet of frontage

EXTRACURRICULAR
Adjunct Lecturer in Columbia University’s MS in Construction Administration program for seven years, teaching 13 courses to 175+ students; also served as Faculty Advisor to the Columbia CMAA Student Chapter

Founded and served as the inaugural President of Columbia University’s CMAA Student Chapter

Mentor in the NYC EDC Waterfront Pathways Program and ACE Mentor with NYC Team 2 (Queens/Long Island City)

Sits on his building’s co-op board, applying construction expertise to community capital projects

OFF THE CLOCK
Grew up on construction sites alongside his dad, who was passionate about designing and building local residential homes, including his own

Travels extensively with his family, often planning trips around UNESCO World Heritage Sites, historic cities, and significant examples of architecture and engineering

Plays in an alumni slow-pitch softball league and closely follows baseball

WHAT IS THE BEST CAREER OR BUSINESS ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
“I received this advice frequently early in my career and now repeat it to my students and early career professionals: Get in the field, walk the job, and ask questions. Prior to starting my first internship, I met with the owner of the company and he asked if I wanted to work in the field or in the office that summer. After I answered ‘the office’ he asked me if I knew the size of a #5 rebar. When I did not, he smiled and said I’d be in the field that summer. He was right of course; there is no substitute to seeing the work go in place, and more often than not the workers are happy to teach and explain how things work. So be humble, come eager to learn, and don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty.”

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR SINGLE BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR?
“My single biggest professional achievement has been founding and building my company’s Marine Division in partnership with McKissack senior leadership. We identified an opportunity to expand our construction management capabilities into the marine and waterfront sector, and I established the practice to position the company in this highly specialized and growing market. In less than two years, we have become one of the largest MWBE construction management firms in the marine and waterfront sector, securing five projects to date and establishing a strong presence in the market. Creating the division required developing new client relationships, building the right team and capabilities, and establishing our credibility and gaining a meaningful foothold in this sector.”

Joëlle Jahn
Director, New England Leader of Deep Carbon Reduction
JB&B, a Trinity Consultants team
Boston, Mass.

AGE: 33

EDUCATION
Master’s, Design Studies, Energy and Environment, Harvard Graduate School of Design

Bachelor’s, Design and Environmental Analysis, Cornell University

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Advanced from entry-level Sustainability Strategist to Assistant Vice President and Technical Principal at WSP, leading a Boston Built Ecology team of more than 10 sustainability and energy engineers, before joining JB&B to build and lead its Deep Carbon Reduction Group in New England from the ground up

Grew JB&B’s New England decarbonization practice into a dedicated team in just two years, leading sustainability permitting and decarbonization consulting for more than 20 million sf of real estate in Greater Boston, including the Allston Yards and Dorchester Bay City master plans

Served as Technical Advisor helping shape Boston’s Zero Net Carbon Zoning Code, analyzing building benchmarking data to evaluate the practicality and stringency of carbon-reduction targets for new construction citywide

Delivered Zero Over Time Decarbonization Plans for 12+ mixed-income and affordable multifamily housing properties through Boston’s Building Decarbonization Advisor Program

Holds an unusually broad set of green building credentials: NCIDQ, Certified Passive House Consultant, Living Future Advisor, LEED AP BD+C, WELL AP, and Fitwel Ambassador

Won 1st Place and the Fan Favorite Award at the ASHRAE LowDown Showdown Modeling Competition in 2019

EXTRACURRICULAR
Past four-year Co-Chair and current community planning leader of Built Environment Plus’s Carbon and Energy Roundtable

Frequent industry speaker and panelist, participating in 12+ decarbonization panels and conferences over the past two years, including Greenbuild and Decarb NY, and serving as a guest lecturer and design critic at Cornell, Northeastern, Wentworth Institute of Technology, and other schools

Published author with the International Building Performance Simulation Association (IBPSA) on passive design strategies for climate-responsive disaster relief and emergency shelters

OFF THE CLOCK
Speaks German, French, and English fluently, shaped by growing up in Europe before later moving to the U.S.

Enjoys knitting and sewing—currently making matching sweaters for her husband, Ben, and daughter, Lotte, plus custom cushions for the family’s cargo bike, their preferred way of getting around East Boston

Loves skiing and distance running, and is looking forward to returning to both as she recovers from recently becoming a mother

SECRET LIFE
Her grandfather’s family fled advancing front lines from Danzig to Lübeck during World War II; at one point they nearly boarded a ship to escape but couldn’t get tickets for the whole family and traveled overland instead—they later learned that ship had been sunk

WHAT IS THE BEST CAREER OR BUSINESS ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
“When my family moved from Germany to the U.S., I spent a lot of time trying to fit in and not stand out. One of my teachers told me something I’ve never forgotten: Don’t be afraid to be yourself and take your own path. I’ve found that the things that make us different are often our greatest strengths.”

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR SINGLE BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR?
“One of my proudest professional achievements was helping advise on Boston’s Zero Net Carbon Zoning Code. Contributing to policy that will influence the performance of an entire generation of buildings was a unique privilege. It reinforced my belief that meaningful climate action requires both project-level implementation and broader policy change.”

Kyle Kiser
Higher Education Market Leader, Senior Associate
LS3P Associates
Greenville, S.C.

AGE: 39

EDUCATION
Master’s, Architecture, Rhode Island School of Design

Bachelor’s, Architecture, Clemson University

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Served as Design Architect for Clemson University’s Wilbur O. & Ann Powers College of Business, which attracted the largest single donation in Clemson’s history and earned the university’s first Three Green Globes rating

Led a team of 70+ design professionals as Senior Project Designer and Architect on the $285 million, 50+ acre Harvey S. Peeler College of Veterinary Medicine at Clemson—South Carolina’s first and only professional veterinary college, opened August 2026 to address a critical statewide veterinary shortage

Engineered digitally driven fabrication workflows at LMN Architects, including a fully parametric layout and cut-file process for the 467 individually unique panels forming the Grand Avenue Park Bridge’s façade in Everett, Wash.—eliminating the need for traditional shop drawings

Founded and led LMN’s Emerging Architects Forum, whose ARE 5.0 Release Drive resulted in a 350% increase in the firm’s ARE pass rate, with 43 exams passed and six architects licensed in a single year

Led ACE Mentor Program of Washington teams to three national CIRT Design Competition honors: 2nd Place Overall, Best Board, and Honorable Mention

EXTRACURRICULAR
Design Studio Lecturer at Clemson University’s Richard A. McMahan School of Architecture since 2021, building on teaching roles dating back to 2009 at institutions including the University of Washington and Rhode Island School of Design

Served as Team Leader with the ACE Mentor Program in Washington and Rhode Island for nearly a decade, developing a charrette-style curriculum later adopted program-wide and adapted for virtual learning during Covid

Mentors through SCNOMA’s Project Pipeline and Clemson’s School of Architecture Mentor Program, and has lectured on mentorship through AIA National, AIA Seattle, and AIA Greenville chapters

OFF THE CLOCK
A devoted husband and father to his seven-year-old adopted daughter, who is autistic and lives with cerebral palsy, and serves as her steadfast advocate; the summer before her adoption, he completed a series of four increasingly long triathlons as part of his “Tri for Adoption” campaign, raising $10,000 for the adoption and the Dave Thomas Foundation

A lover of the outdoors, has completed numerous triathlons, multiple double-century cycling events, and multi-day through-hikes in the Olympic National Forest and North Cascades

SECRET LIFE
As part of a five-person team, he helped secure seven overall Grand Championship titles across an eight-year span at the annual Isshinryu Karate Hall of Fame Tournament, having earned his black belt and begun teaching at just age 14. This was part of a 20 year practice in the discipline— training alongside his father and brother—which also included earning 3rd Degree Black Belt, multiple national titles, and induction into the Universal Martial Arts Hall of Fame as a Youth Karateka of the Year

WHAT IS THE BEST CAREER OR BUSINESS ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
“One summer I worked construction with a small design-build outfit that was led by two of my graduate school professors, From In Form in Providence, R.I. My boss/professor, Jason Wood, told me something that has always stuck with me: To succeed at the job you should be looking to put the hammer in my hand before I know I have something to nail. This taught me to proactively look ahead at what was coming next and figure out how I could contribute to those efforts before we got there. It taught me to be someone who focuses on getting things done and staying a step ahead to strategize and help others, and that their success will also be mine. This has been instrumental at many phases of my career success.”

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR SINGLE BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR?
“I have been lucky to serve as Senior Project Architect and Project Designer for the new Harvey S. Peeler Jr. College of Veterinary Medicine at Clemson University, a collaborative project of LS3P and Flad. The $285 million campus will serve as South Carolina’s first and only professional veterinary college, a much-needed intervention to address a crisis-level veterinary shortage that must be critically resolved to preserve South Carolina’s agricultural economy. This project consisted of seven buildings over a 50-acre site in Clemon’s Experimental Forest, which had to be designed and constructed for the first class of students in just three years. I led an internal design team that totaled as much as 50 architectural professionals at times from seven of LS3P’s office locations collectively working on the fast-track project, with as much as double that from the full consultant team. We successfully delivered the project through six separate permit packages over a staggered 18-month delivery schedule to complement an overlapping 24-month construction schedule–lightning fast! Students had their first day of class this fall, and I cannot describe how rewarding seeing them, their faculty, and their administration enjoying the facility has been. We are looking forward to a large celebration for the grand opening in October.”

Chaitanya Korra, Assoc. AIA, CDT, LEED Green Associate, IEEE Senior Member
Senior Design Manager, Infrastructure Engineering
Redwood Materials
Sparks, Nev.

AGE: 35

EDUCATION
Master’s, Architecture in Sustainability, University of New Mexico

Bachelor’s, Architecture in Environmental Design and Sustainability, Jawaharlal Nehru Architecture & Fine Arts University (India)

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Serves as infrastructure design owner for the largest lithium-ion battery recycler in the U.S., leading programs exceeding $3.5 billion in cumulative value, including pilot production facilities and advanced electrochemistry laboratories

Advanced from Project Architect in India to Design Program Manager and Startup Execution Manager at Amazon Worldwide Real Estate, where value engineering efforts reduced real estate development costs by 5%—equating to $10 million in savings—across warehouse facilities ranging from 600,000 to 4.5 million sf

Led design and construction of 500+ units of affordable multifamily housing across one million sf, exceeding $50 million in project value, while at Integrated Design & Architecture in Albuquerque, N.M.

Received the 2026 University of New Mexico Inspirational Young Alumni Award for leading the nation’s first large-scale lithium-ion battery recycling facilities

Authored 10 peer-reviewed articles drawing more than 90 independent citations worldwide, and holds a provisional patent for Poche AI, an AI-driven platform for architectural code compliance and sustainability recommendations

EXTRACURRICULAR
Chairs the Construction Specifications Institute’s (CSI) Education Committee and edits its Project Delivery Study Workbook, shaping training for more than 6,000 industry practitioners nationally

Serves as an international juror for the INSPIRELI Awards, which draws entries from 160 countries

IEEE Senior Member (a distinction held by fewer than 10% of members worldwide) and Young Professionals Chair for the Northern Nevada chapter; has reviewed 130+ technical submissions across ASHRAE, NIBS, ACSA, USGBC, and IEEE

OFF THE CLOCK
Designed an entire board game from scratch—a haunted 1920s hotel-themed game with simultaneous card programming, deck-building, and asymmetric ghost characters—taking it from concept to a full interactive prototype with a complete rulebook

Mid-project on a full backyard landscaping overhaul at his home, mapping out species selection and irrigation zones “like a mini site plan”

Enjoys kayaking, badminton, cricket, hiking, camping, and photography

SECRET LIFE
Comes from a long line of teachers, but is the first person in his family to ever cross the sea outside India—trading the classroom for the built environment and creating what he calls “a slightly unusual story for the next generation to tell.”

WHAT IS THE BEST CAREER OR BUSINESS ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
“The best career advice I’ve received didn’t come as a single sentence; it came from watching how my mentor Robert Hall at IDA practiced architecture. He taught me that success isn't the goal, excellence is. In this field, excellence means taking real responsibility toward the community, the environment, and the people who will live and work in what you design.”

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR SINGLE BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR?
“My biggest achievement isn’t a single project, it’s the through-line across my career: I’ve spent it designing the critical infrastructure that makes sustainability operational rather than aspirational. Each step moved me closer to the infrastructure that actually has to work: not sustainability as a feature, but as the foundation.”

Travis Krimmel, AIA, PMP, GPCP, MHFI, NCARB
Project Manager, Architect, Associate
SS&A Design Collective
Opelika, Ala.

AGE: 37

EDUCATION
Master’s, Engineering, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Bachelor’s, Architecture Auburn University

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Serves as Project Manager for Construction Administration on the $94 million, 100,000-sf Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) Ambulatory Care Center in San Diego, a mission-critical facility processing more than 21,000 recruits annually—negotiating stakeholder and subcontractor access on a historic WWII-era base under strict post-pandemic security protocols

Served as Project Architect through 35% design on the $200 million+ Yokosuka Hospital Renovation, a complex phased project adding Emergency, Imaging, Surgery, and Laboratory suites while maintaining 24/7 hospital operations

Serves as a Major and a Logistics Officer in the Alabama Army National Guard with 14 years of service and two overseas deployments, including directing logistics across five nodes during Operation Inherent Resolve and managing $42 million in equipment accountability

Served as President of AIA Montgomery in 2023 after four consecutive years in chapter leadership roles, reengineering the chapter’s virtual/hybrid meeting model during Covid and establishing a permanent lecture partnership with Auburn University

2025 Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) Huntsville Post Military Young Military Member Award

EXTRACURRICULAR
Founded and organized SS&A’s internal Architecture Mentorship Program, personally coaching colleagues on ARE study strategies and licensure pathways; also mentors architecture students through AIAS and Auburn’s Veterans Resource Center

Founding member of the Auburn Young Professionals Committee, helping integrate emerging AEC professionals into the local market

2026/2027 Member of the Opelika Chamber of Commerce 20 under 40

Presented and appeared on multiple industry platforms, including as a guest on The Young Architect Podcast and as a workshop presenter for the Young Architect Academy’s mentorship series

OFF THE CLOCK
Spent childhood summers traveling across Nebraska between construction sites with his father, grandfather, and uncles. Hearing their frustrations about architects lacking practical building knowledge shaped his career-long mission to bridge design and construction

Uses AI tools to draft SOPs and build predictive KPI dashboards, 3D prints functional and artistic objects, and builds and refurbishes furniture in his spare time

Named the first male Krimmel in his direct family line to graduate high school and attend college

WHAT IS THE BEST CAREER OR BUSINESS ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
“When you do not know the answer, do not make one up. Just say that you do not know and that you will get back with them. Then get back with them. This came on my first deployment. I was a 2nd Lieutenant briefing a Major General for the first time. When I asked for advice that is what I got. And I use it to this day with clients, colleagues, and contractors.”

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR SINGLE BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR?
“Getting my Architecture License is my single biggest professional achievement. Though it happened back in 2019, and I have been blessed with many other accomplishments and milestones since then, it is by far the jumping point for the rest of my career. When I initially missed Auburn University’s Architecture Summer Option cut by just six spots, I refused to change my major. I doubled down, worked as a server and bartender to cover living expenses, and earned my spot the following year. When funding ran out for my final year, an opportunity arose to continue my family’s legacy of service—my grandfather, mother, and younger brother all served. I joined the Army National Guard. I then returned to school and graduated in 2014 into the challenging job market. I landed an interview via a Facebook connection and began my career at a two-person firm. Upon returning from my first overseas deployment, I applied my trademark stubbornness to my Architectural Registration Exams. I am proud to say that I took the tests 11 times to pass the six required exams. Through all of this, I have gained my Architectural license and far more. So, you could say that my biggest professional achievement so far is falling and getting back up over and over again.”

Florim Kukaj, AIA, EDAC
Associate Principal
E4H Environments for Health Architecture
New York, N.Y.

AGE: 38

EDUCATION
Bachelor’s, Technology in Architecture, CUNY City Tech

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Advanced from intern to Associate Principal over 15 years, including 13 years focused exclusively on healthcare architecture, leading more than $550 million across 120+ healthcare capital projects for major health systems, including NYU Langone, NewYork-Presbyterian, Memorial Sloan Kettering, Northwell, and Mount Sinai

Helped secure five Master Service Agreements with healthcare systems throughout the Northeast while working across nationally recognized firms, including Perkins&Will, HDR, and E4H

Passed all six divisions of the Architect Registration Examination on the first attempt, completing the entire sequence in just nine days after 10 weeks of preparation—logging roughly 150 hours of study while leading healthcare projects full-time and raising a young child

Named Volunteer of the Year by AMFP North Central New Jersey in 2025 for sustained mentorship and program leadership contributions

Immigrated to the U.S. independently from Kosovo at age 17 and became the first member of his family to earn a college degree and professional architecture license

EXTRACURRICULAR
Serves as Co-Director of Programs for AMFP North Central New Jersey, Public Relations Chair for AMFP Greater New York, and leader of the HFMSNJ Mentorship Program, developing educational programming on healthcare construction costs, workforce shortages, and capital planning

Has formally mentored early-career professionals for three consecutive years through AMFP’s various Young Professionals Committees, guiding mentees through career transitions, ARE exam preparation, and professional development

Published writer on healthcare planning and capital trends, and is currently writing a book translating 15 years of lessons into practical guidance for emerging AEC professionals

OFF THE CLOCK
A professional architectural photographer who spends weekdays helping design buildings and weekends photographing them—drawn especially to black-and-white film photography; collects vintage cameras including a functioning 1964 Asahi Pentax Spotmatic

Organizes an annual Holiday Toy Drive and Gift Wrapping event benefiting pediatric patients at NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital and Northwell Health South Oaks Hospital

Enjoys graphic design and 3D printing, designing and making functional everyday objects from scratch as a creative counterbalance to his technical work

SECRET LIFE
His family in Kosovo was convinced from a young age that he should become a cardiovascular surgeon—they even picked out the specialty—but when he chose architecture instead, it eventually came full circle as he found his way into healthcare design

WHAT IS THE BEST CAREER OR BUSINESS ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
“‘Just ask.’ It was advice from a mentor that sounded almost too simple at the time, but it has opened more doors for me than almost anything else. I’ve learned that many opportunities that seem out of reach really aren’t; you just have to be willing to ask.”

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR SINGLE BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR?
“After 15 years in the profession, getting my architecture license in just 10 weeks was a major personal milestone, but what I’m most proud of is what it has allowed me to do. It gave me the credibility to advocate for mentorship and a seat at the table where I can help shape decisions that create opportunities for young professionals.”

Wenting Li, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP BD+C
Associate, Senior Sustainable Design Specialist
HOK
New York, N.Y.

AGE: 32

EDUCATION
Master’s, Design Studies, Harvard University

Bachelor’s, Architecture, Chongqing University

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Rose from Senior Specialist to Associate (HOK’s corporate equivalent to Partner) within three years of joining the firm in 2023, becoming one of the youngest officers in the company while leading sustainability across HOK’s Northeast practice

Served as sole sustainability lead on the 1.3 million-sf LaGuardia Airport Terminal B, helping it become the world’s first LEED v4 Gold certified airport terminal

Leads sustainable design for the $1.7 billion Wadsworth Center Laboratory in Albany, N.Y.— the largest and most diverse state public health laboratory in the nation, leveraging innovative solar, daylighting, and façade studies to support project goals from day one through construction

Previously at KPF, led façade optimization for the 900,000-sf Pinnacle at Central Wharf mixed-use development in Boston and sustainability analysis for the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology master plan in Guangzhou, China’s first net-zero-ready campus

Serves on the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Technical Advisory Group contributing to LEED v5 development, and authored an engineering research paper that ranked in the top 10% most-cited papers of 2020

EXTRACURRICULAR
Adjunct Professor at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP), teaching Environments in Architecture in the M.Arch program

Previously served as Adjunct Professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, teaching first-year B.Arch students environmental literacy, human comfort, and thermodynamics

Named by USGBC staff as an exemplary LEED volunteer in 2026 and spoke at Climate Week NYC 2025 on resources available to climate entrepreneurs

OFF THE CLOCK
Designed and continues to renovate her own home, a creative outlet for DIY home improvement and craft projects

Enjoys exploring emerging technologies such as vibe coding and organizing informal hackathons, often joined by furry collaborators who keep morale high

WHAT IS THE BEST CAREER OR BUSINESS ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
“Run towards trouble. This advice from a mentor at HOK taught me that growth rarely comes from avoiding challenges. It continues to inspire me to embrace uncertainty, solve complex problems, and push beyond my comfort zone.”

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR SINGLE BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR?
“Completing the LEED certification for LaGuardia Airport Terminal B remains my proudest professional achievement. As my first project at HOK, it became a defining moment in my career. Learning the certification process through a project of this scale and complexity transformed the way I view sustainable design and deepened my appreciation for long-term building performance.”

Kerry Lorts
Illinois Market Executive
S. M. Wilson & Co.
Edwardsville, Ill.

AGE: 37

EDUCATION
Bachelor’s, Construction Management, Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Joined S. M. Wilson as a college intern in 2011 and rose through four promotions over 15 years—Project Manager, Senior Project Manager, Director of Operations/Vice President, and now Market Executive, Illinois— growing a market to $50 million a year in revenue

Established and led S. M. Wilson’s Illinois office, winning and delivering hundreds of millions of dollars in projects across K-12 education, higher education, healthcare, public safety, transit, and municipal sectors

Served as project manager on City Foundry STL, a transformational, internationally recognized redevelopment featured on HGTV’s “America by Design,” and worked on the $567 million BJC HealthCare/Washington University Medical Center Campus Renewal, one of the largest healthcare construction programs in the St. Louis region

Leads multi-campus construction programs for numerous Illinois school districts, including the $72 million Edwardsville Lincoln Middle School renovation and $70 million Blessing Hospital patient tower in Quincy, while championing BIM technology and 3D project management systems

Named Outstanding Senior in SIUE’s School of Engineering (2012) and selected for both the SIUE Construction Leadership Institute and the Associated General Contractors of Missouri’s Board of Directors

EXTRACURRICULAR
Organizes jobsite tours, classroom STEM activities, and mentoring experiences for local students through S. M. Wilson’s SKILLED Construction Career Education program, and led the firm’s sponsorship of the Madison County Regional Office of Education’s Construction Camp

Serves on the AGC Missouri Building Division Board of Directors and is a frequent conference panelist and guest lecturer, including at his alma mater SIUE and his childhood middle school

Member of the Illinois Association of School Administrators, Illinois Association of School Boards, and Southern Illinois Chapter for Healthcare Engineering

OFF THE CLOCK
His first job was delivering newspapers starting in 4th grade—a route he ran until leaving for college, which taught him early lessons about customer service and consistency

Recently rekindled his passion for endurance running after a hiatus while his kids were young, completing two half marathons and gearing up for his second full marathon 18 years after his first

Coaches his children’s basketball team, volunteers with the local swim team, and is active in his church and children's school volunteering and fundraising programs

WHAT IS THE BEST CAREER OR BUSINESS ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
“I can’t recall where I first heard it, but the phrase ‘You can’t work all day unless you start in the morning’ has changed over time. The true meaning of the phrase is to make sure that the people you work with are set up and empowered to make decisions and be efficient. This means not being the bottleneck or constraint and providing direction to others before they need it.”

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR SINGLE BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR?
“Being able to open and lead an office close to home and having early success. Being able to build and help grow the communities that my family and friends live, work, and play in brings an immense sense of pride and achievement every day.”

Alison Martin, AIA, NCARB
Senior Associate
CO Architects
Los Angeles, Calif.

AGE: 35

EDUCATION 
Master’s and Bachelor’s, Architecture, Clemson University

ACCOMPLISHMENTS 
Promoted to Senior Associate at CO Architects by 2022, six years after joining the firm out of graduate school; leads large-scale healthcare and institutional projects including the 288,000-sf Kaiser Permanente Riverside Medical Center expansion and City of Hope’s Hope Plaza outpatient cancer center

Co-founded the Foothill Catalog Foundation in the immediate aftermath of the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires, growing it from a small volunteer group into an organization with 20 full-time staff and 40+ pre-approved, code-compliant home designs; the Foundation has helped permit more than 50 fire-rebuild homes and helped shape Los Angeles County’s broader pre-approved planset program

Played a core role on Clemson’s Department of Energy Solar Decathlon team, which placed sixth of 20 entrants with a flat-packed, fully solar-powered home using CNC-cut plywood and innovative steel zip-tie joints—the only entrant to fully assemble and disassemble its house onsite, and the team secured a patent on the home’s structural system

Co-leads CO University, the firm’s internal leadership development program for roughly 12 upwardly mobile staff members annually, designing monthly sessions on project management, design ethos, and professional growth

EXTRACURRICULAR 
Chair of AIA Los Angeles’s Architecture in Healthcare Committee; founding member of AIA|LA’s Emerging Professionals Task Force, which she helped revive into a thriving career-development group

Board Member of the Southern California Chapter of the Construction Industry Education Foundation (CIEF), leading its flagship design-build competition for high schoolers as mentor and design judge

Served an eight-year tenure as CO Architects’ organizer for the annual NOMA Summer Camp, mentoring students and facilitating job-shadowing programs for underrepresented students

OFF THE CLOCK 
Paints in oil, acrylic, and watercolor, does ornate calligraphy for friends’ wedding invitations, and takes voice lessons

Plays beach volleyball and competes on CO Architects’ softball team, which finished runner-up last year in a league of a dozen Los Angeles architecture firms

WHAT IS THE BEST CAREER OR BUSINESS ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
“Never be afraid to ask for help. As a lifelong perfectionist, this has never come naturally to me. One of my career mentors, Tom Chessum, FAIA, taught me that being a leader doesn’t mean having all the answers or carrying every burden yourself. He gave me the space and confidence to come into my own as a leader while always knowing when to step in, remind me that he was on my side, and offer without hesitation to help carry whatever had become too much. He created the kind of trust that made it safe to be uncertain, make mistakes, and ask for help.”

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR SINGLE BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR?
“My biggest professional achievement to date is leading the 288,000-sf Kaiser Permanente Riverside Medical Center Bed Tower Expansion from its earliest planning stages through construction. As Project Manager, I’ve had the opportunity to bring together my varied skills and experiences to lead the most complex project of my career thus far. This years-long commitment challenged me, stretched me, and ultimately grew me into a leader I didn’t yet know I could become. Seeing this project come to life has reinforced my belief that architecture is ultimately about people. I am proud not only of the landmark project we’ve built, but especially of the relationships, team, and community we cultivated along the way. Just as this project shaped the professional I am today, I look forward to carrying the skills, confidence, and perspective I’ve gained into whatever challenges come next.”

Milan Mendapara, LEED AP, PMP
Development Manager
Thakkar Developers
Allen, Texas

AGE: 31

EDUCATION
Master’s, Civil Engineering, University of Texas at Arlington

Bachelor’s, Civil Engineering, Gujarat Technological University (India)

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Helped lead development of a $1 billion, 79-acre master-planned community in Allen, Texas, and a 36-acre mixed-use development in Plano, integrating residential, commercial, and public-realm programming

Founded and built Thakkar Developers’ renewable energy and data center division from scratch, delivering a 40-MW data center and a 10-MW solar project with additional projects in the pipeline—establishing new capabilities in site evaluation, utility PPA negotiations across three states, and project structuring

Led the adaptive reuse of historic structures into modern residential and entertainment spaces, and introduced an AI-based construction management platform to modernize project delivery firm-wide

EXTRACURRICULAR
Serves on the ASCE Texas Section Collegiate Activities Committee, participating in the Student Leader and Advisor Call to mentor civil engineering student chapters statewide

Supports affordable housing initiatives across the Dallas-Fort Worth region and participates in STEM outreach programs to build pathways for underserved students

Mentors young professionals entering engineering and development

Active peer reviewer for the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Journal

OFF THE CLOCK
Designed and personally supervised construction of his own home in 2022, an experience he says taught him what it’s like to sit on the ownership side of every development decision

Travels as often as possible, drawn especially to places with interesting architecture or infrastructure, and hikes wherever he ends up

Spends time gardening as a deliberate counterbalance to the urgency of development work, and enjoys picking up new skills just to experience being a beginner again

SECRET LIFE
His family moved from a village to a 200-sf room in the city when he was two months old, where all four of them lived for 15 years—a childhood of long commutes, moving apartments every year in college, and eventually building a life from scratch in the U.S. These experiences shaped his appreciation for how places are created and how profoundly they affect people’s lives

WHAT IS THE BEST CAREER OR BUSINESS ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
“The best advice I ever received wasn’t something anyone formally told me; it was something I learned through experience: Your reputation travels faster than you do. How you show up, follow through, and treat people especially when there is nothing immediate to gain shapes the relationships and opportunities that follow you throughout your career.”

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR SINGLE BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR?
“If I had to choose it would be building Thakkar Developers’ renewable energy and data center division from nothing. What makes it feel like my biggest achievement is not just that we delivered the projects—it is that I built something that now has a life of its own.”

Steven Montoni
Associate Director of Engineering
JT Magen
New York, N.Y.

AGE: 37

EDUCATION
Master’s and Bachelor’s, Mechanical Engineering, Manhattan University

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Managed all MEP and Technology aspects from pre-construction through closeout for Meta’s 730,000-sf office within the historic Farley Building, coordinating with multiple government agencies while building above the active Moynihan Train Hall and U.S. Post Office

Serves as MEP project manager and technical lead for the $1 billion, 292-acre Netflix Fort Monmouth “mega-studio” production campus, one of the largest construction projects in New Jersey’s history

Led MEP engineering for BlackRock’s 855,000-sf headquarters at Hudson Yards, one of the most technologically advanced office spaces in the country, along with high-profile projects including the Nordstrom Flagship, Standard Chartered, and Davis Polk & Wardwell

Recognized as a finalist for the Joseph J. Gunn Alumni Medal—Manhattan University’s highest undergraduate honor—and recipient of the Draddy Medal for General Excellence in Engineering and the Brother Aubert Medal for Mechanical Engineering

Received the J.T. Magen Safety Award for excellence in construction safety

EXTRACURRICULAR
Serves on the Manhattan University Mechanical Engineering Department Board of Advisors, helping shape curriculum to meet modern industry needs

Mentor and Team Leader with the ACE Mentor Program of Greater New York

Panelist at New York Build Expo on the latest technology changing the construction landscape and how AI and digital construction tools are reshaping product delivery

OFF THE CLOCK
An obsessive coffee enthusiast with a home setup that includes a V60, Chemex, AeroPress, Moka Pot, manual grinder, and digital scale—his family jokes he treats brewing like a science experiment, and he collects whole beans from local roasters whenever he travels

A passionate soccer and Formula 1 fan who follows Inter Milan and Scuderia Ferrari; a major highlight was on a trip to Italy where his wife surprised him with tickets to watch an Inter match at the historic San Siro and tour the Ferrari museums in Modena and Maranello

Loves spending time outdoors with his wife and two sons, whether walking around Hoboken, heading to the Jersey Shore, or teaching his kids how to play sports

SECRET LIFE
His parents grew up in the same small Italian village but didn’t meet until both had separately settled in the U.S.; his mother taught herself English by watching daytime soap operas, and the family still keeps Italian traditions alive each year by dry-curing sausage, making homemade tomato sauce, and pressing their own wine

WHAT IS THE BEST CAREER OR BUSINESS ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
“The best career advice I ever received came from my first manager and mentor, who told me that a mistake is only a failure if you don’t learn from it. As a natural perfectionist, I used to put immense pressure on myself to know everything right away. His guidance taught me to drop my pride, ask questions, and confidently step outside my comfort zone.”

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR SINGLE BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR?
“Managing all MEP and technology aspects from pre-construction through closeout for Meta’s 730,000-sf office within the historic Farley Building stands as my greatest professional milestone. As the first large-scale project I managed from start to finish, seeing the space finally come together as a vibrant workplace that honors the building’s historic past was incredibly rewarding.”

Bruna Monzillo, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C, EDAC
Principal
The Beck Group
Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

AGE: 39

EDUCATION
MBA, Hospital and Healthcare System Administration, Insper & Hospital Albert Einstein (Brazil)

Bachelor’s, Architecture and Urban Planning, Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie (Brazil)

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Became the first architect hired in The Beck Group’s South Florida office in 2023, helping grow the office by 900% while contributing to the growth of Beck’s Florida architecture team to 42 professionals; currently oversees more than $500 million in active healthcare projects

Leads major healthcare developments expanding access to care across South Florida, including two Broward Health medical office buildings totaling more than 300,000 sf and a 265,000-sf ambulatory care facility for University of Miami Health System; her Broward Health Medical Center project earned an AIA citation award

Led master planning efforts across Latin America by age 30, including 2.6 million sf of system-wide master planning for Beneficência Portuguesa de São Paulo, one of Latin America’s largest healthcare systems

Founded and led the Women in Healthcare Florida Chapter’s first Mentorship Program as founding board member and Mentorship Chair, running three programs that connected 48 mentees with 12 senior healthcare executive mentors over three years

Named a South Florida Business Journal 40 Under 40 honoree in 2025 and selected as one of 30 emerging leaders across the U.S. and Mexico for The Beck Group’s two-year Building Leadership Excellence program

EXTRACURRICULAR
Serves on the Board of the South Florida Hospital and Healthcare Association as its only architect member, contributing a design and construction perspective alongside C-suite healthcare executives

Founded Gals & Golf, an initiative empowering women through networking and mentorship opportunities built around golf

Contributed to a Leadership Broward Class 42 project renovating a mobile trailer for Tomorrow’s Rainbow, a nonprofit supporting grieving children and families, recognized as one of the class’s best community projects

OFF THE CLOCK
Formed an all-girl rock band in high school after learning piano and flute as a child, playing drums and covering songs including No Doubt’s “Just a Girl”

Drives a golf cart to work in South Florida and loves exploring the area with her husband, whether trying new restaurants or kayaking

Enjoys crocheting as a way to slow down and calm a busy mind

SECRET LIFE
Her great-grandparents on both sides of the family emigrated from Italy to Brazil, and she grew up in São Paulo’s large Italian community—a heritage centered on strong women and gathering around the table, traditions her family keeps alive today

WHAT IS THE BEST CAREER OR BUSINESS ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
“The best advice I have received is that your biggest disadvantage can also be your biggest advantage. Starting a career in a new country is one example. I learned to leverage my unique experience to bring something different and add value to my team.”

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR SINGLE BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR?
“My biggest professional achievement has been realizing that we can create our own opportunities. From developing a business plan that made my move to the United States a reality to applying for awards people told me I was not ready for and winning them, those experiences showed me that if you can visualize something, you can find a way to make it happen.”

Arvind Nasit, PE, DBIA, LEED AP BD+C, PMP
Program Manager
Haydan Consultants
West New York, N.J.

AGE: 31

EDUCATION
Master’s, Engineering, Columbia University

Bachelor’s, Civil Engineering, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda (India)

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Advanced from field supervisor on construction sites in India to Owner’s Program Manager on aviation infrastructure programs worth $14 billion+ combined, in under a decade

Currently serves as Program Manager and client’s representative on the $3.5 billion EWR AirTrain Replacement Program, helping lead strategic planning, design-build integration, procurement, risk management, design coordination, and program controls to deliver safe, resilient, sustainable, and world-class aviation infrastructure for the traveling public

Previously served in construction management on the $1.5 billion JFK Terminal 4 Redevelopment, overseeing project execution, Owner-Architect-Contractor coordination, budgets, schedules, quality, and resolution of complex construction challenges within an active international airport

Led a critical structural foundation design team for the $9.5 billion JFK New Terminal One, coordinating complex foundation systems and multidisciplinary design interfaces for one of the nation’s largest airport redevelopment programs

EXTRACURRICULAR
One of the inaugural members of the Design-Build Institute of America’s (DBIA) Young Professionals Committee, helping shape its early mission, governance, and programming

Mentors university student chapter members through ASCE, connecting academic training to real-world infrastructure practice

Alumnus of the competitively selected Coro Leadership New York program (LNY 42), where he led a team project on NYC’s affordable housing crisis and presented policy recommendations to city leaders

OFF THE CLOCK
Passionate about functional fitness rather than any single sport—combines CrossFit, HYROX-style training, calisthenics, running, and yoga, drawn to parallels between how forces move through a structure and how the human body moves under stress

Teaches Gujarati to U.S.-born children of Indian immigrant families to help preserve cultural roots across generations

Volunteers his engineering expertise in support of BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham, one of North America’s largest cultural infrastructure projects

SECRET LIFE
Grew up as the youngest member of a large joint family in India, with multiple generations living under one roof—an environment that taught him some of his earliest lessons in teamwork and leadership by watching family members with different personalities and roles learn to make decisions together

WHAT IS THE BEST CAREER OR BUSINESS ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
“One of the most valuable lessons I have learned is that leadership is not about how many people follow you, but about how many people want to work with you. A title can give you authority, but trust and respect must be earned by listening, valuing different perspectives, and creating an environment where people want to contribute and succeed together.”

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR SINGLE BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR?
“My biggest professional achievement has been building a career that spans nearly the entire lifecycle of infrastructure delivery, from working in the field to structural design, construction management, and now owner-side program management. I consider that journey my greatest achievement because it has prepared me to take on increasingly complex infrastructure challenges while never losing sight of the people those projects ultimately serve.”

Craig O'Halloran, AIA, FCIAT
Global Professional Services Leader, Studio Director, Senior Associate
Gensler
Chicago, Ill.

AGE: 39

EDUCATION
GSD Certificate, Architectural Imagination, Harvard University

Postgraduate Certificate, Urban Design, University of Westminster

Bachelor’s, Architectural Technology, Technological University Dublin

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Advanced from Architectural Assistant in Dublin to Global Practice Area Leader for Professional Services at Gensler, overseeing the firm’s strategy for a sector that remains among its top five globally

Built an eight-year client partnership with global accounting firm BDO as Account Director, working on more than 80 projects across 50+ offices nationwide and evolving the firm’s national workplace design strategy

Key team member for the design and documentation on the award-winning Willis Tower Repositioning in Chicago, and led a major headquarters renovation for ALDI, transforming a 190,000-sf campus and delivering a new 60,000-sf amenity building

Leads Gensler Research Institute-funded research on “The Future of Management Advisory,” exploring how the accounting profession is being reshaped by demographic shifts and AI—work that has expanded into national speaking engagements and a second research phase

Named Chartered Architectural Technologist of the Year by CIAT in 2023 (the first recipient not based in the U.K.) and named to the Irish Echo 40 Under 40 list in 2026

EXTRACURRICULAR
Elevated to Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists (CIAT) as part of its inaugural Fellows cohort in 2021; has served as Chairperson of CIAT Americas since 2024, representing the profession across North and South America

Elected President of Ireland Network Chicago in 2024 for a two-year term, modernizing the organization’s leadership structure and CRM systems while helping raise $40,000 for charitable partners, including Irish Community Services and Concern Worldwide

Co-led RESIDE, an initiative connecting developers and communities in London, and helped develop “The London Underline,” an award-winning concept for regenerating disused Tube tunnels

OFF THE CLOCK
Nearly became a winemaker instead of an architect—worked part-time in a wine shop during university, earned his Wine & Spirit Education Trust qualification, and had plans arranged to work a harvest season in New Zealand before a last-minute call from a London architecture firm changed his path

Is working toward visiting all 50 U.S. states and 50 countries with his wife, Maren (currently at 41 states and 38 countries)

Was an Ireland National High School Basketball Champion and completed the Chicago Marathon in 2019

SECRET LIFE
Soccer has connected four generations of his family. As a child, he played in his grandfather’s garden. Later, his grandfather would save newspaper clippings about their rival teams, Manchester United and Southampton, giving them something to talk about whenever they were together. Though his grandfather passed away in 2021, Craig is looking forward to sharing the game with his son, who is due this winter

WHAT IS THE BEST CAREER OR BUSINESS ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
“The best advice I’ve received is to always say yes to opportunities, especially early in your career. That mindset also taught me that if you don’t ask, you don’t get. Some of the most important opportunities in my career came from being willing to put myself forward and take a chance without knowing exactly where it would lead.”

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR SINGLE BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR?
“My biggest professional achievement has been becoming a fully qualified architect in the United States and a Chartered Architectural Technologist in the United Kingdom. From starting my career in Ireland to building it in London and Chicago, I am proud to hold professional licensure in both the U.K. and the United States, bringing a global perspective to every project and client relationship.”

Megan Octaviani
Senior Designer
Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG)
Brooklyn, N.Y.

AGE: 34

EDUCATION
Master’s, Architecture in Urban Design, Harvard University Graduate School of Design

Bachelor’s, Architecture, Parahyangan Catholic University (Indonesia)

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Rose from entry-level architect in Singapore to Project Leader at BIG in New York, having led a 25+ person project team in Singapore through design, approvals, and construction of a 400,000-sf mixed-use transit district with 680 apartments

Led a $1.2 billion, 300-acre food production and community campus in New York; the vision masterplan reimagining former coffee plantations in San Salvador; and the University of Washington Tacoma Campus Master Plan

Earned Distinction (top 5-10%) on three studio projects at Harvard GSD and served as sole Research Assistant to the jury for the 14th Veronica Rudge Green Prize in Urban Design, researching more than 108 urban projects worldwide

Co-curated and designed the “Grand Paris Express” exhibition at Harvard GSD and co-edited its accompanying publication, contributing the only student-authored essay alongside faculty

Co-founded unCURB, a curb-management startup that conducted 100+ user interviews across Boston, Philadelphia, and Toronto and was selected for MIT DesignX, MIT Fuse, and the MIT Sandbox Innovation Fund

EXTRACURRICULAR
Served as lead instructor, studio instructor, and design critic at Harvard University Early Design Education, building a full introductory urban planning curriculum from scratch and teaching more than 80 students

Volunteered for four years with the Foreign Domestic Worker Association for Social Support and Training (FAST) in Singapore, leading weekly English and computer-skills sessions for Indonesian domestic workers with a 95% participant pass rate

Council Member on Harvard’s Council of Student Sustainability Leaders, contributing to campus sustainability initiatives

OFF THE CLOCK
Loves walking around new cities with her camera looking for “superordinary” moments—small, easy-to-overlook details that make a place feel alive—and tries to explore every new city by bike

Enjoys trying new restaurants and doing hot yoga

WHAT IS THE BEST CAREER OR BUSINESS ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
“The best advice I’ve received is simple: listen before you propose. I learned this while co-founding a mobility startup, where we conducted more than 100 interviews with people navigating curb space and city processes. Many of our assumptions changed once we understood how people actually experienced the problem.”

Jessica Orlando, AIA, NCARB, WELL AP, DBIA
Higher Education Practice Leader, Associate Principal
Perkins&Will
Pasadena, Calif.

AGE: 39

EDUCATION
Master’s, Architecture, Illinois Institute of Technology

Bachelor’s, Architecture, University of Pennsylvania

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Became the youngest Practice Leader of Higher Education for the entire Southern California region at Perkins&Will at age 35, growing revenue nearly four-fold in her first two years with the firm

Won and led delivery of the $105 million Snyder Hall Replacement Building at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, the largest higher ed project and largest design-build project in the office’s history

Managed the four million-sf redevelopment master plan and bridging documents for the $2 billion All-India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi while at AECOM, coordinating an internal team spanning 35 people across seven time zones

Founded the Design by Diversity (DxD) Committee and its Block Party event for Architecture for Communities Los Angeles, which in its fifth year raises $30,000+ annually, engages 200+ organizations, and supports 800+ students

Led AIA Pasadena & Foothill Chapter’s Eaton Fire response as Wildfire Response Lead, creating the “Ask an Architect” outreach initiative and mobilizing 200+ volunteer architects to reach 400+ community members

EXTRACURRICULAR
Currently serves as President of the AIA Pasadena & Foothill Chapter, after previously serving as Vice President and Director of Programs, where she helped grow the chapter from base accreditation requirements to nearly 30 annual events

Founded and led a new ACE Mentor team with an all-female mentor lineup for LAUSD’s all-girls GALA School, developing the curriculum and structure for its first year

Speaks and publishes widely on higher education design, with recent presentations at the AIA Women’s Leadership Summit, Tradeline Conference, and Society for College and University Planners, and writing featured in Building Design+Construction and Lab Design News

OFF THE CLOCK
Has moved 17 times across six states and 11 cities in her life—but says California and Pasadena are by far her favorite

A devoted foodie who has visited eight of LA’s 22 Michelin-starred restaurants with her husband Anthony, and loves cooking at home for her two-year-old son, a fellow “budding foodie” who recently helped her bake zucchini bread

Enjoys traveling internationally for food experiences, having sampled standout restaurants in London, Paris, Florence, Hong Kong, and Thailand

SECRET LIFE
Her family is descended from Miles Standish, who arrived on the Mayflower—though she says even more meaningful is that her grandfather was a Navy man who fought and survived on D-Day, a legacy she and her siblings honored by taking their father to visit the beaches of Normandy last year

WHAT IS THE BEST CAREER OR BUSINESS ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
“My dad, Jim Butler, has a saying: ‘You make your own luck.’ My dad would say that luck finds you after you have invested your time and energy, and you are repaid for that effort.”

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR SINGLE BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR?
“Winning the $105 million Snyder Hall Replacement Building at the University of Hawaii at Manoa was a huge achievement for me and the Perkins&Will Los Angeles team. As the largest higher ed project we have won from this office, and also the largest design-build our SoCal region has undertaken, it represents a significant advancement for us all.”

Stephen Parker, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, NOMA
Mental+Behavioral Health Design Leader
SAGE
Arlington, Va.

AGE: 37

EDUCATION
Master’s, Architecture, University of Maryland – College Park

Bachelor’s, Architecture, Clemson University

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Built a global Mental+Behavioral Health practice at his previous firm spanning more than 65 projects valued in the billions across multiple continents, from the Arctic to Australasia

Co-authored the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Inpatient Mental Health Design Guide, researching psychiatric facilities worldwide, and publishing 500+ pages of design and planning best practices to establish evidence-based design standards for mental health

Served as Behavioral Health Planner on landmark projects, including the 2.8-million-sf Peter Gilgan Mississauga Hospital (Canada’s largest new hospital), Cleveland Clinic’s new $1 billion dollar Neurological Institute, and the 420-bed Southeast Psychiatric Treatment Center

Helped develop crisis design standards for a national behavioral health provider and was lead consultant planning a crisis center network from scratch worth over $1.5 billion

Has published peer-reviewed design research for behavioral design and sensory-enabled architecture (SEA), including the ZenDen, a nationwide pop-up sensory experience and a FastCo Innovation by Design Award Honoree

EXTRACURRICULAR
Practitioner and instructor with the Trauma-Informed Design Society and founding member of the Design in Mental Health Network - North America; also involved with the Intention Spaces Initiative at Johns Hopkins University’s Arts & Minds Lab

Volunteered with AEC Cares since 2017, designing and building shelters and behavioral services for underserved communities by leveraging trauma-informed design and neuroinclusive research in cities coast to coast

Volunteered as a medical planner in Kenya and India, helping design hospitals providing free or subsidized care for underserved populations at Tenwek Hospital and Adilabad Community Hospital

OFF THE CLOCK
Is building a three-generation home with his wife Carrie and young son Jack, learning to excavate with a skid steer and build gabion walls himself—hoping to accommodate his aging father-in-law, who has muscular dystrophy, in a home designed around universal accessibility

Created the “DrawnOut!” Mental Health Sketch Workshop series, presented from Honolulu to Manchester, using sketching to defy stigma around mental illness through design

Has color-deficient vision, which he says gave him a strained relationship with color theory and after being taken off ADD medications in grade school, became an honors student

SECRET LIFE
Before his father was diagnosed with several geropsychiatric conditions that changed his personality, he was a remarkably generous man—once handing the keys to his own car to four stranded strangers on the side of the road so they wouldn’t miss their beach vacation; his father was admitted to care the same week Stephen’s son Jack was born, and Stephen hopes to pass down these stories so Jack can know the kind of man his grandfather was

WHAT IS THE BEST CAREER OR BUSINESS ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
“While working on the Aqqusariaq Nunavut Recovery Centre, I was reminded time and again that projects run at the speed of trust. Trust must be given to be received. It takes an act of faith in others and an aspirational outlook that together, we can accomplish something greater than ourselves.”

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR SINGLE BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR?
“Since 2021, building a global Mental+Behavioral Health practice across my previous firm, with over 65 projects valued in the billions across multiple continents. The scale of impact has been humbling. By advancing evidence-based design with empathy and dignity-driven design, I’ve seen spaces transformed to be more neuroinclusive and trauma-informed.”

Emir A. Pekdemir, ASHRAE BEMP
Associate
Atelier Ten
Brooklyn, N.Y.

AGE: 39

EDUCATION
Master’s, Civil Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology

Bachelor’s, Architecture, Istanbul Technical University

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Advanced from Building Energy Analyst Intern in 2011 to Assistant Vice President at WSP USA by 2021, now serving as Associate and National Energy Analysis practice co-leader at Atelier Ten

Founded and led Buro Happold’s National Façade Analytics practice and served as National Sustainable Design Analytics practice leader at WSP USA, bridging architectural design, building physics, and mechanical systems through advanced energy modeling

Delivered what he calls one of the world’s most sophisticated building energy models on his very first project, The Tower at the PNC Plaza, building a foundation of technical resilience early in his career

Serves as a voting member of ASHRAE’s Standing Standard Project Committee 209 on Building Performance Simulation Process and a non-voting member of Guideline Project Committee 49 on integrating future weather data into built environment analysis

Won 1st Place with “The Carbon Lighters” at the 2023 ASHRAE LowDown Showdown Competition, after winning the Fan Favorite award in 2020 with the same team

EXTRACURRICULAR
Holds a concurrent faculty appointment at Columbia University. Previously taught at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (lecturer across five courses), Parsons School of Design, and Pratt Institute, teaching environmental systems and building integration

Co-founded Chicago Computation, a community group advancing computational design in the built environment, and previously served on the Board of Directors for IBPSA-USA’s New York and Chicago chapters

Guest lectures widely at institutions including Columbia University, Cornell, Northeastern, and the University of Houston on daylighting, energy modeling, and sustainable design

OFF THE CLOCK
Worked as an unpaid intern on archaeological excavations across Anatolia and Mesopotamia during his undergraduate summers, drawn in by the thrill of the dig

Stays up late playing massive single-player role-playing video games once his family is asleep, deliberately avoiding anything online or competitive as a way to unwind by exploring distant fictional worlds

SECRET LIFE
When his great-grandfather and his best friend were just eight years old, they stowed away on a boat departing the Black Sea meant for Istanbul—and ended up in New York City instead, where they survived and thrived until returning to their rural hometown years later. Decades on, their grandchildren found a hidden stash of the boys’ old, out-of-circulation U.S. dollars, which they ended up burning for heat

WHAT IS THE BEST CAREER OR BUSINESS ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
“Shortly after I arrived in the U.S. for graduate school, my advisor Dr. Ralph Muehleisen told me, ‘It will be the building scientists who save the world.’ At the time, I didn’t fully grasp what he meant. Today, that heavy truth and the advice behind it are the driving force behind my entire career.”

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR SINGLE BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR?
“Successfully delivering what is arguably the world’s most sophisticated building energy model for my very first project, The Tower at the PNC Plaza. Having to learn everything on the fly to meet that standard built a foundation of resilience that has made every subsequent challenge in my career feel manageable.”

Caitlin Potter, AIA, ACHA, LSSYB
Senior Medical Planner, Vice President
HKS
Heartland, Texas

AGE: 36

EDUCATION
Bachelor’s, Architecture, Mississippi State University

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Served as one of two lead medical planners for the Children’s Health and UT Southwestern Medical Center New Pediatric Campus in Dallas—at 4.9 million sf and 552 beds, the largest greenfield pediatric campus in the country and the largest health project in HKS history

Founded HKS’s Health Designer Training Program in 2022, developing a year-long Healthcare 101 curriculum that has trained 184 professionals over five years

Appointed HKS’s Women and Infants Subject Matter Expert, building a national network connecting research, planning expertise, and client strategy for family-centered environments

Led patient and family engagement for the New Pediatric Campus in Dallas, facilitating over 50 sessions with more than 1,000 participants that generated over 5,000 comments—work that contributed to the project’s 2026 Touchstone Gold Award from the Center for Health Design. This also led to a white paper currently under review by the Health Environments Research & Design (HERD) Journal

Presented NICU rooming model research at international conferences, including the Gravens Conference and Healthcare Design Conference + Expo—currently working on research around NICU Couplet Care models

EXTRACURRICULAR
Founded the HKS TRASHion Show in 2019, a sustainable fashion competition using at least 90% recycled materials that now engages more than 80% of HKS offices worldwide and has driven clothing donation drives exceeding 690 pounds

Helped spearhead HKS’s first Pediatric Summit in 2019, bringing together nationwide pediatric experts and healthcare executives, and is helping organize its second installment with a dedicated “women and infants” integrated workshop

Relaunched the Dallas Health Women’s Weekend in 2024, bringing together more than 50 women across architecture and interiors to build community and support

OFF THE CLOCK
An unapologetic Disney adult who is the go-to friend for planning Disney and Universal Orlando vacations

Personally designs and sews a new TRASHion garment every year—recent creations include a dress made almost entirely from water bottles

Loves CrossFit for the community of people “willing to do hard things and be imperfect and be miserable together,” and once earned a top-three finish in a competition division—out of three competitors

Is a huge Harry Potter fan, which was a small bonus when she married her husband, Bill Potter

SECRET LIFE
Because of time spent on ECMO as an infant, she has no detectable pulse on the right side of her neck—a fact she notes could be useful information in an emergency (check the left side instead)

She claims to be the reason Michael Jordan left baseball, having stood up as a four-year-old at a Birmingham Barons game and shouted “Michael Jordan, you’re no good! Get off the field!”—he returned to basketball the following season

WHAT IS THE BEST CAREER OR BUSINESS ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
“Be a sponge. Early in my career, I felt pressure to choose a path within architecture. Two of my earliest mentors encouraged me to stop worrying about selecting a specialty and instead be a sponge: try a little of everything, learn as much as possible, and trust that the right path would become clear.”

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR SINGLE BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR?
“My greatest professional achievement is helping patients and families meaningfully shape the design of the Moody Children’s Hospital at the Children’s Health and UT Southwestern Medical Center new Dallas pediatric campus. The most meaningful outcome was demonstrating that patient and family engagement can be more than a box to check.”

Vivek Prasad Velayutham Kandasamy
Portfolio Estimating Lead, Datacenter Construction
Microsoft
North Liberty, Iowa

AGE: 34

EDUCATION
Master’s, Civil Engineering, The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Leads cost estimating and long-range forecasting for hyperscale data centers planned globally at Microsoft, influencing multi-billion-dollar capital investment decisions supporting the company’s AI and cloud infrastructure expansion

Led preconstruction efforts on more than 50 large-scale data center projects globally ranging from $40 million to $2+ billion, becoming one of the youngest leaders overseeing Turner Construction’s Special Projects Preconstruction Division in Philadelphia and pushing its revenue beyond $200 million in 2022

Serves as Project Lead for the Data Center Facility workstream within the Open Compute Project (OCP) Foundation, co-authoring a foundational industry guidance document on modular cooling systems now adopted by major industry players

Named to the 2024 Infrastructure Masons IM100 Award (Top 100 Leaders in the Datacenter Industry)

EXTRACURRICULAR
Mentors through the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), the ACP Veteran Mentoring Program, and Formwork Labs, where he advised five construction tech startups on market viability and operations

Serves as a judge for the OCP Global Summit papers, ENR Midwest Construction Awards, and DCD (Datacenter Dynamics) Global Awards

Sits on the Technical Advisory Board for Mission Critical Magazine and contributes to CII’s RT-441 research initiative on mitigating construction rework, delays, and cost overruns

OFF THE CLOCK
A national collegiate table tennis champion in India who has played since age 10, crediting the sport with teaching him resilience, discipline, and how to handle pressure and failure

Started a food blog after moving to the U.S., cooking from his mother’s handwritten recipe book to recreate the taste of home

Enjoys consumer-product design—especially labels, packaging, and pantry organization—and builds Magna-Tile structures and draws with his three-year-old, explaining construction details even though his son doesn’t fully understand them yet

WHAT IS THE BEST CAREER OR BUSINESS ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
“The more you do things that are natural to you the less competition you have. You escape competition through authenticity. This became clearer during a leadership workshop, where a Venn diagram framework connected three things: what you love, what you are good at, and what the market will pay for.”

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR SINGLE BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR?
“I would not tie it to one project, award, or organization. I am most proud of the range of project experiences I have gained across the contractor, lease-provider, and owner sides of the industry. My work with professional organizations has been especially meaningful because it allows me to help shape industry guidance and support the next generation.”

Devanshi Purohit, AICP, Assoc. AIA
Principal, Urban Design
CBT
Boston, Mass.

AGE: 38

EDUCATION
Master’s, Architecture and Urban Design, Columbia University

Bachelor’s, Architecture, M.S. University, Vadodara (India)

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Advanced from Urban Designer to Principal at CBT in nine years, becoming the youngest principal in the 200-person, 56-year-old firm at age 35, and grew the firm’s urban design team from three to 15 people

Led the master planning of roughly 3,000 acres across the U.S. and internationally, including the $2 billion, 27-acre Mary Ellen McCormack redevelopment (New England’s oldest public housing community) and the 161-acre Suffolk Downs master plan, which drew on 466 community conversations over 35 months and one of the most pioneering hydraulic climate models for private development

Contributed to the Living Breakwaters competition entry as part of SCAPE team through the Rebuild by Design competition following Hurricane Sandy

Selected as one of eight under-35 global design leaders for Copenhagen Urban Lab in 2019, developing the “Kool København” urban heat resilience framework now referenced across Northern European municipalities

EXTRACURRICULAR
Serves on the boards of Architecture in Common (formerly the BSA Foundation), and Climate Beacon; Board of Advisors of Boston Harbor Now and Junior Board of Social Capital Initiatives

Leads CBT’s Women in Design initiative, curating the “Women of CBT” exhibits and co-launching “Boston Built By Women,” a crowdsourced map of city spaces designed by women

Advocates alongside grassroots organizations for a more equitable access to city’s waterfront and Public Realm

OFF THE CLOCK
A trained classical Bharatanatyam dancer since childhood, and reflects that there’s more overlap than she once realized between dance and urban design—both built on movement, rhythm, and composition

Loves exploring cities on foot, and since becoming a mother has started keeping a running journal of Boston “from a toddler’s point of view,” noting how welcoming public spaces feel from roughly 30 inches off the ground

Spends weekends with her two-year-old daughter exploring parks, playgrounds, and the Greenway

SECRET LIFE
Her mother was the first woman in their family and neighborhood in Vadodara, India, to earn a PhD, teaching all week and studying all weekend for years—a legacy Devanshi carried forward by becoming the first woman in her family to move overseas for graduate school

WHAT IS THE BEST CAREER OR BUSINESS ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
“‘Your career is bigger than your job.’ I have come to think of this as building community, not building a network. A network can be about who you know. Community is about showing up, contributing, and building something together.”

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR SINGLE BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR?
“My biggest professional achievement has been growing from an architect into an urban design leader while helping build a practice that can shape not just individual buildings, but neighborhoods, public spaces, and the larger systems that make cities work. What I am most proud of is the ability to connect these scales.”

Jarid Scarafiotti
President, Service Division
Cummings Electrical
Fort Worth, Texas

AGE: 37

EDUCATION
Bachelor’s, Mathematics and Finance, Stephen F. Austin State University

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Grew Cummings Electrical’s Service Division from $26 million to $185 million in annual revenue over five years—a 7x increase—while expanding net margin from 16% to a peak of 29% and growing headcount from roughly 130 to 625 employees

Founded and built Cummings’ Business Innovation Solutions (BIS) department from the ground up, creating the Cummings Connect process library and the year-long CIL (Continuous Improvement Leadership) curriculum, both of which remain the company standard today

Built a 15+ year mission-critical client partnership that turned an initial $125 million project into more than $300 million in recurring work since 2008, and grew a near-30-year Southwest Airlines relationship into $100 million+ in revenue and 300+ projects worldwide

Served simultaneously on Cummings’ Operations Leadership Team and Strategy Team while directing BIS, making him one of the youngest leaders at the executive table

Helped lead Cummings’ broader growth from $150 million in annual revenue six years ago toward a projected $1 billion, including launching the company’s Controls and Automation department

EXTRACURRICULAR
Led two major organizational restructures (2022, 2023) to build a scalable Service Leadership Team capable of sustaining high growth, restructuring the division around industry verticals, including Industrial, Healthcare, Mission Critical, and Aviation

Introduced a “fail faster, fall forward” operating philosophy across the division, empowering managers and field leaders to make decisions and own outcomes

Led the company’s transition from paper-based to digital estimating, introducing Bluebeam as Cummings’ first digital estimating platform, adopted company-wide

OFF THE CLOCK
Walked onto Stephen F. Austin’s baseball team and became a starter his freshman year, going on to earn All Conference, All Conference Academic, and Southland Conference Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors—he still holds the school’s all-time RBI record

Spends most of his time outside work with his wife Brittany and daughters Ellie (4) and Gracie (3 months), and enjoys hunting, fishing, golf, and working out

Grew up moving across the country—Colorado, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, and Texas—before settling into college at Stephen F. Austin

SECRET LIFE
Met Cummings Electrical leadership while working as a bar manager and bartender at Bullfrogs Bar & Grill in Nacogdoches, Texas—a chance encounter that led to his recruitment into the company

WHAT IS THE BEST CAREER OR BUSINESS ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
“I had a coach in high school express a motto that I have used in many aspects of life: ‘There are two things that you can always control—your work ethic and your attitude. If you take care of those two things, everything else takes care of itself.’”

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR SINGLE BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR?
“If I had to choose, my favorite achievement would be helping people reach goals they once thought were unobtainable, either personally or as a team.”

Sonam Shah, PE, CEM, PMP
Associate Principal - Energy Strategy, Climate and Sustainability
Introba
Oakland, Calif.

AGE: 39

EDUCATION
Master’s, Sustainable Design, Thomas Jefferson University

Bachelor’s, Civil-Construction Engineering, CEPT University (India)

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Led development of UC Santa Barbara’s Clean Energy Master Plan, a strategy to eliminate 94% of the university’s Scope 1 emissions and deliver $120 million in operational savings through 2070—recognized by an external peer reviewer as the strongest of all nine UC decarbonization plans reviewed by UCOP, directly contributing to secured funding for an all-electric heating plant

Served as Project Manager and Engineering Lead for San José State University’s District Energy Master Plan, supporting the decision to retire the campus’s 40-year-old cogeneration plant and reallocate $43.5 million in deferred maintenance funds toward electrification

Led utilities planning for Georgia Tech’s Comprehensive Campus Plan that received the 2024 SCUP National Merit Award for Excellence in Planning for Existing Campus

In the past three years, contributed to decarbonization strategies touching more than 9,000 buildings and sites nationwide, including 3,000+ logistics facilities and 5,200+ retail sites, with individual engagements alone identifying savings of up to $2.1 million in utilities and 7,025 MTCO₂e in annual emissions

EXTRACURRICULAR
Lead author of the U.S. DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Central Plant Retrofit Assessment Guide for Owners, providing technical guidance to help building owners evaluate central plant retrofit and decarbonization opportunities

Technical Author and Advisor for NYSERDA’s Higher Education Decarbonization Playbook

Serves as an Industry Partner with the UC Berkeley Center for the Built Environment; served on the abstracts selection committee for the Net Zero Conference 2026

Frequent conference speaker; has presented at the ASHRAE Building Decarbonization Conference, Net Zero Conference, SCUP National Conference, and IDEA CampusEnergy

OFF THE CLOCK
Has a reputation among friends and family as a “plant doctor”—people regularly bring her struggling houseplants to nurse back to health, and she spends much of her weekends experimenting with plants in her home garden

A self-described “serial hobby collector” who has gone through phases of swing dancing, ukulele, adult swim lessons, photography, and is currently learning Spanish

Loves exploring new cities, having lived in Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, and the Bay Area over 16 years in the U.S.

SECRET LIFE
Her foundation of leadership is deeply influenced by her mother, a social worker in Ahmedabad, India, who helped establish one of the City’s first LGBTQ support networks in 2004. By developing grassroots leadership, she empowered the group to found an independent nonprofit—a framework that was subsequently scaled nationwide

WHAT IS THE BEST CAREER OR BUSINESS ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
“One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is to trust the depth of my knowledge and expertise, and own my seat at the table. Earlier in my career, especially as a young woman in a male-dominated industry, it was easy to walk into a room and default to the assumption that others in the room know more. Knowing and trusting that my voice and insight belong in these conversations was a game changer.”

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR SINGLE BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR?
“I don’t think my biggest professional achievement has happened yet. So far, though, I’m most proud when something I’ve worked on actually starts to become real—seeing them turn into funding, decisions, and actual projects is incredibly rewarding.”

Krutika Shah, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C, SEED, COA
Architectural Studio Director
Sheladia Associates, Inc.
Rockville, Md.

AGE: 38

EDUCATION
Master’s, Urban Design, Carnegie Mellon University

Bachelor’s, Architecture, Sir JJ College of Architecture, Mumbai (India)

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Leads a 10-member multidisciplinary architecture team at Sheladia Associates, Inc., overseeing the successful delivery of civic and institutional projects throughout the U.S. and internationally, with experience spanning libraries, senior centers, and Multilateral Development Bank (MDB) facilities

Served as Project Manager/Project Architect for the award-winning St. Elizabeths Shelter in Washington, D.C.—a $56 million, 365-bed LEED Gold homeless shelter integrating job training, wellness spaces, and community support, recognized with a 2023 Best in Show & Merit Award from AIA Potomac Valley and Community Leader Award from USGBC NCR

Currently serves as Project Director for a MDB regional campus modernization in Pretoria, South Africa

Led Construction Administration for Sheridan Senior Living, a 118-unit, 102-bed assisted living and memory care community, and managed design for Kenilworth Recreation Center, a LEED Gold historic renovation transforming a building into a multigenerational community hub

Selected for the AIA Young Architects Forum’s 2026 Align Mentorship Cohort, Scholar at 2020 Christopher Kelley Leadership Development Program, and honored as part of AIA Northern Virginia’s “30 Women in 30 Days” initiative in 2024

EXTRACURRICULAR
Serves as Secretary of American Institute of Architect Potomac Valley (2026-present) after serving on its Board of Directors (2024-2025)

Co-founded Wellness Reset, a program combining yoga and design thinking for senior communities, and mentors emerging professionals through AIA DC’s Emerging Architects Committee, AIA International, and USGBC’s Community Mentor Program

Volunteers teaching architecture concepts to elementary school students through Washington Architectural Foundation programs and local elementary schools

OFF THE CLOCK
Runs an Instagram account, @Toddlering_Architect, where she designs and shares sensory, hands-on learning activities for young children built around architecture, math, and art concepts—inspired by activities she created for her own kids

Speaks English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, and basic German, coming from a family where fluidly switching between multiple languages mid-sentence is completely normal

Completed two residential interior design projects—including a 5,000-sf, three-story penthouse in Mumbai—before she’d even finished her Bachelor of Architecture degree

WHAT IS THE BEST CAREER OR BUSINESS ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
“‘Don’t compare your journey to someone else’s.’ As a young architect, it was easy to compare myself to peers and wonder whether I was advancing enough. That advice changed my perspective. Instead of chasing someone else’s definition of success, I focused on creating my own path.”

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR SINGLE BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR?
“My biggest achievement has been having the opportunity to dedicate my career to advancing social equity through design. What makes this my greatest achievement is not any single project, award, or title. It is the cumulative opportunity to align my profession with my values and to use architecture as a tool for equity, inclusion, and community impact.”

Caroline Souza, AIA, LEED GA
Principal
David Baker Architects
Oakland, Calif.

AGE: 39

EDUCATION
Master’s, Architecture, University of Michigan

Bachelor’s, Architecture, University of Idaho

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Advanced from Project Manager to Principal at David Baker Architects by age 33, now serving as Principal in Charge overseeing a project portfolio representing $2.2 million in annual revenue; her buildings account for 527 apartments built in San Francisco, with hundreds more under way statewide

Currently leading three affordable housing projects—including the largest affordable project in the Mission District in two decades, and educator housing for SFUSD teachers—set to house 335 families within the next six months

Delivered 200 units of affordable housing on her first DBA project, Five88, while pioneering a signature corten metal panel and sunshade design that became a recurring thread in the firm’s work; also delivered La Fénix at 1950 Mission’s 157 apartments alongside a childcare center, arts alley, and mural wall, later returning pro bono to design youth arts spaces including a darkroom

Built the operational systems supporting DBA’s growth from one office to four locations over eight years, including the firm’s staffing and project-tracking system, expanded hiring processes, and oversight of communications and business development

Organized hands-on trainings—including a construction drawing scavenger hunt—for nonprofit housing project managers through the Emerging Leaders Peer Network (ELPN) Steering Committee, many of whom now lead development arms shaping hundreds of millions of dollars in housing investment

EXTRACURRICULAR
Serves as Director at Large for AIA San Francisco and sits on award juries for AIA and the American Society of Landscape Architects

Speaks widely on housing design and practice at venues ranging from AIA chapters in Sacramento, Las Vegas, and Kansas City, Mo., to universities including the University of Idaho, California College of the Arts, and IIT

Volunteered every other Friday from 2021 to 2023 at a food kitchen near DBA’s Oakland office, slicing onions and packing lunches for 400 neighbors in need

OFF THE CLOCK
Explores the Bay Area on weekends with her husband and three kids via every form of public transit they can find, conducting detailed “comparative analyses” of Muni trains versus cable cars with her oldest child

An avid reader of science fiction and fantasy who once hit 100 books in a year (closer to one a week these days), and loves Martha Wells’s Murderbot series and T. Kingfisher’s novels

Helped build three houses with Habitat for Humanity in rural Ohio at age 23, in the aftermath of the Great Recession

SECRET LIFE
Her parents are both professional wheat breeders—spending their careers making the staple crop more delicious, nutritious, and resistant to disease, drought, and bad weather, splitting their time between cutting-edge lab science and driving tractors

WHAT IS THE BEST CAREER OR BUSINESS ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
“You become more like the people you spend time with—so don’t optimize for money or prestige. Find people you like and admire, and the rest will follow. My other good advice: Watch out for nail guns.” (She was once accidentally shot in the leg with a nail gun while framing a Habitat for Humanity house.)

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR SINGLE BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR?
“In the next six months, 335 families will move into homes in three affordable housing buildings—the first buildings where I’ve led the team as Principal in Charge. I’m always a little surprised and delighted that ideas we scribbled become actual places.”

James Taylor, PE
Co-Founder, CEO, Principal
ACS Group
Las Vegas, Nev.

AGE: 39

EDUCATION
Master’s, Business Administration, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Master’s, Fire Protection Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Bachelor’s, Civil Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Co-founded ACS Group in April 2020 amid pandemic uncertainty, growing it from a two-person startup in Las Vegas into a firm operating in six cities across five states with 25+ professionals, and with revenue growing from $112,000 in 2020 to nearly $6 million in 2025

Since inception, ACS has served 275 clients across more than 770 projects, including 150 projects in Austin, Texas, in 2025 alone, with 2026 revenue projected to reach $7.5 million

Led the commissioning team for MGM Cotai in Macau, China, and holds Professional Engineer licensure across nine states

Serves as an advisor on complex fire protection projects involving performance-based design and emerging technologies, including hazardous materials analysis and high-piled storage for electric vehicle and lithium-ion battery recycling facilities across multiple states

Past President of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers’ Southern Nevada Chapter, and serves as Membership Chair for Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) Las Vegas

EXTRACURRICULAR
Serves as an Allied Member and regular sponsor of AIA Las Vegas, and supports educational outreach connecting engineering theory to real-world application for students and first responders

Mentors emerging entrepreneurs through EO Las Vegas and supports team members volunteering with the ACE Mentor Program of America, connecting industry professionals with students exploring AEC careers

Sponsors the Las Vegas Rotary Club, which distributes nearly $500,000 annually to Southern Nevada nonprofits supporting Title 1 schools, low-income students, and heart transplant patients

OFF THE CLOCK
An avid trail runner and skier who has completed the Red Rocks Ultra Marathon and the Mammoth Trail Fest, and regularly hikes with fellow entrepreneurs through Founders Hikes in Southern Nevada

Volunteers at Our Lady of Las Vegas School, assisting with student activities and seasonal festivals

SECRET LIFE
Has never received a speeding ticket

WHAT IS THE BEST CAREER OR BUSINESS ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
“Initiative and hard work are superpowers. Taking steps forward, whether on a project or an initiative, are critical. Even if you don’t have all the necessary information, driving progress, then pausing to reassess and pivot if necessary, will make a person stand out in their career.”

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR SINGLE BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR?
“My biggest professional achievement, without question, is founding and growing ACS Group; pulling together this amazing group of people and stewarding the achievements that the company has made has been incredibly fulfilling.”

Matt Toddy, AIA, NCARB
Founder, Principal
Elevation Studio
Columbus, Ohio

AGE: 37

EDUCATION
Master’s and Bachelor’s, Architecture, Ohio State University

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Founded Elevation Studio in 2023, growing it to $1 million in annual revenue and delivering more than 200 projects for over 100 Central Ohio businesses—many of them first-time entrepreneurs—within three years

Elected to serve on the AIA National Board of Directors (2025-2027), where he now chairs the Government Advocacy Committee, helping increase engagement in the 2026 AIA Federal Advocacy Day by 30% and generating 20,000+ Congressional letters

Co-founded the ARCHway Mentorship Program in 2018, building a structured leadership pipeline that has directly impacted more than 70 emerging professionals, 65% of whom now hold AIA leadership roles

Created the Future Forward Grant in 2022, a $10,000 annual award developed with the AIA Young Architects Forum and Large Firm Roundtable that has distributed $50,000 to support innovative architectural practice ideas since inception

Co-created the “I Am An Architect” YouTube series, introducing architecture to broader audiences, drawing more than 2.2 million views since 2013

EXTRACURRICULAR
Served as President of AIA Columbus (2022) and Chair of the AIA Young Architects Forum (2023), expanding YAF representation from 30 to 54 members

Leads an annual fundraiser supporting architecture students at Ohio State’s Knowlton School, raising more than $200,000 since 2014

Mentors high school, community college, and university students, having impacted more than 300 students and served on design juries across all levels of education

OFF THE CLOCK
Has played golf since he was old enough to walk and says if he had a different career, he’d want to design golf courses

Is working with his family to visit all 63 U.S. National Parks, having checked off 11 in a single year so far

WHAT IS THE BEST CAREER OR BUSINESS ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
“The best advice I’ve received is something I learned in kindergarten: Treat others the way you want to be treated. I believe that the way we treat the people we work with and for is just as important as the work we do.”

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR SINGLE BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR?
“I’m really proud of the practice I’ve built over the last three years. We’ve been so fortunate to work with so many incredible clients in our community and across the country. Doing great work for great people, and having fun doing it has been very rewarding.”

Kate Triplett, PE
Civil Engineer, Senior Vice President
Kimley-Horn
Atlanta, Ga.

AGE: 39

EDUCATION
Bachelor’s, Civil Engineering, Clemson University

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Led civil design and project management for Truist Park at The Battery Atlanta, the new home of the Atlanta Braves, delivering the project on an immovable opening-day schedule faster than any MLB park in history—work that earned both state and national ACEC honors (2018)

Played a five-year role as technical expert on Charlotte’s Commonwealth Neighborhood Improvement Project, guiding stormwater and parking upgrades, enhanced pedestrian connectivity, and road upgrades with shared bike/vehicle lanes

Led major mixed-use and infrastructure projects across Atlanta, including the 80-acre Summerhill Mixed-Use Development, Georgia State University’s 200,000-sf Convocation Center, and Terminal South, which won the 2026 CoStar Impact Award for Redevelopment of the Year in Atlanta

Served as office practice leader across multiple Kimley-Horn Georgia offices, managing a team of 30 and helping lead the 100-person Atlanta Development Services group

Served as the Southeast Region board representative on Kimley-Horn’s Women’s Leadership Group, mentoring 30 women through the firm’s two-year professional development program

Founding board member of the Council for Quality Growth’s Emerging Leaders Initiative (2017); now serving on CQG’s Board of Directors

EXTRACURRICULAR
Practice partner for Kimley-Horn’s South Leadership Exploration and Development Program, directly mentoring 20 participants through facilitated sessions and coaching, and teaches internal technical training programs multiple times a year

Served for two years as a biweekly mentor in an after-school Architectural, Construction, and Engineering Mentor Program in Charlotte, guiding 30 high school students through a real-world engineering project; continues similar mentorship in Atlanta with Cristo Rey High School

Serves as a juror for Clemson University’s annual Spring Charrette and has participated multiple times in a similar career-readiness program at Georgia Tech

OFF THE CLOCK
Has traveled to 24 countries and 34 U.S. states, with a personal goal of reaching all 50 states by age 50—trips this year include a South African safari and Oktoberfest

A devoted Peloton member who works out most days in her home garage gym, and has taken live classes at the Peloton studio in New York

Volunteers regularly with the Atlanta Community Food Bank and, when in Charlotte, with Bethel Men’s Shelter preparing and serving meals

SECRET LIFE
Considers herself accident-prone—she broke her femur at a roller-skating birthday party in second grade and spent five weeks in the hospital relearning to walk (becoming excellent at Nintendo in the process), and more recently crashed her bike in the Galapagos Islands and needed stitches and X-rays at a local hospital

WHAT IS THE BEST CAREER OR BUSINESS ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
“The best advice I’ve received is to say yes before you feel truly ready and be willing to put in the hard work to figure out how to make it successful. I didn’t always feel ready for the roles or tasks that I took on, but each time I figured something new out I gained the confidence to take on the next new or difficult challenge.”

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR SINGLE BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR?
“After relocating to Atlanta, I had the opportunity to lead services for the site civil portion of the development of Truist Park and the Battery. It was a project that pushed me out of my comfort zone and what I thought I was capable of. I became much more confident in who I was as an engineer, who I was as a consultant, and the types of projects that I could excel at.”

Chris Zoeller
Superintendent
Flintco
Austin, Texas

AGE: 36

EDUCATION
Bachelor’s, Environmental Design, Texas A&M University

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Advanced from Project Engineer to Assistant Superintendent to Superintendent in roughly four years since joining Flintco in 2019; now serving as Senior Superintendent on the anchor-scale University of Texas MER project in Austin—a multi-year, $164 million lab-to-clean-room conversion

Progressed from Lean Boot Camp participant to certified Lean Mentor within four years; now overseeing Lean coaches across the Austin office and co-leading a company-wide Lean practices overhaul launching in 2027 as a member of Flintco’s corporate Lean Steering Committee

Helped grow Flintco 4 LIFE’s Austin safety committee from eight to 15 members and created two safety recognition initiatives now standard across the office—a QR-code trade partner recognition system and the “Treasure Box” on-site rewards program

Led a project team that accelerated a construction schedule by four months, helping a client secure a major grant deadline while completing the accelerated work with zero jobsite injuries

Served seven years of active-duty Army service as an Engineer Officer, including a combat deployment to Afghanistan conducting IED-clearing route-clearance operations, before joining Flintco through the Hiring Our Heroes Fellowship Program

EXTRACURRICULAR
Participating in Flintco’s pilot Cornell University leadership certificate initiative, an eight-course program completed outside normal work hours, and scheduled to join Flintco’s Pillars leadership program next year

Leads quarterly supervisory safety training and monthly trade-partner stand-downs as part of his role with Flintco 4 LIFE

Served as a Company Commander in the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets and was selected as a Ross Volunteer, the official honor guard for the Governor of Texas

OFF THE CLOCK
GC’d his own custom home on 10 acres in Central Texas during Covid, managing subcontractors and self-performing all finish work while his kids learned alongside him—all while working full-time as a Project Engineer

Coaches Salado youth baseball and helps his sons show Beefmaster cattle through the Texas 4-H circuit, including the Houston Rodeo and Fort Worth Stock Show

Enjoys woodworking and is a devoted Texas A&M sports fan

SECRET LIFE
Comes from a family with a military lineage dating back to the Civil War; his grandfather, the only other officer in the family, was stationed at Fort Hood and lived down the road from Elvis Presley during Elvis’s own time there

WHAT IS THE BEST CAREER OR BUSINESS ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
“Be humble. You will never know everything in this industry, and there is always more than one way to get something done. I’ve learned that you don’t have to be the smartest person in the room, you just need to be willing to learn from everyone in it.”

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR SINGLE BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR?
“I don’t view my biggest professional achievement as an individual accomplishment. The achievement I’m most proud of was being part of a team that successfully accelerated a project schedule by four months. The biggest accomplishments in construction are rarely accomplished by one person.”