HKS Unveils 2024 Promotions & Appointments
The global design firm elevates six to Partner & Shareholder positions, and 19 to the role of Principal
DALLAS, TEXAS – February 19, 2024 – HKS proudly revealed significant advancements in its leadership and strategic direction during its annual promotions and appointments ceremony. These notable promotions encompass Principal appointments, as well as Partner/Shareholder roles, across HKS offices spanning Austin, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, London, Miami, and Washington DC. Detailed profiles of each distinguished individual promoted are provided below.
AUSTIN:
CHI LEE, PARTNER & SHAREHOLDER: Chi Lee is a Principal and Office Director for HKS Austin. A native of Taiwan, Chi is a trusted advisor and friend to his Austin clients. He hopes to cultivate a team of designers equally as dedicated to the city of Austin as he is. He enjoys helping with Meals on Wheels and hanging with his basketball-playing 14-year-old daughter. Headshot available for download here.
ATLANTA
COLBY DEARMAN, PRINCIPAL: Colby Dearman is a Health Studio Practice Leader at HKS. An Architect and Sr. Medical Planner, he leads the Atlanta Health Studio. He is responsible for work created by the team through design, development and delivery creating outstanding solutions for clients. Colby’s teams have helped HKS win many awards such as the Center for Health Design Touchstone and ASHE Vista awards. Headshot available for download here.
CHICAGO
BERT BOLDIZSAR, PRINCIPAL: Bert Boldizsar is a Senior Project Manager at HKS. As an architect, Bert has a keen eye for the technical complexity inherent in multi-site program implementation. His smart delegation, direct communication and commitment to on-time and on-budget project delivery have earned him the respect of his peers and the trust of his clients. Headshot available for download here.
DALLAS
JAY CADDELL, PARTNER & SHAREHOLDER: Jay Caddell is a Regional Practice Director, Sports & Entertainment and a Principal at HKS. Jay focuses on designing meaningful venues for both competition and entertainment. He provides excellent client service while delivering projects such as the new Los Angeles Stadium and Dickies Arena in Fort Worth. Headshot available for download here.
SIOBHAN FARVARDIN, PARTNER & SHAREHOLDER: Siobhan Farvardin is Global Practice Director, Senior Living, and a Principal at HKS. Her portfolio includes commercial office buildings, student housing, K-12, and senior living. Starting at conceptual design, Siobhan satisfies complex project requirements and maximizes design in senior living spaces. She speaks regularly on the importance of integrating senior housing into mixed-use environments. Headshot available for download here.
JULIE HIROMOTO, PARTNER & SHAREHOLDER: Julie Hiromoto is a Principal and Director of Integration at HKS. Her design, technical and management expertise excels in delivering complex, large-scale projects, including One World Trade Center. She is the Mayor’s appointee to the Dallas Environmental Commission, sits on the International Living Future Institute board, is the ULI Americas Sustainable Development Council Vice Chair or DEI, represented 95,000 AIA members when she testified before Congress in 2020 and also as a delegate to the United Nations Climate Conference, COP 26, in Glasgow, Scotland. She will also represent Architecture 2030 as a virtual delegate at COP28. Headshot available for download here.
JEFF KABAT, PARTNER & SHAREHOLDER: Jeff Kabat is Global Practice Director of Health Interiors and a Principal at HKS. Based in Dallas, Jeff is a trusted advisor for his health clients. With a listen-first approach, his designs are uniquely tailored to the patients, families and staff for whom he is designing. Jeff understands the power of design to demonstrate excellence and reinforce brand. His experience spans numerous health project types and sizes nationally. Headshot available for download here.
PEYTON BOOTH, PRINCIPAL: Peyton’s pursuit as an architect is to create unique and unforgettable experiences. She views the process of achieving this as a conversation and mutual education between architect and client. Peyton specializes in the design of hospitality, commercial office and mixed-use projects in various parts of the world. She is experienced in a wide range of architectural disciplines, including master planning, conceptual design, schematic design and the interface of design development. Headshot available for download here.
ROBERT CASASUS MARTINEZ, PRINCIPAL: Recognizing the powerful impact of design, Robert pushes to build creative solutions to meet the client’s needs. He believes architecture plays an important role in society in the way cities are shaped. A collaborative team member, Robert works to maintain a high quality of design throughout all project phases. As a designer, he assists with directing and coordinating the building design intent from the planning stage, through documentation and into construction administration. With over 14 years of experience, Robert has worked on projects around the world and in a variety of sectors from healthcare to mixed-use to urban design. Headshot available for download here.
AMY GILKEY, PRINCIPAL: As an interior designer, Amy takes pride in the opportunity to create interior environments that have a positive effect on those who experience it. She enthusiastically collaborates with designers, architects and project managers throughout the design and construction process. Amy’s 20 years of experience help create a framework that promotes design excellence and allows the team to develop quality solutions that meet or exceed the client’s vision. Headshot available for download here.
AUBREY HARTMAN, PRINCIPAL: Inspired by the opportunity to promote new ideas and thinking throughout the entirety of the project, Aubrey believes architecture is transformative. Living abroad in Europe offered her the opportunity for gaining valuable life experiences while leading a design team on multiple successful projects.
Aubrey also taught architectural design and architecture history classes for Syracuse University, both in New York as well as in Italy. These experiences influenced her design approach and helped to create well-rounded and thorough design solutions for all her clients. With 12 years of experience in all phases of design, her keen understanding of clients’ needs and her thorough understanding of the entire design process, has earned her accolades for projects across the globe. Headshot available for download here.
ZACK LAMP, PRINCIPAL: Zack Lamp is a Studio Practice Leader for Commercial/Mixed Use at HKS. He is a business development leader in the Hospitality practice for the firm’s central region, developing pursuits and strategies as a seller-doer. In 2019, he was selected for Building Design + Construction’s 40 Under 40. Zack values character, purpose and relationships, and is involved in many volunteer settings. Headshot available for download here.
SHELLEY LOCKE, PRINCIPAL: Shelly Locke is a Senior Manager, Advisory at HKS. With over 20 years of experience, she collaborates with owners, clients and end users to ensure that her team consistently delivers the right advice to make health systems successful. Shelly manages strategic master plans, feasibility and conceptual design studies and clinical planning for health care facilities. Headshot available for download here.
RYAN SCHUTT, PRINCIPAL: Ryan has worked on a variety of project types throughout his 15-year career. As a senior designer, Ryan has been a part of leading numerous projects during the design phases.
His goal in each project that he works on is focused on developing a design that realizes the client’s goals and ensuring they are carried through the entire project process. His vast design experience crosses many disciplines including corporate office, hospitality, multi-family, mixed use, and master planning. Headshot available for download here.
LINDSAY STEVENSON, PRINCIPAL: Lindsay Stevenson is a designer at HKS. She is responsible for assisting in the planning and design of health care projects. As an HKS Health Fellow, Lindsay completed a study on empathy and healthcare architecture that examined the importance of designing to improve the human experience. Headshot available for download here.
NATALIE SMITH, PRINCIPAL: Natalie Smith is a Senior Interior Designer at HKS. Working in the Hospitality sector, she has guided all aspects of a project from concept to construction administration on properties ranging from small boutique hotels to high-end luxury resorts. Her lifelong love of travel helped shape her passion for creating memorable spaces that leave a lasting impression. Headshot available for download here.
LINDEN URQUIETA, PRINCIPAL: Linden’s passion for architecture stems from the opportunity to create spaces for people that will leave a lasting impression in their memory. She collaborates with families, clients, consultants and the project team to deliver a comforting and healing environment that is a haven—and sometimes a home away from home. Linden’s involvement in projects from start to finish is what she enjoys most, watching a concept morph into a physical building. She coordinates tasks with the design team and consultants so that all requirements are met. As a senior project architect, Linden works with the project team to plan and organize spaces within a building, and then focuses on the technical implementation through construction. Headshot available for download here.
HOUSTON
WHITNEY K. FUESSEL, PARTNER & SHAREHOLDER: Whitney K. Fuessel is Studio Practice Leader, Health and a Principal at HKS. Based in Houston, Whitney focuses on the experience of all humans in the built environment. She draws fresh ideas from her team of designers and planners, creating a collaborative, balanced approach. She plays a significant role in Women and Children’s facilities, Research and Citizen HKS. Headshot available for download here.
LONDON
PAUL STRUDWICK, PRINCIPAL: For Paul, the architectural concept that is fundamental in the design of a project should resonate through the language of every detail in the building. He has accumulated substantial experience across a range of sectors, including residential, education and leisure, at all stages of project delivery, from initial design to project completion. Whilst he was responsible for this aspect of the healthcare PFIs, Paul developed a comprehensive understanding of the complex mechanisms involved in delivering any PFI or large-scale healthcare product. Through his experience producing technical information, Paul has developed advanced skills in liaising with main contractors from start to finish of the construction programme. Headshot available for download here.
ALEX THOMAS, PRINCIPAL: Alex Thomas is Regional Design Director, Sports & Entertainment at HKS. With additional experience in hospitality, education, commercial and mixed-use projects, Alex offers a well-rounded approach in the increasingly sophisticated field of sports architecture. Headshot available for download here.
LOS ANGELES
JOSHUA TOOILL, PRINCIPAL: Josh Tooill is an Architect at HKS. As a computational designer he draws inspiration from his background in both architecture and urban design to design professional sports and entertainment venues. Through his work and research while living abroad, he focuses on the integration of the local culture, research and climate into the design process. Headshot available for download here.
MIAMI
MARIA RIOS, PRINCIPAL: Maria’s passion for healthcare design has led her to understand that architecture is an opportunity to create healing environments that promote human wellness. She is determined to help take the project’s vision from inception to construction by meeting project schedules, coordinating consultants and keeping the client’s best interest throughout so that the final product is true to the original vision. With 12 years of experience in all phases of architecture, Maria has focused on understanding client needs through healthcare planning and design. Her responsibilities as a project coordinator and junior medical planner include assisting the design team during coordination at all stages of the project including schematic design, design development, construction documents and construction administration. Headshot available for download here.
WASHINGTON DC
SHANTEE BLAIN, PRINCIPAL: Shantee Blain is Office Director for HKS Washington, D.C. As a project architect and project manager, she strives to bring creative solutions to complex Health projects including MRI suites and renovations. Shantee is passionate about the positive impact design can have on community well-being. Headshot available for download here.
KATE CAMPBELL, PRINCIPAL: Kate Davis Campbell is a Business Development Director at HKS. She develops business strategies across multiple service areas and geographic regions. With experience on the West and East coasts, Kate builds strong relationships with municipalities, developers, consultants, brokerage firms and branding agencies to raise HKS’ profile. Headshot available for download here.
KATE RENNER, PRINCIPAL: Kate Renner is Studio Practice Leader, Health and Design Researcher at HKS. She crafts thoughtful healing spaces worldwide and leads the transformation of HKS’ functional performance evaluation processes. Kate was named a Rising Star by Healthcare Design Magazine and listed among Building Design + Construction magazine’s 40 Under 40 in 2016. Headshot available for download here.
ABOUT HKS
HKS is a global firm of architects, designers, planners and advisors who create places noted for their beauty and performance. Our 1,500 people in 27 offices are united by the belief that an environmental, social and governance approach to design achieves design excellence. In 2023, we became a carbon neutral firm. We value honesty, diversity and inclusion and we celebrate creative thinking. In partnership with our clients and collaborators, we craft powerful ideas and solutions. Together we create places that stand apart. Learn more at hksinc.com.
