Jason R. Shepard is the CEO and Director of Multifamily Housing for Dwell Design Studio, an award-winning architecture firm with offices in Atlanta, Dallas, DC, Orlando, and Salt Lake City. He received his Bachelor's in Architecture from Kansas State University and is a registered architect in the states of Georgia, Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, and Tennessee. He is a member of the American Institute of Architects, National Multi-Housing Council, International Code Council, and is a LEED-certified professional. Mr. Shepard has spent the last 23 years establishing himself as an expert and leader in the Multifamily industry and has been involved with low, mid, and high-density residential, multifamily projects throughout the United States. His experience includes Student Housing, Garden Apartments, Affordable Housing, Middensity Urban Infill, High-density Highrise, Mixed-Use, Office, Hospitality, and Retail projects.

Gordon has built a distinguished career, working nationally and internationally on a broad range of building types including commercial, civic, transportation and mixed use developments since 1973. He’s always been deeply interested in the interdisciplinary connections that structure, technology, environmental concerns and transparency play in next-generation architectural thought – and it’s these values and ideas that continue to influence his work here.

Prior to joining Portman in 2007, Gordon worked at Murphy/Jahn for 23 years as a Senior Vice President/Principal Architect, leading some of the firm’s most recognized projects. This included worldwide projects such as Charlemagne in Brussels, Belgium, the Serono Corporate Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, Bishopgate Town in London, England and HALO Corporate Headquarters in Niles, Illinois. In addition to his career at Murphy/Jahn, Gordon’s worked at the firms Kahler Slater Engberg in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Larson and Darby in Rockford, Illinois.

Gordon’s wide-ranging experience also extends to academia, having taught for the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee and the Illinois Institute of Technology. He’s also played a prominent role in numerous design reviews and juries at several universities.

Scott Jones is a founding partner. His love of architecture and landscape led to the profession of landscape architecture at a youthful age. Scott’s employment includes several years at leading multi-disciplined architectural firms where he excelled in master planning. Scott had a yearning to create unique and transformative spaces for people, not the buildings and vehicles, so he start his own firm. With vigor, he worked as hard and as long as necessary to benefit his client. A timesheet was not necessary. Today, Scott continues to provide design, construction administration, office management, vision for the future and business development. He devotes his time to teaching young people in his field and has served as the President of the Georgia Chapter of American Society of Landscape Architects. He is a Board member of the Chastain Park Conservancy and is a volunteer member of NPU-A. Scott enjoys golf, gardening, travel, motorcycle riding and painting. He is married with two grown children.

As Managing Director of the IA Atlanta office, Jodi is focused on the overall client experience ensuring that the appropriate resources and team are aligned for creativity, innovation, and growth within the community. With a heightened level of communication always, Jodi is passionate about connections focusing on a strong relationship with her team and throughout the Atlanta market. She and her team of talented design professionals focus on workplace environments for many verticals of design. Since joining the firm in September 2018, Jodi has added value in establishing streamlined processes and connectivity. Some notable client relationships are Georgia Department of Revenue, Salesforce, Bank of America, and many commercial real estate firms like CBRE, Banyan Street Capital, Childress Klein and Hines.

An active CREW Atlanta since 2007, Jodi is serving as President for the chapter for an extended term until June 2021. She is an alumni of the Leadership program, Class of 2008 and received the Shining Light recognition in 2014. She graduated from the inaugural class, Inspire Atlanta, with The Atlanta Women's Foundation in September 2018. She also holds a Director position on the board for ACBR for 2020 as well. Her goals continue to be fueled by inspiring others to think beyond initial solutions in both personal and professional arenas.

Tory is Co-Managing Director of the Gensler Atlanta office where she leads client relationships, staff development, business development, and office operations. Tory’s success as a director stems from her ability to connect with and inspire people, resulting in positive change for organizations and communities. With over 30 years of experience, she brings a vast background and industry knowledge to all phases of design and has overseen projects and teams for clients including The Coca Cola Company, SunTrust, and Baker Donelson. Tory previously led the Workplace studio, which won multiple national and local design awards during her tenure. She was appointed to Senior Associate in 2018 and Co-Managing Director in 2019. Tory is an active member of IIDA Georgia and CREW Atlanta.

Jason is a versatile professional with the ability to collaborate across interdisciplinary teams. Throughout his 20 years of architectural experience, he has excelled in design and coordination of complex renovation projects. He has an eye for technical details and quality control, and passion for creating spaces that inspire by integrating technical, contextual, and sustainable strategies in his designs. He is very adept at successfully managing multiple projects concurrently, including projects for adaptive reuse, aviation, K-12, higher education, library, private development and multifamily residential clients.

Nate Hammond is the President for Hammond Engineering, Inc. Hammond Engineering provides Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, and Fire Protection(MEP) Engineering Design services to the public and private sectors for over 30 years with offices in Fort Lauderdale and Atlanta. Nate Hammond has over 15 years of business operation experience and received his Mechanical Engineering degree from Florida State University. Nate has business development and operational responsibilities for both the South Florida and Atlanta offices.