Just like his collection of distinctive watches, Brent Farmer, AIA, has many faces: architect, principal, leader of the corporate design studio, and business development guru. His more than 30 years of experience culminate to bring resourceful, inspired spaces to a number of corporate clients, including Canon, Markel, Harris Williams, and Williams Mullen, among others. He is passionate about unlocking the potential of underutilized real estate through adaptive reuse and is actively involved in the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, the Virginia Economic Developers Association, and is a member of the VCU School of Business Kornblau Real Estate Circle of Excellence. On any given day, Brent’s pastimes as a pilot, fisher, golfer, hunter, and painter are avenues to getting to know all kinds of people as the firm’s lead business development point of contact.

A principal at Perkins Eastman, Hilary has broad expertise in the design of large-scale mixed-use developments, including a specific focus on waterfront development, transit centers and urban retail complexes across the country. With more than 20 years of experience, she works with a consistent sensitivity to to existing urban contexts and has developed an expertise in creating new public environments that create lasting value for clients in both the private and public sectors. Hilary's work has been featured in numerous national and regional publications as well as architectural publications. For two straight years, she was selected as a Rose Fellow by the Urban Land Institute to assist four cities in solving their complex urban design problems.

George Dove, FAIA received his Bachelor of Architecture degree from Penn State, and his Master’s of Architecture in Urban Design from The Catholic University of America. He has contributed to the field of architecture through his leadership in building a national practice recognized for design excellence, and his service to the profession and community. He began his career with Weihe, Black, Jeffries, now WDG Architecture, in 1971, and he continues to serve as Managing Principal. Under his stewardship, the firm grew from a small office of 15 into an organization of more than 180, with offices in Washington, DC and Dallas, Texas. Mr. Dove has been directly involved in the design and planning of numerous award-winning projects recognized by design industry organizations including The American Institute of Architects. His projects represent a wide range of building types, mostly in urban environments, and he is recognized for his special expertise in planning and urban design. Most recently he has led design teams for several major planning projects around the new Tysons Corner Metro stations including the 7 million SF Spring Hill Station, which was selected as Fairfax County's demonstration project at the future Tysons West Metro Station. In service to the profession and community, Mr. Dove has served as national Board Member and Regional Director of The American Institute of Architects (AIA), President of the Washington Chapter/AIA; President of the Washington Building Congress; and founding Board Member and past President of the Washington Architectural Foundation. Mr. Dove was elected to the prestigious AIA College of Fellows. In 2010, he received the AIA DC Centennial Award, the highest honor the organization may bestow upon an individual member. In addition to Mr. Dove’s responsibilities at WDG, he teaches an undergraduate design studio at The Catholic University School of Architecture, and also is Chair Emeritus of the School's Development Board. He received the Outstanding Achievement Award in Architecture from the CUA's Alumni Association, and was the 2010 recipient of the CUArch's Joseph Miller Alumni Medallion.

As a principal of HCM, Mr. Chris Schein has over 33 years of experience in landscape architecture, urban design and historic preservation. His diverse experience includes campus and educational landscapes, gardens, historic property restorations, parks and plazas, mixed-use, multifamily residential and streetscape projects. Mr. Schein’s work has won numerous design awards from the American Society of Landscape Architects, Pennsylvania Preservation and the District of Columbia Preservation League.

Gabriela is a Principal and Designer. With an architectural background, Gabriela approaches her projects comprehensively with a goal of transforming the public realm into a legible, safe, and engaging environment, no matter the size, scope or budget. She is known for her legacy impact on design in many of the firm’s mixed-use, urban infill, public space, residential and commercial projects. She is a senior lead designer who thinks best with pen in hand, and is responsible for project vision creation and storytelling, concept development and project management. She takes clients through successful project zoning entitlements, works with the design teams and municipal staff to convey the sense of place and the rationale behind the big ideas, guiding the projects from concept through full construction documents.

Mark Anderson is the President of MGAC, which he founded in 1996 to provide independent owner’s representation for complex construction projects. Building off of his earlier career as a general contractor and a consultant to owners, contractors, and engineers, Mark is an acknowledged industry leader and visionary, known for his ability to identify problems and develop innovative solutions for his clients. His specific expertise lies in construction project management, finance, contracts, contracting methodologies, and mitigation of risks surrounding large capital projects for both private industry and government clients. He is actively involved in civic, philanthropic, and charitable organizations and is a former member of the United States Marine Corps Reserves.

Bob Fox is a leader in the architecture and interior design

industry and is well respected for his open-minded and

innovative approach to workplace design.

In 2003, Bob founded FOX Architects, an award-winning

architecture and interior design firm focused on the

commercial office sector. His commitment and drive helped

position the firm in the forefront of workplace building

design and technology. Bob serves as a trusted advisor to

clients ensuring their strategic objectives and executive

expectations are achieved.

Seven years after starting FOX Architects, Bob launched

Work Design Magazine, a digital publishing company

dedicated to exploring the issues, innovations, and ideas

that shape the places we work. The magazine connects

workplace practitioners from around the world through

weekly content, webinars, and events. Today, readership

has grown internationally to more than 35,000 leaders,

architects, facility managers, dealers, end-users, and

consultants.

Bob possesses more than 30 years of experience, is an active

member of the design community, and speaks regularly at

industry events focused on the future of the workplace.

Yolanda is the Senior Principal and owner of Hickok Cole Architects, a large commercial architecture and interiors firm located in Washington, DC. She has over 25 years of base building and interior design experience in a variety of project types from large-scale, mixed-use developments to small commercial interiors, both around the world and in the region. She is widely recognized for her leadership in the region’s business community and for her work on many award-winning projects in the commercial/corporate, government, and institutional markets.

Prior to joining Hickok Cole Architects as a partner, Ms. Cole was a partner with Arlington-based LyrixDesign, which merged with Hickok’s firm to become Hickok Cole. LyrixDesign was one of the top 25 woman-owned and interior design firms in the region. She began her career with New York-based Kohn Pederson Fox Associates (KPF), where she was a senior designer of large-scale high-rise office buildings. While with KPF, Ms. Cole served as senior designer for the 1.2-million square-foot Chifley Tower in Sydney, Australia, where she lived for two years; and the award-winning Capital Cities/ABC headquarters in New York.

Burt Pinnock’s passion for design has created award-winning work for countless

communities, from historic cities and cultural institutions to forward-thinking companies

and inspiring foundations. With an intuitive sense for contextual design, his work is

rooted in the belief that architecture can provide solutions and change to cultural

challenges. His approachable attitude and friendly smile have opened many doors

as both a speaker and design leader. He currently serves on the Commonwealth of

Virginia Art and Architectural Review Board and is the cofounder of Storefront for

Community Design. For Burt, architecture and design isn’t a job; it’s his personal

contribution to the wellbeing and vitality of our communities—big and small.

Kia Weatherspoon, is a Design Advocate. She founded Determined by Design, a minority + veteran owned business, in 2012 to bring design equity primarily to affordable and supportive housing projects. Her firm’s practice focuses on thoughtful interior design as a standard for all and not a luxury for a few.

Kia leads a creative, social-impact business that has seen six years of continual growth and provoked change in the housing development industry. She speaks nationally on design equity, and has been recognized as one of the Washington Business Journal’s 40 under 40, the Housing Association of Non-Profit Developers (HAND) Emerging Leader of the Year, and Boutique Magazine’s Class of 2017 Up and Coming Designers.

Jack Boarman founded the multi-discipline and award-winning firm, BKV Group, in 1978 and over the last 40+ years has expanded the company to be national student housing leader with over 190 design professionals working on projects throughout the United States. Jack is a Senior Practice Leader of Housing at BKV Group, focusing his work on the development of residential environments that utilize trend-setting ideas with a creative effort that translates client’s vision into a reality. Jack embraces a vision of growth and quality, which he incorporates in each of his designs. Jack is a renowned student housing expert, and speaks frequently at national and regional events and conferences including Interface, NMHC, Bisnow, and more. Recent and notable student housing projects Jack has designed include WaHu Student Apartments and The Marshall, both in Minneapolis, MN; Georgia Heights Apartments in Athens, GA; The Standard at New Brunswick in New Brunswick, NJ; The Standard at Raleigh in Raleigh, NC; and, The Standard at Auburn in Auburn, Alabama.

With over 35 years in the commercial construction industry Ronnie Brouillard has held positions from Superintendent to Project Manager on projects ranging from base building, tenant interior and K-12 public schools. As Director of Business Development at Chesapeake Contracting Group, Ronnie oversees the company’s expansion in various market sectors and geographic areas, with a current emphasis on the Raleigh/Research Triangle region. He is responsible for cultivating new relationships, brand promotion and creating new business opportunities.

Diane Hoskins, FAIA, is one of two Gensler Co-CEOs. As an MIT-trained architect and an MBA from UCLA, Diane's career has spanned architecture, design, real estate, and business. She has broad responsibility in running the firm, which spans over 6,000+ employees networked across 48 offices in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. She is also Chair of Gensler's Board of Directors.

Diane founded Gensler's industry leading Research Institute to spark new innovations, elevate human experience, transform communities, and create a better world through the power of design. Among the Research Institute's most recent groundbreaking IP, Gensler's Experience Index stands out as a first-of-its kind study proving that great design improves experience.

Diane is a sought-after media spokesperson and frequent speaker. She has shared her expertise and research with top media outlets, including The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, Fortune, Financial Times, Bloomberg TV, and many global architecture and design trade publications. She has spoken at many premier conferences, including the Bloomberg Business/CEO Summit and the Economist Human Potential Conference. Diane was named one of the Business Insider's 100 Creators list alongside Co-CEO Andy Cohen.

Monty Hoffman formed Hoffman & Associates in 1993 with a single townhouse conversion and has since then transformed the company into a market leader of real estate development in the Washington, DC, metro area and beyond. With more than 30 years of experience, Monty actively leads the company’s business development and market strategy, as well as the design initiatives for every Hoffman project.

Monty has been recognized in Washington’s SmartCEO’s Future 50 list and the Washington Business Journal’s Power 100. He is a founding board member of the DC Students Construction Trades Foundation, which provides educational and apprenticeship opportunities for District students interested in design, engineering, and construction. He served on the DC Public Schools Engineering Advisory Board and is a current board member of the Federal City Council and Southwest Business Improvement District. Monty graduated from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown with a Bachelor of Science in Civil/Structural Engineering Technology. He is married with three children and lives in Potomac, MD