DFC Leadership Summit
on the
Business of Design
Redefining Leadership for the Future

Bernita Beikmann is a Principal with HKS, Inc, Executive Vice President, and Chief Process Officer. She has served integral roles as a project architect and project manager at HKS for the last 23 years, and a coach and facilitator for integrated project teams. As a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, she works with all departments at HKS to improve internal processes. Ms. Beikmann is currently the Chairman of the Lean Construction Institute Board of Directors.

A recognized global leadership coach and organizational development professional, Blanca has 25+ years of successful experience developing and executing human capital management solutions for companies large and small. Blanca’s tenure with GE Capital and The Tricord Group has won accolades from many C-Level and board of director entities. Her expertise in executive level leadership development has been applied to the A/E/C, pharmaceutical, and banking domains.

Caroline is a proven thinker, collaborator, and leader, who teams effortlessly with architects, planners, urban designers, and civil engineers to both market and implement work. Her experience spans a broad range of projects from planning to built work, with a particular focus on integrated campus contexts. She brings to each project—as well as myriad corporate initiatives—strong critical thinking, a willingness to engage in thoughtful debate, and a commitment to quality.

Caroline provides critical thought and design leadership for Sasaki's campus landscape and planning practice, and is helping to strengthen, restore, and expand Sasaki's national presence as a campus planning and design leader. Caroline leads and champions better integrated technologies in our planning and built design practices from a landscape perspective.

Caroline holds a master of landscape architecture from the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor of arts from Georgetown University.

James P. Cramer is the cofounder and chairman emeritus of the Design Futures Council, a think tank focused on the future of design and the design professions. He is the author of of three books, including Design Plus Enterprise: Seeking a New Reality in Architecture. He is founding editor of DesignIntelligence and former CEO of the American Institute of Architects, Washington DC. He has retired from active practice but spends part of his time writing and teaching. He has just completed a study on the future of small practices and he is writing a new book (with Scott Simpson) under the title, Lessons from the Future, which is a collection of thoughts by leaders reflecting on what they have learned and what they would do differently if they were to start all over again.

Julie Hiromoto is a Principal at HKS and the firmwide Director of Integration, leading integration efforts to bridge silos and connect specialized expertise with the needs of the clients and communities we serve. Her experience managing a diverse portfolio of complex and large-scale projects to boutique installations transforms the built environment through the application of research, systems thinking, and inclusive best practices. She balances business, design excellence and technical expertise while instilling her passion for socially and environmentally responsible design to our next generation of leaders through mentoring. have learned and what they would do differently if they were to start all over again.

Stevi McCoy is Director of Organizational Development at HKS, Inc. With a singular focus on growing talent and maximizing human potential, Stevi leads the firm’s change management, leadership development and strategic communications. She has an MA in Organizational Psychology from Columbia University and has facilitated communication and organizational effectiveness programs for firms large and small.

Maureen McDonough has more than 35 years of experience as a strategic leader on 3 multi-billiondollar capital improvement programs including Boston Harbor Clean-up for MWRA, modernization of Logan Airport for Massport Port and Allston Development for Harvard. As President of MAM Strategic Advisory Group, she brings the owner’s perspective to clients to advance collaboration and improve the project delivery experience. Maureen holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Northeastern University and a Juris Doctorate from Suffolk Law School.

James is Sasaki’s Chief Executive Officer. His portfolio of work spans across all scales and includes urban infill projects, new communities, strategic land development, and regional planning. James also has significant experience planning for colleges and universities.

James enjoys complex, challenging projects in which the process of reaching consensus or seeking public approval is intricate and demanding. His collaborative spirit provides his teams and clients with broader ownership of key issues and of the ideas that will ensure the success of each project. James also has a passion for innovation and is always looking for new ways to use technology to improve the planning process. He is currently using several new technologies in his work including interactive online community engagement tools and modeling software that ties metrics to urban design decisions in real time.

James holds a master of urban planning from the Harvard Graduate School of Design, and a bachelor of science in art and design from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is an active member of the American Planning Association

Glen Morrison is an accomplished Senior Executive with more than 35 years of success across the building materials, construction, and manufacturing industries. Leveraging extensive experience in revenue growth strategy, he is a valuable advisor for an organization seeking guidance in acquisitions or business planning. His broad areas of expertise include diversity and inclusion, leadership development, talent management, culture improvement, international markets, and expansion. Throughout his executive career, Glen has held leadership positions with Tarkett, Alcoa Building & Construction Systems, and Kawneer.

Mary Anne is an urban designer and principal whose multidisciplinary training and experience allow her to work across contexts and scales. Mary Anne's collaborative approach integrates planning, landscape, and architecture. Her philosophy centers on achieving design excellence through a critical understanding of the academic vision and community contexts. In all of her work, Mary Anne places particular emphasis on understanding and building upon the complex interrelationships of institutions and cities.

As an urban design leader at Sasaki, Mary Anne employs her unique perspective to working with universities by creating a seamless translation of institutional missions into strategic and exciting visions that enhance the quality and performance of the physical environment. Further contributing to her work in higher education, Mary Anne teaches as a lecturer in urban design at MIT with a focus on urban resilience in socio-economically and environmentally vulnerable contexts. In the past, she has also held teaching appointments at Syracuse University, Wentworth Institute of Technology, and Cornell University.

Mary Anne holds a master of architecture in urban design from Harvard University, a master of architecture from Cornell University, and a bachelor of architecture from the University of Kentucky.

Tim Rowe is Founder and CEO of Cambridge Innovation Center. He also serves as Chair of MassRobotics, a non-profit dedicated to the advancement of the robotics industry. Mr. Rowe co-founded and served as the inaugural Chair of LabCentral, the world's leading shared laboratory for life sciences, and the Kendall Square Association, the community organization dedicated to strengthening the innovation district surrounding MIT. He previously served as a Lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management, as a Manager with the Boston Consulting Group, as an Analyst the Mitsubishi Research Institute, and as a Venture Partner at New Atlantic Ventures. Tim speaks Spanish and Japanese fluently. Tim holds an MBA from MIT Sloan and a BA from Amherst College.

Ken Sanders has a passion for sustainable design, global practice and the intersection of digital technology and design innovation. He is a Senior Fellow and Executive Board Member of the Design Futures Council.

Ken serves on the Board of Directors of Clarus, the leading designer and manufacturer of writable glassboards. The company's broad range of innovative products are at the center of high-performance collaborative workplaces.

Ken also serves on the Board of Directors of NELSON, an award-winning architecture, interior design, graphic design and brand strategy firm. The firm's network includes more than 1,100 professionals in 25 offices, combining industry experience, service expertise, and geographic reach to deliver projects across the country and around the world.

During his 17-year career at Gensler, as Managing Principal and Board Member, Ken co-led the team responsible for Gensler’s global operations, including finance, legal, talent, technology, research and marketing.

As head of the architecture and interior design practice, Pablo is an award-winning designer who is a leader in Sasaki’s international efforts, with a particular focus on work in Central and South America. His experience encompasses both urban and campus environments. Within an urban context, Pablo has expertise with mixed-use environments and on campuses he focuses on student life and learning environments.

His commissions are characterized by sensitivity to materiality, attentiveness to the relationship between buildings and surrounding landscapes, and making places that respond to their unique culture and context. His approach involves close dialogue with clients, interactive working sessions, and hands-on, collaborative design and production.

Pablo is certified as LEED AP. He holds a diploma of architecture from the Universidad Católica de Cordoba, Argentina, and a master of architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design

Veronica Schreibeis Smith, AIA/NCARB/LEED AP/BBNC, is CEO and Founding Principal of Vera Iconica Architecture. The firm is a global pioneer in Wellness Architecture, the art and science behind designing built environments that enhance human and planetary wellbeing. Projects include Vera Iconica’s Wellness Kitchen™, awarded as 2018’s Top Wellness Trends by the GWI and 2019 KBB Person of the Year. Veronica has practiced architecture on four continents, and continues work, speak, and lead think tanks internationally as Chair of the GWI Wellness Architecture Initiative.