Dan Maginn

Director

Dake Wells Architecture

Dan Maginn, FAIA, LEED AP

Dan has been practicing in the Kansas City market since 1989, focusing on straightforward, resourceful solutions to innovatively defined problems. Dan is the Civic market leader at Dake Wells Architecture, and in his role as Director of the Kansas City office he leads a wide variety of project types including community, civic, educational, and residential.

Dan’s goal on all projects is to create authentic places for people to gather and connect that are deeply rooted in their site and context. His pursuit of design excellence for his clients has resulted in numerous local, regional, and national AIA awards.

A frequent lecturer on design-related topics, Dan also writes for architectural and design publications, providing an insider’s view of the architectural process to those outside of the profession. In 2018-19, Dan wrote and hosted a podcast for DWELL magazine called RM-3 (Raw Materials 3 Ways) that explores the sources of building materials.

Emily Taylor

Design Team Lead

Hutton

With a wide variety of interests but deeply committed to community, Emily Taylor has crafted her career in architecture leading projects from beginning to end at Hutton Design+Build, an integrated design and construction firm headquartered in her hometown of Wichita, Kansas. Emily’s project work is locally rooted – almost all in the state of Kansas – but spans a vast range of sectors, sizes, and typologies. Her emphasis on conceptual frameworks, clear architectural storytelling, detailed understanding of diverse user groups, and exemplary execution on limited budgets have led her toward a focus on civic projects and non-profit work. Emily also leads Hutton’s company-wide sustainability efforts.

Emily holds a Bachelor of Architecture and a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from Oklahoma State University. She has been recognized with the 2021 AIA Kansas Young Architect Award and a 2024 AIA National Design Excellence Award.

Sean Zaudke

Principal

Multistudio

Sean Zaudke is a connector of ideas, people, and places—an architect whose career reflects a commitment to civic impact, studio culture, and the next generation of design leadership. With over 30 years of experience and nearly 25 of them at Multistudio, Sean has helped shape the firm’s identity while advancing the planning and design of community and cultural institutions across the country.

As a principal, Sean brings clarity and empathy to every stage of design—from the early spark of a concept to the long-view thinking required for institutional growth. He is widely recognized for his role in award-winning civic architecture, including the transformation of the Olathe Indian Creek Library, honored with a national AIA / ALA Library Award. Beyond the buildings themselves, Sean is shaping the systems behind them: mentoring emerging talent, guiding cross-studio collaboration, and helping redefine what practice looks like for a new era.

His approach is rooted in the belief that architecture is a dialogue, not a directive. Whether he’s leading a design sprint, hosting a stakeholder workshop, or advising on city-building strategies, Sean’s strength lies in turning collective insight into lasting form. He’s especially driven by the challenge of helping communities imagine what’s next—and by creating pathways for others to do the same.

Stephen Shatswell

Project Leader

Krueck Sexton Partners

Stephen Shatswell, AIA

Stephen is a designer, thinker, and problem solver with over 12 years of experience in a broad range of project types including civic buildings, mixed-use, multi-family housing, transportation, and hospitality. He approaches each new project with a holistic mindset – understanding that everything from large concepts to small details must work together to realize successful and meaningful architecture. He grounds his decisions in research, tested intuition, and iteration. Most of all, he trusts the process of design in approaching any challenge.

Stephen graduated from the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana with a Bachelor of Science in Architecture, and then continued his education to receive a Master of Architecture from the University of Washington.

On the weekend he can often be found chipping away at the renovation of his 100-year-old Chicago bungalow.

Douglas W. Stockman

Principal/Director of Architecture

Helix Architecture + Design

Douglas W. Stockman, AIA, is a shareholder/principal and Director of Architecture at Helix Architecture + Design, with offices in Kansas City, MO, and Denver, CO. He is a nationally recognized architect with 30- plus years of experience emphasizing mixed-use and multifamily residential development projects throughout the U.S., with a particular focus on urban-core communities. Doug has dedicated a majority of his career to incorporating prefabricated components and modular construction to deliver higher- quality architecture. He has a Bachelor of Architecture Degree from Kansas State University.

Doug’s community involvement includes being Current Chair of the Kansas City Downtown Council Housing Committee; Past Co-Chair of the Greater Downtown Area Planning Implementation Committee; Past Chair of the Kansas City Downtown Council Board of Directors; Past Board Member of Planet Play; and Past Chair of the Kansas City Downtown Council Greenspace Committee.

Ashley McDonald

Managing Director

KC Global Design

Ashley McDonald leads KC Global Design, the architecture, engineering and construction-focused initiative of the Kansas City Area Development Council (KCADC). The collective brings together leading firms in the region to amplify Kansas City’s profile as a global destination for design.

Since joining KCADC in 2022, Ashley has championed Kansas City — a region home to more than 1,200 A/E/C firms — as a destination for top-tier design talent and innovation. Named a NextGen Leader by the Kansas City Business Journal in 2018, she is known for her collaborative approach and ability to unite firms across disciplines. Through business attraction, retention and industry engagement, Ashley works to sharpen Kansas City’s competitive edge and position the region as a world-class design hub.

Ashley McDonald LinkedIn

Bryan Howard

Senior Project Director

Thornton Tomasetti

Bryan is an enclosure consultant and licensed architect with over 16 years of experience in the building profession. He has worked on a variety of projects around the world ranging in scale and complexity. His portfolio includes education projects, multi-family housing, corporate headquarters, sports facilities, and government projects. Bryan has a broad knowledge of curtain walls, rain-screens systems, and low-slope roof design. He brings a focused attention to envelope design to each project, engaging with designers and builders to make ideas a reality.

Peter Broeder

Design Principal

HOK

As the design principal HOK’s Kansas City studio, Peter oversees the design work spanning diverse market types.

Peter’s experience includes civic buildings and complex professional and collegiate sports facilities across the globe. He is adept at guiding clients through the design and construction process and capturing their unique ambitions in the final product.

Sports Business Journal recently named Peter a Power Player for facility design and construction. He is an adjunct studio instructor and lecturer at his alma mater, the University of Kansas.

Adrian Betanzos

Principal

VIA

Adrian is a Materials lover that was born in Tapachula, Chiapas. He is married, has two kids and a dog.

On his free time, he is a Principal at VIA, a facade consulting firm with projects all over the world. He spent the last decade working for Apple in their Sourcing and Innovation teams, transforming the industry through their Apple stores.

He worked at Vitro in Mexico, Permasteelisa and Front Inc, New York.

Adrian holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Universidad Iberoamericana, a European Business diploma from Vaxjo Universitet in Sweden and a master of engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

He’s been a keynote speaker at ZAK NY and London. He has been an adjunct professor and guest lecturer at City University of New York, NYU, Columbia University, Syracuse University, UC Berkeley, California College of the Arts and TUDelft.

Kadim Al-Asady

Principal/Structures

Walter P Moore

Kadim is a seasoned computational designer specializing in sports architecture, with extensive experience delivering both professional and collegiate sports projects from design through to LOD400 completion. Using advanced computational workflows, Kadim collaborates closely with clients to create integrated design and delivery processes that optimize efficiency and coordination across disciplines. His expertise ensures that projects meet the highest standards of detail and precision, from concept development to construction.

With over a decade of experience, Kadim has worked on several high-profile NFL and MLS stadiums, managing projects with construction budgets ranging from $300M to $1.5B. Kadim’s expertise spans accelerated schedules and fast-track design-build delivery methods, ensuring efficiency in large-scale projects. Notable projects include the GEODIS MLS Stadium, Highmark Stadium, and Nissan Stadium, all of which showcase their ability to manage complex, high-budget ventures.

Jace Rossow

Regional Facades Manager

Wells

Jace joined Wells in 2010 in sales and estimating and was promoted to Regional Facades Manager in 2023, where he is responsible for developing, managing, and expanding the client base for Wells Facades building solutions. In his role, he enjoys working with architectural, contracting, and engineering partners to find creative solutions to project challenges, ultimately enhancing the architectural design to create community landmarks.