San Francisco

Dionne Darling has been with The A|N Media Group for over six years. As A|N’s Associate Publisher, she manages A|N’s Texas headquarters and handles accounts in the West, Southwest and Europe territories. Dionne has over 28 years of direct B2B sales, management and business development experience.

An industry leader in sustainable architecture, Brad Jacobson is skilled at synthesizing diverse perspectives to craft technically rigorous, high performance solutions that are energy-efficient, budget-driven, and create exceptional occupant satisfaction. Brad is leading the way in designing carbon neutral projects starting with today’s all-electric, Net Zero energy buildings. He spearheads mixed-use office developments, including the Net Zero Energy and LEED Platinum certified headquarters for The David and Lucile Packard Foundation, which was named a National American Institute of Architects Top Ten Green Building, to higher education projects such as the Teaching & Learning Complex at UC Davis, a Net Zero-ready building set to form a new hub for student life.

Walcott oversees marketing, communications, branding, and product management, for YKK AP America’s commercial facades and residential businesses; she also supports communications for Erie Architectural Products group. Walcott brings nearly 20 years of B2B marketing experience with manufacturing companies over a variety of industries. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Syracuse University and earned her M.B.A. at Wichita State University; she also served in the armed forces as a U.S. Air Force officer.

Jeffrey Heller, FAIA is president and founder of Heller Manus Architects. Since itsbeginning in 1984, the firm has established a reputation for influencingarchitecture and urban design in the Bay Area, nationally and internationally.He is a leader in the profession and green movement with some of the firstsustainable architecture and large scale urban planning projects in the US andChina, including the first LEED Gold office towers in the sister cities of SanFrancisco and Shanghai, the first LEED Platinum neighborhood developmentmaster plan, a sustainable/livable master plan for Guangzhou’s North and SouthAxes, a sustainable urban plan proposal for Shanghai’s Yangpu Waterfront, and asustainable urban plan for the city expansion area of Ulanhot, Inner Mongolia. Hiswork in China often now involves high speed rail land use implications.

Bob joined the practice as a principal in 2001 after over a decade of collaboration with the firm. He brings over 40 years of experience designing, planning, and managing highly visible and critically acclaimed architecture and places. Bob’s expertise extends to all facets of the design process, strategic project planning and programming, and overall project leadership and client relations. He has extensive experience in urban planning, architectural, landscape, interior design, and master planning. Over his distinguished career, Bob has led creative collaborations for corporate, entertainment, retail, cultural, commercial, and residential clients. For 7 years he worked for Universal Studios as Creative Director and as Vice President of Design and Planning. For 12 years prior, he worked for Frank O. Gehry Associates, where as a Principal, he oversaw many of Frank Gehry’s award-winning projects like the Temporary Contemporary for MOCA, Loyola Law School, The Retail + Entertainment Center for Euro Disney, The Vitra Design Museum, The American Center in Paris, and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain.

Over the last 14 years Lynne Riesselman has brought a rigorous yet creative design ethic to museums and cultural centers, aquariums, higher education and commercial projects. With recent work including the Kansas City Zoo Aquarium, the Marine Science Institute of Redwood City, and the Presidio Tunnel Tops Crissy Youth Campus, she is keenly focused on creating spaces that engage, inspire, and have a lasting impact on the greater public. Riesselman approaches design with a passion for leveraging the interconnectedness of the natural and built environment. A recent contributor to a resilience panel at the Association of Zoos and Aquariums conference, Riesselman received her Bachelor of Architecture from Carnegie Mellon University.

During his 40-year career, 30 of which has been with Heller Manus, Eric Lundquist has led as a design director, master planner and project leader for extensive key USA and international projects, being responsible for design, coordination and management. He is currently is Principal, CFO, and Executive Director of Heller Manus. Mr. Lundquist has a vision of internationalism, intercultural com- petence, diversity, theory and practice and has demonstrated problem solving, critical thinking and team leadership in eco city planning, sustainable building design, tall building design, building construction and technical solutions. With perseverance and patience, he has implemented professional knowledge to solve various problems in urban construction, using new techniques to analyze the processes of complex projects and respond quickly and accurately in key steps. He has proven to be skilled at communicating with all members of the team to develop a shared vision and foster a high-quality project. He consistently delivers enhancements and solutions that drive customer satisfaction and loyalty. Mr. Lundquist is a California registered professional architect with a master’s degree in architecture from the University of Virginia.

Karen Brandt, AIA, is a Senior Principal at Heintges, a certified WBE. She joined Heintges New York in 2001 and launched the firm’s San Francisco office in 2013. She has spent the last eight years leading and growing the firm’s West Coa­st teams and body of work. Notable projects include 100 Stockton Street, headquarters for Adobe, LinkedIn, and Uber, the MIRA SF tower, the new Whitney Museum of American Art at Gansevoort and the historic renovation of the General Assembly Hall at the United Nations Headquarters, New York. Ms. Brandt holds degrees in architecture from the College of Environmental Design at the University of California, Berkeley and the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Architect Steve Wiesenthal, FAIA, is Studio Gang’s Principal of Campus Environments. Energized by campuses that are devoted to the creation, questioning, and dissemination of knowledge, Steve has gained national recognition as a connector—of people and places, insight, and architecture—in the spirit of community. On his projects, he guides clients and teams in articulating and translating project visions into physical reality. Prior to joining the Studio, Steve worked for more than twenty-five years as a university architect, leading the development and operations of the built environment during periods of significant growth at the University of Chicago, the University of California San Francisco, and the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center. At both UChicago and UCSF, Steve initiated their first campus-wide environmental sustainability programs. Steve was elected 2021-2022 Board of Directors Chair for the Society for College and University Planning (SCUP), and also serves on the boards of the UCSF Design Advisory Committee, and the University of Maryland School of Architecture, Planning & Preservation

David Green is a building enclosure consultant specializing in curtain wall, glazing, and cladding systems. Collaborating with talented architects, Mr. Green designs, details, and oversees the construction of building envelope systems for various building types, including high-rise hotels and residences, museums, retail storefronts, universities, and office buildings. Mr. Green works closely with architects to turn their facade concepts into reality while meeting an ever-increasing array of performance criteria. In addition to consulting on new construction, Mr. Green also works on the recladding of existing buildings and conducts forensic investigations of building envelope failures, such as glass breakage or water leakage.

George Tolosa is a licensed architect with 20+ years of experience, specializing in the design of commercial office and residential high-rise buildings within urban settings and of a highly technical nature. As Associate Principal at Handel Architects in San Francisco, he brings particular experience in the feasibility study, concept design and entitlement of high-density sites, and extensive experience in the design and detailing of complex, performance driven facade systems. Mr. Tolosa’s current work includes 950 Market Street, a new 12-story mixed-use hotel and residential building occupying the majority of a triangular block where San Francisco’s Union Square, Tenderloin and South of Market districts meet. Previous projects include serving as Senior Designer for the 340 Fremont Street Tower in San Francisco, as well as Design Director for the Austin Proper Hotel & Residences. Prior to joining Handel Architects, Mr. Tolosa worked in the San Francisco and London studios of Woods Bagot, where he designed various mixed-use buildings, including 100 Bishopsgate and the Ham Yard Hotel in London, and 405 Bourke Street in Melbourne. Additional past experience includes the design of projects internationally, with towers in China, UAE, UK, Russia and Australia. Mr. Tolosa earned his Bachelor of Architecture from Cal Poly University in San Luis Obispo and his Master in Architecture degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Over the last 20 years, Ivan Chabra has led the design and documentation of a wide range of projects including public and private K-12 schools, libraries, university buildings, museums, restaurants, and urban residential developments. Energized by the specific parameters of each project and informed by an ethic of making, he embraces the complex coordination of disciplines and technical necessities of contemporary construction. Recent projects include the UC San Diego Design & Innovation Building, Golden Gate Park Tennis Center, Marin Country Day School, and Lick Wilmerding High School. Chabra received his Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Studies from the University of Washington and his Master of Architecture from the Parsons School of Design.

James Mendygral (Jim) has more than twenty years of industry experience with a diverse background in building enclosure and structural engineering. His expertise covers a full range of engineering services, including assessments, design and construction administration to assist clients with the successful delivery of their most challenging projects. His recent projects range from contemporary building enclosure design for various Silicon Valley technology companies to the award-winning restoration of PG&E’s historic headquarters in downtown San Francisco, CA. In addition to private consulting, Jim serves as an industry advisor to the Architectural Engineering Department at the Pennsylvania State University.

Lauren DiCenzo graduated from California Polytechnic State University with a B.S. inCivil Engineering. At SGH, she has worked on both historic and contemporary structures.She has experience in a number of building envelope systems, including terrace deckwaterproofing, roofing, exterior cladding, and glazing assemblies. She has consulted witharchitects, contractors, and building owners to deliver technically sound projects thatmaintain the architectural intent of the building envelope.

As Executive Vice President, Director of Innovation and Community Impact, Deborah Boyer leads The Swig Company’s future focused initiatives in key areas including evolving workplace, sustainability, wellness, and community impact, through a comprehensive platform called h3experiences. Prior to taking on her current role, she was responsible for the company’s national portfolio as Director of Asset Management. Her strategic positioning of Swig portfolio assets has been instrumental in placing the company at the forefront of emerging trends in the industry. Deborah’s current board affiliations: SPUR, Global Workspace Association, CRETech, Carbon Lighthouse, Liquid Space, and the Uptown/Downtown Oakland Community Benefit Districts. Additional industry affiliations: Lamda Alpha, ULI, BOMA, CoreNet, WiPT.

Darling is CEO, creative director, and co-founder of The Architect’s Newspaper, celebrating its 20th year. The A|N media company consists of print and digital publications covering architecture and design news, as well as the Facades+ and TECH+ conferences. As A|N’s publisher, Darling won the AIA National Collaboration Award, Grassroots Preservation Award, and ASLA NY’s President’s Award. She began her publishing career as director of print production for The Gap’s European markets. She holds a BS from The University of Texas at Austin.