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ROOM, the leading manufacturer of adaptive office solutions, has announced that Brian Walker, former CEO of Herman Miller, has joined the company’s board of directors. “Brian’s 14-year tenure at the helm of Herman Miller will be an invaluable asset to us,” said Brian Chen, co-founder and CEO of ROOM. “We are excited to add Brian’s voice to our board of directors as we chart a new course for how companies can better adapt to the new world of work we enter.”
Walker, who spent 29 years at Herman Miller — 14 years as CEO — joins the ROOM Board of Directors as the needs of the contemporary workplace continue to evolve rapidly, bringing his expertise to serve clients across multiple brand channels. As part of ROOM’s board of directors, Walker plans to use his extensive network to contribute to the brand’s international expansion, help grow its global supply chain, and advise on the development of the executive team. “Ultimately, a great workplace should be a service to the people who work there, and I am very excited about ROOM’s bold strategy to create data-driven, technology-enabled adaptability,” Walker said.
Hook
Adaeze Cadet has joined HOK as the new Director of Design at the Los Angeles studio. Cadet has 16 years of experience in architecture and has worked on projects throughout the West Coast. She joined HOK from a large company in Los Angeles, where she was a director and design director. Her recent projects have included the mixed-use Robertson Lane development in West Hollywood, the West Hollywood Edition Hotel, the Jasper Condominium Tower in San Francisco, and the Two Lincoln Tower condominium in Bellevue, Washington. Before moving to Los Angeles in 2013, Cadet worked in San Francisco and Dallas. She is active in National Organization of Minority Engineers The SoCal class often directs architecture and interior design students. She holds a Masters of Architecture and a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from Prairie View A&M University.
architecture lever
LEVER Architecture has elevated four of the firm’s senior members to Director—Chandra Robinson, AIA, Doug Sheets, Jonathan Hebner, and Sarah Martin—to join Founding President Thomas Robinson, AIA, and Chief Operating Officer Pamela Kislak on the leadership team. Expanded leadership broadens and diversifies the company, expanding the team’s expertise in collaborating with mission-driven organizations and communities to design cultural facilities, affordable housing, academic environments, and campuses for groundbreaking innovators. The LEVER name speaks of design as a tool for positive transformation. The idea of the company is much bigger than one person, and it was always meant to be that way. After 12 years of leading the practice, Robinson said, it has been a pleasure to see the office evolve into a collaborative team that contributes to innovative architecture in venues across Oregon and beyond.
Each manager leads a specific LEVER practice area: Chandra Robinson, AIA, Founding Board Member of the NOMA Portland Chapter, leads civic and community projects; Doug Sheets design excellence at LEVER and lead collaborative teams in the development of each design; Jonathan Hebner, a woodworking design specialist, runs the company’s research and innovation studio; Sarah Martin brings a strategic framework for growth at LEVER due to her work in business development and communications.
Stephen Harris Architects LLP
Stephen Harris Architects recently welcomed Abeer Ahmed (left) and Alejandro Fernandez de Mesa (below) as partners. Ahmed, who has been with the company since 2004, is currently working on a 13,000-square-foot condo in Bridgehampton, New York, and a new residence in Millerton, New York. She received an M.Arch from Yale School of Architecture and an BA from Wellesley College. While Fernandez de Mesa, who has been with the company since 2010, recently completed a 10,000-square-foot home in Sajapunac, New York, as well as several large-scale home renovations in Manhattan. He also received an MA from Yale School of Architecture and a BA from the University of Virginia.
