Nov 04, 2026

Olson Kundig

Uribe

Meucci

Dennis

Dean

Chambers

The following members of the Olson Kundig team have been promoted to associate: Niamh Chambers, Hanna Dean, Justin Dennis, Joe Meucci and Julian Uribe.

Herrera Environmental Consultants

Johnson

Shanks

Wright

Herrera announced three leadership promotions in its sustainable development practice.

Tyson Wright has been promoted to director of the practice. In his new role, Wright joins Alice Lancaster and Christina Merten as the leader of one of Herrera's three core practice areas, advancing integrated solutions that support sustainable infrastructure, resource management and community resilience.

Mary Shanks was promoted to sustainable development business development director. Bringing a successful history of longstanding client relationships from her concurrent work as associate practice director, in this role she will continue to connect clients with multidisciplinary solutions that address complex environmental and infrastructure challenges.

Kyle Johnson was promoted to sustainable development associate practice director. He will support strategic leadership within the practice while continuing to deliver technical expertise and collaborative project solutions for clients throughout the region.

Together, Wright, Shanks and Johnson bring deep experience in solid waste design and planning, hazardous materials, and mine reclamation, services that comprise Herrera's sustainable development practice.

Systems West Engineers

Kelel

Amber Kelel has been promoted to vice president and chief strategy officer at Systems West Engineers (SWE). She is the first woman to hold the vice president role in the firm's history. In this new role, Kelel will guide the firm's strategic direction, identifying where SWE can grow and how it can best serve its clients and communities in the years ahead.

Kelel joined the firm in 2017 to lead marketing and recruitment. She became an associate in 2020, and in 2022 became an associate principal and joined the board of directors. She led the firm's rebrand and website relaunch, built its internal training and career development programs, and reshaped its recruiting approach.

Kelel graduated University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point with a B.S. in economics and business administration, and Leadership Eugene-Springfield civic program. She has served on the boards of directors of the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce and Willamalane Park Foundation. She co-chaired the Lane Transit District Community Steering Council and has mentored emerging professionals through SMPS Oregon.

Systems West provides MEP engineering, commissioning, and energy services throughout the Pacific Northwest. Kele is based in the Springfield, OR office.

Mayer/Reed

Morishita

Mayer/Reed has promoted Senior Visual Communications Designer Emily Morishita to associate. Morishita joined Mayer/Reed in 2021 as their first Seattle employee, bringing more than 25 years of experience designing and managing public projects.

She applies her strong interest in designing for the public realm to urban and transportation placemaking and wayfinding systems. Her recent work includes the Pacific Science Center in Seattle, the C Concourse Expansion at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and Portland's West End Street Plazas, including Pride Plaza and the Darcelle XV Promenade.

Mayer/Reed, Inc. is a design studio based in Portland, providing landscape architecture, urban design, visual communications and experiential graphics.

Oct 28, 2026

Olson Kundig

McLaughlin

Marshall

Goodner

Fritz

Druse

Savage

Olson Kundig has promoted the following to senior associate: Eric Druse, Alex Fritz, Scott Goodner, Megan Marshall, Kelsey McLaughlin and Chris Savage.

Mackenzie

Filipowicz

Mackenzie has hired Genie Filipowicz as senior laboratory planner to lead a new Laboratory Planning and Design practice.

The practice expands the firm's ability to support clients with specialized lab programming, planning, and design services across a wide range of research, education, healthcare, public safety, and advanced technology environments. Projects range from renovations and facility modernization efforts to new research, teaching, and testing facilities.

With nearly four decades of experience in the lab planning field, Filipowicz has designed laboratories across industry and market types, including private, public, and federal clients. Working closely with scientists, architects, engineers, and faculty, she translates big-picture research goals into highly functional laboratory spaces that support scientific discovery, innovation, and operational excellence.

Filipowicz began her career under the mentorship of Earl Walls, a pioneer of the laboratory planning profession. Her expertise spans the full project lifecycle, from visioning and programming through design and implementation.

Filipowicz's experience will bolster Mackenzie's capabilities in life sciences, physical sciences, healthcare, forensic disciplines, and advanced technology sectors.

Oct 27, 2026

UMC

Giffin

UMC Inc. announced that Jeff Giffin has been named district energy manager. He will focus on helping campuses, healthcare systems, communities, utilities and large facility owners address their most pressing infrastructure challenges.

Giffen has nearly two decades of experience in high-performance building systems, energy efficiency, decarbonization, and sustainable energy infrastructure. He began his career at the University of British Columbia in progressively senior roles, ultimately serving as energy conservation manager and leading major energy efficiency and decarbonization initiatives, including a campus-wide steam-to-hot-water conversion and the development of a bioenergy cogeneration facility.

He went on to serve as a project engineer with Enwave Energy before joining Corix as regional manager for the Pacific Northwest, where he led the development and operation of low-carbon district energy systems, including the Bellingham District Energy Utility.

His relationship with UMC began as a client, working alongside the company on several successful design-build projects over the past five years, an experience that ultimately influenced his decision to join the organization.

One of the most significant projects of Giffin's career was UBC's $88 million steam-to-hot-water conversion project, which replaced a century-old campus steam system with a modern, medium-temperature hot water network.

UMC started in 1920 as a mechanical contracting company in the Pacific Northwest and has grown into a firm that supports every stage of the building lifecycle, from planning and construction to optimization, maintenance, and long-term performance.

Oct 22, 2026

BERK Consulting

Lobel

BERK Consulting has announced that Bryan Lobel has joined the firm as a senior associate.

Lobel is an urban planner with over 17 years of experience. His work spans economic development strategy, industrial land and market analysis, GMA subarea and housing planning, and land capacity analysis. He has a particular focus on information design to support complex analysis and decision making.

Prior to joining BERK, Lobel worked at urban planning firms in multiple cities in California and Philadelphia before returning to the Pacfic Northwest to lead economic strategy for a decade at a local firm.