FENTRESS ARCHITECTS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Aviation Chairman
Agatha is people-centric. She advances strategic vision by cultivating an environment of continuous learning and building high-performing teams-all to serve the firm's ultimate goal: client delight. Fentress has made notable strides under her leadership.
She brings 27 years of experience developing international business with powerful global companies, such as VISA and Hewlett-Packard. Leading with her heart, she brings limitless energy, a nurturing spirit and contagious laughter to the workplace, encouraging collaborative decision-making and exceptional performance to achieve ever-higher goals for Fentress Architects.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
Al Roberts brings over 30 years of professional experience to his role at Fentress. His extensive training in construction documentation quickly established him as a leader in the firm.
Al earned extensive project management experience on large, high-profile civic, courts, aviation, and research facilities. He is adept at working in a full range of production and delivery methods, and closely collaborates with contractors to achieve project goals and the highest quality of design.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Manager of Interior Design
Brent Otsuka is skilled at conceptually designing interior spaces and executing innovative design concepts. His design approach curates an experience for the user. It also tells a story throughout the interior, and unites with the building exterior architecture.
Whether Brent is designing a commercial tenant fit-out or a convention center, he engages with the client and stakeholders. His designs always emulate the concept vision and come alive through a variety of materials, technology, lighting, and furniture. He has an aptitude for use of color, form, texture, and patterns. Brent creates harmony among all the materials, which further reinforces the design story.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Principal
Corey Ochsner brings over 15 years of experience to the projects on which he contributes. His approach to architecture is influenced by his love for the outdoors. It is also influenced by his passion for how built structure impacts the environment around us. He immerses himself in each project. In doing so, he creates inspiring architecture for users as well as those experiencing the building from afar.
Corey strives to personally connect with each client and is adept at translating client goals into successfully built structures. He has a natural ability to build rapport with extended design and construction teams. This allows him to efficiently manage all phases of large scale, complex design projects.
Corey has extensive experience with projects featuring a high level of detail combined with unique building forms and systems. He is also adept at:
addressing key programmatic requirements,
coordinating large teams of supporting consultants and shareholders,
guiding the regulatory and approval processes, and
the full range of project production and building construction processes.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Principal in Charge of Design
- Principals
Curtis Fentress, FAIA, RIBA was born to a sharecropping family living on a tobacco farm "between two wide spots in the road - Summerfield and Oakridge" in North Carolina. In high school, he immediately gravitated to drafting and engineering, and hard work enabled him to attend the School of Architecture at North Carolina State, where he graduated with honors with a Bachelor of Architecture degree.
After leaving a position with I.M. Pei, Fentress pursued his fascination with large-scale public projects and strove to make civic buildings more humanistic. Fentress came to Denver in the late 1970s for the New York-based firm Kohn Pedersen Fox to design the Rocky Mountain headquarters of Amoco. Drawn by Colorado's beauty, Fentress founded his own firm in 1980 and later was awarded the opportunity to design Denver International Airport. His iconic peaked-roof design - voted "Best Airport in North America" and fourth "Favorite American Architecture" - propelled him into the international realm.
Fentress designed the Incheon International Airport in South Korea, voted the "World's Best Airport by Skytrax's World Airport Awards in 2009 based on comments from almost 9 million airline passengers in 2008-2009. Incheon also has been voted World's Best Airport four consecutive years by 200,000 world travelers polled by Airports Council International. He is also known for the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Greater Washington, D.C., which has won 20 awards for innovation and excellence since its opening just over two years ago.
Fentress is known for his "Patient Search," a meticulous discovery process that he and his design team follow.
Some architects have a preconceived notion of what a building should be - they design from the outside like the building is a piece of sculpture. I prefer to patiently search through extensive discovery until I find a seam somewhere, crack it open and discover the art inside. - Curtis Worth Fentress, FAIA
Curtis Fentress is elevated to a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and a monograph of his work is published by l'Arcaedizioni.
Curtis Fentress is awarded National AIA Thomas Jefferson Award in recognition of contributions to public architecture.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Fentress' Director of Sustainability
Since joining Fentress Architects in 1996, Deborah has focused on civic and cultural projects. Increasingly aware of the impact these buildings have on the environment and the community, she led the effort to solidify the firm's sustainability approach. Deborah collaborates with the various project teams to integrate sustainable design into each project and ensures there is alignment with the project's vision, objectives, and institutional mission.
As Fentress' Director of Sustainability, Deborah has managed over 7,000,000 sq. ft. of LEED projects. She is a member of the Alliance of American Museums (AAM) Environment and Climate Network; the US Green Building Council's working group for LEED for Airports; and AIA Denver's steering committee for its Resiliency Knowledge Community.
To help an idea take form; and then to experience it as actual spaces, to touch the building…for me, that is the best reason to practice architecture. - Deborah Tan Lucking, FAIA
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
Jack Cook's portfolio of work spans 30 years and includes airport terminals and concourse buildings, research facilities, corporate headquarters and office buildings. His expertise includes design, contracting, construction management and fast-track project schedules. Jack's peers routinely recognize him for excellence in design implementation, as well as a hands-on approach to construction administration. His project management skills have been earned on aggressive, fast-track schedules for large and complex served by multi-disciplinary teams.
Jack prides himself on the number of new architects he has mentored over the course of his career. As a core value of his senior leadership, it has enabled him to build many valued and long-lasting relationships.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
Job Titles:
- Director of Marketing
- Member of the Leadership Team
He is also the driving force behind the Fentress Global Challenge, a design competition for students that has attracted over 5,000 registrations from participants in more than 160 countries.
In addition to his marketing leadership at Fentress Architects, Julian teamed up with Curtis Fentress and Michael McCoy to significantly contribute to the creation of the Place Airport Seating System for Arconas. This innovative seating system is now prominently featured in airports across the globe.
Julian is also the visionary behind Julian Designs, a company specializing in the creation of modern furniture designs. Julian earned a Master of Science in Marketing from the University of Denver Daniels College of Business.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Director of Business Development
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Associate AIA Director of Business Development
As Director of Business Development, Karen has supported and led business development activities for more than three decades. She gravitated toward client development with ease early in her career. She continues to demonstrate talent for cultivating strategic alliances to build winning teams.
Her collaborative and team-oriented style has brought remarkable success for the firm. She was instrumental in securing large complex public projects including:
Incheon International Airport,
Ralph L. Carr Colorado Judicial Center,
Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport, and
National Museum of the Marines Corps.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Registered Architect
Kimberly Mahnken has over 25 years of experience in leading multi-disciplinary teams through all phases of design. Kimberly's focus is on the technical design aspects of a project with the intention of bringing the design concept to reality through the thoughtful selection of materials, systems, and the use of planned, strategic detailing. Her belief is that architecture is about user experience not a drawing.
Kimberly focuses on teaching and mentoring younger staff as well as her peers on construction documentation, quality assurance and control, and the selection and implementation of progressive strategies for the design of healthy, high-performance buildings. Everyone has a role in the development of a project and she believes that the details are the at the heart of a successful project.
Kimberly is a registered architect, is a WELL Accredited Professional with IWBI, and has a Construction Document Technology certification from CSI. She is leading the development and implementation of healthy design standards in the firm.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Principal
Martin's designs for public facilities focus keen attention on the user experience. Over the past 35 years, he has honed a method to successfully marry function and aesthetics in order to deliver meaningful and lasting designs for judicial, civic buildings and commercial projects across the United States.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
Michael has touched the lives of millions of people with his commitment to innovative and sustainable design. His vision and ability help resolve complex design challenges on several signature projects. Michael has an extensive history managing design and ensuring client requirements are incorporated while securing close coordination between design consultants. He has a diverse background in providing the full range of design and planning services for government buildings, financial facilities, corporate headquarters, airports and convention centers.
"My passion for creative problem-solving and a strong work ethic are as strong today as when I was a student." - Micheal O. Winters, FAIA
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Principal, Technical Design Director and a Member
Ned Kirschbaum has been Principal, Technical Design Director and a member of the firm for over 30 years. As the firm's technical expert, Ned is responsible for quality assurance and control, design production, construction document standards, and implementing innovative strategies in the design of high-performance building. He has over three decades of experience, including an extensive background in providing architectural design services internationally. His certifications from CSI include Certified Document Technician (CDT) and Certified Construction Contract Administration (CCCA).
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Principal
Thom Walsh has over 35 years of aviation and airport experience on both U.S. and international facilities. He has completed over 45 airport and aviation projects totaling more than 35 million square feet. In particular, he has extensive project management experience on terminal facilities and excels at managing large, complex public sector projects.
Thom has been the Director of Airports, Principal and member of the firm for the past 20 years. He was instrumental in solidifying the firm's reputation as the leader in airport design.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
Tom Theobald's professional career spans over 25 years. He has a natural ability to communicate with owners and users of complex projects demanding sensitivity and foresight. His background includes comprehensive involvement in total project processes including conceptual, schematic, construction documents and construction administration.
He has built an in-depth knowledge and experience interpreting building codes, including zoning for specialty project types. Additionally, he has overseen a wide range of projects including museums, public buildings, office buildings, commercial and airports.
Job Titles:
- Architect
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Senior Associate and Operations Manager for the Washington DC Office
Toriano Davis is a licensed architect with over 25 years of experience on both private and public projects. He is also a LEED Accredited Professional, a member of the AIA, the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), and is featured in the Great Diverse Designers Library.
Toriano serves as a Senior Associate and Operations Manager for the Washington DC office of Fentress Architects. His expertise includes museum, courthouse, commercial office, retail, multi- and single-family residential projects.