The Thea Catalyst Award

WHAT IS YOUR PROUDEST CAREER MOMENT?​
My proudest career moment is receiving fellowship from both the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). My career has been dedicated to creating innovative design that foster ecological well-being — being inducted into the AIA Council of Fellows and receiving USGBC’s LEED Fellowship are recognitions of my lifelong commitment.​

WHAT IS A FUN FACT ABOUT YOU? 
I’ve been promoting sustainability in the built environment since I was a teenager. In the late 1970s, before the term “sustainability” was even part of the common lexicon, I was building solar houses to put myself through graduate architecture school. In fact, I was late to my own wedding rehearsal because I was waiting for a concrete truck at one of those houses. There were no cell phones back then—I couldn’t let anybody know! I’m still married to that patient woman, by the way.  I live on a sustainable ranch in the foothills south of Denver. Previously a dairy and cattle operation, I’ve been working to restore the land and it’s ecosystems for the past three decades. As part of this restoration, I use cattle to emulate the beneficial impact of the bison who once roamed the land, goats for weed control, and free-range chickens that live in a passive solar coop.​

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART ABOUT YOUR JOB?
Engaging our clients and understanding the problems they are trying to solve is the most rewarding part of my job. Our clients and their passion for their missions inspire me.