McMillan Pazdan Smith has promoted Ben Thompson to Chief Practice Officer and named Michelle Smyth to succeed him as K-12 Practice Leader.
Thompson will oversee architectural quality, strategy and delivery across the firm. He led its K-12 practice for eight years, during which the team helped more than 50 school districts complete nearly 400 projects and secure billions in school improvement funding.
He also helped develop a proprietary tool supporting districts’ facilities planning and capital investment decisions.
“Ben has demonstrated highly successful leadership in delivering thoughtful, high-quality and forward-thinking design outcomes for the clients, campuses and communities we are so appreciative to serve,” McMillan Pazdan Smith CEO Chad Cousins said in a release from the firm.
Smyth takes over a practice with K-12 market leaders and principals in Alabama, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina and South Carolina.
Smyth’s appointment follows her work as a project manager and principal architect focused on K-12 projects in the firm’s Charleston, S.C., office. Her portfolio spans new school and community projects across the Southeast, along with historic renovations in downtown Charleston.
Smyth is a member of the School Construction News Editorial Advisory Board.