Born and reared in Compton, Calif., Micah Ali brings a keen grasp of the complex issues facing urban schools. Ali is the longest serving President in the history of the Compton Unified School District, where he helped lead a dramatic turnaround of the district’s educational outcomes as well as help pull it from the brink of state receivership. Ali brings robust experience in land use and development, developing ground-breaking partnerships that have significantly improved student achievement and opportunity. He was foundational to the development of the celebrated Compton High School and will help oversee the development of the upcoming Centennial and Dominguez Hills High School projects.

Erika Ashauer, ALEP, EDAC, is a design researcher whose work draws on cognitive neuroscience, environmental psychology, and educational practice to understand how learning environments shape the human experience. At HCM, she specializes in PK-12 schools, focusing on translating research into actionable design strategies around neuroinclusive design, regulation, and well-being. Her work is driven by the question of how physical environments become active participants in learning, health, and connection and what happens when design intent and lived experience converge.

Chuck Amos has more than 30 years of experience in the EdTech industry and currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of Florida-based The Amos Group. There, he has created a variety of programs serving the education industry, including state-wide implementation of programs, professional development offerings, school networking, technology planning and implementation, and educational budgeting at the local, state and national levels. The Amos Group publishes SchoolBondFinder for education solution providers and SchoolBondNetwork for school district administrators to better network and collaborate with each other on purchasing, best practices and implementations of large capital projects.

Joel Williams joined QKA in 2020 as a Studio Director. He is particularly aware of the impact that educational spaces have on the students and teachers who occupy them, believing that innovative school design can improve the quality of education and foster a positive trajectory for the students. He is personally invested in providing the best design possible to inspire and shape students as they learn and grow into the best version of themselves. He is also passionate about sustainable design and building systems and mechanics. By combining thoughtful integration of recycled and renewable resource strategies with crafted structural solutions, he believes it is possible to create high-performance, sustainable architecture.

David J. Henderson is the Deputy Chief of Operations for Cherry Creek School District, with more than 25 years of experience in K–12 construction and facilities leadership across three Colorado school districts. He has overseen major capital improvement, construction and renovation projects totaling approximately two million square feet, working with district leaders, architects, contractors and community stakeholders to create safe, functional and innovative learning environments. His portfolio includes the Englewood Campus, Colorado’s Finest High School of Choice, the Cherry Creek Innovation Campus and expansion, Traverse Academy, Woodland Elementary School and Phase I of the Cherry Creek High School replacement project.

Justin Sinnott, CCM, serves as Vice President of Corporate Operations at Erickson-Hall. A graduate of the University of California, San Diego, with a Bachelor of Science in Structural Engineering, he joined the firm in 2014 and previously led Erickson-Hall’s Los Angeles and Orange County regions. He has served as Project Executive on many of the firm’s most complex projects and brings extensive experience in project planning, execution and team leadership. Known for his strengths in problem-solving and risk management, Justin helps drive operational efficiency in support of the firm’s strategic goals and client success.

This group presentation will explore the planning, design and delivery of Metropolitan State University of Denver’s student housing initiative, including the university’s first residence hall and a major mass timber project currently under construction on the Auraria Campus.

Ben Diaz

Brings multi-perspective experience as an architectural designer, general contractor, owner-representative and developer, with a background leading residential, mixed-use and institutional projects across multiple markets.

Leone Dick

Serves as deputy chief operating officer and chief of staff to the vice president for administration at MSU Denver, helping lead strategic initiatives, operations and organizational effectiveness across the university.

Macy Huffaker

An architect and associate with SAR+ Architects, Macy specializes in sustainable design and mass timber construction and currently serves as project architect for MSU Denver’s first residence hall.

Martha Nelson

As Director of Planning, Design & Construction at MSU Denver, Martha leads campus planning and capital project delivery and serves as the institutional representative for the university’s first student housing development.

Ryan Marshall

A construction leader with more than 20 years of experience, Ryan brings deep expertise in self-performing mass timber installation and currently serves as Lead Superintendent on Summit House at Metropolitan State University of Denver.

Tracy Richter has more than 25 years of planning experience and has coordinated facility planning and standards development for capital projects of all sizes in 26 states. Drawing on a background in teaching, he brings a valuable user-centered perspective to planning processes and capital improvement programs. His work includes planning for major urban districts in Ohio and contributions to the OFCC Design Manual editing process. Richter’s efforts have helped drive nearly $13 billion in construction for educational organizations nationwide, and he also serves on the School Construction News Editorial Advisory Board.

Guy Grace served as the Director of Security and Emergency Planning for Littleton Public Schools in Denver, Colorado, for more than 30 years. His contributions earned him the 2020 Campus Safety Director of the Year award, along with numerous national and security industry accolades from organizations including the Association of School Business Officials International, Security Technology Executive magazine, Security magazine, the American Red Cross, the Security Industry Association and NSCA.

Grace currently serves as the K-12 National Security Program Manager for ASSA ABLOY. He is a regular speaker at school safety conferences and a commentator for trade magazines and media outlets. Drawing on hands-on experience in school safety technology, emergency response and operational processes, he provides practical insight into deploying life-safety technology in K-12 schools. He also serves in several advisory roles, including chairing the Advisory Council for the Partner Alliance for Safer Schools.

Pat Tackney is an architectural and life-safety glazing systems specialist with experience in security glazing systems, ballistic glazing systems, fire-rated framing systems and advanced integrated security applications with multiple code needs. Currently serving as a Security & Architectural Sales Consultant at McGrory Glass Systems, Pat collaborates with architects, designers and project managers to deliver high-performance glazing solutions tailored to safety and security for educational, commercial and institutional environments. In his spare time, Pat’s goal is to visit every National Park in the U.S.