June 3, 2020 (Baltimore, MD) GWWO’s Board of Directors has promoted Brian Eschman, Kathy Speicher Melluish, and Gretchen Wagner to Senior Associates, and Lauren Park, Courtney Horst, and Lindsay McCook to Associates. As Senior Associates, Brian, Kathy, and Gretchen will assist in managing and directing staff members and will participate in policy discussions and decision-making operations of the firm. As Associates, Lauren, Courtney, and Lindsay will participate in decision-making operations of the firm.
Brian Eschman, AIA is a skilled Project Manager who has built a portfolio of educational and municipal projects, with a significant focus on K-12 public school facilities. Brian joined the firm in 2006 and was promoted to Associate in 2013. Since then, his work has included projects for six Maryland school systems ranging from entirely new schools and major additions to minor renovations. Projects have included the new Northern High School in Calvert County, Belle Grove Elementary School renovation and addition in Anne Arundel County, and the new Severna Park High School in Anne Arundel County. Brian also serves as a team leader within the office and is a member of the office’s Guidelines and Operations Committees. Brian holds both Bachelor and Master of Architecture degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is also a member of the AIA and an involved community member, volunteering with the Hammond High School Boosters as their Summer Camp Organizer.
Kathy Speicher Melluish, AIA, LEED AP is an experienced Project Manager who has a passion for the design of innovative spaces, forms, and environments which sensitively respond to a project’s specific goals, site, program, users, schedule, and budget. She joined the firm in 2011 and was promoted to Associate in 2015. During her tenure at GWWO, Kathy has focused on educational projects at the primary, secondary, and collegiate levels, and has played integral roles on cultural projects at the Smithsonian Institution and Brandywine Zoo. Kathy is chair of the office’s Design Committee which endeavors to support design as it relates to the mission of GWWO through several office-wide initiatives and serves as a design resource and team leader within the office. Outside the office, Kathy completed six years of service on the Board of Directors for Penn State University’s Architecture Alumni Group and is a current member of the Baltimore Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. Kathy holds a Master of Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley and a Bachelor of Architecture, with an Interdisciplinary Minor in Architectural History, from the Pennsylvania State University.
Gretchen Wagner, AIA, LEED AP BD+C is a talented Project Manager who has spent the majority of her career focusing on K-12 school projects ranging from new schools and major additions to minor renovations, working with numerous Maryland public school clients on the design of facilities that are contextually appropriate within their site. Gretchen joined the firm in 2014 and was promoted to Associate in 2017. Since joining the firm, she has managed and seen to fruition the new Crofton High School in Anne Arundel County and Swansfield Elementary School renovation and addition in Howard County, and was heavily involved in the design of the new Northern High School in Calvert County. She is also a member of GWWO’s Design and Sustainability Committees and serves as a firm resource for LEED certification. Gretchen holds a Master of Architecture degree with a focus on historic preservation from the University of Maryland College Park and a Bachelor of Architecture with a minor in landscape architecture from Miami University. She is also a member of the AIA and USGBC Maryland.
Lauren Park, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, WELL AP joined GWWO in 2013 and today serves as a Project Manager and the firm’s Sustainability Specialist. In this role she helps clients and project teams decide which sustainable design strategies and rating systems are the best fit. Lauren is highly knowledgeable of sustainable design techniques, technologies, and the various certification processes. Her early and consistent work with design teams allows for a smooth certification process. Lauren is co-chair of the office’s Sustainability Committee, as well as a member of the office’s Design and Guidelines Committees. In addition, her talents as a Project Manager have benefited GWWO projects large and small, including renovation and new construction projects for K-12, higher education, and cultural clients. Projects include the St. Mary’s College of Maryland new LEED Silver (anticipated) Academic Building & Auditorium, new LEED Gold Wheaton Woods Elementary School in Montgomery County, and the LEED Gold renovation and addition of Towson University’s Burdick Hall Recreation Center. Lauren earned a Bachelor of Science in architecture from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Master of Architecture degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. She is also a member of the AIA and USGBC Maryland.
Courtney Horst, AIA brings strong design, technical, and communication skills to her work at GWWO. In particular, her commitment to quality control and thorough documentation is unwavering. With GWWO since 2015, her experience has included planning and design for higher education and K-12 campuses, as well as cultural and community institutions. Projects include the Community College of Baltimore County’s new Carol Diane Eustis Center for Health Professions at the Essex Campus, the new Arnold Elementary School in Anne Arundel County, and multiple projects for the Smithsonian Institution. She also serves on the firm’s BIM and Guidelines Committees. Courtney holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Virginia Tech University and is a member of the AIA and Construction Owners Association of America (COAA).
Lindsay McCook, AIA, LEED AP BD+C joined GWWO in 2015 and has focused her career on the preservation, restoration, and rehabilitation of historic structures. She has been instrumental in significant projects for the National Park Service and Smithsonian institution, among other clients. Projects have included the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Roof Restoration, Smithsonian Institution Education Space Study, and the new National World War I Memorial. She is also a member of the office’s Historic Resources Committee, Design Committee, and Guidelines Committee. Outside the office, she is an active member and committed supporter of organizations within the architecture and historic preservation communities, including serving on the AIA’s historic resources committee, the Association for Preservation Technology DC Chapter’s events committee, and as a member of the Docomomo-US.
GWWO Architects is a full-service architectural firm that specializes in the planning and design of cultural and educational facilities, with an emphasis on responsible design that is inspirational, evocative, and progressive. Current projects include the new Pikes Peak Visitor Center in Colorado Springs, CO; the new Morgan State University Calvin & Tina Tyler Hall in Baltimore, MD; the Johns Hopkins University O’Connor Recreation Center renovation and addition in Baltimore, MD; and the new National WWI Memorial in Washington, DC.
Photography courtesy of GWWO Architects
