Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Architecture Firm Announces New Higher Education Leader

  • By Matt Jones
  • 10/04/23

Baker Barrios Architects recently announced the addition of a new leadership position to its staff, according to a news release. William Maffett, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, MBA has been named as the firm’s new national director of higher education. Maffett works out of the Baker Barrios office in Nashville, Tenn.

The firm also announced the appointment of Jeff Saad, LEED AP, as the new Midwest regional director of healthcare.

“Establishing a physical presence in multiple markets and attracting top talent in the sectors we serve has been key to our success in growing from Central Florida’s biggest architecture firm to becoming a nationally known player with a portfolio of high-profile projects across the country,” said Baker Barrios cofounder and CEO Tim Baker. “The experience and expertise William and Jeff will bring to our higher education and healthcare practices in the Midwest and beyond will be a tremendous asset to Baker Barrios and our clients.”

Maffett’s experience includes decades of experience in higher-education planning, design, and construction. He previously served as a campus architect for Auburn University and oversaw more than $360 million in capital projects.

“William is known as a relationship-builder, both in terms of fostering collaboration and innovation among his team as well as serving as a solutions-oriented resource for clients,” Baker said. “Designing spaces in the higher education sector often involves balancing the desired outcomes of many stakeholders, and William is great at addressing the needs of every group at the table.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Spaces4Learning Launches 2026 Facilities and Construction Brief Survey

    Spaces4Learning recently launched the 2026 Facilities and Construction Brief Survey, which collects data on the previous year’s K–12 and higher education construction projects nationwide.

  • University of Rochester to Break Ground on New Student Life Center

    The University of Rochester in Rochester, N.Y., recently began construction on a new Student Life building, according to a news release. The first floor will contain campus-wide gathering, program, and rehearsal space; the second floor will play home to the Greenbaum Center for Jewish Life.

  • Designing for Every Mind

    Learning environments have the power to shape not just what students know, but who they become. When a school is designed with genuine empathy—for the full range of ways students think, sense, and engage with the world—it becomes more than a building. It becomes a catalyst for growth, confidence, and belonging. That is the animating idea behind neurodiverse design, and it is one that is transforming how more architects and designers are thinking about school design.

  • Lawrence Group Announces Three New Hires

    Integrated planning and design firm Lawrence Group, based in St. Louis, Mo., recently welcomed three new staff members, according to a news release.