Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Quattrocchi Kwok Architects Leadership Transition

  • By Matt Jones
  • 12/05/22

Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA), based in Santa Rosa, Calif., recently announced a leadership transition that will take effect on Jan. 1, 2023. A news release reports that the architecture firm’s Founding Principals—Mark Quattrocchi, FAIA, and Steve Kwok, AIA—will take on Principal Emeritus status, continuing to work with select clients and offer mentorship while moving away from direct leadership.

QKA Principals Aaron Jobson, Jim Theiss, John Dybcak, Lyanne Schuster, Kevin Chapin, and Nick Stephenson will take on management and strategic planning responsibilities while also continuing with their existing roles in client service. Jobson, Thiess, and Dybczak are long-serving QKA Principals, while Schuster, Chapin, and Stephenson recently assumed those titles, the news release reports.

“We take profound pride in the integrity, quality, and culture that Mark and Steve have instilled in the fabric of our firm,” said Jobson. “The values and vision they established have been instrumental in the success and ongoing progress the firm has enjoyed throughout its history. My fellow principals and I view this next chapter as an opportunity to utilize this framework as we embrace the challenges and opportunities of the moment, continuing the firm’s evolution and building on our work in designing exceptional learning environments that have a positive impact on their communities.”

Jobson joined QKA in 2001 and will take on the role of CEO and President. Theiss joined in 2000 and will serve as COO. Finally, Dybczak joined in 2013 and will become the CFO. The three spearheaded QKA initiatives like the Employee Stock Ownership Plan and the JUST Scorecard for transparency and equity.

Other promotions and transitions will include Eddie Van Slambrouck, who will take over for Quattrocchi as director of design. Tiffany Young will move up to the position of director of operations, and Claudia Tannehill will serve as the director of construction.

“As our firm has grown, the cultivation of leadership is a vision we have long held for its future,” said Quattrocchi. “We have complete confidence that the next generation of QKA leadership will continue to drive innovation internally, as they have in our DEI awareness and efforts, and in the design of education facilities. It is with enthusiasm that we look forward to the future of a firm that represents so much for Steve and me.”

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Architectural Power for the Modern Campus Landscape

    For generations, an outdoor classroom only required a textbook and a patch of grass. Today, not only has the laptop replaced the printed pages, the rise of agile learning has turned campuses into study halls with students listening to lectures and researching topics from quads, gardens, and plazas. The challenge for architects and facility managers is to provide connectivity without cluttering the landscape with visual eyesores or creating safety hazards with extension cords.

  • Colorado School District Breaks Ground on Unified PK–12 Campus

    The Haxtun School District No. Re-2J in Haxtun, Colo., recently announced that ground has been broken on a renovation/addition project that will unite its two schools, Haxtun Elementary and Haxtun Jr/Sr High School, according to a news release.

  • Q&A: How to Prevent Kitchen Grease Fires in Commercial Kitchens

    School cafeterias and university dining halls serve thousands of meals daily, relying on high-heat equipment like fryers, grills, and ovens. While these operations keep students fed, they also generate significant grease-laden vapors. Without proper controls, this grease becomes a silent fire threat. As a certified exhaust cleaning specialist and business coach who has helped hundreds of institutional facilities achieve NFPA 96 compliance, I emphasize that proactive grease management isn’t optional; it’s a core fire/life safety practice.

  • Montclair State University Starts Construction on $120M STEM Building

    Montclair State University in Montclair, N.J., recently broke ground on a new $120-million Interdisciplinary Science Building, according to university news. The university partnered with HoK Architects for the project’s design, and it’s scheduled to open in time for the 2028–29 academic year.