Looking Forward: Announcing 2024 Promotions

At Ayers Saint Gross, we’re grateful for our creative and collaborative employees who shape the built environment and our profession for the better. This year, we would like to congratulate 15 of these individuals on their well-deserved promotions.

These individuals are all talented leaders in their field, working with mission-driven clients to create places for shared knowledge and culture. To celebrate their accomplishments, we asked each of them what they are most excited about professionally in the year ahead.

ASSOCIATE PRINCIPALS

Scott Fundling: I look forward to continuing to work with institutions that are making an indelible impact on our communities and future generations. It is a pleasure to take part in shaping positive change in our built environment.

Margaret Zivkovich: I feel fortunate to work with clients and colleagues at Ayers Saint Gross who can bring such a diversity of ideas and perspectives to the challenges we address daily. I’m looking forward to seeing how those collaborations will strengthen our process and lead to more opportunities for true interdisciplinary design.

SENIOR ASSOCIATES

Maegan Cianfichi: I am excited for the graphic design studio to continue evolving our repertoire. We are committed to learning and embracing new challenges, our expertise continues to grow, and our projects only get better and better. There’s always something new and unexpected around the corner.

Brittany Ferrara: My role has increasingly become a more strategic position that affords me the opportunity to partner with nearly every area of our business to problem solve, strategize, connect dots, and ensure an exceptional experience for our employees while optimizing our firm’s success. I am most excited to continue to grow and strengthen those partnerships.

Amanda Hodgson: This is an incredibly exciting time for Ayers Saint Gross, and I’m most looking forward to amplifying our firm’s impact by leading with curiosity, creativity, and grit.

Neelab Mahmoud: Since starting at Ayers Saint Gross in 2021, I have guided a range of cultural projects on both a national and international scale. I look forward to the ongoing evolution of these initiatives as we continue to advance strategic visions that our clients and team have worked so diligently to shape and define.

Mike McGrain: Looking at 2024, I’m excited for two of our most exciting landscape architecture projects to begin to come to life in construction and installation. The Pearl in Charlotte, NC, and the Carrington School of Nursing at UNC Chapel Hill are great examples of Ayers Saint Gross’ interdisciplinary design process and showcase the expertise and creativity of our talented landscape studio.

Anthony Vischansky: I’m looking forward to delving into exterior design challenges and using the practical skills I’ve gained in space planning to marry pragmatism with design thinking. I’m eager to keep finding solutions to increasingly complex problems, mediating things like building image, constructability, user experience, and elegant detailing. I’m also really excited to continue mentoring our up-and-coming staff, sharing insights and contributing to their development in the field.

ASSOCIATES

Karen Bastidas:  My background is in workplace and corporate interiors, so it’s been exciting to apply those lessons learned to the world of higher education and the needs of our clients. I look forward to creating new connections with clients – getting to know them a little bit better so we can provide great work for years to come.

David Bullen: I’m looking forward to expanding my IT knowledge by tackling higher-level tasks and working more closely in managing ESRI software.

Ashwin Dharmadhikari: I’m most excited about having the chance to contribute to impactful and diverse projects, collaborate across all our offices, studios, and diverse teams to advance our one firm culture.

Charlie Francis: At Ayers Saint Gross, we believe in the power of collaborating with our teams and clients to create the best possible design solutions. I’m excited to continue building on these partnerships, propelling creativity, and making a real impact.

Jake Miller: Professionally I’m looking forward to finishing my licensing exams within the next year. I’m also greatly looking forward to starting the construction of the University of Maryland Discovery District and seeing that project through completion.

Laurie Tyler: In my position as Contracts Manager, I am most excited about taking a lead on improving our contract processes. I believe that a few subtle changes will greatly increase the efficiency of our contract workflow and benefit our clients, teammates, and company as a whole.

Courtney Wolff: In the coming year, I am excited about the opportunity to further the advancement of resilience and sustainability within the planning studio, specifically focusing on waterfront areas grappling with the challenges posed by climate change and sea level rise.