Leadership Team
LEVER Architecture, Portland, Oregon, has announced the elevation of four senior members of the firm to the role of principal. The new principals, Chandra Robinson, AIA; Doug Sheets; Jonathan Heppner; and Sara Martin, join founding principal Thomas Robinson, AIA, and chief operating officer Pamela Kislak in leading LEVER.
The expanded leadership broadens and diversifies the firm, building on their expertise collaborating with mission-driven organizations and communities to design cultural facilities, affordable housing, academic environments, and campuses.
Since 2009, the team of now 36 staff, has developed a national reputation for making design excellence accessible to clients regardless of budget and are recognized as leading innovators in mass timber construction. Today, they look towards the next ten years as a firm with a culture and capacity to lead the design of civic architecture that is more just and sustainable. Establishing a leadership team with distinct perspectives and skills reflects the process and the values they bring to design.
“The name LEVER speaks to design as a tool for positive transformation. The idea of the firm is much bigger than one person, and it was always intended to be that way. After 12 years leading the practice, it is thrilling for me to see the office evolve into a collaborative team that contributes innovative architecture to places throughout Oregon and beyond,” Robinson said.
In addition to four new principals, seven individuals have been elevated to senior associate or associate. Together, this broader collective will guide the firm’s strategic development and culture. Senior associates include Cecily Ryan, Dannon Canterbury, and Don Lee. Associates include Chris Grosse, George Michael Rusch, Michael Gross, and Nate Lambdin.
