Chair

Chuck Saylors, REFP, LE Fellow Vice President MB Kahn Construction Co. Columbia, SC Joined Board: 2019 Term Expires: 2025

Chuck’s professional service to education and the construction community is currently represented by his employment with M.B. Kahn Construction as a Vice President in their Construction Management Division. His activities include working with public bodies in four states, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. Community service is a key part of Chuck’s life. First elected to the School Board in 2002, his desire to serve education started years earlier when his first child, now 35 years old, was in the first grade. Since that time he has worked to improve educational opportunities for all children. In 2009 he was installed as the first male to serve as National President for the PTA. In it’s 112 year history, no Dad had served in this role. During his service as the President for the National Federation of Urban Suburban School Districts Chuck worked with School Board members and Superintendent’s from across the country in sharing best practices for school districts of like size. Mr. Saylors has been an active member of the Association for Learning Environments since 2007 serving many leadership roles in the Southeast Region and South Carolina Chapter.

Chief Executive Officer

John K. Ramsey, CAE A4LE Offices: Scottsdale, AZ Washington, DC

Chair Elect

Ryan Bultena, REFP Designer Group2 Architecture Interior Design Ltd Red Deer, Alberta, Canada Joined Board: 2017 Term Expires: 2026

For the past 11 years, Mr. Bultena has worked for Group2 Architecture Interior Design Ltd. in Red Deer, Alberta with a career focus on kindergarten to grade 12 school design and construction. Over the years, he has been involved in a wide variety of school projects, ranging from small classroom renovations/additions to major school modernizations and new builds. His involvement in these projects ignited a passion for designing and working towards creating learning environments for students and providing them with spaces that are rich and fulfilling to the educational experience. His passion for learning environments led to his involvement with the Association. His journey began approximately ten years ago, through involvement with the Conference Planning Committee for the Alberta Chapter. From there he served as the Alberta Chapter President in 2012 & 2015. In 2017, he served the President for the Pacific Northwest Region.

Vice Chair

Tim R McClure, AIA, NCARB Architect and Planner Northwest ISD Fort Worth, TX Joined Board: 2020 Term Expires: 2023

Tim McClure’s experience in construction and architecture spans for more than twenty years. Tim has a proficiency in construction experience that stems from working on residential and small commercial projects prior to entering the architectural profession. Tim's background in architecture and construction, combined with his detailed experience providing long range planning and budgeting for school districts, allows him to serve in a leadership role with an unmatched capacity. Tim is passionate about positively impacting the learning environment. His dedication to many north Texas school districts is evident of his relentless commitment to making educational environments a priority.

Past Chair

Troy Glover, ALEP, LE Fellow Educational Planner DLR Group Columbus, OH Joined Board: 2015 Term Expires: 2024

Troy Glover is an educational planner for a leading architectural engineering firm specializing in educational facility design. Mr. Glover has more than 17 years of educational planning experience and is an Accredited Learning Environment Planner (ALEP). He works with school clients across the nation to develop educational specifications, facility master plans, strategic plans, educational adequacy evaluations, facility evaluations, and community engagement processes. Mr. Glover has co-authored several articles on urban issues in School Planning & Management, one of the leading publications in the field of educational facility development. He has been an active member of the Association for Learning Environments for more than 17 years and has served as a member of several committees at the international level: Membership, Values/Communication, Strategic Planning and Planner of the Year. At the regional level, Mr. Glover at served as the Midwest Great Lakes Regional President, Past President and Treasurer. He currently chairs the Midwest Great Lakes Region Awards Committee, where he is responsible for overseeing the selection of a recipient of the John Shaw Award, the Lee J Brockway Scholarship and the nominees for the Association's Lifetime Achievement and Fellow awards. He also serves as Membership Coordinator for the Ohio Chapter. Mr. Glover has a Bachelor of Science Degree from Morris College, Master of City and Regional Planning from The Ohio State University and has completed a Science and Engineering Program at Clark Atlanta University (formerly Atlanta University).

Midwest Great Lakes Director

Melanie E Drerup, ALEP, LE Fellow Chief of Planning Ohio Facilities Construction Commission Columbus, OH Joined Board: 2020 Term Expires: 2026

Ms. Drerup has a 30-year career in the planning and constructing educational facilities.

Since the inception of the Commission, Ms. Drerup has also worked on policy development for many programs administered by the OFCC. Ms. Drerup is involved in the development of the assessment and master planning process including web-based planning tools as well as the development and updating of the Ohio School Facilities Design Manual.

She is a Fellow of the A4LE and is an advocate for effective student-centered educational environments. She has completed the state of Ohio’s Certified Public Manager program and is accredited in the use of environmental design through the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) program.

She holds degrees in Construction Management and Architectural Engineering from the University of Cincinnati. In addition, she earned a Certificate in Educational Planning from San Diego State University.

She lives in Columbus, OH with her husband, Paul.

Northeast Director

Rob Pillar, ALEP, AIA Principal INSPIRE Learning Environment Planning Butler, PA Joined Board: 2018 Term Expires: 2024

Rob is an educational facilities planner and architect with over 31 years of experience dedicated to improving teaching and learning environments. His portfolio of work including district wide master plans, educational visioning, and architectural design has received national recognition from the American Institute of Architects as well as the Association for Learning Environments. He has collaborated on projects throughout northeastern United States, Canada, and the Middle East. Rob earned his Bachelor of Architecture Degree from Kent State University, and an advanced certificate in educational facilities planning from San Diego State University. He has been an active member of the Association since 1998 and has served many roles in support of the organization including: NE region leadership, Project Awards and McConnell award jury chair, and numerous committee positions.

Pacific Northwest Director

Philip Riedel, ALEP, AIA, LEED AP Principal NAC Architecture Seattle, WA Joined Board: 2020 Term Expires: 2026

Philip Riedel is the PK-12 Market Sector Leader and Principal at NAC Architecture, where he has been engaged in educational planning and school design for over 20 years. His projects extend to Washington, California, Montana, Alaska and Hawaii. Philip’s passion is in collaborating to develop community-specific learning environments informed by applicable research and creating engaging environments which inspire student engagement. He has served A4LE as Board Member and President of the Pacific Northwest Region, Board Member and President of the Washington Chapter, Co-Chair of the Knowledge Center strategic initiative, contributions to the international JEDI Committee, on various conference planning committees and design competition juries. He co-authored the digital book Designing for Special Education and has presented seminars at numerous conferences, most recently Designing Inclusive Community Schools at LearningSCAPES. As a dual citizen Australian-American, Philip is committed to enhancing the global perspective of A4LE. Locally, he is an active volunteer at Seattle-area educational non-profits including The Vera Project and the Bureau of Fearless Ideas.

Southeast Director

Paul D. Boney, LE Fellow, FAIA Senior Vice President LS3P Associates Wilmington, NC Joined Board: 2021 Term Expires: 2025

Southern Director

Gary Hutton General Manager of Operations Spring ISD Houston, TX Joined Board: 2023 Term Expires: 2026

Gary Hutton was born and raised in South Africa where he studied Architecture at Technikon Natal. After graduating he worked in the construction industry in South Africa for several years before moving to the United States. In 2017, Gary joined Spring ISD as the Executive Director of Facilities Planning and Construction to oversee the Spring ISD Bond 2016. In 2020, he was promoted to General Manager of Operations for Spring ISD where he oversees the Transportation, Child Nutrition, Building Operations, Planning and Construction, Maintenance, Energy Management, and Faculty Safety teams. Gary is particularly proud of the new security measures implemented during his time at Spring ISD to help improve the Security of Spring ISD Staff and Students. He has been a member of the Association for Learning Environments since 2004 and served on the Board of the Southern Region and Gulf Coast Chapter.

Southern Director

Lisa Kassman Executive Director of Facilities, Planning and Construction Katy Independent School District Katy, TX Joined Board: 2022 Term Expires: 2025

Responsible for facility planning, design and construction associated with the development of major school and support facility projects. Responsible for Long Range Facilities Planning, Bond Planning including property identification, analysis and acquisition. Lisa began her work in the K-12 industry midway through her career. Her previous experiences in public works development provided her a unique foundation of understanding the infrastructure of school sites, as well as specialized knowledge of the commercial construction process. These experiences, along with a process-driven approach to leading projects, provided Lisa a keen understanding and an advanced perspective in serving as the Owner's representative. Lisa has been an active member of the Association for Learning Environments since 2000, has served as Gulf Coast Chapter President and has received Southern Region Planner of the Year, Southern Region Cornerstone Award and various Service Citation Awards.

Southwest Director

Kari-elin Mock Principal Cuningham Denver, CO Joined Board: 2023 Term Expires: 2026

Kari-elin Mock is an architect with 25 years of experience dedicated to improving learning environments. She is a Principal with Cuningham and serves as the Executive Director of the firm's Grow Studio, where she focuses on educational spaces for all ages. Kari-elin has guided clients to find their vision and pursue their goals in Colorado and across the Western United States. Her experience includes work recognized for architectural design, community engagement, and sustainable design innovation. As a long-time supporter and member of A4LE, Kari-elin is committed to the organization. While serving in roles at multiple levels in the organization, Kari-elin has built strong relationships with members across the region and is always encouraging new membership and engagement.

Australasia Director

Deb O’Riley
Director
DECD, Education Consultant for Learning Spaces
Adelaide, South Australia
Joined Board: 2022
Term Expires: 2025

Deb is an Education Consultant for Learning Space Design – previously Director, New Schools, for the Department for Education, South Australia.

Canadian Director

Heather Morgan Educational Market Specialist DIRTT Environmental Solutions Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada Joined Board: 2022 Term Expires: 2026

As DIRTT’s Education Specialist, based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada, Heather has three decades of experience in interior design and integrated construction. A member of A4LE since 2013, Heather joined the Saskatchewan Chapter Board in 2015 as a Director, transitioning to her current role as SK Chapter Governor and PNR Board member in 2019. During her tenure with A4LE, Heather has been actively involved to support the continued growth of both the Saskatchewan Chapter and Pacific Northwest Regional Boards, serving on various conference and planning committees and design and scholarship competition juries. Heather is pleased to serve as the Canadian representative on the Global Board as she strongly believes that our Canadian members have a unique voice and a lot to offer A4LE at the global level.