Cushing Terrell Promotes 16 Talented Team Members as the Firm’s Newest Associates

Cynthia Brantley | Architect & Project Manager | Boise, Idaho

Cynthia is an architect and project manager with Cushing Terrell’s government design group. She also serves as the studio lead for the local government team in Boise, providing mentorship, professional development, and project support. She has nearly 30 years of experience delivering projects for clients in the federal government, hospitality, and retail sectors. Her in-depth experience as a project manager — from both the design and construction sides — has given her a valuable perspective on managing project schedules, quality control, and construction costs. This background also informs her work as one of the leaders of Cushing Terrell’s Cost Estimating Community of Practice. Cynthia’s experience spans projects across the country and around the world, including England, Guam, South Korea, and Japan.

Paul Goss | Architect | Denver, Colorado

Paul is an architect with 13 years of experience. His expertise covers a range of project types with a primary focus on residential design, primarily affordable and workforce housing projects. He is involved with engaging project stakeholders from conceptual design through construction administration, and he has a central role in code research, design implementation, detailing, coordinating with consulting engineers, completing entitlements, design review approvals, and permit approvals. His professional skills include BIM automation, Python programming, systems thinking, and problem solving. He likes to explore a range of interests to provide depth to his work, including anthropology, interactions between technology and culture, and how the spatial and built environment influences human behavior.

Monica Hauk | Accountant | Billings, Montana

Monica is an accountant with 24 years of experience covering a broad range of accounting tasks and projects, including financial reporting, budgeting, insurance applications, sales tax compliance, internal auditing, and management of the firm’s expense report team. Monica coordinates salary, overhead, and vertical market budgeting, and is instrumental in providing training and guidance for individuals and teams across the firm, helping them understand how to budget accurately and utilize the appropriate codes and categories, as well as create new categories in support of special initiatives. Monica is the “go-to” across the firm for budgeting questions and says she loves bringing team members together to develop best practices and ensure timely, accurate financial information to enhance the management of our resources.

Tyler Hestand | Electrical Engineer | Boise, Idaho

Tyler is an electrical engineer with seven years of experience. His areas of focus include lighting design and controls and the coordination of large projects that require keen attention to detail. Tyler is a member of the BIM standards team, develops automation tools for Revit, and is a member of the firm’s Post Occupancy Evaluation group. In addition to his design and project responsibilities, Tyler is a mentor for engineers in training and interns, a Cultural Ambassador in the Boise office, and a firm representative at career fairs. Tyler was named the 2025 Boise Young Professional Member of the Year by the Boise Metro Chamber. Additionally, he volunteers for STEAM day at a local middle school and will graduate from the Leadership Caldwell program this month.

Eleanor Smith | Interior Designer & Regional Interior Design Lead | Austin, Texas

Eleanor is an interior designer with 12 years of experience in commercial office, government, and residential projects with a specialization in tenant improvements, leading projects from proposal development through execution. She brings a collaborative, solutions-oriented approach with a strong track record of working alongside developers, facilities teams, resident committees, and nonprofit boards to realize successful projects. Her responsibilities include client relationship management, project direction, engineering coordination, and strategic alignment to ensure cohesive outcomes. Additionally, she is a regional lead for the interior design group, mentoring emerging designers, supporting career development, and contributing to interior design strategy. Beyond her professional practice, Eleanor is an adjunct lecturer at Texas State University, teaching studio courses from freshman through senior levels.

Kate Lucks | Regional Director of Business Development | Denver, Colorado

Kate is a regional director of business development with 25 years of experience in marketing, branding, and strategic partnerships. In her role with Cushing Terrell, she’s responsible for identifying new business opportunities, fostering strong client relationships, and developing strategic growth initiatives in Colorado and beyond. Additionally, Kate drives strategic public relations and marketing initiatives to build visibility and recognition for the firm. With a background in urban planning and real estate and a passion for the built environment, Kate brings key industry insights and expertise to her work. She’s a licensed Colorado Real Estate Broker and community leader, serving as vice chair of ULI Colorado Women’s Leadership Initiative and sits on the steering committee for the Downtown Denver Partnership Alumni Association.

Isaura Perez | Architect | Seattle, Washington

Isaura is an architect with 12 years of experience specializing in affordable and market-rate multifamily housing projects in urban environments. Utilizing a variety of strategies such as adaptive reuse, mixed-use, and mixed-income development, Isaura works to create sustainable community developments where people thrive. Coupled with her interest in the technical rigor that complements architectural design, Isaura seeks to deliver innovative solutions for complex projects. She’s committed to strengthening local connections through her involvement in organizations such as the Housing Development Consortium and the Seattle Design Festival. Additionally, she leads Cushing Terrell’s ARE Employee Resource Group and is passionate about mentoring emerging professionals. She values collaboration and building strong relationships with team members across disciplines to deliver impactful design solutions.

Holly Michels | Project Coordinator Manager | Billings, Montana

Holly is a project coordinator manager with seven years of experience contributing to a variety of critical activities and initiatives in support of our project teams and clients. She’s responsible for training Cushing Terrell project managers, project coordinators, and studio leaders on Deltek Vantagepoint to ensure timely, accurate, and forward-looking project planning and forecasting efforts. She has played a key role in supporting major platform transitions, such as moving Cushing Terrell from Vision to Vantagepoint, as well as successfully realizing a recent Vantagepoint upgrade. Additionally, she helped implement the firm’s Learning Management System in 2023, a key platform for professional development, education, and training. She also mentors other project coordinators and is a Cultural Ambassador for the Billings office.

Charlie Petzinger | Structural Engineer | Bend, Oregon

Charlie is a structural engineer with 13 years of experience working on residential and commercial projects. He’s an expert in designing with a variety of materials including wood, steel, and concrete. Charlie is known for his initiative in identifying and solving complex structural issues and is a confident self-starter who can see projects through to completion, working in collaboration with clients and project partners. He’s a proven leader and consensus builder, focusing on client needs and attention to detail. Charlie has not only brought new insights and strategies for a variety of multifamily and single-family projects but also has demonstrated invaluable technical skills as it relates to finding creative solutions in support of architectural features and building superstructures.

Sam Rivey | Architect | Missoula, Montana

Sam is an architect with five years of experience in residential design, specializing in innovative, contextual solutions for topographical challenges such as hillside and small-lot developments. Sam is adept at integrating complex site conditions into thoughtful layouts that maximize natural light, optimize outdoor living spaces, and cater to diverse demographics. He has a strong portfolio in modern architectural styles and excels at translating each client’s vision into a functional, beautiful, and code-compliant structure. Sam’s expertise encompasses all project phases, from conceptual design to the final walk-through where clients see their dreams realized. Sam is a Cultural Ambassador in Missoula, a co-lead for the architecture intern studio, and a Creative Network facilitator. He also participates in mentorship at his alma mater, Montana State University.

Randy Rhoads | Architect & Director of Affordable Housing | Denver, Colorado

Randy Rhoads is an architect and the Director of Affordable Housing at Cushing Terrell. A passionate advocate for creating high-quality housing for all, Randy works in collaboration with municipalities, developers, and Cushing Terrell’s multidisciplinary design team to manage affordable housing projects from the master planning and conceptual design phases through public and stakeholder engagement, project approvals, and construction.  With more than 30 years of experience and a background that includes residential, commercial, retail, education, and government projects, Randy brings a nuanced, context-aware, and people-focused approach to his work. His experience includes leading the design of more than 6,000 mixed-income, multifamily, and apartment units in 14 cities across the United States.

Trae Schwenneker | Design Professional | Billings, Montana

Trae Schwenneker is a design lead with a decade of experience across education, cultural, and civic projects. Drawing from his background in construction, he integrates technical understanding with design thinking to create architecture that’s purposeful, buildable, and deeply connected to the people and places it serves. His work often explores how thoughtful environments can support learning, engagement, and meaningful human experience. As such, Trae supports public engagement for projects, facilitating workshops, charrettes, and visioning sessions that bring together community members, clients, and project teams. Trae has led the firm’s summer intern design studio program for two years, mentoring emerging designers through hands-on conceptual exploration and collaborative problem-solving. He also volunteers at a local elementary school, supporting STEM and educational programming.

David Serna | Architect | New Orleans, Louisiana

David is an architect with 11 years of experience in the design of retail, higher education, civic, and cultural projects. His current area of focus is supporting retail design projects and clients. His responsibilities include co-leading a multidisciplinary grocery retail program for Whole Foods in which he manages remodels, expansions, conversions from other brands, and new store builds across the country. Additionally, he is a design lead for the Les Schwab modernization program. David is passionate about supporting client satisfaction and team morale and this can be seen through his work as a Culture Ambassador (CA) representing the firm’s remote employees, his recent nomination to the core leadership of the CA group, and his genuine and constant support of culture, comradery, and good vibes across the firm.

Sarah Shearer | Architect | Austin, Texas

Sarah is an architect with 16 years of experience who co-leads Cushing Terrell’s Austin architecture studio. Her current focus is delivering outstanding design projects for education clients, but she also has experience in the commercial, retail, and hospitality sectors. She enjoys working directly with clients and stakeholder groups and is inspired by the collaboration that occurs between project partners to realize each client’s unique vision. She is motivated by the potential of every design problem and the process of uncovering holistic solutions that support the user experience in each space. Sarah is known for her work fostering the professional development of others through mentoring the next generation of architects and helping them realize fulfilling career paths.

Ali Vasarella | Architect | Bozeman, Montana

Ali is an architect specializing in public education and community-focused design projects. She has nearly 20 years of design experience with specific expertise in conceptual design, master planning, Revit, specification writing, cost estimating, and construction coordination. She is passionate about helping clients feel supported, informed, and confident throughout the design process. A self-proclaimed tech nerd, she contributes to firmwide collaboration through the Architectural Graphic Standards Community of Practice, the BIM Architectural Group, and Knowledge Management teams. Ali serves as chair of the Belgrade Planning Commission and spent eight years with the Belgrade Community Coalition supporting projects such as the Mayfair Meadows Bike Park and community trails.

Mike Vermeeren | Architect & Education Planner | Austin, Texas

Mike is an architect and urban studies expert with 20 years of experience in education design. With a background in planning and project management, he serves as the education studio director for Cushing Terrell’s Austin office and has been instrumental in growing the team’s visibility and work in the region. An optimistic realist with a passion for envisioning a better future for the next generation, he’s a proponent of research, knowledge sharing, and the continuous evolution of learning environments. He believes the path to successful design is infused with studious observation, introspective thought, listening, collaboration, and an appreciation for the team dynamic. Mike is a staunch advocate of public schools and the opportunities they make possible. As such, he serves on his local education foundation board and leads their programs committee.