Employee Spotlight: David Powell, Senior Project Manager
For David Powell, a well-designed school isn't just a place to learn — it's evidence that someone believed the learning mattered.
In a profession that often measures success in square footage and schedules, David tends to measure it differently: in the moments when a student looks up from a lesson because the space around them has something to say. A firm believer in the power of education, David champions the idea that design quality and learning quality are more closely connected than they might first appear–and that spaces designed with genuine intention can do more for a child than most people give them credit for.
With more than 30 years of experience across the AEC industry, David brings both technical rigor and genuine educational conviction to every project he touches. Based in Columbus and spending significant time in the firm’s Greensboro, NC office, David works across both regions, fostering emerging client relationships in the Southeast while contributing to the firm’s broader national growth in the K‑12 market.
David played an essential role in one of our more recent projects: the transformation of an underserved elementary campus in Greensboro, North Carolina, into a K–8 EL Education school. The vision behind the new Peck Expeditionary School is that every child, regardless of economic circumstance, deserves an environment designed to develop the whole person. Academic achievement, social-emotional well-being, community connection, and a lifelong love of learning aren’t extras in this model; instead, they are the model. David feels fortunate to have been part of a team tasked with bringing that belief to life through architecture — not just in layout or square footage, but in the honest quality of the spaces themselves. He believes that when underserved communities receive the same level of design care as well-resourced ones, the building quietly makes a powerful statement: “You are worth this.”
Today, David is equally focused on what’s next in the world of K‑12 design: How do learning environments support social-emotional development alongside academic achievement? How can spaces serve both the teacher of today and the learner of tomorrow? How do schools become community anchors that reflect the values of the people they serve? And how does the care put into a building’s design signal to students and communities that the investment in them was worth doing well? These are the conversations David enjoys having most with clients and colleagues, as well as the next generation of architects he mentors. A committed advocate of lifelong learning in his own right, David believes the best professionals in this industry never stop being students themselves.
Outside the office, David is most at home with his family — watching sports with his sons, exploring the outdoors, working on home projects, perfecting a recipe, or cheering on Ohio State football.