Leadership
Management Team
Brad’s role includes staff development, continuous integration of firm culture and internal communications. Brad has a diverse background of project experience including higher education, healthcare, commercial, civic, and community projects. A gifted facilitator, Brad often guides planning, programming, and design charrettes to engage stakeholders in the creative analysis of needs and effective solutions.
Ron Smith, a western North Carolina native, operates out of the Spartanburg office and focuses on the needs of community, K-12, and higher education clients. He was the original founder of McMillan Smith & Partners, a predecessor of the current firm, and is an entrepreneur at heart. A former collegiate football player with NFL experience, Ron is an avid sports and recreation enthusiast and has worked on more than 60 college campuses in the Southeast. Ron has received numerous award and publication opportunities centered on planning and design of effective educational environments.
As the Chief Executive Officer, Chad directs the firm’s strategic initiatives with an emphasis on firm operations, project management, and technology. He focuses on business leadership, processes, and financial performance guiding the firm’s growth across the Southeast. Chad has served in numerous leadership roles in the design, construction, and technology industries.
Karen oversees business development and marketing initiatives, identifying potential client needs and the appropriate strategic response to meet them. With decades of experience, she has guided the successful geographic and market sector expansion of five studios and multiple office locations.
Danielle has extensive human resources experience in the financial services, consulting, and healthcare industries, prior to joining MPS. She has a B.S. in Business Management from Florida State University. In her role, Danielle leads our Human Resources efforts and is passionate about providing a unique and valuable employee experience — including promoting employee wellness and a culture of inclusion while supporting the firm’s long-standing community partnerships. A native of Hobe Sound, Florida, Danielle has lived in Charlotte, North Carolina since 2005. She enjoys spending free time with her family, exploring all that the city and Carolinas have to offer.
Mark brings extensive experience to MPS in the role of Chief Operating Officer. He is a licensed CPA and received his MBA in finance and accounting from Boston University. Mark was previously the President of a manufacturing company and has also worked in finance, operations, and general management for several global companies. At MPS, Mark focuses on financial management, team development, and support services optimization firmwide. He loves using his experience to be a part of the positive impact MPS makes in all of the communities where we operate. Mark and his wife Katie have lived in South Carolina since 2008. They have four children.
K.J.’s professional experience in a broad range of project types has resulted in a distinctive collaborative style. He works closely with both public and private sector clients throughout South Carolina and North Carolina, with a primary emphasis on developer-led projects. K.J. has overseen some of the firm’s most significant projects and continues to manage all office, retail, restaurant, adaptive reuse, hospitality, and industrial manufacturing design work.
As Director of Project Delivery, Anne works closely with firm leadership and project management teams. She provides guidance, direction, and increased training opportunities in a continued effort to support effective project planning and management. Through these initiatives, Anne further reinforces the firm’s commitment to design delivery success and client satisfaction. She also brings over 30 years of project design and management experience to firm. Upon McMillan Pazdan Smith’s asset acquisition of McKellar & Associates in 2012, Anne served as the Director of Operations for the firm’s Charleston office. In this role, Anne demonstrated consistent professionalism in her practice, with attention to project and operational organization, leadership, and excellence.
As Director of Design Engagement, Cary provides direction and focus to further our firm’s design culture. She works to support the creative process in all offices and studios by promoting diversity of thought, cross-pollination between creative teams, and regular critique as a cultural objective. She also helps to develop design talent firm wide toward an ever-deepening culture of design excellence and innovation. Cary’s efforts extend to the communities McMillan Pazdan Smith serves through forums that encourage community engagement, external feedback, and idea-sharing. Prior to being named Principal and taking on this role, Cary served as a Project Architect and Project Manager in the Community Studio where she primarily focused on educational, non-profit, and cultural spaces. Her strengths in communication, design, and commitment to quality and excellence in the finished product have allowed her to play a key role in many of the firm’s notable award-winning projects.
Studio Directors
Joe has over 21 years of experience in challenging adaptive reuse, historic rehabilitation, and urban infill projects across metro Atlanta. His focus on developing high-quality, environmentally efficient designs by integrating critical objectives has presented numerous satisfied clients with award-winning buildings. Joe consistently combines strong knowledge of planning regulations, building codes, and zoning with his natural ability to find creative solutions.
Brian is an Associate and our Asheville Office Director with a Master of Architecture from Clemson University. He is a community-minded architect focusing on unique multi-family design solutions that maintain the relationships between people and design at every stage of a project, from concept to completion. He has built a background in a variety of housing typologies and is fascinated by how people interact with and are impacted by the buildings in their environment. Brian is well-equipped and enjoys guiding clients through the unique character and needs of urban design. From 2009-2014 he served as Commissioner and Vice-Chair of the Historic Resources Commission of Asheville and Buncombe County.
In his 14 years with the firm, William gained diverse experience in the delivery of commercial, civic, higher education, K-12 education, healthcare, and residential architecture projects. However, his steadfast focus on community projects has given William the incredible understanding of team building, technology utilization, and digital representation and communication that continues to drive positive results for his clients today.
Scott is an experienced professional in construction, real estate development, and architectural design. For over 30 years, Scott has used a proactive approach and a driven work ethic to apply his broad skillset to a wide range of client types. He is licensed as an architect, real estate broker, and general contractor, giving him a unique perspective on project management and design strategy. With a proven track record as an effective leader, and an incredible reputation as a team player, Scott has the experience in design, project management, estimating, and real estate development to successfully complete projects from inception to completion.
Lisa, whose tenure at MPS began in 1993, serves as a Principal and Greenville Office Director. She has led the Community Studio for many years with a focus on design excellence in housing, adaptive reuse, mixed-used and other transformational community projects for non-profits organizations, churches, and commercial entities. Lisa is an advocate for affordable and workforce housing initiatives. She created and led the first IdeaXchange in partnership with ULI South Carolina to bring together stakeholders to address the difficulties in providing affordable housing from the perspective of the investor, developer, and municipality. Lisa’s leadership promotes sustainability and resilience as well as the connectivity and social interaction of her teammates and within the parameters of programming and planning for each community project.
Paulette uses her 25 years of educational, municipal, and recreational experience to bring a creative and responsible approach to public design. She focuses on encouraging new schools to meet their stated academic goals while also creating buildings that encourage, support, and inspire the learning process. Beyond her work with OSE, OSF, and state officials, Paulette strives to create sustainable solutions that add effective value to high performance buildings.
As our Augusta Office Director, Joy joined our firm in 2022 to play a key leadership role in supporting various studio teams committed to serving the CSRA and broader communities of the region. She brings a wealth of knowledge in master planning and design — including hospitality, multifamily, and healthcare. Joy is passionate about fostering a healthy work culture and mentoring emerging architects. An alumnus of the Christopher Kelley Leadership Development Program (CKLDP), Joy serves on the AIA Georgia Board of Directors, the Historic Augusta Board of Trustees, and the Westabou Montessori School Board of Directors. At home, she enjoys being a foster parent and devoted “Aussie” dog owner.
Sanders is our Columbia office director. He has been the principal-in-charge for many significant higher education and institutional buildings such as the Horizon Research Laboratory building at USC and the Florence County Museum. He founded Lambert-Tate Architecture in 1989 with his late partner Bruce Lambert, which became Watson Tate Architects in 1991 and Watson Tate Savory in 1996 with the addition of Tom Savory as Principal. WTS merged with McMillan Pazdan Smith in 2021. Sanders has maintained a focus in interior architecture throughout his career and has significantly contributed to many award-winning interior renovation projects.