Gina Berndt Named Managing Director of Chicago Office

CHICAGO, March 13, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Perkins+Will is pleased to announce that Gina Berndt, Principal, has been promoted to Managing Director of our Chicago office. This appointment recognizes Gina's 30 years of experience as a proven business leader, her dynamic and positive management style and her strong client engagement skills. Since merging her thriving firm The Environments Group with Perkins+Will in 2008, Gina Berndt has been a consummate leader and mentor, gaining more and more influence across the entire Perkins+Will platform over the past five years. Her insight and instincts have helped cultivate exceptional interdisciplinary design teams who have been recognized with numerous awards and loyal repeat clients.

"Gina Berndt's appointment reflects our commitment to innovative firm leadership," said Phil Harrison FAIA LEED AP, President and CEO of Perkins+Will. "We are entirely confident that Gina will be a superb leader for our Chicago office. Her personal dynamism, her collegial spirit and her passion for excellence will bring together the immense talents of our Chicago practice—the largest, most established and most essential part of Perkins+Will."

"I look forward to using my business management expertise to continue to build our vibrant and successful practice in Chicago. I'm honored to lead Perkins+Will's founding office and to work with a remarkably dedicated and talented staff," said Berndt.

Berndt succeeds former Managing Director Ray Clark who has resigned to pursue other interests. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Interior Design from Northern Illinois University and is a member of the International Interior Design Association and the American Society of Interior Designers. She is a LEED Accredited Professional and is Past President of the Chicago chapter of Commercial Real Estate Executive Women.

The Chicago office of Perkins+Will is the firm's founding office. Established in 1935 by Lawrence Perkins and Philip Will, Jr., the office remains the largest in the firm, harnessing the expertise of more than 250 architects, interior designers and planners. The office's multi-disciplinary work spans nearly every arena, including higher education, healthcare, corporate, commercial, civic and science and technology. From its initial project nearly 75 years ago the acclaimed Crow Island School to the award-winning Skybridge residential tower, the Chicago office has been known for award-winning design excellence. Highly respected locally, nationally and globally, the Chicago office of Perkins+Will has won more local AIA design awards than any other Chicago design firm.

About Perkins+Will
Established in 1935, Perkins+Will is a global interdisciplinary architecture and design firm founded on the belief that design has the power to transform lives and enhance society. With a staff of 1,500 in 24 locations worldwide, the firm serves clients across a broad range of project types and grounds its work in deep research. Perkins+Will ranks among the world's top design firms and is the recipient of hundreds of awards. Social responsibility is fundamental to the firm's outlook, work, and culture, and every year Perkins+Will donates one percent of its design services to non-profit organizations. With pioneering tools to advance sustainable design practices, the largest green building portfolio in North America, more than 1,000 LEED® Accredited Professionals, and a commitment to the 2030 Challenge, Perkins+Will is recognized as one of the industry's preeminent sustainable design firms. For more information, visit www.perkinswill.com.

SOURCE Perkins+Will