Perkins Eastman Unveils Its Succession Plan as Co-Founders Perkins and Eastman Transition Leadership

L. Bradford Perkins, FAIA, and Mary-Jean Eastman, FAIA, co-founders of Perkins Eastman, a first-generation global architecture and design firm, and J. David Hoglund, FAIA, President of Perkins Eastman, are pleased to announce a transition of leadership within the firm. Shawn Basler, AIA, Nick Leahy, AIA, and Andrew Adelhardt III, Esq. will lead the 1,000-person firm going forward as co-Chief Executive Officers. While turning over day-to-day leadership responsibilities of an organization that they collectively grew for close to four decades, Perkins, Eastman, and Hoglund will remain full-time in executive leadership roles supporting the success of this new generation of leadership and will lead strategic initiatives that align with their individual passions and focus areas. Basler, Leahy, and Adelhardt will develop Perkins Eastman’s services and design capabilities on a global scale and will continue to serve markets where the firm can make a positive impact on people’s lives.

“Thirty-eight years ago, when we founded the firm, we had a plan for the type of organization we wanted to be. Over the years, many colleagues and friends joined us to help build Perkins Eastman. We owe it to them to manage the orderly transition of our firm to a strong second generation leadership team that can build on what we started,” Perkins said. “We built Perkins Eastman within the framework of a plan, and we are now guiding this transition within this same plan.”

“My mission in the next few years is to evolve the design of innovative healthcare environments for our clients worldwide and to support our new leadership in developing a second-generation firm that fosters a culture of excellence in both design and management,” said Eastman. 

The co-CEOs bring complementary backgrounds, passions, and perspectives. Basler brings more than 20 years of experience in leading global planning and design teams with a one-firm firm approach to deliver unparalleled client service. Leahy, recognized for his human-centered design sensibilities, has championed an ethos of inquiry within the organization for the past 30 years. Adelhardt brings to the role more than 25 years of experience in the design and construction industry. 

Perkins Eastman’s co-CEOs will further foster the firm’s entrepreneurialism and build on the organization’s core values of creating purposefully-designed environments that enhance the human experience—from individual lives to urban communities around the world. Having collaborated closely with each other and with the founding members for well over a decade, Basler, Leahy, and Adelhardt will continue forward with this long-planned transition that expands the firm’s leadership to support the growth and diversification of the employee-owned firm.   

In addition to the elevation of Perkins Eastman’s three new co-CEOs, Alan Schlossberg, AIA, will become Chief Operating Officer, Jason Haim, AIA, will join the Executive Committee, and Candace Carroll will continue as the Chief Financial Officer.