Leadership
Alfred Wojciechowski is a Senior Principal at CBT with over 35 years of experience in multi-family residential projects and urban high-rises, as well as single family homes, academic, science, hospitality, civic, and retail design. At all scales, his work incorporates holistic thinking between site, exterior, interior, and environmental considerations. He is involved with projects and clients locally and nationally in locations across Florida, Texas, New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, DC. Alfred is a member of the AIA Large Firm Roundtable, AIA Dean’s Forum, the Boston Society of Architects, a Board Member of Boston’s Back Bay Association and is a LEED-accredited professional. Born in Poland and raised in Canada, Alfred joined CBT in 1985. He holds a Bachelor of Environmental Studies from the University of Manitoba, and a Master of Architecture from the University of Oregon.
Vickie Alani is a Principal at CBT with 30 years of experience in architecture and interior design for projects nationally and internationally. An expert in multi-family residential and hospitality design, Vickie approaches her work with the fluidity and interconnectivity with which people live today. Regarded internationally for her forward-thinking approach and lifestyle expertise, Vickie is a frequent contributor to the larger discourse on changing residential trends and how to design for an evolving culture. She is a prominent voice in the industry, and has been featured internationally at conferences and in interviews for her industry-leading insight. Augmenting Vickie’s work is her passion for mentorship, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and for elevating Women in Design both at CBT and in the greater design community. She received her Bachelor of Architecture and Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design.
David Nagahiro, Principal and President of CBT, is the driving force and inspiration behind CBT’s vision, design ethos and advancement of practice into the next generation. He leads the firm’s most ground-breaking projects, often resulting in the revitalization of undeveloped and underutilized urban sites which create places and buildings that enrich urban and community life.
David is intimately involved in all aspects of design and is recognized for his tireless pursuit of innovation in professional practice, his insistence on design excellence, and his passion for building strong, sustainable, and resilient places and communities. His passion for the profession is matched by his commitment to the advancement of individuals around him, which makes him an extraordinary agent of change both through his projects and his collaboration with others.
A stalwart supporter of the civic fabric of the community, David serves on the Board of Artists for Humanity, the Board of the Boston Preservation Alliance, and the Editorial Board of Architecture Boston. He is an active collaborator in HubWeek, Boston’s annual innovation festival, and is a leader in pushing the limits of innovation in art, science, and technology.
David holds a Bachelor of Architecture and Bachelor of Science in Architecture from Washington State University and attended the Architectural Studies Program at the AA / Architectural Association School of Architecture, London. He has been the recipient of the National AIA Young Architects Award, and is a past Rotch Traveling Scholar.
Lois Goodell is a recognized leader and visionary in the interior design and planning of a variety of workplace, higher education, retail, and mixed-use spaces. As CBT’s Director of Interior Design at CBT, Lois plays an active leadership role in design, management, and development of the firm's interiors work. She has the ability to design and create environments that are perfectly attuned to the vision, mission, and values of her clients. Her award-winning work is interdisciplinary, and fosters a closer connection between education and workplace interiors for high tech, institutional, financial, legal, non-profit and large corporate clients, both national and international.
Kishore Varanasi is an urban designer, strategist, and educator who specializes in developing authentic design solutions for cities at all scales that address human connection, social equity, and climate resilience.
For 25 years, Kishore has worked to shape cities and communities globally through sustainable and holistic solutions in both the public and private sectors. Kishore’s innovative contributions to communities stem from his ability to inspire creative collaborations among individuals, governments, and businesses while simultaneously creating fresh perspectives and approaches to sustainable city-building and living. As a principal and Director of Urban Design at Boston-based CBT, his recent work includes the Masdar City Master Plan, Lincoln Yards in Chicago, the Blueway at the New England Aquarium, Cambridge Crossing, Boston University Master Plan, Suffolk Downs Master Plan, Hudayriyat Island Master Plan, Bhavani Islands Master Plan, The Riverline in Buffalo, NY, and Ghadan21 Climate Interventions.
Kishore is a regular critic and teacher at various institutions including MIT, Harvard University, Yale University and the Boston Architectural College (BAC). He serves on the Van Alen Institute Climate Council, BAC’s Board of Trustees, and Boston Harbor Now and Emerald Network Board of Advisors. Kishore's work has been recognized by various awards and organizations including the American Institute of Architects, Rethinking the Future, World Architecture News and Urban Land Institute. He holds a Master of Science in Urbanism from MIT; a Master of Architecture from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; and received his Bachelor of Architecture from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University in Hyderabad, India.
Phil Casey is a Principal at CBT with over 20 years of professional experience leading a wide range of projects spanning large-scale multi-family residential and commercial mixed-use developments, and future-forward life science and laboratory projects. Most recently, these have included several urban and ex-urban life science master plans and buildings in and around Boston; the award-winning, LEED-Platinum 121 Seaport; multiple high-rise residential buildings, and Boston's first LEED-Platinum skyscraper ― the award-winning Atlantic Wharf. Phil leads many of the firm’s most complex mixed-use projects that have recently reshaped urban skylines thanks to their distinctive, sustainable, complex design solutions. Phil is an active supporter of the United Way and the Citizen’s School, and holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Syracuse University.
Ariel is a senior laboratory architect with over 25 years of professional experience in this field. He has been a key contributor to projects requiring a high level of integration from multiple disciplines, and is adept at interpreting a wide range of design imperatives. His innate problem-solving skills allow him - and enable the project team - to expertly address complex structural and technical design needs without sacrificing either form or function.
Devanshi is a widely-recognized urban designer, planner, and resiliency strategist. Highly skilled at generating innovative approaches and urban design solutions, she brings energetic conceptual vision to her work, resulting in active placemaking and smart design. Her ongoing study of the interplay among societies, infrastructure, and our ever-changing climate drives her work, and she is a widely-sought speaker on the effects of urban heat islands and resiliency in the face of global climate change. She is the 2023 recipient of the prestigious Pinnacle Award for Emerging Executive, given by the Boston Chamber of Commerce; and she is a champion of CBT's robust Women in Design initiative. Devanshi holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from M.S. University in India and a Master of Science in Architecture and Urban Design, Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, from Columbia University.
Henry Celli is a Principal and Senior Architect at CBT with over 20 years of professional experience. He has a particular expertise in technically complex architecture that is human-scaled and environmentally responsible. Henry is a sought-after expert for many building types, from residential and commercial developments to large-scale and complex urban projects. Henry is known for developing pragmatic and consistently sustainable solutions for each project and for his creative use of new and emerging technological tools. A Certified Passive House Consultant, Henry holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the Boston Architectural College.
Kate Finn is an Associate Principal and the Director of Human Resources at CBT with 15 years of experience. She leads the firm's efforts on all human capital initiatives, enhancing workplace culture, and helping to align staffing with current and future project needs. Kate manages career and professional development, benefits, immigration, as well as talent acquisition. Certified in FIRO‑B, she is also a member of the Society for Human Resource Management, the Northeast Human Resources Association, and the AIA Large Firm Roundtable. Kate holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Management from the University of New Hampshire.
Kent Southard is a Principal and the Chief Financial Officer at CBT, with 15 years of professional experience. He manages and allocates the firm’s financial resources, for both internal budgets and external project based work. Kent oversees staffing and monitors the finances of all ongoing CBT projects, creating a holistic view of the firm’s financial health. Kent holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Suffolk University and a Master of Business Administration from Northeastern University.
A natural project leader of complex projects for both corporate and academic clients, CBT Principal Maureen O'Brien is a Senior Interior Designer with a discerning design sense and sharp business acumen. A specialist in one-of-a-kind interior environments from the refined to the rustic, Maureen's leadership emphasizes both the quality of the design and the quality of the design team. Maureen holds a Master of Interior Design from the Boston Architectural College and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from the University of Massachusetts.
Mitchell Bush is a Principal and Senior Designer with particular expertise in urban design/planning and architecture, and the interplay between the two practices. Since joining CBT, Mitch’s professional experience has been devoted to large-scale and complex urban projects, namely the new and highly-sustainable elliptical tower at 121 Seaport Boulevard in Boston’s Innovation District and the redevelopment of the Government Center Garage into Bulfinch Crossing (the latter involves the complete redevelopment of a centrally-located urban parcel into a 2.4-million-square-foot mixed-use destination at the convergence of five significant Boston neighborhoods). Mitch is known for developing pragmatic and elegant solutions, as well as his advancement of the greater discussion around urban development and design. He holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Florida and a Master of Architecture from Columbia University.
Nirva Fereshetian is a Principal and the Chief Information Officer at CBT, where she leads the Digital Design Practice Group and is responsible for aligning business technology strategy to meet primary business objectives. She is a highly skilled senior information technology leader, experienced in managing projects and people with an interdisciplinary background in architecture, construction, and technology. She brings capacity to bridge that knowledge to enable informed business decisions and increased productivity. Nirva holds a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from Catholic University and a Masters of Architecture from UCLA.
Robin Fitzgerald-Green is a Principal at CBT with over 15 years of experience as a designer and project manager, with a particular focus on the successful delivery of large and challenging urban infill projects. Robin is involved in projects from the early planning stages through to final delivery and across all scales, working on some of CBT’s more complex urban design projects.
Sae Kim is an Associate Principal at CBT, with over 10 years of experience as an architect and designer focusing on multi-scaled and experiential design and concepts. With particularly keen understanding of creative processes on both national and international levels, Sae is deeply involved in complex, award-winning projects from large urban master plans to architecture and exhibition design. His creative process is founded on the generation and evaluation of multiple design solutions through the lens of problem-solving, storytelling, and value-creation. Recently, he was honored as the 2022 recipient of the Boston Society for Architecture's prestigious Earl R. Flansburgh Young Designers Award, which recognizes design excellence by an architect under 40. Sae holds a Master of Architecture in Urban Design from the Harvard Graduate School of Design and a Bachelor of Architecture from the Rhode Island School of Design.
Talitha is an established senior project manager, having overseen high-profile and large-scale projects around the world. Her professional experience lends her expertise from both the client and consultant side on large scale projects including commercial/mixed-use, educational, institutional and government-sector projects. Her extensive work in the USA and in the UAE has provided Talitha with deep knowledge and skills in strategic, feasibility, and budget planning, as well as long-range capital planning.
Adam is a senior architectural designer with strong professional experience working on complex residential projects in the Boston and globally. Adam’s depth of experience with multi-family residential environments extends beyond the building perimeter to encompass site planning and exterior/public realm developments for a number of large urban sites. A designer dedicated to environmental responsibility in all of his work, Adam is a Certified Passive House Consultant and LEED-accredited professional for Building Design and Construction.
Adrian LeBuffe is an Associate Principal and Senior Project Manager at CBT. His work ranges from academic and civic facilities to complex residential and mixed-use buildings. Adrian has managed award-winning projects that require highly technical integration from multiple disciplines and which posed several structural and technical design challenges. Adrian holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Carnegie Mellon University and participated in a study abroad exchange program in Lausanne, Switzerland at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. He is a Thesis Advisor for Suffolk University’s New England School of Art and Design, and has served as a guest juror at RISD, Northeastern, and the BAC. He is the Vice-Chairperson of the Winchester Design Review Committee and an active member of the Winchester Central Business District Sub-Committee.
Chris is a highly adept and technically gifted architect with great agility with interior workplace design. She has over 30 years of experience in space planning, programming, and project management for all scales of workplace projects. She is a frequently-sought mentor and design expert who is a model within the design community.
Dan is a talented project architect/project manager with great technical abilities, an affable style and proven leadership when undertaking complex design commissions. He is a facile design professional who translates the project vision into accurate and efficient design results. Working as easily on new construction as on existing building renovation and modernizations, he recently completed work on the award-winning renovation and expansion of the renowned Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach.
Dave brings more than three decades of professional experience in architectural design. He has served as senior designer on a wide range of projects including multi-family residential developments, commercial/office mixed-use developments, private residences, condominiums, hospitality developments, and civic projects. He is known industry-wide for his expertise and meticulous approach to residential unit and floor plan design.
Elizabeth is a highly accomplished architect with more than 20 years of experience on a broad spectrum of complex projects, ranging from multifamily and mixed-use to adaptive reuse and higher-education campus design. She is a sought-after mentor in the industry and a highly-respected and talented member of the CBT team.
Ellen Perko is an Associate Principal at CBT and has over 30 years of experience in a variety of civic and residential projects, with particular expertise in private residential design. An established architect with sustainable design focus, she has a deep understanding of the qualities that make a residence attractive, functional, comfortable, and most importantly, a desirable place to live. In community development and multi-family residential work, Ellen develops design solutions that best respond to a development’s target demographic with the right style, amenities, and unit layouts. Her designs have a human scale and an aesthetic quality is appealing and marketable. Ellen leads CBT’s single-family residential design group and has designed custom homes for a number of repeat clients. Ellen is a sought-after expert in her field, and holds a Master of Architecture from Washington University in St. Louis and a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from The Ohio State University.
Emil is an accomplished and extremely diverse professional who has delivered projects of nearly every type practiced at CBT: academic, civic, multifamily residential, and very complex mixed-use projects. Many of these involved historic and architecturally significant buildings, which require agility, precision, and great sensitivity with regard to the built environment.
Henry is an Associate Principal and a design leader at CBT. With over 20 years of professional experience, many of his projects focus on the seamless integration of landscape and the built environment. His approach to design focuses on sustainability and integration of the public realm at all scales from individual buildings to large-scale developments. In addition, Henry has a passion for the strategic integration of technology at all phases of project development.
Jim is a recognized and talented team leader and architect with meticulous design acumen in all of his work. Particularly skilled in the realization of complex urban projects, he has an unmatched ability to navigate the permitting and design process, build consensus, coordinate large project teams, all while delivering highly tailored architectural solutions.
With 25 years of design and management of a full range of interior architecture projects, Jan is a skilled and meticulous team manager. She has a pragmatic approach to problem-solving and is a facile communicator with all parties in the realization workplace interiors. Her work has served several industry leaders and knowledge-based firms needing the latest imperatives in future-ready workplace design.
Joanna is an established communications professional with 17 years of experience in the field of architecture and design. She lends unique strategic guidance to the firm, from long-term visioning and direction down to individual project pursuits and targeted writing, research, and collateral creation. Working with a powerhouse marketing and graphic design team, she builds on the many talents that have propelled CBT to its world-class standing in the realm of architecture, planning and design.
Ken Lewandowski is an Associate Principal and Senior Project Manager at CBT with over 30 years of experience. His established reputation as a meticulous and thorough manager has propelled the successful completion of game-changing CBT projects including Atlantic Wharf, Liberty Mutual’s global headquarters, and now the dramatic redevelopment of Boston’s Government Center Garage into the soaring mixed-use Bulfinch Crossing. Ken is a member of the US Green Building Council and American Institute of Architects, and has served on the Town of Milton’s Business Revitalization Committee and Design/Signage Review Committee. He earned both a Master of Architecture and Bachelor of Science in Architecture degrees from the University of Michigan.
Marc's work is grounded in his focus on bringing excellent design to projects of all scales and missions. With building design spanning from K-12 public and private schools to higher education institutions, mixed-use, residential, and retail environments, to innovation-focused workplaces, Marc collaborates expertly with each client, bringing high design and an exploratory spirit to each new commission.
Rob is an accomplished architect and team leader with 22 years of professional experience. He specializes in the creation of mixed-use and retail-centric developments, with a focus on creating high-quality public realm experiences. He is an expert in placemaking and a recognized thought leader in the field. Rob serves as an integral part of design teams, encouraging open communication and depth of collaboration that ultimately result in diverse and successful projects.
Steve Cockcroft is an Associate Principal and technical architectural expert at CBT with over 20 years of professional experience. He has worked with a broad range of clients including multi-family housing, large mixed-use commercial, hospitality, civic, and academic projects. He is an extremely valuable resource at CBT, most notably for his ability to coordinate the implementation and construction of some of the firm’s most large and complex projects. Steve holds an Associate of Engineering with Honor in Architectural-Structural Technology from the Franklin Institute of Boston.
Richard Bertman is a Co-Founder of CBT. His work has graced the skyline and streetscapes of Boston, and he has been the force behind prominent restorations and renovations of historic buildings throughout the Northeast. Richard is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and past president of the Boston Society of Architects, which honored him with their highest individual award for lifetime achievement. For his “dedication to preserving the architectural legacy of Boston,” Richard was personally designated an Honorary Boston Landmark by the City of Boston. He was one of the first architects to be inducted into the New England Design Hall of Fame and received a lifetime achievement award from the Boston Preservation Alliance. He holds undergraduate degrees from Harvard University and MIT, a Master of Architecture from the University of California at Berkeley, and has taught at the Rhode Island School of Design. Richard is also known for producing a radical series of three-dimensional mechanical sculptures, meshing together gears, pulleys, switches, and wheels with wire and fabric to forge colorful, moving creations. Though recently retired from the practice, he continues to inform and shape the ethos, culture, and work of CBT.
Charles Tseckares is a Co-Founder of CBT with over 50 years of professional experience in architectural and urban design. He served as principal-in-charge on a wide range of projects, including academic planning and design, residential and hospitality developments, commercial/office mixed-use developments, and historic rehabilitation. Charles was instrumental in leading our overseas practice including spearheading client development and project offices in Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia. Charles is a Member Emeritus Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, and is past president of the Boston Society of Architects. He has been honored with the distinguished Citizen of Boston Award and the United Way Leventhal/Sidman Real Estate & Building Industry Award. He has shared his knowledge with numerous academic institutions as a guest critic and advisor including Yale, Harvard, and MIT. Charles received a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Dartmouth College and a Master of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania. He is a former Fulbright Fellow at the University of Rome, Italy and received a Diploma in Urban Design and Town Planning. Recently retired from the practice, Charles continues to inspire CBT's quest for greater understanding, broader horizons, and the most meaningful relationships with our community and clients.