Bennett Partners adds 12 staff members and promotes an associate

By Scott Nishimura

Bennett Partners, a leading North Texas architecture and design firm, said Wednesday it added 12 staff members and promoted another, as the Fort Worth-based firm expands to meet demand in the fast-growing market.

The new staff members:

Morgan Breaux. Breaux holds a bachelor’s in environmental design from Texas A&M University and has worked on high-end residential projects in Austin and various commercial ventures, including retail, multi-living and industrial. She grew up in The Colony.

Bryan Brummett. Brummett holds a Master of Architecture from Texas Tech University with a focus in urban and community design. He has experience in K-12 school design and is working on All Saints’ Episcopal School’s athletic additions and renovations in Fort Worth. Brummett grew up in  Fort Worth.

Caroline Buckner. Buckner has more than 10 years in multiple project types, including K-12 education, commercial office, corporate campus and nonprofit markets. She received a BFA in Architecture and a Master of Architecture from Savannah College of Art and Design.

April Coover. Coover holds a Bachelor of Interior Design from the University of Cincinnati. Her clients have included Nokia, Google, Liberty Mutual, Simplot and AIA/DCFA Dallas.

Sigita Guhacaj.  Guhacaj holds a Master of Science in Architecture from Polytechnic University of Tirana. Since 2017, she has worked in the United States. on a wide variety of projects including healthcare, commercial, retail, educational and high-end residential. Sigita speaks four languages.

Ashley Hale. A design architect from Dallas, Hale has nine years of professional experience, mostly in higher education projects, but also in stadium, office, entertainment and mixed-use. She earned a Bachelor of Science  in Architecture from the University of Texas at Arlington and Master of Architecture from the University of Houston.

Corley Kotler.  Kotler grew up in Tennessee and holds a Bachelor of Architecture, with a minor in Interior Architecture from the University of Tennessee. She works on the front end of projects in schematic deign, master planning and site research.

Joe Moreno. Moreno has 15 years in the information technology/building information modeling field, with extensive knowledge of multiple complex software platforms. “He is passionate about using 2D documentation to create a 3D model with perspective and depth that clients can visualize,” the firm said. Moreno holds an associate degree in IT/visual communications from the University of Phoenix.

Peter Nguyen. Nguyễn grew up in Kansas and graduated from Kansas State University in 2020 with a master’s in architecture planning and design. Since moving to Texas, he has accrued a broad range of experience in high-rise commercial and residential, office, retail, hospitality and adaptive reuse. He has helped design and oversee the construction of more than 290,000 square feet of office spaces.

Gabriela Portillo. Portillo is a computer science student at Dallas College working toward her bachelor’s degree. She holds an associate degree in business operations and is Bennett Partners’ receptionist. She was born in Texas and grew up in Guatemala.

Marshall Strawn. Strawn holds a Master of Architecture from the University of Texas at Arlington, where he was awarded the AIA Medal for Academic Excellence. He has worked as an architectural designer on institutional, multifamily, mixed-use and master-planning projects. Straw’s has helped build children’s playgrounds in Mexico, Guatemala and Uganda.

Kolton Watkins. Watkins holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Oklahoma State University. He has experience working in construction and architecture design, including campus master-planning, healthcare design and specialized lab design.

Emily Gilmore, promoted to associate principal. An experienced interior designer with a specialty in lighting design, Gilmore is an expert in a variety of building types, including corporate, residential, hospitality, education and institutional. Her skills range from helping determine project needs and scope to construction administration.