Thriven Design Announces Three Leadership Promotions
Thriven Design is proud to announce the promotions of three outstanding team members: Al DeLuca, AIA, LEED® AP, Christopher J. Panella, and Marissa Berwick, AIA, NCARB. These individuals exemplify our corporate values of authenticity, integrity, collaboration, boldness, confidence, and acting as trusted advisors. They are leaders, mentors, and teachers known for sharing knowledge freely, developing talent, creating opportunities, and ensuring that Thriven Design is a vibrant, multidisciplinary workplace devoted to impact driven design.
Effective immediately, Al DeLuca, AIA, LEED® AP, is promoted to Associate Principal, Director of Project Services.
Al will oversee both the tools used for production, and the final deliverables produced, by our four in-house professional architecture, engineering, planning, and interior design teams. As Associate Principal, he will champion efficiency and productivity firmwide, leveraging his roles as both Director of Project Services as BIM Manager for Thriven Design. He will implement standards and best practices, lead the adoption of new BIM tools and technology, and coordinate new hire training and continuation of staff BIM development. He will supervise project management processes, production standards, and knowledge sharing.
Al will also continue in his leadership within Thriven Design’s Affordable Housing team, where he has led affordable multifamily and affordable senior projects totaling more than 1,300 units since joining the firm in 2008. Through his extensive experience with affordable multifamily residential design, Al has gained a reputation for cultivating long-term client relationships, providing expert project management, and supporting project teams with deep knowledge of affordable housing project funding programs including 4% and 9% LIHTC tax credit programs, Aspire program funding, and programs administered by an array of the secondary and supplementary lenders.
Al is extremely well-versed in local, state, and federal regulations and guidelines that apply to residential applications. He is known for his attention to detail, innate ability to develop working solutions to project roadblocks, and skill at training new and junior staff members in architectural design programs and best practices.
Thriven Design is delighted to also announce the promotion of Christopher J. Panella to Associate Principal, Project Manager.
In this leadership role, Chris will contribute to firm governance and decision making, as well as the day-to-day operations of Thriven Design studios and teams. Currently, Chris leads affordable housing projects that provide residences and resources for seniors, families, and those with special needs. Chris is uniquely adept at project management, construction administration and cultivating long-term client relationships, and he brings to his role as Associate Principal a rich multi-faceted professional perspective. His 35-year career includes hands-on carpentry work, drafting for a civil engineer, and working in the systems furniture industry, as well as 28 years of his career in building design and construction.
Chris arrived at Thriven Design with deep expertise in market-rate and multifamily housing for national and local development companies and has since expanded his focus to affordable housing, mixed-use buildings, adaptive reuse and asset preservation projects.
Since joining the firm in 2000, he has served as project manager for more than 5,000 units of affordable, multifamily residential housing spanning six states: New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Texas. The work of his project teams has been recognized on a state and regional level, with a NJ Governor’s Excellence in Housing & Economic Development Award in Leading Supportive Housing Development; an Outstanding Project: New Development award from The Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey, and multiple Project of the Year wins from the Supportive Housing Association of New Jersey (SHA-NJ).
Thriven Design would also like to congratulate Marissa Berwick, AIA, NCARB, on her promotion to Associate, Project Architect.
Marissa has 10 years of industry experience, eight of which have been spent at Thriven Design. She is highly skilled in space-planning and unit design for affordable housing, and overall functional design for PACE (Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly) adult day centers. Her affordable multifamily housing, PACE, and affordable senior portfolio spans three states, and includes extensive experience with LIHTC funding programs, both 4% and 9%.
Marissa is involved in multiple firm governance initiatives and has long been a champion of good studio and firm culture, advocate for licensure candidates, and mentor for those both in and looking for a future in, the AEC industry. She is a leader of Thriven Design’s BIM team, and has trained new employees in the BIM environment for four years.
In addition to her Bachelor of Architecture degree from Drexel University, Marissa is an American Institute of Architects member, holds an NCARB Certificate, and is a licensed Architect in the State of New Jersey.
Congratulations, Al, Chris, and Marissa! Thriven Design wishes you great success as you embark on your new roles, and our firm looks forward to the great impact that you will have on our firm, our project partners, and the communities which we serve.
