Gibbs College Architecture alumna Jessica Hester (Class of 2011) was recently named to the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal’s 2021 “Forty Under 40.” This program annually honors 40 individuals under the age of 40 who have been nominated as best in class by their peers in all industries.
Hester is CEO and Principal Architect of Verdant Studio, located in Rogers, Arkansas, which she built by hiring a “team of team of 12 professionals with overlapping creative disciplines focusing on art, architecture and research.” They work on a broad selection of project types–from public art to retail, hospitality to healthcare, and more.
To read her “Forty Under 40” profile, visit the link below.
Gibbs College of Architecture is proud to recognize Petya Stefanoff, who is pursuing her doctorate in the Planning, Design & Construction (PDC) program, has been appointed the new role of Director of Community Development for the City of Shawnee, Oklahoma. She joined the city in 2024.
Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce that Amber N. Wiley, Ph.D., associate professor in the Division of Planning, Landscape Architecture and Design and director of the Institute for Quality Communities, has received national recognition for her book Model Schools in the Model City. The book has been named a finalist for the 2026 the PROSE Awards.
Gibbs College of Architecture Regional + City Planning Professor of Practice Vanessa Morrison and Associate Professor of Architecture Deborah Richards’ Open Design Collective received top honors at the inaugural BlackSpace Urbanist Collective Studio KIN Pitch Night Competition, held last month in Brooklyn, New York City.
