By Joshua Burd
Design firm JZA+D has announced five promotions and the appointment of a new marketing coordinator on its Princeton-based team.
The practice on Monday said it has elevated Richard Perry to principal and Benjamin Grace to senior associate. Other promotions include Julia Compton and Taylor Kinsey Toms to associate and Nancie Giardina to senior interior designer.
JZA+D partners Joshua Zinder and Mark A. Sullivan announced the moves on Monday, while also touting the arrival of Pam McStay to lead its marketing efforts.
“Fostering career development, honing essential skills, encouraging networking and providing opportunities for gaining practical experience at every project phase should be priorities for partners and practice leaders,” said Zinder, who is the immediate past-president of AIA-New Jersey. “These efforts produce benefits that resonate in each of our projects to aid our clients, to the firm itself and to the profession more broadly.”
Practice leaders said Compton, an architect, and Giardina, an interior designer, will focus on supporting the continued development and growth of JZA+D’s office and workplace sector, according to a news release. According to Zinder, both have already successfully overseen design and construction of multiple workplace projects since 2018, including complex projects involving adaptive reuse and other highly specialized challenges.
Compton, previously a project architect with JZA+D, studied at Rhode Island School of Design, earning both a bachelor of architecture and bachelor of fine arts before going on to work for architectural firms in Massachusetts, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, the news release said. She is active in all phases of the design process for projects in the hospitality, residential, commercial and cultural sectors.
Giardina, meantime, will build on a portfolio of hospitality, entertainment, space planning and commercial work and has provided design contributions and solutions help to blend interiors and architecture for seamless results, the firm said. She holds a bachelor’s in interior design from Philadelphia University, with a minor in construction management.
“Nancie and Julia rise to meet every challenge, designing environments that reveal and reinforce corporate brand identity while providing a productive and invigorating place for work,” Zinder said. “Their experience, dedication and creativity make them ideally positioned for these new leadership roles.”
Grace, who joined JZA+D in 2013, focuses on hospitality, retail, workplace and higher education projects across the country, the news release said. He previously worked for William Starck Architects in Massachusetts and holds a master of architecture degree from Syracuse University, where he was awarded the AIA Henry Adams Medal for academic achievement and undertook a Design Studio Teaching Assistant fellowship.
The practice added that McStay brings more than 10 years of experience in the architecture and engineering sectors, with considerable acumen in RFQ and RFP solicitations, including coordination of consultants and frequently helping prepare teams for client interviews for complex multi-stakeholder projects. The Muhlenberg College graduate also comes with considerable graphic skills and depth of experience preparing award nominations, major presentations and published articles.
Perry, who joined JZA+D in 2016, has more than 30 years of experience in the commercial, institutional and residential sector and, as principal, will take the lead in JZA+D’s New York office. His global portfolio includes work in the U.S., Europe and Asia, while he has also worked for several firms in New York City, including Michael Graves Architecture & Design and MR Architecture + Décor.
Additionally, Perry operated his own practice for 16 years, the news release said. He is a registered architect in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut and holds a certification from the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, plus accreditation under the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program.
Kinsey Toms, for her part, has become a vital part of multiple JZA+D projects, having worked on hospitality and multifamily residential projects at the local and national levels, as well as academic and workplace environments across New Jersey, the firm said. She studied abroad in Florence, Italy, before graduating in 2016 from Syracuse University with a bachelor of architecture.
Since joining JZA+D, Kinsey Toms has managed corporate headquarters projects, high-end retail and residential expansions, among other project types.
