Meet the Jury

Kirk Horner, AIA

Vice President and Partner, Hollis + Miller Architects, Overland Park, Kan.

Kirk joined Hollis + Miller in 1989 and has been with the firm for more than 20 years. He became a partner in 1992. He is the public sector K-12 market leader and is co-author of Technology & Schools Design — Creating Spaces for Learning — NSBA. He also has served as a key participant in the development of a national model for districtwide master planning for NSBA. Kirk has been a keynote speaker for a variety of organizations and associated conferences, including NSBA, MSBA/MASA, Midwest Energy Manager's Organization and AIA-Kansas City. Kirk has a bachelor of architecture from Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kan., and attended graduate school at the University of Texas in Dallas.

Marco Fernandez-Obregon

Manager of Plant, Engineering & Operations Hamilton Township Board of Education, Hamilton, N.J.

Marco, a mechanical engineer, has more than 22 years experience in the planning, design and building of public facility projects, including capital projects for public schools, higher education and the federal sector. As director of facilities at William Paterson University, Wayne, N.J., he initiated several energy-conservation projects and initiatives, lighting retrofits and boiler-efficiency upgrades. In his current position, he manages the district's facilities department. Hamilton is the sixth-largest school district in New Jersey, with 17 elementary schools, three middle schools, three high schools, one special-education school and three other facilities. In 2008, Marco was selected as the National School Plant Management Association's “Manager of the Year.”

Bill Whitbeck, LEED AP

Construction Project Manager, Dept. of Const., Maint. and Interior Design, Div. of Housing and Food Services, Michigan State University, East Lansing

In his role at Michigan State University, Bill oversees all construction projects (about $120 million) for the division. He also provides facilities support, management resources and assesses major maintenance requirements for all residence halls on campus, as well as the MSU Union, the Kellogg Center, The International Center, The Breslin Student Center and other facilities that together encompass more than 6 million square feet. He is responsible for the ongoing management and oversight of the facilities portion of the division's strategic plan. Bill currently is redesigning the division's process for funding and planning maintenance and construction projects. He was an adjunct instructor in the construction management program at MSU for eight years. He earned a bachelor's degree in hotel and restaurant management, and a master's degree in construction management at MSU.