Quinn Evans Principal Will Lead Operations for Multi-Office Firm
Tom Jester, FAIA, FAPT, LEED AP, a principal with Quinn Evans, has been named chief operating officer for the firm. As COO, he will oversee the operations of the 200-person firm, which provides architecture, interior design, planning, landscape architecture, and historic preservation services from six offices throughout the mid-Atlantic and Midwest.
Jester will work closely with President and CEO Alyson Steele, FAIA, LEED AP, and the firm’s executive team to shape Quinn Evans’ operations, staffing, and resources for continued leadership and resilience. Quinn Evans has more than tripled in size over the past five years, significantly increased the diversity of its staff, and achieved national recognition for its groundbreaking work in sustainable stewardship and inclusive design. The firm’s community-oriented practice has also helped numerous urban areas reinvigorate local economies through creative revitalization and adaptive use initiatives.
A national leader in historic preservation, Jester joined Quinn Evans in 2006 and has directed many of the firm’s most challenging projects. High-profile projects include the award-winning modernization of the National Academy of Sciences on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the renovation of Old City Hall in Richmond, Va.; and the renovation of the Mid-Century Modern Arvonne Fraser Library in Minneapolis, Minn. He was instrumental in developing a sustainability and stewardship framework as part of a master plan and recent basis of design for the planned renewal of the national headquarters of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in Washington, D.C.
Jester has also been a key member of the firm’s multidisciplinary team that is modernizing the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum, one of the largest museum renovation projects in history. His clients include the Architect of the Capitol and the National Park Service, and he is currently leading the Quinn Evans team to design the modernization and expansion of the Federal Reserve.
“Tom is a consummate team builder who brings an extraordinary amount of skill and experience to our day-to-day operations,” says Steele. “He is a talented, trusted professional and strategic thinker who will support our planning and design teams as they continue to undertake challenging projects across the country. Tom consistently sets high standards and we will look to him to promote value, stability, and the creative use of technology throughout our practice.”
Jester is a Fellow in both the AIA and the Association for Preservation Technology International (APTI). He holds a Master of Architecture from the University of Maryland (1999), a Master of Science in Historic Preservation from the University of Pennsylvania (1991), and a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies from Colby College (1988). He is the co-founder of the APTI’s Technical Committee on Modern Heritage and the founder and past president of Docomomo DC, an advocacy organization dedicated to preserving Modern architecture in metropolitan Washington, D.C. Jester is also the editor of Twentieth-Century Building Materials: History and Conservation.
