STUDIOS Appoints New Chair and CEO

Practicing principals, each with over 20 years at the firm, Heath and Pfenninger bring extensive experience leading complex projects and teams, a solid understanding of both the cultural and practical needs of clients and a strong commitment to building on the firm’s 35-year history of embracing diverse thinking, experiences, and ideas to create world-class design. STUDIOS has over 300 employees across San Francisco, Washington DC, New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Lyon, and Mumbai. The new leaders will maintain the firm’s commitment to cross-office collaboration and will continue to lead their own practices, with Heath based in the DC office and Pfenninger in San Francisco.

“STUDIOS was founded as a design practice built around teams having the opportunity to contribute their individual talents and ideas – a place where design thinking and innovative solutions are nurtured and strengthened by the diversity and multicultural experiences of our people and clients,” says STUDIOS current CEO, Todd DeGarmo. “Marc and Marnique are well-positioned to lead the firm at a time when the world faces how to address such critical issues as climate change, social justice, and new thinking on how we live and work brought about by the pandemic.”

“It’s an important time to be stepping into this role,” notes Heath. “STUDIOS has built a reputation for both a collaborative spirit and for pushing boundaries to create transformative design solutions. I’m excited about the opportunities we have as a firm to make a difference through our work.”

Heath and Pfenninger will work closely with the firm’s current executive leaders over the coming months. While transitioning day-to-day leadership responsibilities of the firm to the next generation, DeGarmo and Thomas Yee, STUDIOS’ current Board Chair, will remain active as principals with the firm, continuing their practices at STUDIOS and leading client projects.

“We have an amazing team of talent at STUDIOS,” says Pfenninger. “I’m energized by the passion and commitment of our people and look forward to working with leadership and staff across the firm to strengthen our culture of growth and opportunity – both for our people and for our clients.”

About STUDIOS

Founded in San Francisco in 1985, STUDIOS Architecture is an international design firm that provides services in architecture, master planning, interiors, workplace strategy, and environmental graphics and design. With over 300 employees in San Francisco, Washington DC, New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Lyon, and Mumbai, the firm has forged relationships with groundbreaking and innovative clients throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. Clients range from tech start-ups to private developers, universities to civic organizations, as well as name brands including Coach, Disney, Google, LinkedIn, Lyft, Major League Baseball (MLB), Microsoft, Nike, Pandora, Samsung, Sony, and Time, among others. Free from disciplinary silos that limit innovation, the firm’s diverse and experienced team applies a range of insights gained across all work areas from master planning to interiors. Each client’s solution is unique to them and responsive to context, program and people.

Media Contact 

Katie McManus
kmcmanus@studios.com
202.736.5920