The Design-Build Institute of America has announced its second-ever class of DBIA Fellows. Elevation to Designated Design-Build Professional™ Fellow status is the highest level of DBIA Certification and acknowledges the achievements of the nation’s most accomplished design-build professionals. In addition to the selection of four new DBIA-certified Fellows, the DBIA Board of Directors and its College of Fellows has chosen Jim Whitaker, FAIA, FDBIA, of HKS, Inc., to serve as its first Chancellor. Jim served as DBIA’s chairman in 2014, served as a board member from 2010 to 2017, was inducted in the inaugural class of DBIA Fellows, and a rare distinction – he has been elected a Fellow of both DBIA and AIA.

 “Design-build is the fastest growing and most popular delivery method in our nation’s architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry. Much of that success is driven by the incredible leadership of design-build innovators like those elevated to the DBIA College of Fellows. The additional of these four new DBIA Fellows in 2019 is just one indicator of the depth of experience and passion for collaboration which drives design-build’s success nationwide. Congratulations to David Bloxom, Keith Molenaar, Rich Benton and Thomas Porter. I look forward to your contributions to the DBIA College of Fellows…Jim Whitaker, FAIA, FDBIA – Chancellor, DBIA College of Fellows

This year’s Fellows class includes four distinguished design-build professionals individuals who have made invaluable contributions to the throughout many years. This distinguished group of industry leaders will work together to help DBIA fuel the continued growth of our industry and serve our diverse membership.

David Bloxom, FDBIA
Chairman, Speed Fab-Crete Corporation
Fort Worth, TX

David Bloxom has been a champion and advocate for design-build his entire career and has helped deliver hundreds of design-build projects in his four-plus decades with Speed-Fab Crete Corporation. A Past President and current board member of the DBIA Southwest Region, Bloxom also plays a vital role in helping the certification process grow as a DBIA Certified Instructor for the Professional Certification Program as well as being a member – and past Chairman – of the Design-Build Certification Board.

Keith Molenaar, Ph.D., FDBIA
Associate Dean for Research and Professor
University of Colorado Boulder

One of the nation’s leading researchers and experts on design-build project delivery, Keith Molenaar has produced some of the nation’s most important data demonstrating design-build’s performance and industry impact. His work helps our nation’s Owners make more informed decisions to deliver better projects.  Keith has also authored books, national guidance documents and peer-reviewed research papers on design-build — benefiting our entire industry. He is a current member of the Design-Build Certification Board and was honored with the DBIA Academic Leadership Award in 2000.

Stephen Richard Benton, P.E., F.ASCE, FDBIA
President, SR Benton & Associates, LLC.
Fairfax, VA

By his estimation, Rich Benton has taught more than a thousand students in his twelve-plus years as an DBIA Certification instructor. In addition to his teaching duties, Rich is a member of the Design-Build Certification Board and has advanced design-build certification by helping revise DBIA’s course and exam content to align with ‘Design-Build Done Right’ best practices. Rich is also a current board member of the DBIA Mid-Atlantic Region.

Thomas Porter, JD, FDBIA
Vice President – Barton Malow Company
Southfield, MI

An experienced construction industry business executive and attorney for almost forty years, Thomas Porter has used his diverse professional experience to serve DBIA at virtually every level. As the co-founder of the Michigan DBIA Chapter, a national Executive Committee member and Board Chairman, Tom contributed to DBIA’s strategic focus on integrated services and helped DBIA remain strong during the Great Recession.  He also played a critical role collaborating on our best-in-class contract documents program.

Elevation to Fellow status celebrates individual career achievements and promotes DBIA principles through the DBIA College of Fellows. Established in 2018, DBIA Fellow status is limited to 2% of Designated Design-Build Professionals who are elected to Fellowship by a jury of their peers.

This year’s inaugural class will be inducted as DBIA Fellows during the 2019 Design-Build Conference & Expo in Las Vegas in November.