Senior Associate
"A great building must begin with the immeasurable, must go through measurable means when it is being designed, and in the end must be unmeasured." —Louis Kahn
Theresa Amurao
Senior Assocaite, Project Manager — San FranciscoFrom a young age, Theresa was always encouraged to explore her interests and potential. She enjoyed both the freedom of art classes and exactness of math. Architecture allows her to enjoy the creative problem solving that is involved throughout the process to make ideas come to life.
Theresa started her career working in multi-family affordable housing, where she gained valuable knowledge and skills. Her curiosity about architecture has led her to explore many project types and to learn the ways it is integrated into our daily lives. She is endlessly fascinated with how architecture can be a rich and complex intersection of life. Theresa has learned that by engaging logic, creativity, experience, and vision; her career will allow her to design, formulate, and coordinate built elements that exist in the natural world. Those built elements create our environment and the places we gather, work, play, and live.
Credentials
- B.Arch, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
"Everything plays a role in the finished product, and the goal is to find the balance between environment, economy, and equity."
Travis Keltner
Senior Associate, Project Architect — San DiegoAs a Project Architect at SGPA, Travis approaches design with a holistic viewpoint and believes that everything is linked – from form and function to materials and color to structure and infrastructure. Highly skilled in Revit, AutoCAD, Google Sketchup, Adobe and Microsoft programs, Travis, with a Bachelor’s in Architecture and a minor in Sustainable Environments, pays great attention to detail, which makes him a strong team player throughout project stages, especially document coordination and approval.
Architecture combines Travis’ passion for math, science, and drawing into a career he loves, one that propels him to find solutions to new challenges.
Credentials
- Registered Architect, California
- B.Arch, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
- BSA: Eagle Scout
"Travel and experiences shape our perception and create a new and unique vantage in our way of seeing."
Hilary Backman
Senior Associate, Senior Designer, Studio Leader — San DiegoWith over 25 years of experience, Hil has designed a range of successful projects in California and abroad. He has been fortunate to design many building types including Residential, Retail, Mixed Use, Senior Living, Hotels, Higher Education, and Creative Offices. Hil has also designed large scale planning projects from Eco-Tourism to Urban Planning.
At SGPA, Hil blends effective communication skills and a flexible approach to design while working with clients, consultants, and colleagues to create special places that resonate with end users. He is also involved with the architectural and planning communities with associations such as ICSC, NIAOP, ULI, and BIA.
Hil’s deep passion and wonder of our built environment inspired him to pursue a career in architecture and design. He enjoys bringing life to the projects, or in other words “taking it from dream to reality.” He enjoys the collaborative process of working with clients as he believes it always deepens and enriches the work. Hil draws his inspiration from past and current architectural masters defining design with mass, texture, light, time and space.
Credentials
- M.Arch, Dalhousie, Nova Scotia, CA
- B. Environmental Design Studies in Architecture, Dalhousie, Nova Scotia, CA
- B.F.A. Painting and Drawing, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, CA
"Architecture can be very structured and technical, or organic and stream of conscience. It's fun to strike a balance between these two paradigms."
Steve Swartzendruber
Senior Associate, Senior Project Manager — San FranciscoThanks to his father, a building contractor, Steve has always been drawn to design and construction. He enjoys seeing physical buildings take shape after their conceptual beginnings on paper or on screen. At SGPA he assists with overall project management. Steve excels at coordination with both our in-house design and production teams and our external consultants and clients. On a typical project, he’s responsible for building detailing, permitting, specifications, and client relations.
Credentials
- B.S. Architecture, Lawrence Technological University
"Architecture is about more than just beautiful buildings – it’s also about how spaces interact with, and change the lives of those who use them."
Victoria Gray
Senior Associate, Project Manager — San FranciscoImagine, for a second, the feeling of satisfaction after solving a difficult puzzle, or finding the solution to a tricky problem. It is that same feeling – the sense of pride and accomplishment stemming from being able to design a space from scratch that is both habitable and enjoyable – that drew Tori to pursue a career in architecture. Spaces like outdoor plazas, or any sort of social gathering area, which allow for interaction between users, have become one of Tori’s specialties since joining SGPA.
Tori is also instrumental in the production of design and construction documents for projects ranging in completeness from planning and site design to building design and construction.
Credentials
- Registered Architect, California
- B.Arch, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
When Walt Disney was creating Disneyland and discussing the architecture of the park, he was quoted saying, "It's kind of fun to do the impossible."
Marianne Bates
Senior Associate, Office Manager — San DiegoIn 1995, Marianne took her first job with an architectural firm and fell in love with the profession. It was more than engineering and interior design—she admired architects’ ability to create vision not only within their firm, but within a community. She has worked in architecture ever since, collaborating with staff, consultants, and clients to reach the same common goal: beautiful design.
Known for her dependable nature and sharp eye for detail, Marianne assists principals and project managers in processing agreements for clients and consultants. She also manages the administrative staff and keeps the office running smoothly. In the ever-changing working environment of architecture, she helps the firm to continue moving forward as one team.