Principals
Wells M. Squier II
AIA, NCARB, LEED AP
Our Team
Andy Duckett-Emke Associate
AIA
Senior Project Architect
Laine McLaughlin Associate
AIA, LEED AP
Project Manager
Brandon Gossard Associate
AIA
Project Manager
Chelsea Rooney Associate
AIA
Project Manager
Anne Ness
AIA, LEED AP
Senior Project Manager
Rebecca Silva
AIA, LEED AP BD+C
Senior Project Manager
Brooke Schubert
AIA, LEED AP BD+C
Project Manager
Rachel Koleski
AIA
Project Architect
Jason Messing
AIA
Project Architect
Elizabeth Vergillo
AIA
Project Architect and Preservation Specialist
Beth Cook
AIA
Project Architect
Keith Schmelzer
AIA
Project Architect
Logan Bond
AIA, LEED AP BD+C
Project Architect
Dave Miller
BIM Manager
Susie Hacker
Associate AIA, LEED GA
Designer
Noel Michel
Job Captain
Valerie Cooper
Associate AIA
Preservation Specialist, Architect Intern
Ronda Henkel
Senior Accounting Manager
Heather Rhodes
Project Accounting Coordinator
Jenny Ito
Marketing Manager
Julia O’Malley
Studio Coordinator
Elizabeth “Liz” Hallas
AIA, LEED AP BD+C
Principal
Liz Hallas is our Principal who manages the big picture. She is adept at puzzle solving as she eyes each piece, from leading design teams to building client relationships. She’s responsible for quality control, assuring the firm runs smoothly and that each project shines. Projects that enhance communities and bringing people together are her greatest passion. One of her favorites was the Breckenridge Community Center, a vacant school that was transformed into a vibrant library, gathering place, and movie theatre. A past chair of Colorado Preservation Inc, she also served on the jury for AIA National’s Honor Awards. She is devoted to her children and spends much of her free time at her son’s basketball games and daughter’s swim meets. She also enjoys yoga and tries to keep up with her two book clubs.
Wells M. Squier II
AIA, NCARB, LEED AP
Principal
Wells Squier is a Principal specializing in turning a client’s idea, memory, or list of notes into an actionable building vision. In the role of strategic oversight, he ensures the integrity of projects from start to finish. He facilitates good listening, making sure the voices on his team and the client are heard and considered. A lover of the outdoors, one of his favorite projects was the facilities he helped create at the rim of the Grand Canyon on the Bright Angel trailhead. When he’s out of the office, he’s most likely mountain biking on the Colorado Trail or teaching his daughter to ski.
Andy Duckett-Emke
AIA
Associate, Senior Project Architect
Andy Duckett-Emke is a Senior Project Architect who is passionate about reimagining existing buildings. His Master of Architecture from Washington University and year abroad at the Helsinki University of Technology were pivotal to his design aesthetic that strikes a sensitive balance between contemporary and historic. Applying this to projects like the Breckenridge Arts District, where he reinvented a collection of historic barns, sheds, and ranch buildings into a lively arts complex, is his favorite design pursuit. He’s always on the hunt for the newest sci-fi movie, is loyal to CrossFit, and loves hosting dinner parties with friends.
Laine McLaughlin
AIA, LEED AP
Associate, Project Manager
Laine McLaughlin is a Project Manager who assesses the condition of historic buildings and designs solutions to make them useful today. She has her Master of Architecture from CU Denver, with a post Master in Preservation from the University of Leuven in Belgium. Her recent project, the reconstruction of Sperry Chalet in Glacier National Park, required a seven-mile/3,500’ climb into the park’s back country to access the site. Only the chalet’s 2-story stone walls remained after a 2017 wildfire, but through heroic design and construction efforts, is now completed. In her free time, she can be found playing golf, cheering on the Broncos, and growing roses.
Brandon Gossard
AIA
Associate, Project Manager
Brandon Gossard is an architect inspired by manifesting a community’s vision. He sees community architecture as a kind of barn raising, with the client, creative team, and community coming together to create a compelling and complete space. With an undergraduate degree in geography and fourteen years of urban planning experience, he came to the firm with an understanding of what it takes to make communities and the ability to map and model buildings with precision. His favorite part of the work is exploration as he travels to all corners of the country for site visits, from Great Basin to Tall Grass Prairie. He’s been a volunteer at the Poudre Environmental Learning Center for twelve years, participating in a wide range of projects from the new inSTEM Learning Center to putting up sand bag walls to prevent flooding of the original center. His passion for public policy has led him to work with AIA Colorado on the Government Affairs Committee as Secretary, and on the steering committee for the Resiliency Knowledge Community. He loves canoeing, rafting, skiing, and backpacking to explore the West.
Chelsea Rooney
AIA
Associate, Project Manager
Chelsea, Associate and Architect, is intrigued by the connection between historic architecture to modern times, making historic structures relevant and useful centuries after they were created. As an undergraduate she studied abroad in Genoa, Italy, which further sparked her interest in historic architecture and preservation. Chelsea’s passion began as a child with a dream of becoming an Architect, measuring her bedroom and drawing floor plans for rearranging her furniture. In her free time, she enjoys hiking with her husband and two architecturally named fur-babies, Beaux and Eero.
Anne Ness
AIA, LEED AP
Senior Project Manager
Anne Ness is a Project Manager who makes sure the plan moves forward. She keeps projects on schedule and budget, often visiting sites to check in on design implementation. In her 18 years of experience, she’s worked on projects from cultural heritage centers, schools, and skyscrapers. In her free time, she volunteers for Women in Design, a nonprofit, supporting women in design professions. She enjoys board games, reading, and the fine art of crafting homemade marshmallows.
Rebecca Silva
AIA, LEED AP BD+C
Senior Project Manager
Rebecca is a Project Manager who lives by the credo “never design in a bubble.” Her experience – including dual master’s degrees in Architecture and Landscape Architecture – has taught her to consider a building’s context in addition to its structure. She embraces a holistic approach to design that limits construction waste, energy use, and environmental impact. Outside work, she can be found hiking with her dogs and relaxing by the koi pond in her backyard.
Brooke Schubert
AIA, LEED AP BD+C
Project Manager
Brooke is a Project Manager who has a strong background of design for public projects and inspired by the opportunity to create or improve spaces where people interact, learn, play, and gather. She has a Master of Architecture from the University of Colorado Denver and graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts from Augustana University. In her free time, Brooke volunteers in the PTA and her child’s school building committee and participates in the ACE (Architecture Construction Engineering) mentor program and the Urban Land Institute (ULI).
Rachel Koleski
AIA
Project Architect
Rachel is a Project Architect who imagines the texture of place. A CU graduate with a Master of Architecture, she values context and a building’s connection to people and nature. Designing the Outward Bound staff lodge combined her interests in sustainability and the outdoors. An avid fisherman and lover of river trips, her latest catch was a 28-inch, 10-pound lake trout with her dad on the Blue Mesa Reservoir.
Dave Miller
BIM Manager
David Miller is a BIM Manager who considers every surface of a structure. Utilizing a laser tape measure and laptop, he’s able to model complex existing buildings in a matter of days. Back in the office, he polishes the model for use in rehabilitation designs and shares his expert detailing and understanding of materials to the benefit of others. One of his proudest accomplishments is the 3D model of the Colorado State Capitol building – an invaluable tool in its ongoing management. A veteran in the industry since 1991, he started out in structural engineering where he learned to problem-solve. He’s an outdoorsman who loves four-wheeling, fishing, and hunting elk.
Elizabeth Vergillo
AIA
Project Architect and Preservation Specialist
Liz is an Architect and Preservation Specialist who takes pride in caring for existing buildings. She studied studio art and art history before completing her Master of Architecture and Master of Interior Architecture degrees at the University of Oregon. Liz loves getting into the details and discovering layers of a building’s past. In her free time, she can be found throwing pottery, ice skating, or hiking with friends.
Logan Bond
AIA, LEED AP BD+C
Project Architect
Logan Bond is an Architect with exceptional digital modeling skills. Hailing from Charleston, SC, he’s responsible for checking every inch of the drawings, honing details and contributing to initial concepts. He discerns the finishes throughout the design process, choosing wood and color accents to enhance the design. Projects like the Avon Barn Rehabilitation, a dynamic community event space, channels his zeal for historic preservation. In his free time, he can be found skiing, travelling, and attending the symphony.
Jason Messing
AIA
Project Architect
Jason brings a strong background in both design and construction to his role as Project Architect. Inspired to become an architect after a trip to Mesa Verde as a child, he graduated with his Bachelor of Environmental Design from CU and has more than 14 years of professional experience. With a passion for creativity and technology, Jason spends his free time as a wood crafter. A Colorado native, he also enjoys exploring history through the state’s many ghost towns.
Susie Hacker
Associate AIA, LEED GA
Designer
Susie is a Designer and one of our go-to computer modelers, recently creating a full Revit model for the Mount Rushmore Visitor Center rehabilitation. After graduating with a Bachelor of Environmental Design, she went on to earn two graduate degrees – Master of Architecture and Master of Historic Preservation – from the University of Colorado. A lifelong explorer of the outdoors, she also likes to read mystery novels, bake frosted sugar cookies, and attend her son’s baseball games.
Noel Michel
Job Captain
Noël joined the firm with an excitement for adaptive reuse, community centered public projects, and a curiosity for historical preservation in Architecture. She has a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering with a focus in sustainability and energy from the University of Dayton and a master’s degree in architecture from The Ohio State University, Knowlton School of Architecture. While pursuing her master’s she was awarded a travel grant to study resilient innovative materials in Spain for contemporary architecture and the Rare Books Scholar Graduate research position in which she worked with several rare architectural texts from ancient times to mid-1900s. These awards opportunities led to her passion for architecture, history and preservation. At Anderson Hallas, Noël is excited to fuse her experience in engineering and architecture to work on public sector projects, serving communities’ current and future needs, and preserving human culture in Architecture. When she’s not in the office, she can be found hiking, skiing, crafting, traveling, and spending time with her family.
Ronda Henkel
Senior Accounting Manager
Ronda is Senior Accounting Manager with Anderson Hallas. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Simpson College and more than 20 years of experiences in accounting and human resources. She has a background in the AEC industry is enthusiastic about working in a woman-owned small business. In her free time, Ronda enjoys exercise, the outdoors, and attending her kids’ sporting events.
Heather Rhodes
Project Accounting Coordinator
Heather is Project Accounting Coordinator for Anderson Hallas. She has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Colorado State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from the University of Minnesota. Heather enjoys working with the creative people at Anderson Hallas – harkening back to her youth when she would spend summers helping her father in his architectural studio.
Jenny Ito
Marketing Manager
Jenny is our Marketing Manager, committed to sharing the stories and expanding the reach of Anderson Hallas. A Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Master of Arts in Teaching from Colorado College set her on a career driven by an appreciation of the arts, architecture, and preservation. While some people eat to live, she and her husband live to eat – exploring the world through cooking and travel.
Keith Schmelzer
AIA
Project Architect
Keith hails from the suburbs of Chicago where his love for architecture began, visiting Frank Lloyd Wright’s home and studio in Oak Park on a high school field trip. He served five years with the Army’s 10th Mountain Division before receiving his master’s in Architecture from the University of Colorado, Denver. Keith is looking forward to doing civic work within the firm to improve our communities, along with working with the National Park Service, which is rooted in his fond memories of road tripping throughout the west with his family.
Outside of the office, Keith can be found renovating his 1953 midcentury home, which out of the many projects he’s worked on professionally, remains one of his favorites. He also enjoys camping, backpacking, and traveling.
Beth Cook
AIA
Project Architect
Beth comes to the firm with a passion and appreciation for historic architecture. She has a BA from Vanderbilt University with a double major in Art History and Economics and a master’s degree from the University of Texas School of Architecture, where she was awarded a travel grant to visit Portugal and Spain to study the adaption of historic foundations to contemporary needs. From her career in the field thus far, Beth is most proud of her work on The Mighty Argo development in Idaho Springs, CO, not yet completed.
At Anderson Hallas, Beth is excited to work on adaptive reuse projects, serving communities current and future needs. When she’s not in the office, she can be found gardening, hiking, skiing, traveling, and spending time with her family.
Valerie Cooper
Associate AIA
Preservation Specialist, Architect Intern
Valerie fell in love with architecture during summer vacations spent visiting family in iconic Charleston, SC. Growing up just north of Denver, she had a front row view as the city flourished and strove to balance contemporary development with historic preservation. This experience drove her academic pursuits, which culminated in the completion of dual graduate degrees – a Master of Architecture and Master of Science in Historic Preservation. Valerie appreciates that Anderson Hallas offers her the opportunity to work on both contemporary and historic projects. Recently she has been working on an adaptive reuse of the Union Printer’s Home campus in Colorado Springs – a dream project to preserve the historic character of buildings while breathing new life into them. Outside of the office, Valerie enjoys participating as a member of the Brighton Historic Preservation Commission, listening to historical fiction, planning trips to Disney World, and going on adventures with her rescue dog, Kida.
Julia O’Malley
Studio Coordinator
Julia is our Studio Coordinator who is excited to be a part of the design industry while pursuing multiple passions. Inspired by her love of both art and science, she received a Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. Julia has a strong appreciation for everything nature and art have to offer and loves living in the moment. She spends most of her time in the mountains, playing volleyball, practicing yoga, and exploring new places.