Principals
Wells M. Squier II
AIA, NCARB, LEED AP
Our Team
Logan Bond
AIA
Project Architect
Beth Cook
AIA
Project Architect
Valerie Cooper
Associate AIA
Preservation Specialist, Job Captain
Christin Erhart
Project Accounting Coordinator
Brandon Gossard
AIA, NCARB
Associate, Project Manager
Rachel Koleski
AIA
Senior Project Architect
Cristina Martin
Project Architect
Maria McGann
Job Captain
Laine McLaughlin
AIA, LEED AP
Associate, Senior Project Manager
Noël Michel
Associate AIA
Job Captain
Anne Ness
AIA, LEED AP
Senior Project Manager
Julia O’Malley
Studio Coordinator, Marketing Assistant
Chelsea Rooney
AIA
Associate, Project Manager
Keith Schmelzer
AIA, NCARB
Project Architect
Matthew Schneider
Historic Preservation Specialist
Rebecca Silva
AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C
Senior Project Manager
David Miller
Documentation Consultant
Elizabeth “Liz” Hallas
AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C
Principal
Liz 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 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.
Logan Bond
AIA
Project Architect
Logan is an Architect with exceptional digital modeling skills. Hailing from Charleston, SC, he contributes to initial design concepts, hones details, and reviews every inch of the drawings. He discerns the architectural finishes throughout the creative process, choosing wood and color accents that 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.
Beth Cook
AIA
Project Architect
Beth has a passion for historic architecture. She earned her Bachelor of Architecture from Vanderbilt University, with a double major in Art History and Economics, and her Master of Architecture from the University of Texas. She was awarded a grant to study abroad and traveled to Portugal and Spain, focusing on the adaptation of historic structures to serve contemporary needs. At Anderson Hallas, Beth enjoys her work on adaptive reuse projects, committed to serving the current and future needs of communities. 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, Job Captain
Valerie watched as Denver strove to balance contemporary development with historic preservation as it grew. 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. She enjoys participating as a member of the Brighton Historic Preservation Commission, listening to historical fiction, and going on adventures with her rescue dog Kida.
Christin Erhart
Project Accounting Coordinator
Meet Christin, our dynamic Project Accounting Coordinator who ensures every project flows seamlessly. As a design enthusiast, she enjoys being part of a creative and collaborative atmosphere at a woman-owned firm while working with the team at AH. When she’s not orchestrating projects, you can find Christin soaking up live music at concerts, hitting the gym, enjoying scenic strolls with her dog, or cherishing moments with her husband, three kids, and friends.
Brandon Gossard
AIA, NCARB
Associate, Project Manager
Brandon sees community architecture as a kind of barn raising, bringing the client, creative team, and community together to create a space. With a Master of Architecture and fourteen years of urban planning experience, he joined Anderson Hallas with an understanding of community building and the ability to map and model buildings with precision. He has been a Poudre Environmental Learning Center volunteer for more than a decade, and his passion for public policy has led him to volunteer for the AIA Colorado Government Affairs Committee and Resiliency Knowledge Community steering committee. Brandon loves canoeing, rafting, skiing, and backpacking to explore the West.
Rachel Koleski
AIA
Senior 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.
Cristina Martin
Project Architect
Cristina has a passion for public projects that benefit the greater community. With a Master of Architecture from Wentworth Institute of Technology, she brings a strong focus on problem solving and has a special interest in technical code requirements because of their importance to building safety. She enjoys being part of a multifaceted team, collaborating on diverse projects that offer opportunities for meaningful moments and experiences. Cristina spends her free time singing and dancing with her daughter or cuddling with her dog.
Maria McGann
Job Captain
Maria comes to Anderson Hallas with five years of architectural experience and a deep appreciation for design that thoughtfully responds to place. Born and raised in Colorado, she studied architecture a few states away at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where she honed her skills in creating clear, intentional design exploration and helping bring ideas to life in three dimensions. Maria brings curiosity, openness, and a collaborative spirit to her work. Outside the office, she takes full advantage of living in Colorado—hiking, biking, paddle boarding, and exploring the outdoors with her greyhound by her side.
Laine McLaughlin
AIA, LEED AP
Associate, Senior Project Manager
Laine is a Senior 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.
Noël Michel
Associate AIA
Job Captain
Noël is committed to community-centric design and historic preservation. Prior to earning her Master of Architecture, she received a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering with a focus on sustainability and energy. She was awarded a travel grant to study innovative resilient materials for contemporary architecture in Spain, as well as a Rare Books Scholar position to research several rare architectural texts from ancient times to the mid-1900s. At Anderson Hallas, Noël applies her background in engineering and architecture to our public sector projects. When she’s not in the office, she can be found hiking, skiing, crafting, traveling, and spending time with her family.
Anne Ness
AIA, LEED AP
Senior Project Manager
Anne 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.
Julia O’Malley
Studio Coordinator, Marketing Assistant
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.
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.
Keith Schmelzer
AIA, NCARB
Project Architect
Keith hails from the suburbs of Chicago where his love for architecture began with a high school field trip to Frank Lloyd Wright’s home and studio in Oak Park. He served five years with the Army’s 10th Mountain Division before receiving his Master of Architecture degree from the University of Colorado Denver. Keith is committed to public sector work and is especially passionate about our National Park Service projects, which are rooted in fond memories of road tripping throughout the West with his family. Outside of the office, Keith can be found renovating his 1953 midcentury home. He also enjoys camping, backpacking, and traveling.
Matthew Schneider
Historic Preservation Specialist
Matthew, originally from Wyoming, has a rooted passion for the stories told through design of people and places. He pursued his studies at the University of Wyoming and the University of Virginia, immersing himself in the worlds of architecture, engineering, and history. He is a strong believer that great work comes from listening, paying attention to the little things, and working together. Matthew is excited to work on projects that connect with the places he’s always loved – a way to contribute to his roots while seeing these familiar landscapes in a new light. Outside work, you’ll find him hanging out with family or taking long walks with his cow dog, Pip.
Rebecca Silva
AIA, NCARB, 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.
David Miller
Documentation Consultant
David is Documentation Consultant 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.