QKA | Quattrocchi Kwok Architects

Master of Architecture | University of California, Berkeley | Berkeley, CA
Bachelor of Arts, Architecture | University of California, Berkeley | Berkeley, CA

Since establishing QKA in 1986, Mark Quattrocchi has been at the helm as a lead architect, innovator and renowned industry authority. With K-12 design expertise spanning more than 30 years, he is an authority on designing environments for 21st century teaching and learning. Quattrocchi’s passion for creating sustainable learning environments is realized through QKA’s keen attention to energy-conscious design and its driving desire to prepare students for the global marketplace.

Quattrocchi frequently publishes substantive architecture-, historic renovation- and sustainability-related articles, and regularly speaks at events and workshops, including California’s Coalition for Adequate School Housing (C.A.S.H.) annual conference. He has guest lectured for the Department of Architecture at the University of California, Berkeley, and is past president for the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) Redwood Empire Chapter. Quattrocchi currently serves on the editorial board for the trade publication School Construction News and is a sought after expert frequently quoted in media interviews.

Quattrocchi volunteers on numerous community boards and committees, including currently serving as the chairman of the board for Paws for Purple Hearts, a nationwide program dedicated to helping heal returning combat veterans by teaching those with psychological scars, including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), to train service dogs for their comrades with physical disabilities. He is regularly invited to speak with students about the architecture profession.

Master of Architecture | Montana State University | Bozeman, MT
Bachelor of Architecture | Montana State University | Bozeman, MT

Steven Kwok has decades of experience leading teams in the planning, designing and construction management of large-scale public education projects. He possesses considerable knowledge of public agency approval and funding agencies, and is well known for his expertise in implementing bond programs and master plans. As the campus consulting architect for Sonoma State University (Rohnert Park, Calif.) and California Maritime Academy (Vallejo, Calif.), he regularly advises the colleges on facilities planning and project implementation. Kwok also enjoys creating spaces for specific disciplines, such as STEM education, maker spaces and tinker labs.

Active in the community, Kwok volunteers on numerous boards and committees. He is currently on the Building & Grounds Committee for Sonoma Academy (Santa Rosa, Calif.) and the Ravenswood City Schools (East Palo Alto, Calif.) Facilities Stakeholders Committee. He is also a member of Homes for Sonoma, a coalition of architects, engineers, builders, affordable housing developers, and government representatives providing solutions to address the massive loss of housing in Sonoma County from the 2017 Northern California wildfires. 

Bachelor of Architecture | California Polytechnic State University | San Luis Obispo, CA

Jim Theiss is head partner of QKA’s Construction Administration department. He has an unwavering track record of successfully managing people, projects and resources – as well as navigating challenges – to achieve superior results for K-12 clients. Facilitating prompt and collaborative construction communication, he developed a web-based database that allows all parties to track progress and resolution of all construction issues, including document modifications. Theiss’ experience includes serving as lead architect and construction administrator for numerous comprehensive campus projects, including the new Heritage High School, an innovative campus serving 2,200 students in Brentwood, Calif.

Theiss currently serves as a board member for the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) Redwood Empire Chapter and is actively involved in several community organizations, including the Windsor Kids Festival, sponsored by Redwood Gospel Mission, which provides backpacks and school supplies to financially challenged families prior to the start of school year.

Bachelor of Arts, Architecture | University of California, Berkeley | Berkeley, CA

Aaron Jobson comes from a family of educators and has a passion for creating dynamic, sustainable learning environments. His philosophy includes pursuing extensive community outreach and participation, allowing for client-and community-responsive design. He is known for his innovative projects, including American Canyon High School (American Canyon, Calif.), one of the highest scoring Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) verified projects in California. He is also one of the creators of Folia, a classroom building solution that dramatically reduces design, permitting and construction time on projects to market. His work, passion and advocacy has garnered his reputation as a thought leader on how school facility design directly impacts academic success – a subject on which Aaron spoke about at SXSWedu, among other national education conferences.

A founding member of the School Energy Coalition, Jobson is a legislative advocate for energy efficiency measures affecting schools and a leading voice on sustainability. He contributed to the California Division of the State Architect’s “Handbook for Grid Neutral Schools” and serves on CHPS’ board of directors. He is also a member of Homes for Sonoma, a coalition of architects, engineers, builders, affordable housing developers, and government representatives providing solutions to address the massive loss of housing in Sonoma County from the 2017 Northern California wildfires.

Jobson led QKA’s conversion to an all-BIM (building information modeling) practice and continues to be a leader in incorporating technological advancements throughout the design and construction process. In 2015, he was certified as an Accredited Learning Environments Planner (ALEP) by the Association for Learning Environments, currently held by less than 200 of the most qualified designers and planners of school facilities.

Bachelor of Architecture | California Polytechnic State University | San Luis Obispo, CA

John Dybczak’s passion for school design stems from the profound impact educational facilities have on our children and communities, and he takes great pride in the responsibility to “get it right” for the next generation. For 22 years, he has enjoyed working with the inspiring people leading and pushing the envelope for education advancement, such as school districts, administrators, teachers, parents, community members and students, and feels he has the most rewarding career in the world.

As one of QKA’s five Principals, Dybczak brings strong leadership and project management capabilities to all of his projects, guiding his teams professionally and personally in order to help them succeed and achieve their goals. Vowing to never take himself too seriously, he is valued by clients and colleagues alike for being a clear communicator who is dedicated and approachable, and possesses the ability to readily adapt to changing and challenging circumstances. Dybczak encourages a collaborative work environment where all are treated with respect, believing teamwork provides the best avenue to explore options and develop solutions that respond to client needs and desires.

He has managed the successful completion of numerous modernization and new construction projects for public schools and community colleges throughout Northern California, including a major historic renovation for the San Mateo Union High School District and as project lead for the new Lila Bringhurst Elementary School in Fremont.

Bachelor of Architecture | California Polytechnic State University | San Luis Obispo, CA

With more than 35 years of experience, Debra McGuire has served as Associate/Project Manager for modernization and new construction projects for several school districts. Currently McGuire has a leading role in a variety of projects: modernization projects for the Mountain View Whisman (Mountain View, Calif.), master planning for the Mountain View Los Altos (Mountain View, Calif.), new construction for multiple campuses for Napa Valley (Napa, Calif.), and modernization projects for Dixie (San Rafael, Calif.) school districts. Additionally, she oversees master planning projects for the Napa Valley Unified (Napa, Calif.) and Piedmont Unified (Piedmont, Calif.) school districts.

McGuire’s proficiency in project coordination and construction documents is complemented by her ability to listen to clients and translate their aspirations into built form. She also serves as an in-house resource for building and accessibility code compliance, and is an integral part of developing office standards, including new quality control review procedures.

Bachelor of Science, Environmental Design | University of California, Davis | Davis, CA

A Sonoma County native, Nick Stephenson has been with QKA for over 20 years, and has been a licensed architect since 2002. He has extensive experience with all phases of architectural services including master planning, programming, schematic design, design development and construction documentation. Well-versed in consultant coordination, green building practices and construction administration, Stephenson’s experience includes residential, hospital and commercial projects.

Stephenson’s projects include the Mendocino High School Performing Arts facility (Mendocino, Calif.) and significant modernization work for Fort Bragg Middle School (Fort Bragg, Calif.) – both of which garnered design awards. His recent experience includes leading the facilities master planning for the Alameda Unified School District (Alameda, Calif.), as well as the design and master planning efforts for the Fremont Union High School District (Sunnyvale, Calif.). In 2016, he was certified as an Accredited Learning Environments Planner by the Association for Learning Environments, currently held by less than 200 of the most qualified designers and planners of school facilities.

A member of the Aggie’s championship football team during his years at the University of California, Davis and a parent of three boys, Stephenson enjoys coaching youth soccer, basketball and flag football and volunteering at his son’s elementary school. An active triathlete, Stephenson has been certified as a triathlon coach and is a former volunteer coach with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team-in-Training program.

Bachelor of Architecture | California Polytechnic State University | San Luis Obispo, CA

With more than 30 years of education design experience and a licensed architect for 25 years, David Hansen has an impassioned focus on sustainable design practices. He has extensive experience with complex projects with a wide variety of building types and project delivery methods. Hansen is recognized as a thought leader and demonstrated innovator in the areas of natural lighting, energy conservation, zero net energy (ZNE) and 21st century school design, and is known for delivering high-quality service to his clients.

In addition to being QKA’s Chief Operating Officer (COO), Hansen is currently QKA’s lead designer and project manager for the development of new science and classroom facilities at San Benito High School (Hollister, CA), as well as the lead designer on a new 28,500 square foot, three-story district office building for San Mateo Union High School District (San Mateo, Calif.).

Hansen holds architectural licenses in California and Utah and is certified by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) and Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED).

Master of Architecture | Montana State University | Bozeman, MT
Bachelor of Environmental Design | Montana State University | Bozeman, MT

Since joining QKA 20 years ago, Kevin Chapin has completed projects ranging from educational facilities to residential, commercial, mixed-use and industrial properties. He served as the project manager on numerous large scale projects, including the $31 million new Bella Vista Elementary School (San Ramon, Calif.) for the San Ramon Valley Unified School District, the $40 million Measure M projects for the Sonoma Valley Unified School District (Sonoma, Calif.), the $9 million new construction and modernization of the Santa Rosa Charter School for the Arts (Santa Rosa, Calif.) for the Santa Rosa City School District, and the new $23 million King Elementary School (Richmond, Calif.) for the West Contra Costa County Unified School District, which was designed as a highly energy efficient and “green” campus.

Active in the community, Chapin often volunteers his time and abilities to local non-profits. He is the past National Director of the Active 20-30 Club of the United States and Canada, and past president of the Active 20-30 Club North Bay Chapter, a local non-profit focused on helping underprivileged children in Sonoma County, Calif. In addition, Chapin is a recent recipient of the North Bay Business Journal’s 2016 “Forty Under 40” award. An avid runner, he has completed over 50 half marathons to date.

Andy Dale began his career in carpentry, giving him the unique ability to fully understand construction issues and effectively communicate to his team to find solutions. Later as a Project Manager for contractors, he managed commercial and public works projects, school renovations and new construction, as well as private tenant improvements. This background provides him with the insight to know how to apply skillful direction to the development of complex projects involving exacting technical specifications, quality standards, cross-functional team coordination and stringent time constraints – an ideal skill set for delivering quality education facilities.

With 18 years of experience in construction administration, Dale enjoys the combination of office and field work, and loves visiting the sites to help develop solutions to construction challenges. Currently, he manages QKA’s Construction Administration Department and is working on several multi-million dollar projects for Healdsburg Unified School District (Healdsburg, Calif.) and Fremont Union High School District (Sunnyvale, Calif.).

Drawn to Sonoma County by its climate and seemingly endless possibilities, Dale moved from New England at age 21 and has never regretted the decision. When not at the office, he puts his carpentry skills to use by remodeling his home.