Parkhill’s Board of Directors Announce Principal Class of 2024

Parkhill, a Texas-based multidisciplinary architecture and engineering firm, recently announced the appointments of its newest Principal class. October marks the beginning of Parkhill’s new fiscal year and the Board of Directors welcomes the opportunity to recognize these seven individuals for furthering its mission of Building Community and demonstrating excellence both personally and professionally.

The entire firm congratulates the following individuals for their visionary leadership and dedication to their profession:

Isaac Aguilar, PE, is an Electrical Engineering Team Leader in Parkhill’s MEP/Structural Practice. Isaac began his career as an Electrical Engineer with Parkhill 16 years ago. His expertise includes lighting, power, communications, and fire alarm designs for various project types, including educational, healthcare, municipalities, faith-based facilities, and institutional facilities. Isaac provides facility assessments and recommendations on electrical systems to determine the current condition. In 2020, he was named in the Top Twenty Under Forty from the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce and the Young Professionals of Lubbock. Isaac believes that Building Community is all about building strong relationships. “Once that relationship is established, they should be able to consider me their trusted advisor.”

Toby Baker, PE, is a Team Leader in Parkhill’s Aviation Practice. He has worked on more than 185 projects at 44 different airports throughout the state of Oklahoma, including managing a multiyear, multimillion-dollar project to extend Runway 35 at Enid Woodring Regional Airport. Toby has the unique distinction of being an active pilot and a civil engineer, which gives him a unique perspective to an aviation project. In 2022, Toby received the Corporate Champ Award from the Oklahoma Airport Operators Association. For Toby, Building Community means creating the kind of lasting relationships with clients that allows us to be a part of their long-term vision. “It’s gratifying to see how multiple small projects over a long period of time, can create a big transformation, that has a positive impact on our client’s community.”

Chad Dietz, ASLA, is a member of Parkhill’s Landscape Architecture Practice. As a Landscape Architect, Chad brings 15 years of experience and expertise to the Higher Education, K-12, and Community Sectors. For his dedication to the profession, he received the Certificate of Merit from the American Society of Landscape Architects. Originally from Canyon, Texas, Chad and his family currently reside in southwest Amarillo in a neighborhood focused around green corridors and pedestrian connectivity, many of the elements utilized as a Landscape Architect. He believes that Building Community means full collaboration with all stakeholders. “That starts with listening to our clients, responding to their needs through design, and pursuing the project to completion to ensure it exceeds expectations.”

Drew Hardin, PE, has more than three decades of progressive design, management, and organizational leadership experience in delivering large civil infrastructure projects. His previous roles include Water Services Group Manager, Regional Director, Project Manager, and Senior Advisor on critical water supply projects, as well as Program Manager for large capital programs. Most recently, he was a Principal/Vice President at a previous firm where he served as the Program Management/Construction Management Practice Leader and Central Texas Regional Business Development Leader. For Drew, Building Community means connecting with our clients to plan, design, and build essential infrastructure necessary for people’s daily lives. “It’s a long-term partnership at all levels of their organization to build something that will last beyond our careers, both in the form of tangible infrastructure and relationships.” He has been married for 32 years, has two kids, and is now known as “Paw Paw” to his 16-month-old grandson Hayes.

RJ Lopez, AIA, ALEP, serves the K-12 Practice with his diverse experience and education. He partners with communities to develop high-performing learning environments that are inventive, relevant, and comprehensive. He has a strong passion for education and is one out of 24 in the state of Texas with an Accredited Learning Environment Planner (ALEP) certification. Some of his notable projects include the award-winning design of Jal Elementary, the West Texas Food Bank, and the newly opened Vicenza High School in Italy. He actively serves his community as a West Texas Food Bank Board Member, a Midland Chamber of Commerce Board Member, and as President of the AIA West Texas Chapter. RJ believes Building Community means “making a conscious effort to actively pursue the means to improve our community.”

Ben Sanchez, PE, is a Team Leader for Site Development and Planning in the Frisco office. Throughout his career, Ben has been involved in a wide variety of projects, including transportation, commercial, civil site design and residential subdivision design. Ben is a skilled communicator and has consistently built strong relationships with his clients, municipalities, and his teams, enabling him to shepherd projects through the concept, design, permitting, review, and construction process. His expertise includes civil site design, transportation engineering and design, construction materials performance and design, construction administration, and site entitlements. Ben is also a U.S. Army Reserves veteran. For Ben, Building Community means “impacting people both internally and externally through relationships, by partnering with them in their journey, and rejoicing with them in their success.”

 Brandon Young, AIA, LEED AP, is a Practice Leader in Higher Education. His experience covers a broad range of project types, including institutional, commercial, mixed-use, and multi- and single-family residential. Brandon’s passion for the profession extends into the classroom where he has taught architecture and design at Abilene Christian University, earning tenure and a promotion to Associate Professor. He previously served on the Texas Society of Architects’ Young Public Awareness committee, which is dedicated to increasing architectural awareness and developing pathways to architectural education for young people. Brandon serves on multiple local non-profit boards and is excited to join the Abilene Cultural Affairs Council board this fall. He says that Building community requires him to be fully present with others here and now while listening to the past to give form to the future. Brandon loves spending time with his three wonderful kids: Rowan, Skylar, and Larkin.

“On behalf of the Board of Directors, I am honored to announce Parkhill’s newest Principal class,” Parkhill President Jay Edwards said. “These individuals have made countless contributions to the firm and exemplify how we go about our work every day. With a people-first mindset that benefits our clients and the communities we serve, they are consistently modeling our Mission, Vision and Values. Congratulations to everyone.”

The Board further expresses its gratitude for this talented class of Principals for being thought leaders in their fields that brings tremendous value to Parkhill.