Glavé & Holmes Architecture Announces Lori Garrett as President

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Firm Has Over 55 Years of Transformational Projects in Virginia and Beyond

Richmond, VA – January 25, 2022 – Glavé & Holmes Architecture, a nationally recognized architecture, interior design, and planning firm, announced today that Lori Garrett, FAIA, LEED Green Associate has been named President of the firm. Garrett succeeds Randy Holmes, FAIA, who was President of the firm for 21 years. Holmes will continue to serve as a Senior Principal and focus on business development.

This announcement marks the first time a woman has been President of the firm. With this leadership transition, Glavé & Holmes becomes the largest woman-led architecture firm based in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Garrett also joins a select few women in the country to lead architecture firms with over 60 employees.

Lori Garrett, FAIA

“I am honored to serve our talented Glavé & Holmes team as their president,” said Garrett. “Our firm has earned an unparalleled reputation for excellence and crafting solutions of enduring quality. Randy’s strong leadership has been integral to that success. I see a bright future ahead because we are well-positioned to meet the evolving needs of our clients and communities.”

Garrett, who has been at Glavé & Holmes for 17 years, will continue to lead projects she is managing for the firm’s Higher Education Studio. As President, she will provide strategic guidance and empower the firm to meet its goals. Glavé & Holmes is well-positioned for growth in the Mid-Atlantic and elsewhere.

Holmes, who has been at Glavé & Holmes for 30 years, will help advance the firm’s work in a variety of markets, including hospitality and others. He also will support the firm’s luxury residential projects, an emerging market sector. Holmes will continue to serve as an invaluable resource for clients and team members.

Throughout its history, Glavé & Holmes has been at the center of many transformational projects throughout the Richmond region, Commonwealth of Virginia and beyond, crafting projects in academia, cultural institutions, resorts and spas and residences with the services of architecture, interior design, urban planning and historic preservation.

The firm is actively engaged in a wide array of impactful projects across the country, including in Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, Pennsylvania, New York, and the DC metro area.

“Lori is a phenomenal leader who will continue to inspire and empower our entire team,” Holmes said. “This leadership transition continues our firm’s evolution and positions Glavé & Holmes for an exciting future as a woman-led and majority women-owned architecture firm.” 

Glavé & Holmes also announced that it added as owners Crystal Newman Jones, Robert Parise, Winnie Sung, Kevin Svensen, and Neil Walls in 2021. On January 1 of 2022, it added Matt Anderson, Susan Reed, and Jessica Ritter to its ownership. This expansion will further support the firm’s growth plans.  

Founded in 1965, Glave & Holmes has created a lasting impact in Virginia and around the country. The 65-person firm boasts six studios serving a variety of markets, including higher education, cultural institutions, civic and municipal spaces, hospitality, and others. Local projects in the Richmond region include the Valentine renovation, the Robinson House at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the Virginia Museum of History and Culture renovation and addition, University of Richmond Carole Weinstein International Center, Westhampton on Grove Mixed-Use Development, and Virginia War Memorial Paul & Phyllis Galanti Education Center.

Current projects include the Morson’s Row renovation on Capitol Square, Virginia Museum of History and Culture, School of Business at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, Virginia Military Institute Scott Shipp Hall renovation and addition, and the General Assembly Building and McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia (both in partnership with Robert A.M. Stern Architects). 

About Glavé & Holmes Architecture

Glavé & Holmes Architecture is a nationally recognized architecture, interior design, and planning firm located in Richmond, Virginia. Our regionally focused design practice has cultivated expertise in specialty areas – Cultural, Higher Education, Historic Preservation, Hospitality, Interior Design, and Urban Architecture – each supported by a studio structure, thus allowing us to provide the expertise necessary for a diverse portfolio. For over 55 years, we have striven to create a context-specific design that fits seamlessly into the cultural and historical environment of a given community, while addressing the functional needs of the people who will interact with each space. We believe that great design is contextual, timeless, has the capacity to engage the intellect, and elevate the human spirit. For more information, visit: https://www.glaveandholmes.com. 

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Meet Lori Garrett, FAIA

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Where did you go to college?
I studied mathematics and fine arts at Messiah College in Pennsylvania. For my graduate work, I studied architecture at the University of Virginia.

Would you recommend studying architecture to a young person?
Absolutely! We have been fortunate to have a number of exceptional high school and college students for both externships and internships, and it is fulfilling to share with them about the profession I love.

What does it take to be an architect?
I think there is a broad range of talents and skills that are used in architecture, depending on what you choose to focus on. That is one of the things that I enjoy about architecture—it takes design, collaboration, management, and technical expertise. Find your strengths and passion and focus on that component of architecture.

Was there an architect that particularly inspired you?
It would be really difficult to point to just one. I remember being especially taken with the work of Luis Barragan early in my career. I loved the use of color, form, light and shadow in design which was perceptibly contextual.

What are you currently reading? What do you like to do in your spare time? My husband and I both love to travel, and I have been known to be fairly passionate about college basketball games that feature orange and blue.

What’s the best meal you’ve ever had?
One of the things I enjoy about traveling is experiencing other cultures, which I think is always enhanced by engaging all five senses. I don’t have a specific favorite, but off the cuff what comes to mind is a meal in Costa Rica that was prepared over a fire, and eaten on a table right on the sand by the water.

Why do you volunteer with the AIA?
I love meeting new people and believe in the importance of camaraderie in what we do.

Distinguished Achievement Goes to Beach and Garrett

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Robert E. Beach, AIA, and Lori Garrett, AIA, will be honored with the Award for Distinguished Achievement on Nov. 6 at Architecture Exchange East during the Annual Meeting of the Membership and on Nov. 7 during the Visions for Architecture gala at the Jefferson Hotel. The Award for Distinguished Achievement signals especially noteworthy achievement by an architect in any one of the following categories: design, practice, education, service as “citizen architect,” and service to the profession. This award may serve as an accolade for the work of an entire career or recognize the current accomplishments of a younger leader.

Robert E. Beach, AIA
Robert E. Beach, AIA

Throughout his 28-year career, Bob Beach, principal of Robert E. Beach Architects, LLC of Falls Church, Va., has exhibited leadership, integrity, social responsibility and an unwavering commitment to serve the community. Notwithstanding his success as an architect, Beach has consistently advanced the public’s understanding of the value of architecture through fundraising and civic involvement. In addition to his dedicated service to the AIA, he has spent countless hours volunteering at various boards, associations and institutional entities, including the Fairfax County History Commission, the Greater Falls Church Chamber of Commerce, and as volunteer pilot for Air Life Line – Angel Flight. In his current pro-bono project, he has provided architectural design services for The Turning Point Suffragist Memorial and has continued to work with local volunteers to inspire a truly unique local landmark with national implication. Through these collective efforts and initiatives as a “citizen architect,” he has elevated the practice of architecture throughout the Commonwealth.

Lori Garrett, AIA
Lori Garrett, AIA

Through leadership in the AIA and as Senior Principal and Vice President of Glavé and Holmes Architecture, Lori Garrett has promoted the aesthetic and practical efficiency of the profession; coordinated the building industry and the profession of architecture; and advanced the profession’s service to both its members and society at large. An accomplished designer, she has developed a portfolio of award-winning work and forged a successful career that serves as a role model to others. Her efforts in mentoring emerging professionals and supporting women and minorities are of special significance. Noted accomplishments include creating Richmond Women in Design, initiating the formation of the Virginia Emerging Professionals Knowledge Community, and promoting an industry sponsorship plan to recruit allied members to the Virginia Society AIA. For close to three decades, she has demonstrated excellence, creativity, and initiative within the design professions, actively assisting women within the design professions in achieving their full leadership potential, and providing valuable service to improve the quality of life for others in her community.

Virginia’s Women in Design Lean In

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RWiD Lean In Event
Lori Garrett, AIA introduces Helene Combs Dreiling, FAIA, at Richmond Women in Design’s “Lean In” event. Photo by Jeanne Lefever, AIA.

Mary Cox, FAIA, and Valerie Hassett, AIA, were invited to participate in presentations inspired by Sheryl Sandberg’s book “Lean In” at the AIA National Convention in June. The informal discussions focused on workplace concerns and pathways to leadership.

On Wednesday, July 10, Richmond Women in Design hosted a talk by AIA President-elect and Virginia member Helene Combs Dreiling, FAIA.

Through personal antidotes, the architects explored the challenges of combining professional achievement and maintaining personal fulfillment.