HOK Names New Vice President, Regional Leader of Workplace Strategy
Sofia Fonseca, a recognized authority in architectural programming, has been named vice president and leader of HOK’s workplace strategy team in the Gulf Coast region. As a workplace strategy and programming specialist, Fonseca will ensure that HOK’s clients benefit from the latest knowledge and best practices in creating high-performance workplaces that attract and retain the most talented employees.
Fonseca brings 20 years of experience providing visioning, workplace innovation, change management, programming, and space planning services for clients throughout the world. Her experience includes projects for Chevron’s worldwide urban campuses; Shell’s office portfolio in Houston; the city of College Station in Texas; the Houston Emergency Center; the Public Service Company of Colorado; Georgia State University in Atlanta; Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas; and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.
“Sofia has unique expertise aligning organizations’ business strategies with the built environment,” said Jay Tatum, AIA, managing principal for HOK‘s Gulf Coast region. “She brings genuine thought leadership to clients seeking workplaces that inspire engagement and promote well-being.”
Fonseca first joined HOK in 1993, and she soon became research manager in the firm’s consulting practice. In 2001, she launched her own pre-design services company but continued to work with HOK as a consultant. In 2012, Fonseca returned to HOK as an innovation and programming specialist.
“I’m honored to be named a leader in architectural pre-design services for HOK,” said Fonseca. “I’m looking forward to advancing excellence in workplace strategy, design thinking, innovation, and research for our clients.”
A member of the International Facilities Management Association (IFMA), Fonseca recently co-presented “Emotional Intelligence in the Engagement of Employees and Transformation of Space” at IFMA’s 2014 World Workplace Conference.
As an adjunct professor for graduate programs at the University of Houston’s Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture, Fonseca leads workshops, teaches classes, and conducts research in architecture and interior design. She was the editor of Problem Seeking, An Architectural Programming Primer (Fourth Edition), and she serves on the interior design editing board of I.D. (previously The International Design Magazine). Fonseca earned a Master of Architecture from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Design from The Honors College at the University of Houston.