Bernardon — a full-service architecture, interior design, and landscape architecture firm that operates offices in West Chester, Philadelphia, and Wilmington — has appointed six staff members to the position of Associate.

New Associates include Diana Gonzalez, Tim Kiser, Derek Perini, David Schlecht, Robin Tait, and Daniel Wrightson.

This advancement opportunity recognizes their growth within Bernardon as exemplified by their continuing contributions to the overall success of the firm.

Associates will elevate their participation in firm leadership and lend their individual skills and expertise toward advancing Bernardon’s overall growth and staff development.

“The recognition of these six individuals as the firm’s new Associates represents a mutual commitment to the long-term growth and success of Bernardon,” said Bernardon President Kerry Haber. “All of the principals of Bernardon look forward to working with the Associates to expand the firm’s passionate pursuit of design excellence, continuing our legacy of exemplary client service, and the cultivation of our talented team of design professionals.”

Diana Gonzalez

As a newly named Associate, Gonzalez is the first non-design professional and one of the first two females to hold a position within the firm’s leadership structure. Her long history with the firm includes holding positions in all aspects of the firm’s operations team, beginning as a receptionist. In her current position as Marketing Director, she is responsible for the development and implementation of the firm’s marketing strategies and collaborating with the firm’s Principals and business development professionals in the pursuit of new client opportunities. As an Associate, Gonzalez looks forward to participating in firmwide initiatives that elevate the firm’s workplace culture and reinforce Bernardon’s commitment to community service. 

Tim Kiser, AIA

Kiser brings to the firm a passion for design excellence that is illustrated by projects where his talents have contributed to the success of buildings for Saint-Gobain and CertainTeed’s North American headquarters in Malvern (LEED Platinum certified); The Tower at the University of Delaware’s STAR Campus in Newark, Del.; and the Avenue North mixed-use development located at the former AstraZeneca headquarters site in Wilmington, Del. Kiser has 15 years of experience and in 2018 was named an honoree in Delaware Business Magazine’s 40 Under 40. In addition to participating in firm leadership activities, Kiser is excited to build upon the firm’s team-based approach to design and advancing the firm’s workplace culture.

Derek Perini, IIDA

With 25 years of experience in interior design, Perini brings a level of unparalleled creativity and a client-focused design approach that has helped to position Bernardon as a leader in multifamily, hospitality, and senior living design. Perini has created unique and distinct interior environments for some of the most desirable communities in the region. During his time at Bernardon, he has also helped to expand the firm’s procurement service offerings that includes the specification and purchase of furniture, fixtures, decorative accessories, and artwork. Collaborating with the firm’s other Associates, he looks forward to enhancing firm-wide initiatives that elevate the firm’s mentoring program and expand upon the creative design process.

David Schlecht, AIA

Schlecht joined Bernardon in 2016 when he relocated from Chicago. As an experienced architect with 18 years of experience, he possesses the demonstrated ability to lead project teams for a variety of project types, including mixed use, multifamily, and corporate. Schlecht’s past design experience extends to the Middle East, where he designed multifamily and hospitality projects in Doha, Qatar. More recently, Schlecht has led the design teams for 400 Barr Harbor in West Conshohocken; Woodbine Multifamily in Downingtown; and the Coatesville Train Station Redevelopment in Coatesville. Schlecht looks forward to building upon Bernardon’s staff development and mentoring programs, while also creating a rigorous and energetic design process across the firm.

Robin Tait, IIDA

Tait’s tenure with the firm began in 2002 when she merged her company, Beyer & Associates, with Bernardon and became the leader of the interior design studio in the Wilmington office. She has 25 years of design experience and, since joining Bernardon, has helped to cultivate the firm’s reputation as a leader throughout the region in corporate, workplace, and healthcare interior design. Tait’s collaborative design approach has contributed to long-lasting relationships with clients such as Aqua America, UGI Utilities, ChristianaCare, and the world-renowned pediatric healthcare systems of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Nemours. She looks forward to ongoing opportunities to mentor as well as implement workplace initiatives that promote and improve the need for work-life balance.

Daniel Wrightson, AIA, LEED AP

Wrightson is an accomplished architect with 30 years of experience specializing in a variety of project types, including multifamily, industrial, and retail. His technical acumen, attention to detail, and unwavering commitment to client satisfaction have led to the successful completion of a wide array of projects highlighted by the Indoor Children’s Garden at Longwood Gardens; the mixed-use and the multifamily community at 2000 Pennsylvania Avenue in Wilmington; numerous projects for W.L. Gore & Associates at locations throughout Delaware and Maryland; and several laboratory projects at Delaware Technology Park and the University of Delaware’s STAR Campus. Wrightson looks forward to teaming with the other Associates to spearhead initiatives that help to strengthen the design process, contribute to the firm’s strategic planning efforts, and develop the firm’s staff through hands-on education and training.

Learn more about Bernardon.