Michaela Mary, WELL AP, an architectural graduate at
BarberMcMurry Architects, has earned the credential of WELL Accredited
Professional.
Like LEED, WELL is a sustainable design credential and
building standard. WELL is the world’s first building standard focused
exclusively on human health and wellness in the built environment, marrying
best practices in design and construction with evidence-based medical and
scientific research on human health and wellbeing.
BarberMcMurry has ten WELL APs — more than any design
firm in the greater Knoxville area — a credential purposely chosen as part of
the firm’s commitment to common-sense sustainable design with real, positive
impacts on everyday health and wellness.
Mary graduated from the University of Tennessee
College of Architecture + Design in 2019, and from Pellissippi State Community
College in 2016. She has experience in civic, small commercial and office
design. During her time in school, she worked at the University’s FabLab, where
she gained skills in digital fabrication and additive manufacturing. She is
currently working toward licensure.
Beck is the centennial firm’s first female partner. She
began her tenure at BarberMcMurry in 2018, quickly rising to the level of
Senior Associate and now, Partner.
“I’m humbled and honored to be the first female
Partner at BMA, and I’m looking forward to being part of the firm’s second
century of operation,” Beck said.
At BarberMcMurry, she has led and contributed to
initiatives related to company culture, sustainability, community service and
outreach, and communications. Last year, she earned her WELL AP — a sustainable
design credential focused on the impact of design on human health and wellness.
She is the immediate Past Chair of the Public
Relations Society of America’s Southeast District, which serves six states
across the southeast. She is Knoxville Board Treasurer and HR Committee Chair
for Girls Inc. of the Tennessee Valley, is a member of the Downtown Knoxville
Alliance marketing committee, member of the Legacy Parks Foundation’s Strategic
Partners Committee, and a Knoxville Museum of Art Guild member. Beck is also a
longtime tnAchieves mentor, and volunteers each year with other women from
BarberMcMurry at the Knoxville Habitat for Humanity Women Build Day.
Beck has won multiple communications awards, including
the Volunteer Chapter PRSA’s Harvey I. Cobert Award of Excellence — its highest
honor besides the Lifetime Achievement Award. She is an alumna of Tennessee
Tech and University of the Cumberlands.
Beck is a South Knoxville native. She and her husband,
Josh, live with their three rescue dogs in Hardin Valley, where they practice
regenerative agriculture in a garden that gets bigger every year.
Dobbs began his career at BarberMcMurry in 2012 and
was first named a Partner in 2018. He is a U.S. Army veteran, 82nd
Airborne Division, earning multiple commendations while completing two tours in
Operation Iraqi Freedom, and is an alumnus of the Illinois Institute of
Technology.
He serves on the Boards of Directors for the Muse
Knoxville, East Tennessee Veterans Memorial Association, Tennessee Architects’
Political Action Committee, and the East Tennessee Children’s Hospital Advisory
Board. He is a member of Rotary Club of Knoxville and the FLETCH Society of
East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, and is a supporter of the Combat
Infantrymen’s Association, HonorAir, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the 82nd
Airborne Division Association.
Ryan and his wife, Mary Ellen, are Lenoir City
natives. They have three daughters and spend their time hiking, paddling and
camping, or spending time on their growing farm.