With nearly 30 years of project experience spanning from the vast complexity of LAX Airport to the nuanced elegance of multifamily housing, Dan Kessler brings a distinct creative vision to his role leading Otak’s national architecture practice. His journey began with a deep-rooted love of art, eventually finding its form in architecture while continuing to nurture that original passion throughout his career.
As an Honorarium Instructor at the University of Colorado for 11 years, Dan cultivated a teaching philosophy centered on empowering individuals to discover their own paths to professional success. That same commitment to mentorship and knowledge-sharing shapes his leadership style today.
Dan’s well-rounded expertise combining thoughtful design, precise technical detailing, and strategic project management has a direct influence on delivering impactful work. These qualities contribute toward guiding our shared mission of designing elevated environments that enhance the communities we serve.
With more than 30 years of experience across a variety of industries, including the AEC space, Craig Recob brings a strategic perspective to the growth of Otak’s diverse markets and revenue streams as chief financial officer. For Craig, it all comes back to the old mantra of being “on-time, on-budget, and within scope.” His previous stops in the technology sector have influenced his approach that melds today’s tools with professional services in order to find creative ways that deliver quality client relationships. This focus extends to support of external and internal stakeholders alike as part of our overarching mission of improving communities.
Sheri comes to Otak with over 26 years of action-oriented experience in human resource and risk management. Her philosophy of establishing trust among our staff to create positive employee relationships ensures our culture is guided by empathy and service toward our staff. A believer in establishing clear goals for Otakians to advance their careers, Sheri’s goal is to empower employees and make People Services a department one can count upon to be there for them.
Formerly in the healthcare sector, Sheri brings a wide range of approaches to making sure Otak is a nurturing place where every employee can do their best work. She also is committed to recruiting diverse talent and is continuously striving to make Otak look more like the communities we serve.
In her free time, Sheri can be seen scuba diving as a retired instructor, elk hunting, or racing her husband on her quad. She also has a Cavalier King Charles Spaniels named Rosie Roo and a Coton de Tulear, Callie Rae.
Justin Monahan is Otak, Inc.’s General Counsel and a member of Otak’s Executive Management Team, with responsibility for all legal matters involving the firm. Justin also advises public and private client property owners as a Special Services Consultant on matters involving procurement, contract negotiations, real property, construction management, and dispute resolution. Justin brings nearly 20 years’ experience as a practicing attorney understanding the rights and responsibilities of public and private owners on projects of all shapes and sizes, as well as extensive experience and close alignment with design and project management.
With an extensive background in the industry – including 18 years growing his Minority Business Enterprise consulting company, Gabayan LLC – Henry Alaman appreciates the opportunity to work on a wide variety of projects, something that now serves him well in growing Otak’s multidisciplinary work across the Rocky Mountain region as regional director. Whether it be working with the National Park Service, a project in Colorado or in the United Kingdom, this portfolio diversity also reinforces his interest in exploring new places both nationally and internationally.
Henry’s knowledge of people and how they work together is directly tied to an ability to manage the right people for the right project. He is also very familiar with Otak’s body of work, having previously led work with our owner’s representative team as well as working to identify next generation leadership for the firm. When Henry is not traveling, you can find him engaged in any number of outdoor activities, from kayaking and white water rafting to mountain biking and trail running.
Doug is a senior project manager and bridge engineer with over 28 years of experience in structural engineering and bridges. He has significant experience with bridge design, bridge load rating, bridge rehabilitation, and TS&L studies. Doug is also a hands-on, proactive project manager and engineer who understands scheduling and delivery coordination among various disciplines to deliver successful projects with tight timelines and strict budgets. Throughout his career, Doug has presented a variety of papers and made over 18 presentations at technical conferences for professional organizations, including the FHWA Bridge Engineering Conference, American Concrete Institute, the American Society of Civil Engineers, ODOT Bridge Conference and the Post-Tensioning Institute.
Mandi is an accomplished planner and designer with over 30 years of experience. She’s worked in a wide variety of environments – across the US and abroad – at the nexus of land use, transportation, and placemaking.
She has been responsible for management, coordination, and design on a diverse mix of complex and multi-faceted projects, including research and analysis for the National Park Service, long range planning for cities and counties, as well as planning and design for transit oriented development. Those projects span multimodal transportation networks, streets and streetscapes, pedestrian and bicycle facilities, parks, plazas and other places of the public realm.
Known as a national expert in multimodal transportation, Mandi has been an invited speaker at many national, state, and regional conferences. She is an excellent communicator and facilitator, and her strong expertise coordinating with multiple government agencies, technical experts, tribal nations, regulatory decision makers, and other diverse interests has led to many successful projects. She enjoys working closely with communities, special interest groups, neighborhoods, and the public in bringing their visions to reality.
Growing up the son of a soil scientist, Chad developed a love of plants and the environment from an early age. This passion led him to become a Landscape Architect and the Principal Landscape Architect and Federal Practice Area Leader for Otak’s Redmond, Washington office. Since joining the company in 1999, Chad has greatly appreciated the numerous opportunities to work on a wide variety of different projects and practice groups, all which have strengthened his design and leadership skills. He is continually inspired by the new ideas his colleagues bring to the table and thrives when he is working on a challenging project.
Outside of work, Chad has been an active volunteer and board member on multiple organizations in his local community that support youth sports including the Thunderboard Little League, Somerset Swim Team, and the Newport Booster Club. His volunteerism has allowed him to support the growth of children, but has also allowed him to be more engaged with his own children’s activities. In addition, his love for the outdoors has led him to support conservancy organizations such as Yellowstone Forever and Yosemite Conservancy, both of which serve to protect the delicate ecosystems of these two iconic national parks.
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