The College of Architecture, Planning & Design, or APDesign, at K-State is recognizing five alumni for their success 10 years after their graduation from the university and APDesign programs.
The 2016 honorees are Corbin Keech and Katie Martin, both from Chicago, Illinois; Drew and Melissa Marlow, Denver, Colorado; and Ryan McKay, Kansas City, Missouri.
The department or program from which they received their degree selected the honorees. They will visit Manhattan Oct. 27-28 to meet with students and faculty, participate in class and studio visits, and be honored at a luncheon. An exhibit of their professional work is on display through Nov. 18 in Seaton Hall’s Chang Gallery. The exhibit is free and open to the public from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.
Keech received his bachelor’s degree in architecture from K-State. He also earned a master’s degree in advanced architecture from Columbian University. Keech is a design team
member in Studio Gang’s Chicago office and is currently focused on cultural, educational and residential building projects. Keech has worked on a wide variety of projects since joining Studio Gang, including the National Aquarium, the Miami Design District Residences and City Hyde Park.
The Marlows are both principals at Acquilano Leslie Inc. Drew Marlow is a vice president, the firm’s design director and a licensed architect. He received his bachelor’s degree in interior architecture & product design from K-State where he also received the James Dubois Most Outstanding Graduate award. While attending K-State, he was awarded first place in the large furniture category at the Kansas City Architects, Designers, Dealers and Representative furniture design competition and participated in a study abroad program at Czech Technical University in Prague. Through his membership with the American Institute of Architects, he served on both the 2012 executive committee and board of directors. He also is a member of the Denver Active 20/30 Children’s Foundation, a men’s group dedicated to supporting area children identified as at-risk.
Melissa Marlowe is a vice president at Acquilano Leslie Inc. with experience in corporate interior architectural projects for a variety of clients in the telecommunications, law and e-commerce industries. She received an architectural degree from K-State with emphasis in interior architecture and product design. While at K-State, she received several design awards and participated in an eight-month student exchange program in Germany. In 2013, the Denver Business Journal named her a finalist for the Most Outstanding Women in Business award. Since joining Acquilano Leslie Inc. in 2006, she has managed a number of notable projects including the World Headquarters for DaVita, interim headquarters for DaVita; law offices of Fairfield and Woods P.C., Perkins Coie, Polsinelli Shughart, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton; and the corporate offices of GH Phipps Construction.
Martin earned her bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture with a minor in community planning from K-State. As a landscape architect and planner, Martin oversees a wide variety and scale of projects from concept through construction. Project types included master planning, development and streetscape guidelines, urban streetscapes and plazas, large and small-scale public gardens, corporate and collegiate campuses, healing gardens and public parks. Martin works on this wide range of project types in the Chicago area, throughout the U.S. and internationally. Martin’s projects include Riverfront Fort Wayne; Fort Wayne, Indiana; Aldara Hospital and Medical Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Wicker Park Connection and 606 Mixed Use Development; Chicago, Illinois; and Mixed Use Development, St. Louis, Missouri.
McKay, entitlement manager for BRR Architecture in Kansas City, Missouri, earned his bachelor’s degree in geography at the University of Missouri and master’s degree in regional and community planning at K-State. McKay works with some of the largest brands in the retail, hospitality, entertainment and grocery industries. Previously, McKay was a senior planner at RSP & Associates where he worked in the public facilitation processes, assisted school districts and area communities in understanding demographic and enrollment trends as well as external factors such as local planning and land use policies, community growth trends and economic indicators. McKay is a member of the American Planning Association and the Kansas City section of the association.