People

As founder Sam Kitchell wisely noted throughout his life, Kitchell is only where it is today because of the quality of our people. We are fortunate to employ the best, brightest, proud yet humble individuals within the building industry, and are pleased to have them all carry the title “employee owner” through our enviable profit-sharing plan. This benefit is based on an annual vesting schedule that requires no individual financial investment, and has historically performed very well with low volatility. Our employees possess a wide range of skills and talents that, when combined, present a formidable team that brings projects to life. Kitchell employee owners take tremendous pride in their work, their relationships, and the legacy that the Kitchell name evokes.

Executive Team

Jim Swanson

President and CEO

Kitchell Corporation

As the CEO of Kitchell Corporation, Jim Swanson works closely with each of the companies that are part of the Kitchell family, and leads the corporate team that oversees all Kitchell financial, legal, technical and human resources functions.
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Steve Whitworth

President

Kitchell Contractors

Steve Whitworth joined Kitchell in 2006. He embodies the company's vision and values and has played a role on many significant projects. A stalwart client advocate, Steve brings construction expertise and fiscal responsibility to every project.
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Wendy Cohen

President

Kitchell CEM

Wendy Cohen oversees Sacramento-based Kitchell CEM's 300-plus employees spanning California, Arizona, Utah, Iowa, Indiana and Texas. In early 2020 she became the first female leader of a Kitchell operating company, which is a testament to her ability to collaborate and lead.
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Jeff Allen

President

Kitchell Development Company

Jeff Allen has spearheaded development of many notable projects during his years with Kitchell, including retail, multifamily, office and industrial projects in Arizona and California. He is responsible for the oversight of these holdings and Kitchell's growing property management team.
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Justin Newman

President

hardison/downey construction, inc.

Justin assumed leadership of h/d in 2019 and continues the company's nearly 35-year legacy as a contractor specializing in unique restaurant and retail, student housing, multifamily and tenant improvement projects.
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John T. White

President

American Refrigeration Supplies

John T. White leads ARS, a Phoenix-based HVAC wholesaler with a national footprint providing quality products and service to the heating, ventilating and air-conditioning industry. ARS sells primarily to licensed contractors in the repair and replacement market.
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Meet some of our Employee-Owners

Daniel G. Mills

Senior Vice President of Operations

Dan joined Kitchell in 1997 and oversees Kitchell’s public-sector construction and program management portfolio, which is based in Sacramento and touches markets throughout California, Arizona, Texas, Utah and Iowa.
Bill Johal

Executive Director

Bill’s participation with public safety and essential service facilities includes extensive time connecting with all the stakeholders. A mammoth task to some, Bill knows diligence paid early in a project’s life benefits all.
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Julie Garcia

Preconstruction Executive

Julie's expertise encompasses all preconstruction activities, specializing in healthcare construction costing and design team integration.
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John Van Whervin

Senior Project Manager

John's experience includes years of architecture, project management and facilities management experience on institutional, correctional, justice facilities projects.
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Phil Glenn

Senior Project Manager

Phil is a healthcare construction expert and has managed some of Kitchell's most significant projects. He is a champion of Lean and offsite prefabrication.
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B.A. Golston

Senior Project Manager

B.A.'s expertise encompasses construction administration, construction management and project management of public and private entities, including transportation, corrections, student housing, education and more.
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Naveed Saboonchi

IT Manager

Naveed oversees Kitchell's communications and computer technology throughout California. His expertise spans research, planning, testing and deployment of complex, networked systems enabling Kitchell's offices to communicate seamlessly.
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Rob Schramm

Director of Development

Rob has touched multiple facets of our business from construction to development of commercial assets. Rob is a graduate of West Point and served a tour in Operation Enduring Freedom – Afghanistan in 2006.
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Lilia Villalpando

Project Manager

A vital member of our Central Coast projects, Lilia has demonstrated tremendous professional growth since beginning her career with Kitchell as a Project Engineer. She is a self-starter who produces excellent work and continues to develop tools and processes to manage deliverables.
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Joyce Oishi

Senior Project Manager

Joyce has worked on various project types including education and civic/municipal, managing contracts of varying size and complexity. She is adept at working with government agencies of many types for consultation, engineering, approvals, legislation and/or required permits, including DSA.
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Chris Kirch

Senior Project Manager

Chris, with nearly 20 years of construction experience at Kitchell, is a leader in the rapidly growing Houston, Texas region. He is a consummate team player with a commitment to ensuring the success of a project and satisfaction of the client.
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Angela Sullivan

Design-Build Project Manager

Angela utilizes her background in architectural design to bridge the gap between design and construction on complex integrated design-build projects, leading multi-disciplinary teams from conception to completion.
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Rick Barton

Project Director

Rick has worked on a wide range of public and private projects including educational and municipal facilities, parking structures, office buildings and warehouses.
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Hai Cam

Project Manager II

With a background in interior design and architecture, Hai is highly skilled in construction documentation, project management and programming, space planning and design.
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Mike Seiber

Senior Development Director

Mike is involved in the acquisition, underwriting, entitlement, leasing, asset management and disposition of retail and other commercial properties in markets throughout California and Austin, Texas.
Marie Otaya

Project Manager II

Marie strives to provide clients and project teams with integrity and innovation in order to meet goals and provide exceptional value.
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Marne Bouillon

Director of Design and Construction

With Kitchell since 1988, Marne leads acquisition and due diligence, entitlements and all facets of design and construction for Kitchell's retail, commercial and residential endeavors in California and Texas.
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Veronica Delgado

Marketing and Communications Director

An outstanding leader and communicator, Veronica successfully creates cohesive A/E/C marketing and communications campaigns for public and private sector clients. She has over 15 years of experience in developing and implementing comprehensive multi-platform marketing initiatives.
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Arturo Taboada

Regional Executive

Arturo has progressive experience in the planning, design, construction and development of private and public buildings and programs, including more than 15 years of management experience leading teams and organizations of various scales both domestically and internationally.
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Patricia Nguyen

Program Manager

Patricia draws on her large skillset and extensive experience to manage large and complex programs. She excels at developing diverse high-performance teams with shared vision and purpose.
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Chris Lovin

Architectural Manager

With experience managing large and complex project, Chris has been involved in a number of diverse projects, from replacing entire campuses of portables while school remained in session to the design and construction of entire campuses.
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Maria Davila

Finance Director

Maria works closely with project teams and management to create and monitor our company’s financial goals. She started her career in public accounting and is now a proud employee-owner at Kitchell CEM.
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Don Haase

Executive Director of Program Management and Training

Don has successfully managed multiple facility construction programs and projects and has a reputation for achieving high-quality results using creative team-building, excellent judgment, strong decision-making skills and a proactive management style.
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Heather Brown

Engineering and Architectural Services Department Director

Heather has worked on a wide variety of public, higher education and commercial facilities. She is responsible for managing the multi-disciplinary and multi-talented EAS Department.
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Jason Villanueva

Executive Director of Business Analytics and Controls

Jason’s unusual skill set combined with a belief in the value of good people skills create an invaluable asset to any project team. Believing strongly in open communication and a high level of soft skills, he has the ability to motivate a team to come together and accomplish project goals.
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Ranjit Sinha

Operations Manager

Ranjit has specialized in civic/municipal, office, laboratory and industrial facilities for both public and private clients. He is a skilled facilitator of communication and collaboration amongst the project team.
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Sean Greenwald

Director of Facilities Management

Sean has a natural ability to communicate and relate with people, while providing valuable technical knowledge to clients. Passionate about Facilities Management, he believes it touches all phases of stewardship of operating a facility in order to achieve the purpose or mission of the businesses.
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Summer Naranjo

Project Manager I

Summer is experienced in managing state and local bond funds allocated to each project as well as coordinating all activities related to multi-phased projects ensuring each project is completed on time and within budget.
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Matt Wade

Executive Director of Construction

Matt’s vast and wide-ranging body of experience paired with his extensive knowledge has proved invaluable, ensuring project teams have the necessary resources to provide all services, fostering successful projects with an exceptional client experience.
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Kevin Pokrywa

Regional Executive

Kevin creates a team atmosphere of trust, accountability and passion to push each other to work and innovate. He is a strong leader who believes deeply in collaboration and trust being keys to the team’s ability to solve critical issues, helping clients achieve their vision.
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Luz Gonzalez

Project Director

Luz has progressed through the Kitchell ranks, beginning as an Intern. She is building on a legacy of performing with excellence in her jobsite leadership roles and our clients recognize her capabilities to lead with success.
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David Bruner

Project Manager II

David has multifaceted experience in the construction industry on a variety of tenant improvement, new construction and renovation projects for public and private sector clients.
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Jennifer Baker

Program Manager

Jennifer is a dynamic and team-oriented leader with a proven track record delivering projects on time and within budget while exceeding client expectations in the public and private sectors of healthcare, institutional, governmental and high-rise residential.
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Terra Arbuckle

Executive Assistant

Terra is the Executive Assistant to Wendy Cohen, President of CEM, also providing critical support to Senior Executives and Project Managers. Since joining Kitchell in 1996, Terra embodies our Kitchell values daily and is extremely proud to be an employee owner.
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Farshid Samsami

Senior Project Manager

Farshid has a diversified background in the program management, project/construction management and general construction of educational facilities. He brings a solid understanding of a project’s needs and requirements, allowing our team to be productive from day one.
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Sammy Evans

Project Manager I

In her free time, Sammy participates in community service activities with Kitchell’s Young Professionals group to give back to her community. Community involvement is important to her and she is passionate about creating spaces that can positively impact the community.
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Faisal Alhabbal

Project Manager I

Faisal has an extensive background in civil engineering, with expertise in high profile, complex healthcare expansion projects.
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Ashlee Pounds

Senior Project Engineer

Ashlee believes advocating for the client’s best interest is the most important aspect of her job and holds herself accountable for having the hard conversations in order to resolve issues which arise on a project. Clients trust her and express confidence in her ability to get the job done.
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Jorge Mendoza

Project Manager II

Jorge’s exceptional leadership and organizational skills have enabled him to successfully lead multiple projects and gain client respect for keeping projects on track. He has the ability to take large complicated projects and break them down into individual tasks, executing all efforts.
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Julia Zavala

Senior Project Manager

Julia leads all phases of construction across multiple job sites, working with designers and field staff across multiple industries including civic/municipal, healthcare, transportation and water projects.
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Jhanae Yarza

Human Resources Generalist

Jhanae provides guidance on human resources topics and challenges. She is committed to supporting recruiting, as well as developing, engaging and retaining talented staff while strategically aligning all actions towards the business goals and objectives.
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Damian Glaze

Regional Executive

Damian's extensive experience includes education, civic/municipal, justice/corrections, transportation and commercial projects and programs ranging in size from $1 million to $660 million. He truly sees projects through from conception to completion, skillfully leading and building effective teams.
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Vigor Lam

Project Engineer II

Vigor is an emerging construction professional with a background in higher education and design, providing construction and program management services for education clients.
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