Three former chairs of the Design-Build Institute of America’s National Board of Directors will join the National Academy of Construction (NAC) next month, recognizing careers that have helped advance design-build and the broader architecture, engineering and construction industry.
Dana Pomeroy, AIA, LEED AP, FDBIA; Deb Sheehan, ACHE, LEED AP, EDAC, DBIA; and Jim Whitaker, FAIA, NCARB, FDBIA, were elected to NAC’s Class of 2026 and will be formally inducted Sept. 25 during the Academy’s Annual Meeting in Nashville, Tennessee.
Founded in 1999, NAC recognizes industry leaders who have made outstanding, sustained contributions to construction. Election to the Academy is considered a high professional honor and recognizes not only individual achievement but leadership that strengthens the industry through innovation, education, mentorship and service.
Dana Pomeroy, AIA, LEED AP, FDBIA
Dana leads with a rare combination of conviction and humility.
Pomeroy, Division Vice President, Design Management, at The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company, has spent 45 years in the AEC industry, beginning his full-time career at age 17. He became a licensed architect in 1992 and signed his first design-build contract in 1996.
His career has included leadership roles across multiple sides of project delivery, including service as a partner in large architecture and engineering firms, an Owner Advisor to national and international clients and, for the past 15 years, as a design-builder.
DBIA Executive Director/CEO Lisa Washington, CAE, said, “Through his speaking, writing and leadership within DBIA and AIA forums, Dana has helped architects move beyond resistance toward readiness, equipping them to thrive in design-build rather than be sidelined by it.”
NAC cited Pomeroy as a national leader in delivering collaborative and innovative solutions to complex construction programs through design-build, while also recognizing his mentorship of others across the industry.
His service to DBIA has included leadership as Chair of the organization’s National Board of Directors, along with longstanding contributions to the design-build community and the broader AEC profession.
More from Dana Pomeroy
- Design-Build Delivers Podcast: That’s a Wrap on 2023: Lisa Washington and Dana Pomeroy Look Ahead to 2024
- The Design-Build Leaders You Admire Could Be Your Peers
Deb Sheehan, ACHE, LEED AP, EDAC, DBIA
Deb brings clarity without ego, balances conviction with empathy.
Sheehan, Healthcare Strategy Leader at DPR Construction, has built a career around improving how health care organizations plan, design and deliver capital projects.
“Deb played a defining role in preparing Owners and practitioners to successfully adopt collaborative delivery at scale,” Washington said. “This represents one of her most lasting contributions to the industry.”
NAC recognized her as a pioneering strategist whose work in data-driven decision-making, prefabrication and health care capital planning has influenced project delivery practices and organizations nationally.
Her leadership within DBIA, including her service as Chair of the National Board of Directors, has complemented that broader industry work by helping advance collaborative delivery and stronger outcomes for Owners and project teams.
More from Deb Sheehan
- Design-Build Delivers Podcast: Need a Chicken. Got a Chicken: Why Human-Centered Design Is More Complex Than It Looks
- How Design-Build Is Shaping the Future of Healthcare Construction, Part 1 and Part 2
Jim Whitaker, FAIA, NCARB, FDBIA
Jim is known for principled leadership, candor and professional integrity.
Whitaker is Global Practice Director for Government and Alternative Project Delivery and a Partner at HKS, Inc. His career has placed him at the intersection of design, project delivery and industry education, with a particular focus on alternative delivery methods.
“Jim has influenced how practitioners, Owners and professional organizations understand that successful delivery is driven not only by contracts and processes but by culture, trust and aligned leadership,” said Washington.
NAC recognized Whitaker as an advocate, educator and influencer whose work has advanced integrated project delivery approaches, particularly design-build.
A Fellow of both the American Institute of Architects and DBIA, Whitaker has also served as Chair of DBIA’s National Board of Directors and has been a longtime voice for improving how Owners, designers and builders work together.
More from Jim Whitaker
A Legacy of Industry Leadership
Pomeroy, Sheehan and Whitaker join a distinguished group of construction leaders elected to NAC for their lasting contributions to the industry. They join Washington as well as former DBIA National Board Chairs Greg Gidez, FAIA, NAC, FDBIA, and Thomas J. Foley, PE, CCM, DBIA, and DBIA National Board member Laura Stagner, FAIA, NAC, DBIA, among DBIA leaders previously inducted into the Academy.
Together, their careers reflect the many ways design-build leadership extends beyond individual projects through mentorship, education, advocacy, innovation and service to the industry.
