School of Architecture & Design announces 2019 Alumni Awards

LAWRENCE – The University of Kansas School of Architecture & Design has announced the recipients of the 2019 KU Architecture & Design Alumni Awards. This year’s honorees for the Distinguished Alumni Award are designer Jamie Koval and architect Rick Embers. The Young Architect/Designer Award has been given to architect Kate Renner.   

The KU Architecture & Design Alumni Awards recognize individuals who have demonstrated leadership and made a significant contribution to the design and architectural professions. Koval graduated from KU in 1985. He is a founding partner of VSA Partners, an internationally renowned brand and marketing agency. He has received more than 200 design awards, and his work is preserved by the Library of Congress. Currently, he is a founder and chief design officer of Cooler Screens, a technology company creating the world’s largest point of sale media platform. 

Embers graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture in 1988. He has been with Pulse Design Group, a leading health care design practice, for more than 30 years where he is currently a principal. His leadership has led to the development of Pulse’s in-house virtual reality capabilities.   

Renner is a rising star as an associate at the global interdisciplinary design firm HKS. Since receiving her Master of Architecture from KU in 2010, she has worked as an architect, medical planner and researcher for top health care systems in the U.S. and abroad. She now leads HKS’ Functional Performance Evaluation (FPE) process, sharing its transformative benefits at conferences worldwide.   

Winners will be recognized during the KU School of Architecture & Design’s Homecoming Week Welcome Party, which will be 5:30-8:30 p.m. Oct. 24. A full list of Architecture & Design Homecoming events can be found at http://arcd.ku.edu/12ku.