Jah-Ras “Jah” Hodge received her Bachelor of Science in Architecture & Environmental Design in 2008 from Morgan State University. Collectively, she has worked in the field of Architecture and Design for over 15 years. 

She presently serves a dual hat role as both a Design Manager and Architect with the US Army Corps of Engineers, Military Design Branch, Architecture Section; balancing her creative and technical abilities with her passion to lead. As the lead architect on several award-winning projects, she works with the designers to ensure that design issues are promptly addressed and design documents are fully coordinated, technically apt and of high design quality. As a Design Manager she actively engages and leads design teams at the organizational level. 

In addition to new construction design projects, she is currently working on several renovations of historic buildings for use as modern facilities. Notably, she is working on the Building 60 Renovation, considered the second most important building on Ft. McNair. It is a renovation of a historic Officer’s Club & Dining Facility into a modern Educational and Administrative Facility. 

Jah is a Certified Passive House Consultant (CPHC). She actively participates in local chapter events, lectures and volunteer opportunities for the American Institute of Architects, the National Organization of Minority Architects, ACE Mentoring Program, and the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) Day with an Engineer.

Gayle Kirchmar’s ability to manage large, complex projects with multiple stakeholders is integral to the success of KCCT’s domestic studio. She provides high-level direction for KCCT and fosters collaboration between all project team members, resulting in a process that exceeds stakeholder expectation. She plans, monitors, and supervises all design activities, and ensures project administration compliance with company and client requirements. A thought leader in mission-critical projects with high-stakes global impacts, she tackles the unique challenge of reconciling rigorous security requirements in top-secret environments with the creation of innovative, high-performance workspaces.

With specialized experience in operations center, training center, and government office building design for both new construction and renovation projects, Gayle blends existing structures functionally and securely with project parameters and provides solutions sensitive to building caliber. She leverages her extensive capabilities in the leadership of large teams on complex projects to manage budget and schedule, capture client programmatic needs, and coordinate with permitting agencies to deliver products that are detailed, creative, and contribute positively to their surrounding environments. Her portfolio encompasses both KCCT’s most high-profile and highly classified projects, including the replacement and consolidation of 19 training facilities onto a 1,700-acre campus for the Department of State’s Foreign Affairs Security Training Center and the design of a flexible, multi-tenant prototype office for FEMA’s Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center.

Josh Taylor is the VDC Manager for Mortenson’s Federal Contracting Group, and works out of their Washington D.C. office.  Josh is an active member of both the United States Army Corps of Engineers Industry BIM Consortium, and the National Institute of Building Sciences Proven Practices Subcommittee.  Josh has worked in the AEC industry for over 20 years, spending time building in the field, developing design documents in Architectural Firms, and managing construction projects for General Contractors.  His portfolio of work includes Healthcare, Higher Education, Aviation, and Federal Facilities.  Josh is a technology evangelist and has been championing BIM/ VDC processes since 2006.

Laura Wake-Ramos, AIA, NCARB, DBIA, is a Design Phase Manager with Mortenson, and has served on the AIA Project Delivery Knowledge Committee Advisory Group since 2018.  Laura is a licensed architect in the District of Columbia, and a certified Design-Build Professional with Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA).  Laura has over five years’ experience in design-build delivery.  

As a design phase manager, Laura integrates innovative processes into the design phase to enhance project delivery.  Laura has presented on utilizing virtual reality in design and construction at two conferences, and organized the first Annual Virtual Reality Showcase for the AIA Health Care Knowledge Community in the AIA Chicago chapter.

Laura has a Bachelor of Architecture and Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts & Sciences from the Pennsylvania State University.  Laura is currently a candidate in the Master of Professional Studies in Real Estate Development program at Georgetown University.