5x5x5 Mentorship Program – Meet Your Mentors

Below are the 5 mentors for the Spring 2021 5x5x5 Mentorship Program. Get to learn more about them and what they do!

Geny Munoz, HOK – Project Architect

Geny is a licensed architect in the state of California specializing in healthcare. She is a LEED Accredited Professional as well as certified in Evidence Based Design from the Center For Health Design. As a graduate of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, she began her career in Los Angeles working with various healthcare providers throughout the region. Geny’s knowledge spans all phases of design and construction administration, and includes experience in higher education and high density residential. Her past work includes the new Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford, as well as medical office renovations of various sizes. Geny has lived in the Bay Area for 9 years, and joined HOK in March of 2020.

Matthew Kirk-Cortez, McGinnis Chen Architects – Building Envelope Consultant

Matthew J. Kirk-Cortez has a passion for helping people achieve their goals.  His diverse background in residential design/build construction and building envelope consultation has placed him in a unique position within the industry.  He is well versed in quality spatial design and is very knowledgeable in the technical aspects of building design and construction. 

Matt prides himself on this ability to provide creative, collaborative solutions that respond to the needs of the project, as well as the project’s budget, with an understanding of the impacts that come with each decision.  Matt believes that the most successful projects start with clear and concise documentation, and continue with quality assurance oversight through construction.  He is equally at home on the jobsite as he is at the drawing board. 

  • California Registered Architect
  • IIBEC Registered Roof Observer
  • B. Arch, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
    • Minor in Sustainable Environments

You can learn more about Matthew and his work here.

Eoanna Goodwin, Bureau of Architecture – Architectural Associate

Eoanna is a licensed architect and an Architectural Associate at the San Francisco Public Works Bureau of Architecture (BOA). Her projects have ranged from health care to recreation centers to working on homeless transitional housing. At BOA, her roles also include being the Intern Hiring Manager and co-chair of the office Design Committee. She is currently working on the Alameda Creek Watershed Center in Sunol, Ocean Beach Public Restrooms, Golden Gate Park Golf Clubhouse, and most recently Margaret Hayward Playground and Clubhouse in the Western Addition in San Francisco.

Throughout her career, Eoanna has been highly committed to the design and fabrication of affordable housing and serving communities. Prior to working with the City & County of San Francisco, she served as a Construction Crew Leader for Habitat for Humanity East Bay, where she supervised crews of up to 30 volunteers daily in the construction of over 25 LEED Platinum homes from foundation to framing to finish. In addition, she has been an adjunct instructor at the Academy of Art University teaching design-build thesis studios, Professional Practice, and currently, Site Design and Mapping.  Eoanna also assisted with the AAU summer mentor program and is an ACE mentor for high school students. Eoanna received a B.S. in Architecture from The Ohio State University Knowlton School of Architecture and an M.Arch from UCLA Architecture and Urban Design.

You can learn more about Eoanna and her work here.

Kim Suczynski, Pyatok – Senior Associate

Kim is an Associate for PYATOK and offers her instinctive attention to detail and problem solving to the firm. Kim uses a multi-disciplinary approach to her practice making the most out of her dual degrees in city planning and architecture together with her strong interest in education. She joined PYATOK in 2010 with a special focus on the participatory design and master planning process for Waterman Gardens, a 450 unit revitalization project for the County of San Bernardino Housing Authority. Kim is often tapped to engage in PYATOK’s large-scale development projects helping the team to address a diverse set of challenges—both in planning and in architecture—when designing for low income communities. Her recent contributions to projects include Paradise Creek Affordable Family Housing, Avalon Hayes Valley Market Rate Housing, Harrison Street Senior Affordable Housing and 1500 San Pablo.

In addition to her work at PYATOK, Kim teaches planning studios and leads the embARC, Summer Design Academy at UC Berkeley, an intensive three-week summer design academy for high school students held at the College of Environmental Design (CED). She also sits on the city of Berkeley’s Landmarks Preservation Commission. Kim received her M.C.P. and M.Arch. from UC Berkeley and B.S. in Architecture from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
 
You can learn more about Kim and her work here.

Maxine Skaggs, Studio Skaggs Kennedy – Principal

Maxine is a licensed architect in California. Before founding Studio Skaggs Kennedy, Maxine worked on a variety of projects from residential to urban design with a majority of the time designing public architecture, specializing in libraries, university buildings and community centers. Whether a library or house, Maxine always envisions a person’s use and experience of the project as a guide in her design process. She loves blurring the threshold of exterior and interior space and always searches for inventive ways to bring the outside in.

Maxine’s affinity for architecture began when she took every architectural history class offered at Trinity College in Hartford, CT and led to her studying architecture abroad in Florence, Italy. She fell in love with modern architecture and was a teaching assistant for the course 20th century Architecture. She received her Master of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania in 2000. After participating in UPenn’s Japan summer abroad program, she interned for Gensler architecture firm in Tokyo. Enthralled by Japan’s minimal historical architecture and innovative modern architecture, it still influences her designs. After graduation, Maxine moved back to her native Northern California to start her architecture career.

You can learn more about Maxine and her work here.