Annual Awards Ceremony Honors CADC Community
The College of Architecture, Design and Construction (CADC) recognized excellence, leadership and commitment during its annual awards ceremony held on April 3, 2025.
The event brought together award recipients, faculty, staff, alumni, students and guests to celebrate the achievements of the CADC community.
Outstanding undergraduate students were named in each of the college’s disciplines:
- Emily Swartzer (Architecture)
- Nicholas Coffey (Building Science)
- Fiona Content (Environmental Design)
- Emiko Benton (Graphic Design)
- Catherine Russell (Industrial Design)
- Sophie Harward (Interior Architecture)
- Carson Croom (Landscape Architecture)
Graduate student honors were awarded to the following:
- Muhammad Usama (Master of Building Construction)
- Karen Carnago (Executive Graduate Certificates in Construction Management and Executive Master of Building Construction)
- Lilly Echeverri (Master of Industrial Design)
- Caitlin Holt (Master of Landscape Architecture)
- Muhammad Umer (Ph.D. in Building Construction)
The CADC also recognized Matthew Warren, IT Systems Engineer, as Employee of the Year for his outstanding support and service to the college.
In addition to student and staff recognitions, each of the CADC’s three schools presented awards for exceptional teaching and service.
The School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture presented the Behzad Nakhjavan Award for Excellence in Teaching to Eilís Finnegan, an Assistant Professor of Environmental Design, while Raleigh Price ’08, Principal at Seay, Seay & Litchfield Architects and member of the architecture advisory council, received the school’s Distinguished Service Award.
The McWhorter School of Building Science named Associate Professor Darren Olsen as its Outstanding Teaching Award recipient and Carl Lyness ’14 ’16, a Virtual Design and Construction Manager at The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company, as its Distinguished Service Award honoree.
The School of Industrial and Graphic Design presented its Outstanding Teaching Award to Verena Paepcke-Hjeltness, Associate Professor of Industrial Design, and the Award for Distinguished Service to Dorsey Cox ’85, Design Manager at CFGroup and a member of the school’s advisory council.
“Celebration events like this are rare and remarkable,” said Dawn Finley, CADC Dean and McWhorter Endowed Chair. “They remind us what’s possible when we work together—and why it matters.”