Congratulations to our 2017 Distinguished Alumni!
Architecture
Paul O. Robinson
BDES 1988, M.ARCH 1993
Paul O. Robinson attended university in music theory, served a 5-year apprenticeship in the atelier of a master industrial patter-maker and subsequently began studio Paul O Robinson. He earned a master’s degree from the SoA in 1993, at which time he received the AIA Henry Adams Medal. He began teaching at the SoA in 2004 and in 2009 was awarded a Fulbright in art & architecture to Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Robinson has had residencies, exhibitions and installations in Europe and the U.S. and currently teaches design and theory at the Fakulteta za Arhitekturo v Ljubljani and is visiting professor at l’Universita di Venezia luav. In 2016 he received Slovenia’s Recognition of Important Works of Art. Within his primary studio, located in Ljubljana, Slovenia, x-rays, paintings and 3-dimensional constructions are developed as correspondences between art and space. Studio Paul O Robinson is presently developing a major body of work titled “Site Castings: Entwinements From Palazzo Fortuny, Venice, Italy.”
Construction Management
Rob Maphis
BSBC 1993
Rob Maphis is Vice President of Operations and COO for The Collage Companies, a commercial general contracting, design-build, construction management and development firm based in Florida. He oversees the company’s operations and supports the company’s business development, pre-construction, construction and post-construction services for a variety of project types, including commercial, aviation, sports, institutional, governmental and private markets.
Since graduating from the University of Florida in 1993, Maphis has held an array of positions in the construction industry, including Office Engineer and Estimator, Project Engineer, Project Manager, Operations Manager, Vice President and Branch Manager. He maintains accreditations with a number of organizations, including as a LEED AP BD+C and a Green Globes Professional (GGP). Rob is a Certified General Contractor and has served as the licensed qualifier for numerous projects throughout Central and North Florida. Rob’s career includes direct involvement with construction of a variety of public facilities, including numerous school, college/university, transportation, aviation, healthcare, federal and municipal projects.
Landscape Architecture
Jim Couillard
BLAE 1997
After serving five years as a U.S. Army Infantry Squad Leader, Jim Couillard, PLA, ASLA, graduated from UF with a Bachelor’s of Landscape Architecture with Honors in May 1997. Since then, he has worked at various scales and within various aspects of the profession, including with a large multidisciplinary firm, a small primarily landscape architecture firm, a large landscape contracting company, and lastly, within the public sector where his affinity for large scale projects and strategic planning is being put to good use.
As the Director of Marion County Parks and Recreation, Couillard continues to work on large-scale initiatives generated by a robust vision of outdoor recreation within the southeast region. He routinely coordinates and works with several federal and state agencies, consulting on the planning of regional shared-use paved trail networks, pursuing and obtaining Florida Forever land acquisition projects and staying involved legislatively. He provides professional oversight for the management and development of the County’s public park system, conservation lands and recreation facilities responsible for 41 full-time employees, 50 park sites and an overall budget of $9 million.
Urban and Regional Planning
Jerry Bell
BA 1989, MAURP 1992
Jerry H. Bell, AICP, is the Assistant Director for Planning at the Miami-Dade County Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources. He has extensive experience preparing innovative planning documents and managing projects with strong research, analysis, visioning and public involvement components.
Bell’s areas of expertise include comprehensive planning, urban design, evaluation and appraisal reports, capital improvement plans, development regulations, development review, workshop and meeting facilitation, environmental planning, redevelopment and grant writing.