Richard Becker AIA, LEED AP BD+C Prior work experience includes Skidmore Owings and Merrill (NYC). He and wife Nancy established Becker Architects in New York in 1982. Richard is a third generation architect raised in Bethesda, Maryland and attended Syracuse University (B.Arch. 1979). Past public service includes Highland Park Historic Preservation Commission (1994-2000), Highland Park Zoning Board of Appeals (2000-2008), Oversight for School District 113 (2014-2017) and currently a citizen advisor to North Shore School District 112 for proposed improvements at Northwood and Edgewood Middle Schools. Richard is involved in pro-Israel advocacy serving on several boards including CAMERA and StandWithUs.
Nancy Becker AIA Prior work experience at Skidmore Owings and Merrill (Chicago) and RBS+D (NYC). Nancy was raised in Highland Park and majored in French at Bryn Mawr College prior to her architectural studies at Syracuse University (B.Arch 1979). Public service includes architecture programming for Highland Park High School Focus on the Arts, Highland Park Historic Preservation Commission (2012 to 2020) and past volunteer art teacher in School District 112. Nancy and Richard have raised five amazing children.
Jack Becker (Design Counsel) is co-founder and principal of BLDUS, an architectural design studio based in Washington, DC working at the intersection of historic preservation, development and construction. Raised in Highland Park, Jack earned his B.Arch at Cornell University and a Masters of Urban Design at Harvard GSD.
Gina Charo Gina has fourteen years prior work experience, primarily in residential and commercial architecture. Gina attended the College of Lake County (A.A.) and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (B.S. School of Architecture and Urban Planning, 2006).
Emil Gjorgioski Emil has prior work experience in the furniture industry at Z Gallerie and Restoration Hardware. He has a degree in Interior Architecture + Design from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. Emil is active in the ASID student chapter at MIAD.
Kim Jischke Kim has twenty plus years of prior work experience at Frontier Soups, the former First National Bank of Highland Park, Crate and Barrel and the Lake Forest Chamber of Commerce. Born in Chicago, Kim was raised in Lake Forest. She attended Northern Illinois and Lake Forest College. Her interests include canoeing, gardening, tennis, biking, walking for charity and taking care of her grandchildren. She is married to Dr John Jischke and they have three grown children and five grandchildren.
Nazifa Virani Nazifa’s architectural work experience has been in the luxury residential and retail sectors in LA, NY & Chicago, having worked at Sheehan Nagle Hartray Architects, Standard Architecture, EYRC Architects Los Angeles and Johnston Marklee. Nazifa has Bachelors in Urban Planning & Public Policy, and an M.Arch. from the University of Illinois-Chicago.