Advisory Board
An Important Voice in Leadership
Members of the Dean's Advisory Board are pioneers of industry, policy, and more – coming from a variety of backgrounds and bringing a wealth of professional experience to college governance.
Members of the Dean's Advisory Board
JONATHAN B. EISEN, managing principal, The Eisen Group, Washington, D.C.
An architect and urban planner, Jon Eisen works with private developers, universities, and municipal officials to create special and successful places. He has contributed to more than 60 mixed-use projects across the U.S. and currently leads the planning, architecture, and strategy for developments in 12 states. National Harbor, Crown Farm, Crystal City Revitalization, Reston Town Center Phase II, Bethesda Row, Park Potomac, Crocker Park and The Village of Valley Forge all bear his handiwork. Earlier in his career, Eisen worked on such large-scale projects as the U.S. Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., Mizner Park in Boca Raton, Colorado Center in Denver, and Channelside in Tampa. Eisen sits on a National Council with the Urban Land Institute and is a board member for the College of Architecture and Real Estate at the University of Maryland. He holds a Master of Science in Construction Management and Planning and a Bachelor of Architecture from Virginia Tech.
MICHAEL FOSTER, principal and owner, MTFA Architecture, Arlington, VA
For over 30 years, Michael Foster has produced award-winning projects recognized for design excellence and innovation in mixed-use planning. An architect and urban planner, his work spans architecture, interiors, and planning. His projects include green building design, historic preservation, adaptive reuse and contextual modernism for government facilities, schools, churches, country clubs, museums, multifamily housing, and commercial offices. His work has been published in Progressive Architecture, Learning by Design, American School and University, the Wall Street Journal, American Planning Association Journal, and many other trade and professional journals. Active in civic service, he’s a member of the Arlington Economic Development Commission, Community Havens Board, John Marshall Bank Board of Directors, and Arlington Chamber of Commerce, and past chair of the Arlington Planning Commission. A member of the AIA College of Fellows, Foster holds degrees in Architecture and Urban Affairs from Virginia Tech, and graduate studies at SCI-ARC in Lugano, Switzerland.
KEVIN JONES, creative director and CEO of Joba Design, Blacksburg, VA
Many know Virginia Tech Hall of Famer, Kevin Jones, as the incredible running back who brought the Hokie Nation to its feet time and time again as he sprinted down the field. Following an All-American collegiate career and seven years in the NFL, Jones returned to Blacksburg to complete his undergraduate degree. Jones most recently worked as the Director of the Diversity Center in the Pamplin College of Business after serving as an Assistant Athletics Director for Special Projects and Design at Virginia Tech. He was integral in the conceptual redesigns of English Field at Union Park and the Merryman Athletic Center. In 2014, Jones founded Joba Design, an award-winning multidisciplinary design studio, and in 2018, Joba acquired Blue Mobius Marketing, thus creating the Total Brand Experience. As Creative Director and CEO of Joba, Kevin is responsible for casting overarching vision and helping the team pursue its mission of creating impactful design with compelling communications. Jones is a graduate of Virginia Tech’s School of Architecture and Pamplin College of Business, has a B.S. in Industrial Design, a minor in Art History, as well as an MBA.
ROB MARKUS, senior partner, WME, Los Angeles, CA
Rob Markus is a senior partner at the world’s leading talent agency, WME, and is consistently named one of Billboard magazine’s “International Power Players” for his ability to identify and cultivate international talent. Through his efforts to build WME’s international music division, Markus has helped the agency open offices in London and Sydney and has watched the company expand from three talent agents to 50. He enjoys signing new talent, launching internationalcareers, and re-energizing the careers of veteran artists. He’s also helped expand the Lollapalooza festival from the U.S. into Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Germany, France, and Sweden. Markus speaks four languages and holds three passports. He received his bachelor of architecture degree from Virginia Tech in 1990 and his MBA from INSTEAD in France in 1995.
BRUCE PRICHARD, managing principal, HBA Architecture + Interior Design, Virginia Beach, VA
Bruce Prichard has spent more than 40 years as an architect, principal, and president of HBA, a leading architecture, planning and interior design firm serving the Mid-Atlantic region, with offices in Virginia Beach and Richmond. He heads the firm’s Commercial and Interior Design Studios and has concentrated his practice in serving the area’s most prestigious corporate, financial and legal clients. Recent projects include headquarters and major projects for Stihl USA, Norfolk Southern, TowneBank, Williams Mullen, Armada Hoffler, Harbor Group, and the Virginia Port Authority. Within the firm, Prichard is currently working on a transition to the third generation of principal leadership. He serves on the boards of Virginia Beach Vision and the Central Business District Association. He received his Bachelor of Architecture degree from Virginia Tech in 1975.
AUTUMN VISCONTI, senior landscape architect, Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), New York, NY
Autumn Visconti is a senior landscape architect and project manager at Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), working with the East Side Coastal Resiliency design team. She has worked at firms in the U.S. and internationally, including James Corner Field Operations in New York and O2 Planning + Design in Alberta, Canada. She is devoted to building projects using a clear, concise methodology to better prepare cities and communities for climate adaptation, and has designed and developed climate-resilient strategies for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development with the Rockefeller Foundation’s “10 Resilient Cities Centennial Challenge” and the national Rebuild By Design and Mississippi Delta Changing Course competitions. Visconti has a Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA II) Second Professional Degree with advanced standing from the University of Pennsylvania, and a BLA from Virginia Tech.