LS3P announces changes Board of Directors

Architecture, Interiors, and Planning firm LS3P announces a key leadership change to its Board of Directors. Chief Practice Officer Katherine Peele, FAIA has been named Board Chair; she succeeds Thompson E. Penney, FAIA, who retired from the Board on September 7, 2022. Senior Vice President Paul Boney, FAIA, will continue to serve as Vice Chair.

Peele joined LS3P (then Boney Architects) in 1988 after she graduated as valedictorian of her class from NC State University with a Bachelor of Architecture, summa cum laude. In her 34 years with the firm, she has managed over $1 billion worth of construction, with projects ranging from educational to workplace to civic work. She became Raleigh Office Leader in 2005, joined the Board of Directors in 2010, and was named Vice President of Practice in 2013. In her current role as Chief Practice Officer, which she has held since 2019, she oversees firmwide design excellence and quality, growth of practice expertise, and innovation.

Peele served as the 2000 President of AIA North Carolina was elevated to AIA Fellowship in 2003 in recognition of her extensive expertise and commitment to educational facility design; in 2019 she received the AIA North Carolina Gold Medal. In 2009, she was awarded the William H. Dietrick Service Medal by the AIA North Carolina Chapter for her service to the profession; in 2017, she was appointed by the Governor to serve a five-year term on the North Carolina Board of Architecture, where she most recently served as President.

CEO Marc Marchant believes that Peele’s unparalleled experience, coupled with her commitment to architecture in service to communities, uniquely qualifies her for this role. “Katherine embodies LS3P’s Values, Mission, and Vision, and has long been a driving force in the firm’s success,” he says. “Her reputation as an outstanding designer, leader, and advocate for the industry comes from her decades of service to the firm and the profession, and we are honored to work with her as the new Chair of LS3P’s Board.”

Penney, likewise, has spent his career with the firm. He has served as LS3P’s Board Chair since 2012; he also served as CEO from 1989 to 2020 and President from 1989 to 2019. Having worked at the firm as a high school student, Penney graduated with Honors from Clemson University with both a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Architecture, and re-joined the firm as a full-time employee in 1974. Under his leadership, LS3P has grown into a nationally recognized architecture firm with eleven offices, over 400 employees, 11 offices, and over 650 design awards. His professional achievements include serving as the 79th National President of the American Institute of Architects in 2003, receiving the AIA South Carolina Medal of Distinction in 2007, and being inducted into the Clemson University College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities Hall of Fame in 2019.

“Thom is the quintessential ‘citizen architect,’ and I am proud to consider him a true mentor and steadfast friend,” Marchant says. “His service to our firm and the profession has created far-reaching impacts for our firm, our communities, and the profession of architecture. His vision and leadership have made LS3P the firm we are today, and we are honored to call him our Chairman Emeritus.”

About LS3P

Founded in 1963, LS3P is an architecture, interiors, and planning firm with regional roots and national reach. Operating from its eleven offices in Charleston, Columbia, Greenville, Myrtle Beach, Asheville, Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh, Wilmington, Atlanta, and Savannah, LS3P is deeply committed to the communities in which it serves and has been honored with over 650 design awards in diverse practice areas. For more information on LS3P, visit www.ls3p.com.