Quackenbush Architects’ Spencer Hutchinson graduates from Leadership Columbia
July 3, 2025
Spencer Hutchinson, AIA, an architect and principal at Quackenbush Architects + Planners, recently graduated from Leadership Columbia, a 10-month Columbia Chamber of Commerce program for emerging and existing leaders in the Midlands. 57 participant leaders in the Class of 2025 celebrated their graduation on June 3.
The program, founded in 1972, helps professionals enhance their civic knowledge and better understand the local community while building relationships with the region’s current and future leaders. Hutchinson will now join a group of over 2,000 Leadership Columbia alumni that includes leaders from the public and private sectors, ranging from fields in government and law, to educational institutions, consulting agencies and non-profit organizations.
Hutchinson, who joined the firm in 2016, says he appreciates the opportunity Leadership Columbia offers to get to know and collaborate with other professionals outside of architecture who are doing good work in Columbia and share common goals.
“Leadership Columbia exposed me to so many great things that are happening here in our city, and to the hard working and innovative leaders behind those efforts,” Hutchinson says.
Leadership Columbia includes monthly class day sessions, a retreat, a class project, and a variety of enrichment activities around the area. The Class of 2025’s chosen project was to help Columbia’s non-profit Free Medical Clinic improve both its outreach and facilities. The group renovated the clinic’s lobby and waiting area, made extensive improvements to the building’s exterior, and facilitated a total rebranding effort with clinic leadership to develop a new logo, marketing materials, and website.
“I’m grateful to represent our firm and share the kind of projects we’ve been working on as well as the impact we’ve had on the community,” he says. “That’s why we’re still here, trying to make the community a better place.”
Hutchinson has led a number of award-winning projects at Quackenbush Architects and was voted as one of Columbia’s Best & Brightest 35 and Under by Columbia Business Monthly in 2022. He was president of the Columbia Chapter of American Institute of Architects in 2023 and has served as a board member since 2017.
Hutchinson’s lead on a recent project, a new downtown headquarters for Palmetto Citizens Federal Credit Union, is personally rewarding, he says. “Columbia is where I grew up and returned to after school, hoping to be a part of the growth of this community. So having that opportunity is really incredible.”
Quackenbush Architects + Planners is a full-service architecture and planning firm located in Columbia, SC. The firm specializes in institutional, civic, educational, and commercial projects. Its services span from building design to land planning to interior design. The firm’s portfolio includes projects for universities, cities, colleges, government agencies, school districts, and private clients. The team’s work reflects commitment to innovation, sensitivity to our regional context, and the richness that comes from collaboration with our clients and the community.
