Adele Willson

Adele Willson is Managing Principal of Hord Coplan Macht’s office in Denver, Colorado, and is the Market Sector Leader for the firm’s K-12 practice. She joined the firm (then SLATERPAULL Architects) in 1984, and became the firm’s first female architect and principal.

During her 35+ years of experience, Adele Willson has worked with nearly 300 different schools in all aspects of the architectural practice, most notably educational planning and programming. She is passionate about making the connection between education and design by creating spaces for students to learn and thrive. She understands the complexities of Next Generation educational design, and has dedicated her career to designing high performing, beautiful schools that meet the needs of both current and future learners. Ms. Willson is a champion of sustainable design, and works to educate her clients on the improvements to the built environment and energy cost savings that it brings. She is also an Accredited Learning Environment Planner, a professional designation signifying excellence in the industry. Ms. Willson is an active participant in many organizations that affect schools, including the Association for Learning Environments (A4LE), where she is the past president of the Rocky Mountain Chapter and was recognized as “Educational Planner of the Year” in 2009.