Jack Bowe and Cory Harvey join CKLDP Class of 2023-2024
Oculus Inc., an award-winning, WBE-certified architecture and interior design firm, is pleased to announce that Jack Bowe and Cody Harvey, AIA, EIT, have been accepted into the AIA St. Louis Chapter’s 2023-2024 class of the Christopher Kelley Leadership Development Program. Bowe and Harvey are two of 16 applicants competitively selected to represent a diverse group of emerging professionals that demonstrate strong potential as future leaders in the region.
An emerging professional is defined as someone who has graduated from college with an architecture degree and is within 10 years of their first licensure. Prospective participants must go through an application process for selection where proven career success, community involvement and the individual’s contributions within their firm are considered.
“We are so excited about this learning opportunity for Jack and Cody,” said Lisa Bell-Reim, president of Oculus Inc. “Our firm’s strategic plan supports the ongoing development of our staff, and the participation through CKLDP will be a valuable experience in the advancement of both of their careers.”
The year-long program consists of nine individual half-day sessions held monthly beginning this September through May of 2024. The curriculum focuses on core professional skills such as entrepreneurship and firm management; teamwork and collaboration; negotiating skills; client development; community leadership; understanding trends within the industry; and developing your future within the practice.
Beginning in 2013, the AIA|DC chapter undertook an initiative to develop a program which would help train and nurture the next generation of leaders. With the success of the program in DC and other AIA Chapters, the Christopher Kelley Leadership Development Program expanded to St. Louis in 2021. The mission statement of CKLDP is to empower architects through a peer-led leadership development program that cultivates the sharing of experiences, knowledge, and skills, while promoting the growth and advancement of each individual as a leader in the region.
This is the second consecutive year that Oculus Inc. employees have participated in the program. Zachary Mette, an architectural designer at Oculus, was accepted into the AIA St. Louis Chapter’s 2022-2023 class of CKLDP.
“The program challenged me to grow professionally as a leader both in the industry and at Oculus,” said Zachary Mette. “Jack and Cody are wonderful additions to the CKLDP cohort, and I’m looking forward to hearing about their experiences with the program!”
For more information on the Christopher Kelley Leadership Development Program, visit: https://www.aia-stlouis.org/page/CKLDP
Oculus Inc. delivers comprehensive architecture, interior design, planning and move management services with a driving aesthetic to Connect | Shape | Move people, experiences, sensibilities and spaces. Oculus creates high-performance design that supports change and promotes value for clients in the commercial, education, government, healthcare, hospitality, retail, restaurant and workplace industries. Oculus has offices in St. Louis, Dallas, Portland, Ore., Orlando, Fla., Hampton, Va., and Mesa, Ariz., is WBE-certified and is regularly cited in top industry rankings for architecture and interior design. Oculusinc.com.