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Ken Sanders: Sharron, when and how did you join ZGF?

Sharron van der Meulen: 1986. My trek to ZGF was interesting. While I was in school at the University of Oregon, I was an intern at SOM for four years. I was one of those crazy kids that didn’t understand that I should be going off to Florida during spring break. I came back to Portland every holiday break and every summer, and I worked at SOM because I loved the environment and the energy. During school I was lucky enough to be hired as an intern, and I started out by taking on a lot of different tasks: organizing the materials library, running prints, but mostly working in the model shop on buildings and competition models.

When SOM closed their doors in Portland, I purposely took a job at a small firm. SOM was fairly large in Portland, and I wanted a different kind of experience. But, I realized after three or four months that I really liked the challenge of larger projects. There is a certain energy about being around a lot of people with diverse backgrounds and an expansive outlook.

After I decided that I wanted to be part of a larger firm, there were no other firms in Portland that were hiring. We were coming out of a severe recession. I was literally a couple of weeks away from moving to New York because I had a good friend who had taken a position at SOM, and she encouraged me to take the leap.

And then I got a call from Jim van Duyn from ZGF, who asked me to come in for an interview, which was followed by a second meeting with Norm Zimmer. I was hired initially on contract, but it’s interesting how fate can change a lot of things. If that hadn’t happened, who knows what city I would be living in and where I would be working.

KS: I’ve had the same experience in my life and career. Decisions other people make sometimes send you on trajectories you don’t anticipate. When you joined ZGF 35 years ago, the firm was around fifty people in one office, correct?

SVDM: I was number 65 and we had one office in Portland.

KS: And now it’s over 750 in six offices.

SVDM: I know, it’s hard to wrap my head around.

KS: In 2020, you assumed the Managing Partner role in Portland. Was that a role you pursued or a role that you were invited to step into?

SVDM: I definitely did not pursue it. I wasn’t completely sure what the position entailed. Although I have worked closely with the other Managing Partners, I didn’t know exactly what to expect, what happens behind the scenes, and how my daily routine would change. I wasn’t apprehensive. I just wanted to make sure I knew what I was getting into and what the expectations were.

But, you know, I’ve never pursued any position. I never said, for example, “I want to be made an Associate.” My internal purpose was always to work on projects and to do a really good job and get the firm to the next level in terms of design quality. The work was always first to me and I have always led with that notion. And my progression through the firm has always been driven by the work and my impact on projects.

I had the confidence of a lot of the Partners, and that made a huge difference in my decision to take on this new role. I was surrounded by people that believed in my ability to lead, who said: “You’ve been doing this already.” So I felt, yes, I can take this on!

You know this, Ken. In architecture, every day is a different day; no two days are the same. And that’s what I thrive on and love about the profession. This is just an extension of that. There is a greater responsibility because now I’m the face and the voice of a greater number of people. I represent the firm in everything that I do. But I also feel like I’ve done that throughout my career.

KS: You had the confidence of your Partners and that meant a lot. Were there other things you tried to understand about the role beforehand? Or did you say to yourself, I’ll take a leap of faith and figure it out along the way?

SVDM: I was going to figure it out as I went. I’ve known Bob Packard for my entire career. I’ve known Jan Willemse for practically my entire career. I have a lot of respect for both and I knew how they handled the Managing Partner position. There was never a question that I could perform in the role. I just wasn’t quite sure what I was getting into. I don’t necessarily have a controlling personality, but I like to know what the challenges are ahead of me.

And I must tell you that the way ZGF is organized now is quite different. For twenty years, there were just three Partners steering the ship and making all the decisions. It’s very different now. We have twenty Partners, nine of which are in the Portland office. We are all taking on more office and firm wide responsibility, which is great. It’s not all on my shoulders.

KS: In your new leadership role, what has shifted in terms of how you spend your time? Have you given up on certain things to take on new responsibilities? Or has it been a more modest shift?

SVDM: I think it’s been more of a modest shift, honestly. Bob and Jan have been good predecessors because they held this role, but they never gave up working on projects. And I think that’s the difference between ZGF and maybe some other firms. I can only speak for ZGF, but our philosophy is that the people that pursue projects are the same people that work on the projects.

KS: Closer doers.

SVDM: Yes. And Partners lead projects. They might be technical designers, project managers, design leads, but we’re all intimately involved in projects. I think it’s important that we’re first and foremost connected to our work; it makes us better and more balanced, and we’re able to do what we love. I think it also makes our leadership qualities and persona more relatable and relevant to our employees.

KS: As you’ve continued the model of a Managing Partner focused on clients and projects, are there differences in your leadership voice or style compared to Bob or Jan? What have you carried forward, and what are the things you’re doing differently?

SVDM: I spent a fair amount of time thinking about this. It’s scary to compare yourself to Bob Packard, right? Holy smokes. But I knew in the very beginning there was no way I could duplicate what others before me had done. I’m my own person, I have my own experiences and history. I have my own projects and clients, and these are all the things that shaped me as a person and a design professional.

I knew that if I tried to duplicate how they tackled the position, I wouldn’t be authentic in my approach. I lead with a lot of intentionality around design first. And what I’ve really come to understand about myself and where I think the firm needs to go is making stronger impacts in the communities where we work and live. ZGF grew up in Portland; we are the largest firm in town, and I think our contributions to our own community need to be commensurate. I feel really strongly about that.

I’ve always believed that we design for the human experience, designed by humans for humans. And that’s what I want to focus on in our work, and how ZGF carries forward into the future. My work style is that I’ve never been the loudest person in the room. I’m inherently a little shy, but I also like to listen first, hear what others have to say, and try not to be reactionary. I take a very measured approach. That’s not to say I don’t have strong opinions, but I like working towards consensus vs. forcing decisions.

I don’t know how that compares or contrasts with anybody, but I know I have to be true to who I am. Otherwise it’s just not going to work. I also believe that I was not put in this position to be someone other than myself.

KS: Sharron, twenty years ago the ZGF partnership consisted of ten white men, including me. Although the demographics of leadership in our profession has improved since then, it is still largely male dominated. As the first woman Managing Partner at ZGF, do you feel a special responsibility?

SVDM: I absolutely believe it’s a huge responsibility. And it’s one thing that I’m intently focused on. I’m not planning on leaving ZGF anytime soon, but when I do, I would like to ensure the partnership is made up of a more diverse cross section of people.

Among the six new Partners that were named three years ago, four are women. Two of the six are immigrants to the US and one is openly gay. This is a step in the right direction and I’m proud of what we are starting to reflect and what we look like as a group. We still have a lot of work to do, but I take it seriously and am passionate about making changes. I am a huge promoter of more diversity in our teams and equity in the way that we approach everything; whether it’s building our internal teams, building relationships with consultants, teaming with other firms on pursuits, we’ve got to make diversity and equity a priority.

You know this, Ken; lack of diversity is something in our profession that has a long history. We all must come together and decide that we’re going to change this, and it’s going to take all firms making a commitment to change with measurable results.

KS: Watching ZGF move in that direction has been wonderful. As you mentioned, the original Zimmer Gunsul Frasca had three Partners, representing the classic three-legged stool of design, technical and management. Now there are twenty Partners across six offices. As a partnership, how do you organize responsibilities and decision-making?

SVDM: It’s definitely more complicated than when it was just Norm, Bob, and Brooks, but I think that the structure has actually remained quite straightforward. There’s an Executive Committee that’s made up of at least one Partner from each office. And I would describe this as a first stop or clearing house for issues that all other Partners eventually need to weigh in on.

We also have an Operations Committee and a Project Performance Team. We have Partner liaisons to Technology, the Business Office, Business Development, and People and Culture. There have been virtual partnership meetings monthly, and we have one hundred percent attendance, unless there’s a project pursuit and then you get a free pass. That’s pretty much the only way that you’re going to get out of attending.

The Partners are fundamentally committed to attend these meetings. There is a strong connection and collaboration between us. From my own perspective, there is a lot of respect for one another and an acknowledgement of the contributions from each of us, and we are more than ever operating as one firm.

I liken it to my daughter Ella playing soccer. She was a striker, which is a kingpin position of sorts. I remember her coach specifically saying that she, along with the front line, needed to form a close relationship and bond to build trust. I feel like we do that as a partnership, and the only way you do that is if you work together and you spend a lot of time together. I think that the Partners are spending more time with each other than ever before, and we’re not only enjoying each other’s company, but planning for the future success of the firm.

KS: How often do the Partners meet in person?

SVDM: Before COVID, it was happening every three months. When the pandemic hit, there was an absolute need to come together and plan for working remotely and figure out this new reality. Zoom and Teams are great ways to connect, but there’s nothing that takes the place of face-to-face time, discussing design, the future of the firm, and hearing what is important to each of the Partners. Because we’re all individuals and we have a different focus, or see things a little differently, we need to hear each other and work together as a collective group.

KS: Spending time together is how you get to know each other well and trust each other.

SVDM: My Partners and I, especially in the Portland office, have known each other for a long time. We spend time on occasion outside of work and I think that’s important to build a strong foundation. As you know, this business can be demanding, and if you can enjoy and respect the people you are leading the firm with, it goes a long way in being effective.