Design that supports community.

Designing public facilities requires collaboration and transparency. Each of our projects reflects our core values of community engagement and public stewardship. We collaborate with our public sector clients to design courts and public safety facilities, operations centers, city administration buildings and community libraries that serve community needs and make cities, states and counties operate more effectively. We believe in early stakeholder engagement and sincerely embrace our role in supporting our clients’ fiscal responsibilities and commitment to public trust. Whether completing a renovation, new construction, preservation or adaptive reuse, we design buildings that are enduring, efficient, environmentally responsible, secure and part of the surrounding community fabric.

Meet the team

  • Cindy McCleary, AIA

    Vice President
    Senior Director - Institutional

    Cindy’s career includes experience with over thirty law enforcement/public safety projects providing planning expertise in criminal justice, forensics, evidence, training, holding and emergency response facilities.
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    Email | Linkedin

  • Dan Yudchitz, AIA

    Vice President
    Design Director

    Dan’s career has been focused on the design of public, workplace, institutional and educational facilities. He is dedicated and devoted to working with clients to achieve solutions that are both pragmatic and creative.

    Email | LInkedin

  • Portrait of Anya Grant, market sector leader for civic.

    Anya Grant, AIA

    Associate
    Market Sector Leader - Civic

    Anya Grant’s 13-year career has encompassed programming, planning and design for higher education. She is an excellent communicator who actively engages clients and community in the design process.

    Email | Linkedin

  • Todd LaVold, AIA

    Senior Associate
    Market Sector Leader - Public Safety

    Todd has 20 years of experience in the design and management of a wide variety of project types, including police stations, law enforcement training, fire stations, and justice facility projects.

    Email | Linkedin

  • Chris Rupert, AICP

    Senior Associate
    Market Sector Leader - Civic

    Chris is a practice leader and certified planner for public projects. Her experience includes projects ranging from small building renovations to master plans for thousands of acres.

    Email | Linkedin

  • Kelly Ptacek

    Associate
    Business Development - Midwest

    Kelly Ptacek is a client relations and business development specialist focused on building strong, trusted partnerships. She connects clients with the firm’s multidisciplinary expertise to align goals, strategy, and outcomes.

    Email | Linkedin

Featured projects

  • Owatonna Public Utilities

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  • Hosmer Library, Hennepin County

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  • Centennial Library, Anoka County

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  • Pennington County Administration and Evidence Facility

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  • Public Safety Complex & City Hall, Lake Elmo, MN

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  • Entry view to the city of Forest Lake civic complex.

    City of Forest Lake, MN, Admin & Public Safety Complex

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  • Omaha West Precinct Police Station

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  • Columbia Heights, MN, City Hall

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  • Hennepin County Medical Examiner Facility

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Perspectives

Perspectives
Designing a net zero building for all day, every day
Designing a net zero building for all day, every day

Hennepin County, Minnesota, needed an energy efficient, wellness-forward space for sheriff’s deputies to train, perform administrative tasks and meet with the public. LEO A DALY provided a daylight-filled design keeping both security and wellness in mind while delivering net zero energy under continuous operation.

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Giving voice to all stakeholders in civic design: 5 questions with Anya Grant
Giving voice to all stakeholders in civic design: 5 questions with Anya Grant

Civic projects are all about the public. Universities, libraries, city halls: These institutions are for people, so the design should accommodate the needs of the people. In this interview, LEO A DALY’s Anya Grant, a civic market sector leader, shares strategies for reaching into all corners of the community to gather insight.

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Preserving civic architecture on a budget: Five Questions with Michael Bjornberg
Preserving civic architecture on a budget: Five Questions with Michael Bjornberg

Historic Preservation expert Michael Bjornberg, FAIA, skillfully navigates regulatory requirements to perform historic preservation work that meets a building owner’s needs. In this edition of 5 Questions, he talks about how to do this work on public projects, even when budgets are tight.

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Reenvisioning an historic City Hall: Five Questions with Irena Savakova
Reenvisioning an historic City Hall: Five Questions with Irena Savakova

In this Five Questions interview, global design principal Irena Savakova discusses the role of placemaking and history in the reimagining of Alexandria City Hall and Market Square. A renovation project, necessitated by deteriorating conditions and a lack of accessibility, will reinvent and upgrade the historic structure and open space in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia.

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