Archives Teams

Louis always knew he wanted to be an architect. He began taking drafting classes in middle school and high school and discovered his love for building blocks of architecture. Louis joined Cole & Denny as a graduate architect in 2008 after graduating from Virginia Tech with his BArch.

Louis quickly drew the attention of leadership at C&DA thanks to his initiative and energy and was identified early on as a potential future principal. By the time Louis became a partner, he was serving as a project manager, and became Vice President of Cole & Denny in 2012.

During his first years at the firm, Louis maintained an active interest in all levels of a project from drafting to construction, which led to developing clients and projects, managing other project managers, managing financials, and ultimately providing growth, direction, guidance and vision to the entire firm. It was this drive that helped him grow into the project manager role and later VP.

Louis has always been forward-thinking: “After I became licensed,” Louis recalls, “I sat around thinking, ‘what’s next?’” This drove Louis to pursue a master’s degree. While maintaining his full-time leadership roles at Cole & Denny, Louis enrolled in an MBA program for professionals through UNC Chapel Hill, where he specialized in corporate finance.

Louis has spent the entirety of his career at Cole & Denny, and he’s grateful for it. He loves the collaborative environment and the ability for individuals to grow professionally and continue to take on new responsibilities. These are values that Louis & Mike both identified first as graduate architects and have striven to maintain and grow as leaders of the firm. He’s proud of their ability to build upon the strengths of the company and evolve what the two would have appreciated as graduate architects.

Louis also enjoys the diverse range and types of projects at which Cole & Denny is able to excel. This diversity means that their architects get to learn something new every day and that each member of the firm has the opportunity to continue to pursue knowledge and strengthen their craft.

Around the office, Louis is respected and admired for his vision and ability to guide the future of the firm. He is consistently goal oriented, process driven, and the peace maker, and his technical ability and detailed knowledge of architecture is renowned.

When he’s not serving as a leader and visionary for Cole & Denny, Louis enjoys spending time with his wife, kids, and their bulldog Jumbo, and pursuing his hobbies including coaching little league baseball, going to football and baseball games, and going saltwater fishing. Louis is a well-known Ravens & Orioles fan and hails from Baltimore where his family has been in the concrete industry for three generations.

With over twenty years at Cole & Denny Architects, Mike has been privileged to be a part of the firm’s growth and success, while simultaneously achieving his own professional development. Mike joined the firm as a Graduate Architect after receiving a BArch and MArch from Virginia Tech in 2004.

As a young man, Mike wanted to be an artist and a collegiate soccer player. While touring colleges, he discovered the field of architecture at Virginia Tech and immediately fell in love. Mike subsequently enrolled at VT, where he also played soccer for 2.5 years, and completed both his undergraduate and Master’s degrees.

While in college, Mike had the opportunity to spend a year as a student at the University of Switzerland, an experience that left an indelible mark. One of the most prestigious academies for study of architecture, Mike learned first-hand from renowned architects and had the opportunity to develop his skills in a professional environment.

Upon finishing his degree, Mike applied to work at Cole & Denny: “It had been a long, hot day of interviews and trudging around the city. Cole & Denny was the last one of three. I ended up on a rant about the need for work life balance, and how the most important thing for valuing your work is valuing your leisure time. I was surprised when they called me the next day and offered me the job.” Investing in company culture and a healthy work life balance has continued to be a cornerstone of Mike’s leadership at C&DA.

From the start, Mike was identified by Cole & Denny as an individual with strong leadership potential. He spent his first years at the firm working towards credentials, becoming a Registered Architect in 2010. Since then, Mike has had the opportunity to mentor ten other colleagues through this demanding process.

In 2019, Mike and Louis became Principals at C&DA and have now been guiding the firm together for over a decade. Mike credits their project leadership, understanding of architecture, and business acumen for their development as leaders.

Mike is very civically engaged and has received numerous recognitions and publications during his time at Cole & Denny. He was honored as one of Alexandria’s “40 Under 40” by the Chamber of Commerce and received the Alexandria Civic Award from the Parks & Recreation Commission in 2017. He has been an active member of the Alexandria Public Art Committee, helping to develop the Waterfront Small Area Plan and Art & History Waterfront Report, served as President for the Torpedo Factory Board of Directors, was on the artists selection committee in 2020 and 2021 for the Potomac Yard Metro Rail Station Public Art Project, served in the transition team for the city of Alexandria’s Mayor Gaskin, and is currently a Thinker in Residence for the Alexandria Economic Development Program.

Mike currently resides in Alexandria with his wife and two sons in a house that Mike has entirely renovated and rebuilt by hand. During his free time, Mike enjoys volunteering and continuing to play soccer in a men’s adult league, in addition to integrating stick figures of his colleagues into section drawings.

Dennis serves as a Senior Architect at Cole & Denny, bringing his insight and expertise to projects across types and fields. During his tenure as a member of the Cole & Denny team, Dennis is a leader and instrumental in the firms Secure Facilities Studio. He enjoys working at Cole & Denny in large part to his colleagues and the energy of the firm’s culture.

In his free time, Dennis enjoys working around the house and going for long walks with his wife and their dog.

Brett brings both his museum architectural experience and BIM managerial skills, including Revit expertise, to the table at Cole & Denny. He is grateful for the opportunity to work on a wide variety of projects and the growth this diversity affords. Brett identifies that, through his work at the firm, he continues to learn and improve on a daily basis, as well as be able to utilize that knowledge to help others learn and grow, too.

In the office, Brett is known for keeping the coffee stash filled. He appreciates the fun office environment and their location in Old Town Alexandria. When not at work, Brett likes to work out, play board games, watch great movies, and discover in-depth video essays on YouTube!

With an incredible background in unique architecture and designing for the Fine Arts, Jim serves on the Cole & Denny team as a theater specialist, bringing his experience and rooted understanding of the practical realities of creative spaces to every project. At the office, Jim is known for bringing in special treats from the McCutcheon/Mount Vernon Farmers Market. The market is a special place for Jim: as the President of the Mt Vernon Kiwanis Club, Jim participates in coordinating the donation of fresh produce and baked goods from the market to the United Community Food Pantry in Hybla Valley every week.

Jim’s love for baseball is well known amongst his peers, and his most prized possession is an autograph from the esteemed architect Buckminster Fuller. When he’s not working and volunteering, Jim enjoys spending time with his family – three daughters, two grandchildren, and two granddogs – and friends listening to music “worth listening to,” as Jim puts it, and being outside.

Serving as an architect at Cole & Denny means that Wren has the opportunity to work on projects from inception to completion, one of his favorite parts of the job. He appreciates the camaraderie and teamwork of the office as well as the firm’s ability to serve on many public projects like colleges, schools, libraries, and animal shelters. Even if the project isn’t a large one, he’s grateful for the important and meaningful change to make an impact.

Around the office, Wren is known for organizing information: whether that’s a project spreadsheet or Movie Club rankings. He’s also a mean Hearts player. As a father to two baby boys and two rabbits, he spends most of his free time at home, but when he does get out, Wren enjoys hiking and riding his Onewheel.

Lynne serves as an Architectural Project Manager, mentor, and the vendor point of contact for Cole & Denny. She loves the diverse range of responsibilities and opportunities her job affords her, including managing projects from conception to completion and cultivating relationships with clients and peers. Around the office, she’s known as the Keeper of the Lunch & Learn Schedule, and would probably be voted “most responsive to emails.”

In her free time she loves to travel (she’s been to 49 of 50 states and Puerto Rico!), read, and spend time exploring and relaxing with family and friends.

As a member of the C&DA team, Dominique enjoys working on a variety of projects and enjoys that every project is an opportunity to learn something new, and often obscure! She’s grateful to be able to experience many different aspects of architecture through the firm’s diversity of projects. That architects at Cole & Denny are able to participate in nearly every step of a project, across fields, is another highlight for Dominique.

When she’s not collaborating with teammates, Dominique is interested in sewing and in history, a cross-section that has led her to dabbling in historical fashion.

Monica first worked at Cole & Denny Architects from 2006-2008. After leaving the workforce for 11 years to raise children, she returned to the firm in 2019. Having moved to Charlottesville, VA in 2025, Monica now focuses on the firm’s Central Virginia projects. She is grateful for the camaraderie of her Cole & Denny team. Even through COVID and now working remotely, Monica still feels connected to her colleagues, especially through the office’s common love of movies, and is well known for her good taste and breadth of movie knowledge.

Outside of the office, Monica enjoys painting! She is looking forward to finding more time to paint and to be able to exhibit her pieces in her home.

Jason brings expertise and insight to the Cole & Denny Architects team by specializing in commercial interiors and secure facilities. Jason holds a BArch from Virginia Tech.