LEADERSHIP

Bob Hickman joined Chambers in 1972 as an interior designer and by 1981 was named President—the first individual to hold the position who was not a member of the Chambers family. In 2001, Bob became the Owner/CEO and in 2009, he assumed his current position as Chairman of the Board. Today, Bob continues to advise on the firm’s strategic decisions and overall design efforts. Throughout his more than 50 years at Chambers, Bob’s leadership and influence have contributed to much of the firm’s growth into its current position as one of the nation’s most respected planning, architecture and design firms. Of the many contributions Bob has made to Chambers and the design industry, perhaps among the greatest is his belief in the beauty of simplicity and straightforward design that is “timeless and classic.”

Rick Snellinger is one of the industry’s most respected voices on private club planning and club design. Rick joined Chambers in 1991 and was named President and CEO in 2004. Since that time, he has worked with hundreds of private country, golf, city, and yacht clubs across the United States and abroad to translate member needs into creative and successfully executed projects.

A noted industry expert, Rick speaks frequently on trends affecting the club industry, often with a focus on improving member experience and value. He was selected as a finalist for SmartCEO’s Circle of Excellence in 2015 and was named as one of the Top 10 Individuals Shaping the Future of Private Clubs by Golf Inc. magazine in 2017. Most recently, BoardRoom magazine named Rick a Private Club Influencer in 2019, and also recognized his contribution to the industry by presenting him with the 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award. Under Rick’s direction, Chambers has consistently been recognized as the Strategic Planning and Master Planning Firm of the Year in the private club industry.

John Snellinger joined Chambers in 2004 with a background in business and financial management. With this expertise, John quickly became an integral driver of Chambers’ strategic and facilities planning efforts, lending his expertise in building financial models and pro formas to help our clients gain financing for capital improvements. Today, John oversees firm wide planning services and continues to lead the firm’s research efforts with regard to membership survey development, analysis, and reporting.

Charlie Turner joined Chambers as its Director of Interior Design after spending close to a decade at two of Washington, D.C.’s most respected architecture and design firms—Hickock Cole Architects and ForrestPerkins. Throughout his career, Charlie has amassed an impressive portfolio of hospitality design work for restaurants, spas, fitness centers, luxury hotels and resorts, as well as significant experience in mixed-used and multi-family design. Today, Charlie leads Chambers’ firmwide interior design efforts, blending his extensive hospitality experience with his knowledge of private clubs to address changing tastes and lifestyles through innovative planning and design.

Lee Hyden joined Chambers with a 20-year career in architecture and design. Prior to her position at Chambers, Lee held multiple leadership positions in several prestigious design firms in Baltimore, including Ayers Saint Gross and Patrick Sutton Associates. Lee also held the position of Work Studio Director at Gensler’s Atlanta office for two years. Lee is an accomplished speaker and has presented at numerous industry events and conferences, including NeoCon East and NeoCon Chicago where she addressed the topic of “Bridging the Gap” between architecture and interior design. Lee’s expertise in both disciplines enables her to seamlessly direct Chambers’ firm wide Architecture efforts.

Rachel Swan joined Chambers after six years at one of Washington D.C.’s top interior design and architecture firms, ForrestPerkins, where she held various roles as office manager, human resources administrator, project accountant, and financial manager. Today, Rachel works closely with all Chambers offices to integrate project management efforts and create seamless workflow with increased efficiency. Rachel is responsible for working with studio directors and project managers to establish schedules, provide monthly feedback on budgeted hours, manage client accounts, and oversee overall fee billings to achieve the firm’s budgeting objectives.

Barbara List joined Chambers in 2001 as Director of Accounting, lending her extensive financial expertise to our growing firm. Prior to joining Chambers, Barbara worked for nearly 20 years at Citibank Financial as an analyst and product support specialist. Today, she oversees Chambers’ firm-wide accounting and human resources operations and is an essential member of our project management team.

Lauren Gordon joined Chambers with a unique expertise in visual arts, graphic design, business administration, and communications. Today, Lauren oversees all firm branding, marketing and advertising efforts and serves as Creative Director and Editor-in-Chief for the firm’s quarterly e-magazine, Club Road. Lauren leads Chambers’ Creative Studio and manages the development of all member communications, membership brochures, and client presentations. She also plays a significant role in assisting with the firm’s master planning, strategic planning, and membership survey efforts.

David Witt joined Chambers with over 15 years of experience as a designer and project manager for a vast array of commercial projects, including private clubs, office buildings, food service facilities, and distribution and retail centers. David’s ability to effectively organize and navigate complex planning challenges to accomplish organizational objectives and project delivery is critical to the success of each project he leads. As Director of Architecture for the Baltimore office, David fosters collaboration among the architecture and design teams, utilizing his expert skill set to facilitate the success of projects from pre-design through construction administration focused on unique and functional design solutions.

Jeff Yang’s professional experience encompasses a broad range of architectural design including hospitality, high-end residential, and master planning around the world, including such esteemed international hospitality projects as The One and Only Hotel in Cape Town, South Africa; St. Regis Hotel in Amman, Jordan; Dubai Festival City Community Club, United Arab Emirates; and Vanke City Garden Community Planning in Guangzhou, China. Today, Jeff leads the firm’s architectural design efforts for various master planning and architectural projects. A skilled artist, Jeff also uses his talents to bring Chambers’ conceptual designs to life in picturesque hand-drawn renderings.

Kiet Ta joined Chambers with 25 years of experience in national and global design for hospitality, mixed-use, multi-family/condos, and retail buildings. With an impressive work history at Gensler and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Kiet leads Chambers’ Naples office with a wealth of knowledge and talent in leading teams with multi-cultural environments to collaborate on the design and implementation of global projects from concept through construction. Kiet’s projects have won national and international awards that have been featured in design magazines. His experiences have also led him to teach and guest critique at various universities of design.