CEDAR RAPIDS, IA — OPN Architects announces the promotion of Vicki Hyland, ALEP, LEED AP, to Associate. An educator by nature, an engineer by nurture and engager by all accounts, Hyland has been a member of OPN Architects’ education team since joining the firm in 2008.

After graduating from the University of Minnesota, she spent 10 years in the field creating and administering capital budgets, facilitating projects involving multiple stakeholder groups, and working on plant and office layouts. Not one to let time pass idly, while she took a hiatus from the workforce to raise her three children, she ingrained herself in school-related work and volunteer activities. All these roles and responsibilities allowed her to view the school through multiple lenses to better understand how students, administrators, educators and staff interact within their environments fostering an appreciation for the various challenges and opportunities.

After wearing many hats for more than a decade, she accepted a position as an Owner’s Representative for a school district. In this position, she oversaw the design and construction of more than $30,000,000 worth of building projects, including a new 1,000-seat performing arts venue and a new 220,000-square-foot middle school and ninth grade academy. It was this experience that led her to OPN Architects as a Construction Administrator focused on education projects.

Subsequently, she was tapped to lead OPN’s K12 market sector in 2014. A multi-faceted communicator and manager, she leads client and community engagement; facilitates visioning, planning and programming, and acts as the district’s main point of contact from groundbreaking through close-out.

“Vicki has a self-driven passion for her work and a true interest in every element of OPN’s practice. She takes ownership and pride in what we do today, and more importantly in our future,” said Roger Worm, OPN Principal and K-12 Market Leader. “Vicki leads by example. She recognizes a need and raises her hand without being asked. She never hesitates to stand up and step in. She truly wants to make a difference. And she has. She makes OPN stronger.”

In 2019, Hyland received the Accredited Learning Environments Planner (ALEP) designation, a mark of excellence developed to reflect the knowledge, skills and abilities of educational facility planners. The ALEP credential was designed to elevate professional standards, enhance individual performance and identify those in the educational environment industry who demonstrate the knowledge essential to the practice of educational facility planning.

According to the Association for Learning Environments, creator of the ALEP credential: “An individual who has been certified by A4LE has achieved the highest qualification in our profession. Clients can appoint ALEPs with confidence that they have been examined for competence by our association.”

Hyland is one of just four ALEP professionals in Iowa.