Cuningham Group, a global architectural design firm based in Minneapolis, has announced the appointment of Christine Cavataio to president and chief operating officer.
In her new role, Cavataio will oversee and closely collaborate with the leaders of each of Cuningham’s Studios (Grow, Heal, Live, Work, Play) and Practices (Strategy, Design + Performance, People, Business), working with chief executive officer Tim Dufault to guide the strategic vision for the firm and put it into practice.
Dufault, who joined Cuningham in 1992 and previously served as president and CEO for 13 years, will focus on the CEO role.
Dufault also notes that Cuningham will soon roll out new branding and positioning, culminating in a new website launching in June.
Cavataio has extensive architectural, firm leadership and project leadership experience. One of her most notable projects was the $2.1 billion Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM), a 3.6-million-square-foot healthcare complex serving Montreal, during her time a senior vice president at CannonDesign.
She led the project and the 180-person architectural design team, comprised of team members from six CannonDesign offices as well as four consultant firms. To date, the project has been awarded more than 30 international awards for design excellence and healthcare innovation.
During her time with CannonDesign, Cavataio also served as the Business Practice Leader for the both the New York City and Montreal offices of the firm.
Previously, Cavataio served as director of operations for Jacobs Southern California Design Division, a 140-person full-service architectural and engineering team. Cavataio was also Vice President and Director of Operations for the international headquarters of Leo A Daly Company, where she managed a 120-person full-service architectural / engineering office while mentoring satellite offices in Hong Kong and Miami.
In addition to CHUM, Cavataio has successfully led teams on a number of large complex projects including the Vdara tower at CityCenter in Las Vegas, the World War II Memorial in Washington D.C. and Microsoft’s $2 billion Global Data Center Program.
Cavataio is an associate member of American Institute of Architects (AIA) and holds a Bachelor of Science, Architectural Engineering with an Emphasis in Construction Management from University of Kansas, where she has served as an Advisory Board Member for the School of Architectural Engineering since 2004.
