Skip links

 In Announcements

katie-mKatherine (Katie) McGuinness tells KMA that, after 33 years together, it is time for her to retire. Katie started KMA in 1983, and David Kessler joined her five years later. Together they have built a new kind of consulting firm – one that specializes in accessibility planning and universal design. Early contracts included programing of the first corporate intergenerational care center for children and seniors at the Stride Rite Corporation in Cambridge, and accessible design support for several MBTA projects. Over the years the firm has grown to 10 people – all of whom are focused on the very specialized field of planning and design for people of all ages and abilities. David Kessler leads the Fair Housing work with multi-family developers across the country. Lisa Pilorz works closely with him reviewing plans and visiting construction sites all over the country. Luis Loya leads accessibility planning work at hospitals and universities, and volunteers as a Member of the Cambridge Commission for Persons with Disabilities. Katie Denis, our newest Access Planner, is doing pro bono work with Habitat for Humanity to develop universal design standards for their homes, when she isn’t improving ADA and FHA compliance on projects nationwide. With a strong bench of access planners and universal designers, Josh Safdie, KMA’s newest Principal, is building our architectural practice with a focus on universal design and aging in place. He is leading Aging-In-Place Charrettes for Enterprise Green Communities nationally, and providing universal design support on the Massachusetts State House Senate chambers and other projects with a strong design focus. It is with great pride that Katie moves on – or as she says, ‘regresses’ – to playing with fabrics, reading whole books, visiting friends down under, and simply sipping coffee that is not in a to-go cup.