Our Firm

Meet Our Architectural Project Management Team

Swaim Associates is led by a team of distinguished principals with decades of combined experience in architectural project management. Additionally, we have nine registered architects at our firm. We invite you to get to know the talented, creative members of our team by reading their bios on this page. 

Through the years, our team has grown from Bob Swaim and a small staff working out of a small office to a team of nearly two dozen talented professionals who work collaboratively to fulfill every unique project vision.

Meet Our Principals

Phil Swaim, AIA

Principal

Destined to be an architect from an early age, Phil Swaim began his career with Swaim Associates in 1972 when he was still in high school and working for his dad, Robert Swaim. After attending college at the University of Oregon and spending some time working for several firms…

Edward Marley, FAIA, NCARB, LEEDap

Principal

Ed has been part of Swaim Associates since 1983 and became a Principal in 1992. He specializes in multiple project types, including healthcare, hospitality, higher education, and military. He has previously served as the AIA Arizona President and Southern Arizona Chapter President. More recently, he has been serving on…

Mark Bollard, AIA

Principal

Mark Bollard joined Swaim Associates in 1987 and has been a principal since 1992. He specializes in overall project management, working with multiple groups to ensure project success. Mark’s detail oriented organization makes him particularly strong in project coordination, construction documentation, and construction administration. Mark is a Member of…

Kevin Barber, AIA, LEEDap

Principal

Kevin joined Swaim Associates in 1996 and became a principal in 2007. Over his time with Swaim he has developed a diverse portfolio of public and private projects. Kevin enjoys working closely with his clients to fully understand their vision, encouraging them to think beyond the basic project needs….

Mike Culbert, AIA

Principal

Mike has been with Swaim Associates since 2005 and became a principal at the firm in 2016. He has been in the architecture field for more than 38 years, and specializes in residential, educational, health care, religious, and commercial projects. Mike is adept at problem solving, remembering small details,…

Tim Smith, AIA

Principal

Tim Smith has been at Swaim Associates since 2002 and became a principal in 2019. He is a member of the American Institute of Architects. Tim understands that no one solution will work for every client, so he takes the time to dig in and uncover what his clients…

Laura Vertes, AIA, NCARB, LEEDap

Principal

Laura joined Swaim Associates in 2007 and became a principal in 2019. She is a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and currently serves on the Board of Directors for AIA Southern Arizona as President-Elect. Laura has been in the architecture field for 20 years, specializing in…

Michael Becherer, AIA

Principal

Michael joined Swaim Associates in 2016 and became a principal in 2019. He has worked with numerous architectural firms throughout his 30 year career, working in both Arizona and Kentucky. He also has a background as a general contractor, giving him unique insight into the construction process that brings…

Meet Our Studio

Bio coming soon. 

Tricia is an administrative assistant and marketing guru with 21 years experience in the construction industry. She graduated from Pima College with an Associate Degree in Graphic Design and Illustration. When she isn’t busy with the website and RFPs at Swaim she likes to get creative with paper, stamps, ink and paint. Let’s just say her cards are way better than Hallmark.
Eric is a project coordinator. He graduated from Pima College with an Associate Degree in architectural drafting and technology. He has worked on various multi-story commercial, medical, education and athletic projects. In his spare time he likes to race and tinker with radio controlled cars. Originally from Oklahoma, but has been in Tucson since 1978 so he considers himself a transplanted native.
Mark was born and raised in Tucson, AZ. He graduated from ITT Technical Institute with an Associates Degree in Specialized Technology. He started out with hand drafting, moved to AutoCAD and is now using Revit, a BIM program for the last 11 years. He has worked on the Biosphere II project, Desert Diamond Casino II on Pima Mine Road, various commercial projects and various medical facilities and medical tenant improvements. He has worked on various commercial and medical projects around Arizona and Texas – Phoenix, Payson, Safford, Bullhead City, Lubbock and Amarillo to name a few. He is a project coordinator who uses Revit to its fullest potential. On his off time, he likes camping, zip lines, and aerial adventure parks. His favorite zip line is in Ruidoso, NM. It is nearly a mile long.
Becky graduated from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Architecture in 2006. Since that time, she has been involved in a wide range of project types including schools, retail, and senior living facilities. In addition, Becky is skilled in both graphic design and 3D design programs and is a valued member of our BIM team. Having grown up in the Tucson construction industry, Becky possesses a well-rounded perspective of the field of architecture and design. That, and she can give us the inside scoop on the contractors that we work with!
Jason received his Bachelor of Architecture in 2011 from the University of Arizona. Since then, his expertise in BIM programming has caused Revit to slowly morph into the appendage formerly known as his right hand. Lucky for us this, and his diagnosis of “car crazy”, has not landed him in an institution (yet); he is still surviving through the support of his wife and son. He has worked on school additions and improvements, medical facilities, various tenant improvements, and the 9-story Unisource building. He became a licensed architect in the state of Arizona in 2019.
Nathanial comes to us from the great frozen tundra of the north, Wisconsin (not technically a tundra), where he mastered the art of LEGO construction at an abnormally young age. It naturally followed that he would begin working in carpentry, home remodeling, and building custom homes before completing high school. After suffering frostbite more times than he can count, he decided to migrate south permanently in 2011, where he attended the University of Arizona College of Architecture on an athletic scholarship for wheelchair rugby. After graduating in 2016 Nathanial worked independently in residential design. He is in pursuit of becoming a licensed architect and is involved with many different project types at Swaim Associates. During his free time, he can be found telling bad jokes, listening to live music, flying and/or jumping out of airplanes and catching monster fish with his nephew.

Bio coming soon.

Hilary graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 1997 with a BA in English putting herself through school working as a stagehand for the Cal Poly Theatre. She has a knack for computers and reverse engineering documents. Always up for an adventure, her career background is a creative mix from tech support to designing décor to teaching at-risk students to office manager in an electrical engineering office. She transplanted to Arizona to be near her nephews, and while wearing her Deadpool socks, she skips along in search of new things to learn.
Emanuel graduated in 1995 from the University of Sinaloa with a Bachelor of Architecture and in 2001 from the University of Arizona with a Master in Landscape Architecture. Since joining our team in 2010, Emanuel has worked on schools, commercial, higher education, athletics and multi-family projects, taking our BIM software to the edge. An avid reader and coffee geek, he can direct you to the best local coffee shops around town.
Lisa was born in New York and, of course, is a Yankees fan. She graduated in 1998 from the University of Phoenix with a Bachelor in Business Administration and is a Certified Design Accountant, specializing in Architecture, Engineering, and Construction. Being in this field since God created dirt, the three disciplines have given her an understanding of accounting from all perspectives. When not watching over the accounting activities at Swaim, Lisa is working on her bucket list. Who doesn’t want to learn to slide across the hood of a car?

We emphasize personalized attention for every project.

Ready to see what Swaim Associates Architects can do to bring your design vision to life? Contact us to set up an appointment.

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