Robert S. Mills 
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Robert Mills is one of the founding principals of Commonwealth Architects. With more than 30 years of experience, Bob is involved in all aspects of the firm's practice in the areas of architecture, historic architecture, interior architecture, planning and management. Throughout his career, Bob has provided a full range of design services for a wide variety of corporate, government and commercial clients. He has served on the boards of professional and civic organizations, most recently as Chairman of the City of Richmond's Planning Commission. He has lectured on architectural and urban planning issues, including historic investment tax credit utilization and urban revitalization. His well-recognized commitment to the rehabilitation of existing structures across the region is a hallmark of Commonwealth Architects' comprehensive services.
Dominic Venuto 
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Dominic Venuto is one of the founding principals of Commonwealth Architects. As the Interiors Principal, Dominic's primary area of expertise is in office planning and design for the firm. Over his 35-year career, he has provided design services to corporations, associations, government agencies and real estate developers, as well as to clients in the retail, hospitality, institutional, and health care markets. He has planned over 10-million-square-feet of operational work environments while maintaining a reputation for superior service and design among his clients.
Walter Redfearn 
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Chief Financial Officer Walter Redfearn is responsible for the overall administrative functions for Commonwealth Architects including payroll and employee benefits administration, company risk management, asset management and financial reporting. After graduating with an accounting degree in 1983, Walter worked for ten years in public accounting. In 1992, he moved to the private sector and has continued his career in private business, having joined Commonwealth Architects in 2001.
Richard L. Ford, Jr.
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With over 40 years of experience, Dick Ford has spent the majority of his career working on projects with the Commonwealth of Virginia. Many of these have been for Virginia's colleges and universities, where Dick has designed a wide array of facilities ranging from residence halls and classroom buildings to recreation and student services centers. Dick also has served on a number of boards and community advisory committees, including 10 years as the Chairman of the Commonwealth of Virginia's Art and Architecture Review Board.
Lee A. Shadbolt
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Lee Shadbolt draws on 28 years of experience in commercial architecture including multi-family residential, retail, office and mixed-use projects. He oversees the planning, design, and construction administration for a range of new construction and rehabilitation projects for Commonwealth Architects. He served as the Project Manager for one the firm's largest projects, the new Anthem Southeast Regional Headquarters. He also served as the Design Principal for the Ginter Place Condominiums, a rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of Richmond Memorial Hospital. Recently, Lee has successfully expanded the firm's presence in the Tidewater area, overseeing both adaptive reuse and new construction projects in the region.
Tom Heatwole
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Tom Heatwole contributes over 24 years of experience in the field of architecture to the Commonwealth team. He has a background as a building designer and training as an attorney. Tom directs the firm's mixed-use / multi-family residential efforts and ensures that Commonwealth Architects' complex projects comply with state building codes and other mandatory requirements, such as the ADA, FHA, and Virginia's Construction and Professional Services Manual.
Patricia Taylor-Marais 
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Patricia Taylor-Marais brings more than 17 years of expertise in design, tenant management, planning, and project management to the firm. With a proven track record of delivering customized plans to meet clients' needs, she has extensive experience in corporate, healthcare and retail fit-up. An award-winning interior designer, Patricia also has provided design and management services for clients such as Brandywine Realty Trust, CB Richard Ellis, and Washington Real Estate Investment Trust.
Robert C. Burns
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Bob Burns brings 26 years of experience to Commonwealth Architects. Serving as the firm's Director of Historic Architecture, his primary area of expertise is in the rehabilitation of existing structures. Among the many projects for which he provided leadership are the design and transformation of the historic Chamberlin Hotel into an independent senior living facility and the complete rehabilitation of the Commonwealth of Virginia's Washington Building on Richmond's Capitol Square. Bob is a LEED accredited architect whose knowledge of sustainable design practices and of historic investment tax credits is a vital resource within the company.
Kenneth Van Riper 
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Ken Van Riper is an experienced project manager and project architect with particular expertise in the design of commercial spaces. He specializes in the State's BCOM process and led the firm's efforts in the design of the VCU Medical Sciences Building II and for the addition to the VCU School of Dentistry. Throughout his career, Ken has worked on projects for a wide range of clients, including financial institutions, insurance and financial services companies, institutional facilities and municipalities. He believes that effective communication with the client is the key to every successful project.
Stephen Scott 
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As Director of Information Technology, Steve Scott oversees the firm's computer infrastructure. He is responsible for the management, coordination, strategy and support of Commonwealth's IP telephone communications and computer network. With a degree in architecture, he combines knowledge of the profession with his work in information systems. Steve has worked in the architecture field since 1994 and joined Commonwealth Architects in 2000.