Bill Valdez, PE, LEED Green Associate, DBIA | Partner

Process Oriented. Clarifying. Community Building. Guiding. Trusted.

KMB Partner and Justice and Public Safety Leader Bill Valdez has over 20 years of expertise working closely with clients to create community solutions. Bill takes a leadership role throughout the design process, working to clarify project needs and goals. Bills background as a professional engineer gives him an eye for understanding process and guiding design that enables greater space efficiency.

"Public buildings are a reflection of what the people stand for and what they value. These structures speak to the heritage of a community and vision of its future. Being able to tell my children that I had a small part in a community's story is very rewarding."

Bill has a talent for bringing the community together through outreach and education. As a proud alumni of the University of Wyoming, Bill is highly involved in mentorship of current students and is active in sharing advice to incoming professionals. The core of Bill Valdez’s practice is community building. Whether a courthouse, police department, or a jail, Bill believes that municipal justice facilities are the centerpiece of government and function as vital assets for the communities they serve. He has spent the majority of his 25-year career leading justice and public safety projects for both cities and counties, efforts which have taken him all over Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Wyoming, and Hawaii. Bill joined KMB architects as a partner in 2018 after spending 19 years at a national A&E firm.

“My work managing the Pueblo County (Colorado) Judicial Building early in my career opened my eyes to the impact that civic projects have on their communities. Our team sited the building in an area of town that was underutilized to help spur economic development. When I went back to visit several years later, I witnessed the direct positive impact that the project had on its community with all the businesses and offices that had emerged in the downtown civic district.”

In 2010, Bill’s passion for seeking new approaches to the design of justice facilities brought him to Washington from Colorado. He found that the larger cities on the west coast were more open to his emerging ideas on designing for flexibility and innovating to better serve communities. As Bill led notable justice projects, he frequently encountered leaders from KMB architects and eventually developed a working relationship where mutual respect grew.

“I love future casting and setting up the infrastructure to allow us to scale. The firm has really come into its own as a powerhouse in our sectors—state, justice, and tribal—and I’m excited to see that continue. With the infusion of youth in our leadership, the sky is the limit.”

Outside of architecture, Bill enjoys traveling and enjoying the great outdoors, both of which include spending time visiting his two grown children and three (yes, three) granddaughters.

Architectural Specialties

Civic
Justice & Public Safety
Planning

Education

Bachelor of Science, Architectural Engineering, University of Wyoming

Registration

Building Systems Engineer – State of Washington

Structural Engineer – State of Colorado

DBIA – Design-Build Professional