CEO of CallisonRTKL
Kelly M. Farrell, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, isn’t the kind of leader who arrives at the top. She has been on a steady, determined climb through CallisonRTKL, one of the world’s leading architecture and urban design practices. When she joined the firm back in 2004, fresh and eager, she stepped into a vast ocean of creative challenges. Over the years, she embraced roles of growing responsibility, Workplace Global Practice Group Leader, Executive Vice President for Projects and Partnerships, and joined the firm’s Executive Committee in 2016. Her journey reads like a story of steady ascent through hard work, vision, and connection to both people and ideas. Then, in May 2019, she reached a milestone: being named President and CEO of CallisonRTKL. It was a move that brought both stability and optimism to the firm amid a period of leadership shifts.