The Team
Ronald J. Sakal, Executive Director
Sallie A. Hood, Director of Design
In their professional practice of architecture and urban design, CBC Executive Director, Ronald Sakal, and Director of Design, Sallie Hood, have developed their ideas about sustainable design since the early 1980s by working in metropolitan Chicago, Michigan, Indiana, Virginia, Arkansas, New Mexico, and California. They’ve dealt with situations as simple as a street too wide to cross safely—and as tricky as finding a way to cluster pedestrian-friendly car dealerships on a California property constrained by a 10-lane freeway, a drainage channel, and a huge refinery. Their Santa Fe project Solana Neighborhood Center 2038: A Model for Growth Without Sprawl won the 1999 Ahwahnee Award of Honor for Regional Planning in the 14 western states, and professional awards from New Mexico Chapters of the American Planning Association and the American Institute of Architects. The Chicago Historical Society in 1988 commissioned them to create three murals depicting a promising urban design future for downtown Chicago; these award-winning visions have been exhibited throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. They’ve been regular invited presenters at the International Making Cities Livable Conferences and the Traditional Building Exhibition and Conferences. They’ve also made invited presentations at the Chicago Architecture Foundation, the Sierra Business Council´s third Planning for Prosperity advanced seminar for local decision-makers, Chicago´s Business and Professional People for the Public Interest´s Roundtable Discussion Series, 1000 Friends of New Mexico´s Lecture Series, and the biannual conference of the New Mexico Chapter of the American Planning Association.
Paula Bodnar
Visiting Associate Professional Specialist
Department of Art, Art History, and Design
Paula Bodnar’s experience in the field of design spans 17 years and includes: architectural signage design for various Chicago properties, corporate communications design for Helene Curtis (now Unilever), corporate retail branding and marketing design at Crate and Barrel where during her 9 year tenure, she became a design manager and was instrumental in building and managing all areas of the in-house department (growing a department of 4 to 20+). Paula is currently a freelance graphic designer/art director and teaches graphic design at the University of Notre Dame, her alma mater, from which she graduated with a BA in Design in 1990.
