DBI Architects has added several new staff members in 2020 and 2021. Lisa Macon, Gino Bretana, and Jessica Duffy have joined DBI and each brings valuable strengths, skills, and perspectives to their respective positions.

Lisa Macon is DBI’s Business Development Coordinator, and has been since joining the staff in August of 2020, “aka my lucky day!” While Lisa lives and works from California, she is an East Coast native who grew up in Northern New Jersey, about 40 miles west of New York City. She moved to Washington, DC to attend American University. Lisa had a career in the hotel industry before working as an accounting/office manager for Urban Retail Properties at the Shops at Georgetown Park while raising her two oldest sons and worked for several years in commercial furniture with Washington Group Solutions. She finished her college degree at University of California Santa Cruz in 2018. “I enjoy working with the creative (and nice!) people in the A/E community and the challenge of finding the right people to connect with where there are opportunities for potential future projects,” Lisa said of her work in Business Development for DBI. Outside of work, Lisa likes to be outside, literally! She enjoys running, hiking, and camping, as well as spending time with her family, friends, and dogs!

Gino-Angelo Bretana joined the DBI staff as an Architectural Designer in January of 2021 after two years as an Architectural Intern. Gino is a Northern Virginia native and attended The Catholic University of America School of Architecture and Planning, graduating with his undergraduate and master’s degrees in architecture in 2020. For Gino, the creative aspects of architecture and design are what attracted him to the industry. “I love the creativity and endless possibilities, as well as the highly technical nature of the profession which can be used in any application,” he said. When he’s not working on architectural design, Gino enjoys playing volleyball and basketball, as well as building movie props and 3D-printing.

Jessica Duffy joined the DBI marketing team in April 2021. Before coming on board at DBI, Jessica was working as the Communications Coordinator for the United States Eventing Association, a non-profit equestrian organization. Jessica brings strong writing skills and a breadth of social media marketing experience to the Marketing Coordinator role, as well as enthusiasm for learning about the architecture and interior design sectors. “There are stories to tell at every organization in every industry,” Jessica observed, “and one of my greatest professional passions is finding exactly the right words to tell those stories and bring them to life.” Jessica graduated from Washington and Lee University with a degree in Business Administration and Studio Art, and continues to pursue her love for art through photography.