Jeannine Stephens, AIA, LEED AP BD+C

What's one problem you're best at solving for your clients?

Helping clients discover what they really want out of their building and how they need it to function. Clients say that I prove my dedication to their goals by listening and adapting the design to their needs. 

What is the most out-of-the-box task you do at work?

Doing renovation work involves some creative and sometimes unconventional methods of discovering the building. One trip involved encounters with bats, rats, and roaches while trying to verify structure.

What was the last picture you took with your phone?

The Bass Pro Shop in the Memphis Pyramid.

What is the best compliment you have received?

When my son Adrew was young, he told my husband Jim that he was going to wait to play video games until the Talented One came home.

Very few people know that I...

Was a platoon leader and executive officer for the 524 Engineer Co at Fort Hood and served on the III Corps and Fort Hood staff as a 1LT.

What was your first job?

My first office job was working for the New York City Employees Retirement System after my junior year in high school.

What's something you've never done but want to?

Hike the Appalachian Trail

What is your most unusual possession?

My husband's great-great grandfather's saber that he fought with during the Civil War and his account of the Battle of Chickamauga. He got the sword from a fellow member of the Fraser clan in Scotland who served in the British Navy.

What is the best advice you've ever been given?

Don't make the same mistakes as others. Learn from them and make your own unique ones.