The Columbus, Ohio office of URS is pleased to welcome Sandra Shield Tkacz as director of healthcare. Tkacz brings a history of educational and professional excellence, including a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Parsons School of Design in New York, and a Master of Architecture degree from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design.
She has held a variety of leadership positions in healthcare planning and design for institutional and healthcare projects, including academic medical centers, community and regional hospitals, children’s hospitals, ambulatory care facilities, medical office buildings and educational facilities.
Tkacz believes “that excellence and performance are required of architects today, and this can only be achieved by combining expertise and knowledge, a commitment to high quality outcomes and a thirst for innovation.” She has demonstrated these skills in her work with CEOs, CFOs and hospital leaders, helping them translate their business initiatives into long-term strategies that address contemporary concerns such as rising healthcare costs and an aging population.
She has been an active member of the American Institute of Architects in Columbus; Chairman of AIA Columbus Healthcare Committee; and a member of a number of boards and committees in the state of Virginia. She is also a member of the American College of Healthcare Architects and the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, and is licensed in Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Arizona.
Tkacz most recently served as CEO of Karlsberger and, prior to that, as principal and director of planning with Odell Associates in Richmond, Va.
