The Coalition for Adequate School Housing’s (CASH) School Facilities Leadership Academy (SFLA), is an intensive and rigorous nine-month program emphasizing leadership, management, collaboration, technical competence, and political context in order to provide school facilities professionals the tools they need to be successful in all areas of school facilities planning, design, and construction. Established to give tomorrow’s school facilities leaders the opportunity to learn from today’s experts, the CASH SFLA is a prestigious learning and professional development opportunity. HMC is proud that Senior Project Manager Jeffrey Chouinard graduated from the academy’s 2025 class, and Senior Project Architect Jennifer Huang was selected to join the class of 2026.
Jeffrey Chouinard joined HMC Architects in 2019 and leads some of the firm’s most significant PreK-12 projects as a senior project manager. Jeffrey is passionate about helping school districts navigate their most pressing challenges and creating environments where students can thrive. He says, “Attending the Leadership Academy was an important step in gaining a clearer and deeper understanding of what K-12 school districts are currently facing. From aging facilities and funding deficits to complex planning and regulatory hurdles, the academy helped me better understand how we, as architects, can truly support our clients, not just through design, but through partnership, advocacy, and long-term vision.”
He believes that his participation reinforced HMC’s Design for Good ethos: “At its core, Design for Good is about using our expertise to positively impact the communities we serve. CASH gave me a firsthand look at the real challenges districts are navigating, and it reaffirmed our responsibility to be proactive problem-solvers—creating environments that not only meet technical standards but truly support student success, equity, and well-being.” Beyond the educational experience, the academy provided Jeff with access to a network of passionate professionals from throughout the state. Together, they created meaningful connections, shared ideas, supported each other, and formed lifelong friendships with fellow professionals committed to improving the future of education.”
Jennifer Huang joined HMC in 2008 and has been a key leader in delivering some of the firm’s largest PreK-12 projects as a senior project architect. As someone who has dedicated her career to PreK-12 facility design, she is passionate about supporting clients in achieving their goals and recognizes that she needs to better understand the breadth of issues that clients are facing. It was important to her to make the commitment to the leadership academy so she could bring what she learns back to her team at HMC. “I hope to gain a wider knowledge of school facility planning in its entirety so that I can better partner with my district clients.”
She is specifically looking forward to learning more about the initial planning and financing phases, as well as the management of programs and operations. Jennifer also looks forward to building relationships across disciplines and locations as the cohort learns from each other and grows to help shape the next generation’s educational opportunities.
Congratulations, Jeff and Jennifer!
