Goodwyn Mills Cawood announces 2023 board appointments

Goodwyn Mills Cawood (GMC) is pleased to announce John Bricken, Executive Vice President of Landscape Architecture, and Steve Jernigan, Regional Vice President of Florida, have been appointed to the firm’s board of directors. In addition, Lee Walters, Regional Vice President of the Gulf Coast, has been named board chairman for 2023 and 2024.

Bricken has been with GMC since 2006 and was promoted to his current role as leader of the landscape architecture and planning department in 2015. Under his leadership, the department has more than tripled in size, with team members located in several of GMC’s offices.

His more than 25 years of landscape architecture and planning experience encompasses projects across the spectrum, from master planning new communities and reviving forgotten places to designing collegiate sports complex and athletic fields. He focuses on the stewardship, planning and design of built and natural environments and develops strategies for short and long-term growth for clients throughout the Southeast. 

Bricken is an active member of the American Sports Builders Association, Alabama Recreation and Parks Association, Georgia Recreation and Parks Association and the American Society of Landscape Architects. He is also a graduate of Leadership Montgomery. Bricken is a licensed landscape architect in Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee and earned his bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture from Auburn University.

Jernigan was managing partner and co-founder of Pensacola-based Bay Design Associates Architects, which GMC acquired in 2019. Under his leadership, Bay Design Associates had become one of northwest Florida’s most reputable and established architectural firms, specializing in the design of educational, healthcare, commercial and office facilities.

With more than 40 years of experience, Jernigan has been recognized as an industry leader in various capacities, including serving on the American Institute of Architects (AIA) National Board of Directors, AIA Florida Chapter Past-President and AIA Florida/Caribbean Chapter Past Regional Director. He was elected into the AIA College of Fellows in 2011, received the AIA Individual Governmental Advocacy Award in 2010 and was awarded the AIA Florida Gold Medal, the highest honor awarded by AIA Florida, in 2015. Jernigan was also appointed by the Florida governor to serve on the Florida Board of Architecture and Interior Design, being reappointed for a second term and to serve as vice chair in 2022. He has also served in leadership roles on the Auburn University College of Architecture, Design and Construction Dean’s Advisory Committee, National Association of Industrial and Office Prosperities and Escambia County Housing Finance Authority.

Walters is the Regional Vice President for GMC’s Gulf Coast region and has served on the firm’s board of directors since 2015. He has been instrumental in the firm’s growth along the coast, with offices located in Mobile and Daphne, Alabama; New Orleans, Louisiana; and Pensacola, Florida. Under his leadership, GMC’s Gulf Coast team has grown to include more than 70 multidisciplined professionals, more than tripling the number of staff in the area over the last decade. 

In addition to his role as RVP, Walters is a key leader for GMC’s Environmental division. A professional wetland scientist with more than 20 years of experience, he assisted with the first commercial stream and wetland mitigation bank in central Alabama and has worked on numerous mitigation banks around the Southeast. He has been part of significant local environmental projects, working to restore wetlands, streams and vital ecologically sensitive areas around local watersheds.  He also works with local economic development organizations and community leaders to help recruit new industries to the region.

An advocate for giving back to the community, Walters currently serves on the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Advisors, Mobile Bay National Estuary Program Project Implementation Committee, Dumas Wesley Community Center Board of Directors and as a volunteer with local organizations such as Ransom Ministries and Mobile Ballet.

Existing directors serving on GMC’s 2023 board include Cedric Campbell, Regional Vice President of South Alabama; Kevin Laird, Executive Vice President of Engineering; Freddie Lynn Jr., Senior Vice President of Architecture; and Galen Thackston, Chief Operating Officer.