Studio G founder Gail Sullivan, center left, and future managing principal Gabriella Shelburne, center right, pose for a photo with senior Studio G staff members (left to right) Michael Chavez, Laurene Demoy, Marylee Mercy and Sally Gibson. Photo courtesy of Studio G
Boston architecture and planning firm Studio G has announced founder Gail Sullivan plans to retire.
She’ll be replaced as managing principal by Gabriella Shelburne, currently acting as co-managing principal alongside Sullivan.
The leadership transition will take place Jan. 1, while Sullivan plans to stay at the firm until the end of 2027 to ensure a transition, Studio G said in an announcement. The move means Studio G will remain woman-owned and woman-led.
A native of Peru, Shelburne came to Boston to study architecture and has been at Studio G for 15 years. She’s been the head of Studio G’s housing design projects for “the past several years,” the firm said.
“Effective design should be honest, simple, timeless and sustainable, while still being functional and elegant,” Shelburne said in a statement. “I love working with mission-driven clients and designing for communities that serve people from diverse racial and socio-economic backgrounds. Everyone deserves a safe, dignified place to live, work and learn, and I’m committed to expanding access to great design.”
Sullivan founded Studio G over 30 years ago to marry architecture and her commitment to social justice and environmental advocacy. The firm has since become a prominent designer of sustainable buildings, like Franklin Cummings Tech’s new 68,000-square-foot school campus in Boston’s Nubian Square or a recent 46-unit affordable housing complex in Wellfleet designed for Preservation of Affordable Housing and the Community Development Partnership.
“Physical spaces shape experience. They can exclude or welcome, limit or inspire, depress or uplift,” Sullivan said. “That belief has guided every project we’ve taken on. I’m proud of what this firm has built, and I’m confident in Gabriela’s ability to lead it into its next chapter.”
The leadership transition follows a series of recent promotions as the firm has grown. Principal Marylee Mercy now leads the firm’s education and civic projects, and Mike Chavez has joined the firm as an associate focused on housing projects.
