Michelle Acosta Returns to HDR as Architecture Managing Principal in Phoenix

Michelle Acosta, AIA, ACHA, EDAC, has rejoined HDR as managing principal of the architecture practice in Phoenix. In her new role, Acosta will lead the strategy and success of the Phoenix office, working to provide the highest level of quality and service to clients, cultivate relationships and strengthen connections throughout the Southwest and surrounding region.

An action-oriented leader with a track record of providing excellent client service, Acosta is known for improving collaborative processes, connecting with communities, and mentoring staff. With nearly two decades of healthcare design experience, including integrated project delivery models, Acosta brings both a fresh perspective and prior company knowledge to her new role.   

"As managing principal, I'm most looking forward to growing our staff, both in number and in personal development," Acosta said. "I believe in paying it forward, and I'd love to mentor our younger staff the way that I was mentored when I first came to HDR. My personal motto is 'mentorship is everything'."

Most recently, Acosta was a senior project manager for SmithGroup. Before that, she was a project architect in HDR’s Los Angeles and Phoenix offices, leading medical planning, design coordination and business development. Acosta’s project experience ranges from acute care tenant improvements and large ambulatory care facilities to campus master plans and replacement hospitals in California, Nevada, Utah, Texas and the Middle East.

A recipient of several industry awards and recognitions, Acosta was honored by Encyclopedia Britannica as one of "20 Young Shapers of the Future Under 40" in 2021 and received the AIA Young Architects Award in 2018. An active AIA member, Acosta participated in a pilot mentoring program with the College of Fellows and served as a juror for the 2020 Architecture Awards and the prestigious 25 Year Award.