Our Remodeling Designers
Dawn Parker, Designer
Dawn has been a designer at Sun Design since 2003. She brings more than 20 years of architectural lighting design, scenic theater design and residential design/build experience.
Dawn earned her Bachelor of Science degree in industrial design from the University of the Arts, Philadelphia, and her masters of architecture from the Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center, Virginia Polytechnic Institute. She says, "I enjoy helping clients see the possibilities in their home. I love challenging projects with difficult parameters of space and budget that demand creativity to find a solution," and adds, "Every person at Sun Design works to excel in the performance of their job. It's great to work with such dedicated people."
Dawn has been recognized for her outstanding designs with regional and national Contractor of the Year awards. Her hobbies are theater and gardening.
Liz Lee, Designer.
Liz joined Sun Design three years ago after a summer internship with the company. She is skilled at creating unique, functional spaces and helping clients with finish selections. Liz says, "Sun Design has a fun atmosphere where you have the opportunity to interact with every department and work as a team to make a client’s dream a reality."
Liz earned a bachelor’s degree in interior design with a minor in kitchen and bath from Virginia Tech. She has won regional and national awards for her designs, including the National Chrysalis Award, Professional Remodeler’s Best of the Best Award, and Qualified Remodelers Master Design Award.
Her hobbies include creative crafts, puzzles and video games.
Rick Simmonds, Architect
Rick is Sun Design's first in-house Architect. He brings to the company and its clients more than 25 years of experience. As an Architect for Sun Design, Rick is responsible for presenting innovative designs that exceed our clients’ expectations, which include understanding the scope of work, budget, and design concept through collaboration with the sales staff.
Rick holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute. For four years before joining Sun Design – and for 14 years earlier in his career -- Rick ran Architectural Design Studio, his own design-build company specializing in high-end custom homes and remodeling projects. Prior to that, he was Director of Architecture for the Landover Mid-Atlantic Group for K. Hovnanian Homes, where he was instrumental in evaluating the development of new house types including single family homes, townhouses and condominiums and was a Senior Architect for The Lessard Architectural Group where he started as a project manager.
“I am excited to join Sun Design. It is a very positive and growth oriented firm.”
Rick enjoys spending time with his wife & four children, going to various sporting events, playing soccer, tennis and working out in the gym. When he has a moment to himself, he also enjoys taking his bass boat out on the lake to go fishing!
Doug Dillard , Designer
Doug has a broad background in many aspects of home construction and remodeling. He joined Sun Design after 5 years of employment with and consulting for design-build companies and individual homeowners in Northern Virginia where his client list included Encompass Design-Build, among others. As a Designer for Sun Design, not only is Doug responsible for presenting innovative designs that exceed our clients’ expectations, but also stays current on industry trends, building codes, products, and practices.
Doug has been a Project Architect with WHA Architecture & Planning and Flanagan Architects in Bethesda, Maryland where he worked on custom homes, multi-family housing, restaurants, and car dealerships including zoning and code review, lighting design, construction administration, and structural remediation. A product of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University’s school of Architecture, Doug’s entire career has been focused on custom residential design including 8 years as a business owner designing lakefront homes from 2,000 to 10,000 square feet at Smith Mountain Lake in southern Virginia. He also served as the Bedford County representative on the Lake Policy Advisory Committee. Prior to that he worked for Fauber Architects in Lynchburg, Virginia whose forte was historical restoration and reproduction. At that time Doug served as the chairman of the Greater Lynchburg Chamber of Commerce Improvement Committee.
“I came to Sun Design due to a shared passion for excellence in residential design and the core beliefs they possess. The way they do business and treat their employees is a testament to their ability to actually grow in these challenging times, when many similar firms are slipping. They definitely do it right!”
Doug enjoys spending his free time with his wife and son as well as extreme off-roading, water sports, and cheering on the Hokies!
Christie Doebel - Designer
Christie is responsible for presenting innovative designs that exceed our clients' expectations and for staying current on industry trends, building codes, products, and practices. She prepares drawings, elevations and renderings as necessary for presentation to client, and makes changes as the design is refined. She also helps keep all project objectives, planning documents, material selections and processes organized. Before joining Sun Design, Christie was a Designer at Case Design and Remodeling where she was responsible for creative schemes, selections, contract drawings, construction details and ordering materials. Christie was a Kitchen and Bath Designer at Kleppinger Design Group in Fairfax, VA, where she was trained extensively on products and client relationships. Her specialty was kitchen and bath projects and working closely with small business remodelers. She earned a BA in Interior Design from Virginia Tech University, a school accredited by the Foundation for Interior Design Education Research. Her BA included an emphasis in Kitchen and Bath Design and a minor in Art History.
"I was attracted to Sun Design for its energy and client-oriented design philosophy. I have been impressed with everyone's zeal for excellence and the team collaboration. This is the type of environment that I had been seeking."
Christie enjoys traveling, camping, skiing, wakeboarding, and basically pushing her own comfort limit with new experiences. She has traveled to Italy, France, Switzerland, Canada, and Korea and has driven across the United States five times!
Jeanne Griffin, Specialty Designer
As a specialty designer and member of the design team, Jeanne is responsible for working closely with clients, guiding them through the selections process. Working with the Lead Designers, vendors and Design Consultants, Jeanne makes sure that all finishes and fixtures adhere to the design program, budget and project time frame. Jeanne also oversees the design studio, keeping all samples and product information up to date and organized. She creates design boards and other visual tools that help clients understand and visualize all of the elements of their remodel before a project begins. Jeanne has worked for over 6 years in the custom, high-end design build industry. In addition she has worked as a designer and color consultant for numerous interior projects throughout the Metro DC area. Prior to entering the world of interior design Jeanne had a very successful jewelry design business. Her education and background in the fine arts, as well as in corporate America, has given her an excellent balance of creativity, organizational and communication skills that make her an asset to the Sun Design family.
“I chose Sun Design as it is a fantastic opportunity to work for an award winning company that has high ethics, values their employees, as well as the role of the designer in the remodeling process.”
Jeanne enjoys spending time with her husband and two dogs, practicing yoga, and always being creative through her jewelry designs and painting.
Kim Kruskamp, Design Associate
Kim assists the lead designers at Sun Design to ensure that each client's vision is translated into perfectly tailored living spaces. In addition to assisting with computer-aided design, Kim helps keep all project objectives, planning documents, material selections and processes organized. She helps create design boards, helps with space planning and project record keeping. Kim comes to Sun Design from a position as designer/drafter at D.O.C. Unlimited in Athens, GA, where she worked on projects as varied as a 110-year-old historic home and the conversion of a 1970s gas station into a restaurant. Kim earned a bachelor of fine arts from the University of Georgia and has won a number of professional and academic design awards.
“Working at Sun Design is such a great experience. I feel very fortunate to be a part of such a successful team where personal growth is also an important component.”
Kim enjoys hiking and camping with her husband and dog, as well as snowboarding, swimming and cheering for the Georgia Dawgs!
Sean Gooden, CADD Designer
Sean joined Sun Design in February 2012. He specializes in computer-aided design and drafting (CADD). As CADD Designer, Sean helps clients visualize more easily all details of their remodeling projects and provides company construction teams with the most accurate drawings possible. Sean has a number of years of experience in the remodeling industry. Before joining Sun Design, he worked with a number of construction and remodeling firms including Advantage Construction, Projects Unlimited, Casadi Construction, Bielski Design Build and NVS Kitchen and Bath. Sean also has a number of years of hands-on experience as a carpenter in residential remodeling and construction. He is working on a Master’s Degree program at the Alexandria, VA, campus of Virginia Tech in the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture and just passed his Penultimate.
Sean says, “I chose to work for Sun Design because it is my goal to become a licensed Architect. I see working for Sun as a great opportunity to gain an abundance of experience and knowledge that will help me achieve my goal. The environment is great; the people are fun and easy to get along with.”
Sean also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications (Graphic Design) from Liberty University and an Associate’s Degree in Architecture from Northern Virginia Community College.
In his spare time he enjoys CrossFit training, flag football, snowboarding and motorcycle riding. He is very involved at his church and does multiple event and community outreach activities.
