Van Mell Associates | Board-Level Project Planning Team

Board Level Project Planning for major capital projects.

Major capital projects.

Team Biographies

Van Mell Associates has brought together independent experts to advise in each functional area - providing a truly integrated perspective.

Derrick Van Mell, MBA

Derrick Van Mell, MBA

Derrick is Principal of Van Mell Associates, providing two complementary services: Question-Based Business Planning, an alternative to traditional "strategic" planning and Board-Level Project Planning. He leads all VMA assignments by facilitating the initial discovery sessions, coordinating the work of the experts and presenting and following up on the plan. He strives to bring different experiences and perspectives to all his clients. Derrick is the author of the books Question-Based Planning and Buildings Matter and has published dozens of articles. He is a Chicago native and has a B. A. in economics from Tufts University, an MBA from Loyola and an M. A. from Northwestern. He has written columns for the Capital Region Business Journal and the Healthcare Financial Managers Association; he has served on his city's Community Development Authority, been Guest Lecturer at the University of Wisconsin School of Business, and has lectured in the US, Europe and Asia.

email: derrick@vanmell.com
web: www.vanmell.com

David Kuffner

David Kuffner

David Kuffner ("Kuff") is a healthcare planner and architect with a career-long focus on resource optimization in hospitals of all sizes and types. He has worked on hundreds of complex local, national and international projects of all sizes, project types and systems. He has been Chairman of OWP/P (a large Chicago-based architecture firm), a national speaker and a mentor and educator. Kuff's work has won several international competitions. Projects have ranged from the renovation and expansion of the ED of a critical access hospital in Montana to new 350-bed hospital in downtown Chicago to a master plan for a 700-bed hospital for the Tata Steel Company in Jamshedpur, India. Kuff is a Bachelor of Architecture (University of Illinois) with study at La Napoule, France. He received a Chicago Public School Scholarship at the Art Institute of Chicago. He has published several articles on the future of healthcare design; he is a member of the AIA and registered in three states.

email: dkuffner@cannondesign.com

Fred Trumm

Fred Trumm

Fred is an Associate of Van Mell Associates, as well as Director of Group Health Cooperative. He has also been Chairman of Durrant, a global architecture/engineering firm focused on the Justice, Federal, Education and Healthcare market sectors. He has also been CEO of Target Commercial Interiors and President of LOPC Southern Division in Miami, Florida. He is a member of ACHP, a national association of community health plans, past Vice Chairman of the board at the American Red Cross Badger Chapter. He was a member of the Malcolm Baldrige site evaluation team for the Steelcase dealer network. Fred is an expert in the leadership and governance issues in capital projects for complex, multi-unit, capital intensive industries. He has a B.S. in marketing from University of Toledo.

email: trumm@charter.net

Jim Gersich

A. James (Jim) Gersich, AIA, RLA, WRID, Architect

Jim is Partner-In-Charge of Dimension IV-Madison and has worked on more than 400 successful projects. He has been an Architect since 1975 and is licensed in ten states. He is also licensed as a Landscape Architect and Interior Designer. He has served on the national Board of Directors of the American Institute of Architects and is on its National Ethics Council. A past president of AIA-Wisconsin, Jim was recognized in 2006 with its gold medal. He has served on several teams to accredit schools of architecture degree programs for the National Architectural Accrediting Board. His design experience includes most building types and his work has won numerous design awards and national design competitions. He has a Bachelor of Architecture and an MBA. Jim is tenacious about having a successful design process as well as an excellent building outcome.

email: jgersich@dimensionivmadison.com

Jon Brouchoud

Jon Brouchoud

Jon is a design professional with over 12 years of experience working in architecture and virtual reality environments. He holds a Master's Degree in Architecture from the School of Architecture and Urban Planning, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and has worked for a variety of clients including Microsoft, Intel, Autodesk, the U.S. House of Representatives, Sun Microsystems, Rutgers University, Purdue University and TED. He has lectured at conferences and universities, including the Royal Institute of Architects in London, Ecole Nationale Superieure d'Architecture in Paris, UW-Madison, Centre for Digital Media, UCLA and the London Design Museum. His work has appeared in the New York Times, BusinessWeek, and The Chicago Tribune. He has exhibited at Princeton University, The Tech Museum of San Jose, The Royal Opera House, the Institute of Contemporary Architecture, Exeter Phoenix in London and the Art Museum of Virginia.

email: jbrouchoud@gmail.com