
Meet Our Leadership Team
Cumulus has built a highly collaborative and competent team, driven by creative leaders with decades of experience. We are dedicated and hard-working, but we also have fun and enjoy supporting and learning from one another.
Paul Szaszkiewicz
Principal
Sheldon Catarino
Principal
Patsy Poulin
Principal
Mark Wronski
Principal
Lisa Tobin
Principal
Amanda Fics
Associate Principal
Kendra Spanton
Associate Principal
Greg Haist
Senior Associate
Abe Galway
Senior Associate
Tina S. Pari
Associate
Luët Buys
Associate
Gretchen Overholtzer
Marketing Director
Ulrika Catarino
Operations Manager
Irene Tadeo
Finance
Paul Szaszkiewicz
Principal
OAA, FRAIC, AAPEI, AAA, SAA
Principal + Director
Paul Szaszkiewicz co-founded Cumulus Architects in 2015 with the intent to advance team-based design principles and to evolve a creative culture focused on creating value for clients. Inclusiveness, engagement and participatory design define Paul’s leadership style. His proven track record leading multi-disciplinary design teams is marked by award winning projects recognized for their innovation, design excellence and sustainability.
Paul has extensive experience in the management of complex civic, corporate and institutional projects with particular expertise in amalgamating the diverse concerns of stakeholder groups from students to researchers and donors, managing client requirements, aggressive schedules and comprehensive consultant teams. Paul is well versed in procurement strategies including alternative approaches, this experience is valuable in helping advise how best to procure work where the variables present different risk profiles and suggest more innovative solutions that help mitigate scope, schedule and/or cost risk.
Paul brings extensive experience with academic research and teaching facilities, healthcare, master planning and large infrastructure.
Sheldon Catarino
Principal
OAA, AAA, AAPEI, SAA, MRAIC, NCARB, LEED AP
Principal + Director
Sheldon brings over 25 years of experience and leadership to the firm’s mixed-use development, retail, higher education, and transportation projects. He delivers projects that contribute simplicity and elegance to the built environment. His experience spans a broad range of project stages from master planning to complex built work, with a focus on adaptive reuse. To each project Sheldon brings strong critical thinking, a willingness to engage in thoughtful debate, and an enduring commitment to quality.
As Cumulus co-founder, Sheldon works with the greater leadership team to guide the evolution of the firm. Sheldon holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the Pratt Institute.
Patsy Poulin
Principal
OAA, FRAIC, SAA
Principal
Recognized as one of Canada’s top healthcare architects, Patsy’s extensive career in healthcare design evolved from design for multiple acute care hospitals across the province and grew to include a decade as a founding Principal in her own firm, Health Strategy Architects. The advent of alternative procurement for healthcare evolved her role to concept and clinical design lead for multiple hospital pursuits. Patsy has been central to major healthcare redevelopment projects across Canada which currently include multi-site strategic planning for healthcare authorities in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. With her extensive knowledge and rich portfolio, Patsy has been invited to participate in critical conversations surrounding best practice and innovation in healthcare design.
Mark Wronski
Principal
OAA, MRAIC, CAHP, LEED AP
Principal
Mark joined Cumulus in 2018 with over two decades of comprehensive experience in conservation, assessment and design of large heritage projects and the adaptive reuse of existing buildings. His expertise contributes to the inclusive design ethos at Cumulus and diversifies its capability. He seeks to unlock opportunity through analysis and assessment anchoring a nuanced approach to the mitigation of constraints, resulting in integrated and highly resolved design solutions.
Mark has extensive experience in the stabilization, conservation and restoration of historic buildings gained over 20 years of working on some of Toronto’s most significant landmarks including, RC Harris Water Treatment Plant, Whitney Block, Casa Loma, and Osgoode Hall.
As lead of our Heritage & Adaptive Recuse group, Mark is committed to ensuring our cultural heritage is preserved and protected. He is passionate about opportunities for sustainability through conservation of our built heritage as well as adaptive reuse of existing buildings. As a Principal Mark, leads the mentorship of our intern architects as a crucial part of developing design excellence within our firm.
Lisa Tobin
Principal
OAA, EDAC, MRAIC
Principal
Lisa is a broadly experienced healthcare architect with a background in the design and management of large- scale complex healthcare projects. She is skilled in managing healthcare client expectations including stakeholders’ interests and multidisciplinary team integration from early- stage planning through design and construction. She is well versed in all forms of project delivery from traditional bids to alternative procurement, now extending to evolving collaborative models. Her experience in the diversity of clinical program delivery, backed by a broad knowledge of best practice, evidence-based design, accessibility and infection control, allow her to continuously exceed client expectations. Lisa routinely presents at health industry conferences enabling the sharing of Cumulus’ leading-edge design solutions with industry stakeholders.
Amanda Fics
Associate Principal
M.Arch
Associate Principal
Amanda’s strengths as a communicator and manager have established her as a sought-after key senior team member. Through a diversity of complex projects, Amanda has developed her skills in aligning the diverse interests of stakeholders, managing client requirements, meeting aggressive schedules and coordinating comprehensive consultant teams. From the onset of her career, Amanda has been passionate about community and user engagement in the design process – believing that each step should be influenced by those who will ultimately use the space. At Cumulus she has managed large-scale multi-phased developments, healthcare projects ranging from renovations to strategic master plans, academic research facilities, boutique hospitality and retail projects. She has also managed diverse design teams through Infrastructure Ontario RFP pursuits and design competitions. As an Associate Principal Amanda is involved in the operations and direction of the firm.
Kendra Spanton
Associate Principal
OAA
Associate Principal
Kendra is a distinguished leader in our Toronto studio, navigating highly complex challenges while driving success through each project. A proficient and highly adept manager, Kendra’s excellence in leadership and communication is demonstrated through her record of delivery at Cumulus across our Residential, Institutional, Commercial, and Mixed-Use sectors. She brings an unwavering design sensibility rooted in a passion for responsive placemaking and sustainability. Through strong leadership, coupled with her distinct and pragmatic vision as a designer, Kendra is building lasting impact for both our clients and studio.
As an Associate Principal, Kendra is part of the growing leadership team at Cumulus, where she brings a passion for learning and mentorship, supporting operations, resourcing and business development.
Greg Haist
Senior Associate
Senior Associate
Greg is a Senior Associate with over 30 years of experience in architectural design and development. He has played a key role in the planning, design, and coordination of a diverse range of projects, including courthouse developments, intricate transit systems, and significant work for post-secondary and healthcare clients. His expertise spans multiple procurement and client engagement models, including lump-sum, P3, design-build, and construction management approaches.
Greg’s extensive on-site experience and management skills have equipped him with a comprehensive understanding of successful project execution and makes him an in-demand resource in the office and on site. His ability to lead both creative and technical teams fosters trust and ensures design solutions are delivered on time and within budget.
Abe Galway
Senior Associate
OAA, CPHD
Senior Associate
Abraham (Abe) is a skilled architect and Senior Associate, specializing in adaptive reuse, conservation, and complex phased projects. Abe has led projects from schematic design through construction, working across commercial, healthcare, institutional, retail, and residential sectors, as well as large master plans and heritage conservation. His expertise in construction logistics, stakeholder coordination, and heritage-sensitive restoration makes him invaluable in navigating challenging projects with multiple phases and occupied buildings while ensuring seamless execution and design excellence. With over ten years at Cumulus, Abe has shaped the firm’s portfolio while supporting standards and workflow processes for digital modelling (BIM).
Tina S. Pari
Associate
OAA
Associate
Tina is a vital member of our firm, contributing to design excellence across healthcare, institutional, public, and commercial projects. She approaches each project as an opportunity to innovate, collaborate, and create meaningful experiences that elevate the user experience. Tina has led new-build and revitalization projects, including P3 pursuits, master plans, and complex fast-tracked renovations in active environments. From concept design to project management, she ensures clarity and creativity at every stage. Her ability to engage with clients and multidisciplinary teams, coupled with her radical optimism, drives efficient project delivery and innovative design solutions.
Luët Buys
Associate
SACAP, MARCH, BAS (HONS)
Associate
With an extensive background in healthcare planning, Luët is an Architectural Designer whose significant experience in evidence-based design has informed a diversity of projects ranging from complex large-scale healthcare facilities to intricate program focused renovations. A proven technical leader and project manager, Luet brings international expertise spanning the globe from South Africa, Germany and the United States to Canada where she has worked in coordinating and shaping design for a diverse range of clinical facilities. Actively engaged in healthcare sector knowledge sharing, Luët brings a keen awareness and insight into leading edge innovative healthcare design. A keen promoter of research-based practices and innovation, Luët’s interpersonal strengths make her a strong collaborator and mentor both within the office and more broadly across the healthcare sector.
Gretchen Overholtzer
Marketing Director
Ulrika Catarino
Operations Manager
Our Culture
Blue Sky
Weekly “Blue Sky” sessions, where the whole office gets together and team members are invited to present an ongoing project, design challenge or lead a Charrette activity. These meetings allow everyone the chance to develop presentation skills while allowing us to utilize the collective expertise of the entire firm to find innovative approaches and solutions.
Model Shop
The collaboration that takes place around physical sketches and models is a vital part of our workflow. Our in-house model shop empowers our team to produce study models that facilitate discussion, test solutions and refine concepts. Equipped with state-of-the-art technology, our model shop features laser cutting and etching tools, 3D printing capabilities, and a fully equipped workshop for hands-on model making. This tactile approach enhances our digital workflow, complementing tools like SketchUp and Revit.
Student Experience
Our students gain valuable hands-on learning, mentorship, and skill development. Whether refining your technical abilities, strengthening your design thinking, or gaining insight into the architectural process, you’ll leave with practical experience that will shape your future career.
Cookbook
Each year this project brings our team together with the goal of collecting and sharing our favorite recipes with our clients, partners, and friends.