Cawley Architects has promoted longtime firm leaders Lynette Dreitz Fort to chief executive officer and Rafael Macias to president. The Phoenix-based commercial architecture firm continues to expand its leadership team and strengthen its employee ownership culture, further deepening its long-standing presence in the Valley.
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Dreitz Fort brings more than 25 years of financial expertise, operational leadership, and culture-driven strategy to the role. She oversees financial operations, long-term planning, and organizational alignment, guiding the firm through a period of intentional growth and operational stabilization. Known for translating complex financial and operational data into clear, actionable insights, she has played a key role in strengthening Cawley’s leadership capacity and building a resilient operational foundation over the past 13 years.
“We are designing the future of Cawley Architects with intention,” said Dreitz Fort, who also served as president of AZCREW in 2025, the Arizona chapter of the Commercial Real Estate Women Network. “Cawley Architects continues to thrive because we stay true to who we are: a trusted architectural partner with deep roots in the Arizona market and a forward-looking approach to design. We’re proud of the work we’re delivering today, and even more energized by the future we’re building.”
Cawley Architects ’ employee ownership model, built through its ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) structure, ensures that every team member has a stake in the firm’s success and the quality of work delivered to clients and partners.
“Our ESOP is one of the most important commitments we’ve made to long-term stability,” Dreitz Fort said. “It ensures that the people who build this firm every day also help shape its future.”
Macias brings 46 years of architectural, project management, and leadership experience, including construction administration, quality assurance and quality control review, design-build, and business development. Twelve of those years have been with Cawley, where he oversees the coordination, quality assurance, and quality control review of construction documents produced by the firm. His experience spans multifamily, high-rise, industrial, mixed-use, institutional, retail, automotive, and medical condominium projects totaling millions of square feet across the Valley.
“After more than a decade at Cawley Architects, I can say without hesitation that this firm has become part of who I am,” Macias said. “I’ve spent my career committed to delivering projects that stand the test of time, and Cawley is a place where that commitment is shared at every level. Stepping into the role of president is an opportunity to continue elevating the standards, mentorship, and precision that define our work, while strengthening the client relationships and collaborative approach that will carry Cawley into its next chapter.”
The leadership changes come as Cawley Architects celebrates over 32 years in Phoenix and surpasses 1,000 completed projects in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and California totaling more than 25 million square feet. The firm’s portfolio includes work for industrial buildings for Able Engineering and AF Steel Fabricators, healthcare facilities for Adelante Healthcare and Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine, and educational buildings for Ottawa University and Little Angels Montessori School.
Cawley’s other notable projects include industrial/offices for Felix Construction and Footprint, retail for Pet Planet and Tuft & Needle, and restaurants for Doughbird and Lolo’s Chicken and Waffles. The firm has also designed nonprofit facilities for Heidi’s Village Animal Shelter and Phoenix Rescue Mission, along with automotive facilities for Express Oil, Precision Fleet Services, and Super Star Car Wash.
For more information about Cawley Architects, visit cawleyarchitects.com.
