40 years of building communities
The process of land use entitlement, permitting, rezoning, and site plan approval is typically complex. We offer a full range of services for our clients seeking government approvals, site design, and the ability to coordinate all applications, plans, and the overall project team as needed for fast and positive results.
Originally founded in 1977 as Urban Design Studio, we are an award-winning, talented team of Urban Designers, Planners, Landscape Architects and Graphic Designers. The leadership, creativity and problem-solving skills of our staff have resulted in the firm’s enduring success, and outstanding reputation throughout South Florida and along the Eastern Seaboard in each of our service areas for more than 40 years.
As a leader in the Planning profession, UDKS applies both unique and proven methods to help our clients formulate an innovative vision for their projects.
At Urban Design Kilday Studios, we welcome the challenges created by the expanded responsibility of Landscape Architecture.
As a leader in the Planning profession, UDKS applies both unique and proven methods to help our clients formulate an innovative vision for their projects.
UDKS
For over 40 years, UDKS has delivered the highest standard of design and professional service to our clients. UDKS’ project portfolio extends throughout the South Florida region and northerly along the Atlantic Seaboard.
KEN TUMA is Managing Principal of Urban Design Kilday Studios. He directs the firm’s major land planning, governmental approvals and urban design projects. Prior to taking the reins at UDKS, he served as VP of Planning, Engineering and Development with WCI Communities, Inc. and held positions with Toll Brothers, Inc., Taylor Woodrow Communities and The Villages. He has been a featured speaker on land use topics for many organizations in South Florida. He serves on the Executive Committee for the Economic Council of Palm Beach County and is an active member of the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County, Urban Land Institute and several other professional and civic organizations.
Ken is a graduate of The Ohio State University with a B.S. in Civil Engineering, B.S. in Agronomy; Business Minor. He’s a fervent Ohio State Buckeyes fan and is proud of the fact that there’s a disproportionately large number of transplanted Ohioans and OSU alumni on his UDKS staff.
WENDY TUMA is a Principal and Senior Landscape Architect and Site Planner. A 20-year veteran in the land planning industry, she has an extensive background in residential community design and has worked with some of the biggest home builders in the area, mixed-use projects such as Delray Marketplace, and a variety of commercial, civic and institutional projects. In addition to design, Wendy also works with municipalities on land use amendments, annexations and rezoning applications. She is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects, as well as a past board member and president of the Palm Beach County Planning Congress.
Wendy holds a B.S. in Landscape Architecture and Horticulture from the University of Wisconsin. A native of Wisconsin, she grew up on a family-owned and operated dairy farm with her nine siblings and credits her upbringing for her non-stop energy. She admits that home life can get a little complicated on game days when her beloved Wisconsin Badgers face her husband Ken’s Ohio State Buckeyes. Their children have to choose sides, creating a serious house divided.
COLLENE WALTER is a Principal and Senior Landscape Architect and Land Planner. She oversees the firm’s landscape architectural staff and provides overall coordination for projects involving land planning, site design and landscape architectural services. Collene has more than 30 years of experience in residential master and site planning, design and development of a full range of private sector projects. She additionally has worked on behalf of local municipalities, Palm Beach County, the Department of Airports and numerous public utilities. She is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects, the American Planning Association and the American Institute of Certified Planners, and she has provided her expertise to several local boards, committees and planning/zoning task forces.
Collene holds a B.S. in Landscape Architecture from Cornell University and a Master’s Degree in Regional and Urban Planning from Florida Atlantic University. Originally from Buffalo, New York, she migrated to Florida to indulge her affinity for convertibles, Lilly Pulitzer prints and flamingos. She lives with her husband Lindsey and two beautiful felines in Atlantis.
ANNE BOOTH is a Principal and Senior Planner. She’s the longest tenured employee, having joined the firm (originally named Urban Design Studio) just six months after its inception in 1977. Over her last four decades in land planning, governmental approval processing and client representation, she has served as a consultant for various private and public-sector clients to provide planning services focused primarily within the jurisdiction of Palm Beach Gardens and has established an excellent rapport with the regulatory agency staff. Her expertise in planning and governmental approvals encompasses a wide variety of projects, including large-scale residential communities such as PGA National, BallenIsles Country Club, Old Palm and Mirasol as well as non-residential projects like the Benjamin School (Upper School), Donald Ross Village, Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center and The Commons. Anne is active in the community and maintains associations with a number of professional and political organizations.
Anne has an associate’s degree in Design from Palm Beach State College. She is known around town and the office for her extensive and colorful shoe collection, which is always perfectly coordinated with her outfits. She and her husband Michael reside in Jupiter.
JONI BRINKMAN is a Principal and Senior Planner. She has worked in the planning and zoning field since 1986, earning invaluable knowledge along the way. She began her career with UDKS in 1994 as a zoning technician and rejoined in 2006 as a planning project manager after more than 10 years working for other firms. She quickly rose through the ranks and was appointed planning director, overseeing the firm’s Planning Division. In addition to her vast experience representing private and public-sector clients in Palm Beach and Broward Counties, she has developed particular expertise in eminent domain cases throughout South Florida for condemning authorities as well as individual property owners.
She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners and has contributed countless hours to various planning & zoning related board and committee appointments throughout her career.
Joni holds a B.S. in Administrative Office and Personnel Management from Eastern Illinois University. She lives with her husband Paul in the Village of Palm Springs where she is a long-serving Village Council Member and current Vice Mayor. Those with a keen eye can spot Joni in the guise of “Mrs. Clause” in the Village’s holiday parade each year. With two adult children, Joni and Paul share an active empty nester lifestyle that includes boating, fishing, bowling and golf.
NICHOLAS MIHELICH is a Principal and Senior Landscape Architect. Nick joined UDKS in 1997, specializing in community-enhancing streetscape designs and destination commercial and mixed-use developments such as the very attractive Legacy Place project in Palm Beach Gardens and highly successful Delray Marketplace in western Palm Beach County. He begins many projects with eye-catching conceptual sketches that cannot be captured by a CADD drawing and moves the process forward, incorporating community input and construction expertise to bring his ideas to fruition in harmony with vertical construction of each project. He is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Florida Urban Forestry Council and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Nick received his B.S. in Landscape Architecture from the University of Florida. He lives in West Palm Beach with his wife Nicole and son Finn, a redhead just like his dad. When not at a job site wearing his signature wide-brimmed straw hat or enjoying time with his family and friends, Nick relishes the rockstar life as a talented bassist for the Dryvin South Band.
MEAGAN CORTES has been with the firm since 2012 as our receptionist. She is a student and has received her Associate of Arts at Palm Beach State College. She is currently enrolled at Florida Atlantic University in pursuit of a BFA in Graphic Design.
BRIDGET GOODMAN is an administrative assistant in the firm’s accounting department. She attended Palm Beach State College, majoring in journalism. She has been with UDKS since 2007.
COTTIE RANKIN is an administrative assistant and marketing coordinator with the firm. She graduated from Brown College of Court Reporting in Atlanta, Georgia. After many years as a real estate and zoning legal assistant, she joined UDKS in 2008. Cottie is also a licensed real estate broker.
KATHLEEN SIMPSON is an Office Administrator of the firm. She manages accounting, benefits and administration-with a “Nike-like” attitude; Just do it! She has over two decades of experience in all aspects of tax liens, land development and administration. She is an avid learner at heart and routinely engages in professional development. Kathleen has been with UDKS since 2008.
JANELLE BOUCHARD is a Landscape and Site Designer. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture and a Masters in Environmental Design from Michigan State University. Janelle has been with UDKS since 2014 and is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects.
BRITTANY BOURGAULT is an experienced Landscape Designer and Site Planner with a demonstrated history of working in the architecture & planning industry. She is a strong arts and design professional with a B.S. focused in Landscape Architecture from the University of Florida. Brittany has been with UDKS since February of 2016.
JAY BRIDGE is the Senior Landscape Architect for the firm as well as a site planner and a member of the firm’s design team. Jay has been with UDKS for over 33 years and is a Florida Licensed Landscape Architect. Jay holds a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture and a BS in Environmental Studies from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry at Syracuse.
HELEN COHEN is a senior Landscape Architect and Site Planner with the firm. She has earned a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture from Cornell University and a Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Michigan. Helen has been with UDKS since 2005 and is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects and currently is the chairman of the Education Committee for the Florida Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects.
MICHELLE CUETARA is a Senior Designer and Project Manager and has been with UDKS since 2006. She holds an undergraduate degree in Architecture from Palm Beach State College and has managed and participated in a broad spectrum of both public and private projects throughout Palm Beach and Martin Counties. Michelle has extensive experience in creative site and landscape architecture design with a focus on master planned and mixed-use developments.
ROB DINSMORE is a Land Planner and Site Designer with more than seven years of industry experience. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture from West Virginia University, and is a professional licensed Landscape Architect in the state of West Virginia. Rob has been with UDKS since 2016, and is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects.
KEVIN KROLL is a landscape designer with a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from Texas A&M University. He has been with UDKS since 2015 and is an associate member of the American Society of Landscape Architects. He is passionate about planting design and the integration of nature into the urban environment.
TANYA MCCORMICK is a licensed Landscape Architect and holds a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture from the University of Florida. Tanya has been with UDKS since 2012 and specializes in site planning, landscape and hardscape design, signage design, and illustrative computerized and hand renderings.
SCOTT MOSOLF is a Project Manager and Site Planner with 20 years of experience at the firm. He received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Landscape Architecture from the Ohio State University and is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects and a past chair of the Palm Beach County Development Review Advisory Committee.
SHAYNE BROADNIX is a Site Planner and has been with UDKS since 2003. She holds a Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning degree from Florida Atlantic University. She is a member of the American Planning Association.
SOFIA GARANTIVA is a Project Planner and has been with UDKS since 2015. She has a Bachelors in Urban Design from Florida Atlantic University and is working towards a Masters of Urban and Regional Planning at Florida Atlantic University. Sofia is a member of the American Planning Association and serves as the APA Treasure Coast Section’s Young Planners Group representative.
LENTZY JEAN-LOUIS is a planning intern for UDKS. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Administration with a minor in Urban Planning and plans on pursuing his graduate degree in Urban Planning. Lentzy has been with UDKS since January 2018 (and is an avid trombone player).
ERIN WOHLITKA is a Planner and Project Manager for the firm. She holds a Bachelor of Science in International Affairs with a concentration in Political Science from The Florida State University and a Masters of Urban and Regional Planning from Florida Atlantic University. Erin has been a full-time professional planner for three years and recently joined our team in February of 2018. She is a passionate practitioner in the field of city planning and is a member of the Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association, Florida Chapter of the Congress for New Urbanism, Florida Women in Planning Group, and the Young Planners Group.
SANDRA MEGRUE is a certified senior Land Planner. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Administration from the Florida Atlantic University and is a Senior Project Manager for the firm. Sandra has been with UDKS since 1995 and is a member of The American Planning Association, the American Institute of Certified Planners, as well as a past board member and current member of the Palm Beach County Planning Congress.
MARTY R.A. MINOR Is a Senior Project Planner with the firm. He holds a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from Florida Atlantic University and a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from Ohio University. A certified planner by the American Institute of Certified Planners since 1996, Marty has been with the firm since 1999. Marty specializes in land development, zoning code amendments, design guidelines and Comprehensive Plan amendments.
ALI PALMER is a Senior Planner and Project Manager. She holds a Master of Urban & Regional Planning from Florida Atlantic University, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Social Science & Political Science from the Florida State University. Ali has been with UDKS since February 2015 and is the current Chair of the FL American Planning Association Treasure Coast Section.
JAN POLSON is a Senior Land Planner with over 40 years’ experience in the Land Development field. Jan was initially employed in 1977 by the Palm Beach County Building Division and later worked as a Zoning/Planning Technician reviewing various types of Land Development applications and approvals for processing through the County’s administrative and public hearing process. Over the years Jan Polson has continued to build her knowledge and expertise in the Land Development field providing planning services and assistance on a variety of projects in the South Florida area. After working on behalf of UDKS as a private consultant, Jan became a full-time employee of the firm in 2016 where she contributes her expertise in site design, processes development applications and provides project management and representation .
BOBBY POWELL JR. is a Project Manager and a member of the firm’s planning team. He holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Journalism in the public relations sequence from Florida A&M University, and a Master’s of Science in Planning from Florida State University. Bobby has been with UDKS since 2013 and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, and a member of the Palm Beach County Planning Congress. Bobby is also a State Senator serving in the Florida legislature, and was the 2016/2017 Chair of the Palm Beach County Legislative Delegation.