Peter MacKeith Receives 2026 Arkansas Construction Hall of Fame's Champion of Construction Award

Peter MacKeith, dean of the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design at the U of A, has received the 2026 Champion of Construction Award from the Arkansas Construction Hall of Fame. This year's inductees and award recipients are recognized as distinguished leaders whose work has shaped the built environment across the state.

The Arkansas Construction Hall of Fame — a partnership between the Associated General Contractors of Arkansas (AGC Arkansas), the Arkansas chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA Arkansas) and the American Council of Engineering Companies of Arkansas (ACEC Arkansas) — honors Arkansans who have dedicated their lives to advancing architecture, construction and engineering in the state. Induction into the Hall of Fame represents one of the highest honors in Arkansas' construction industry.

The 2026 Hall of Fame inductees are Jimmy Alessi of Alessi Keyes Construction, Sam Alley of VCC Construction, William "Brock" Johnson of Garver and Doug Wasson of Kinco Constructors. In addition to MacKeith's honor, Michael Leiterman of Kinco Constructors was named the 2026 Emerging Professional.

Established in 2000, the Arkansas Construction Hall of Fame is a biannual tradition honoring those who have made extraordinary contributions to Arkansas' infrastructure and communities. This year's Arkansas Construction Hall of Fame honorees were celebrated at an awards banquet and induction ceremony held April 23 at Chenal Country Club in Little Rock.

"Since its inception, the Hall of Fame has inducted leaders across the industry whose work quite literally built Arkansas," Brad Spradlin, president and CEO of AGC Arkansas, said in a press release. "Their work has shaped our skylines, strengthened our infrastructure and improved the lives of generations of Arkansans. Their legacy deserves to be honored."

The Champion of Construction Award is presented to an individual, public official, company or organization not affiliated with an architecture, construction or engineering firm who demonstrates vision and commitment to advancing infrastructure and opportunity for Arkansans.

This recognition is a testament to MacKeith's "vision, leadership and commitment to advancing the built environment in our state," Spradlin wrote in the award letter to MacKeith.

"Through your leadership, you have inspired the next generation of architects and design professionals while strengthening the connection between education and industry," Spradlin wrote. "The impact of that work will be felt for decades to come in the skylines, infrastructure and communities across our state. The Arkansas construction industry is stronger because of your leadership and service."

Support From Arkansas Design and Construction Community

In their nomination letter, Marlon Blackwell, FAIA, principal of Marlon Blackwell Architects; Chris Baribeau, FAIA, founding principal of Modus Studio; and Charles Nabholz, chairman emeritus of Nabholz Construction, together described how MacKeith's extraordinary impact on the interrelated and interdependent fields of design and construction in Arkansas has drawn national and international attention to the state while advancing its economy.

"Through many roles, his powerful and far-reaching impact on design and construction in the state of Arkansas will be felt for generations to come," they wrote.

These nominators noted several significant projects and accomplishments during MacKeith's nearly 12-year tenure as dean of the Fay Jones School. Among these were:

• Overseeing student enrollment in the Fay Jones School as it more than doubled during his tenure from 500 to more than 1,000 students of architecture, landscape architecture, and interior architecture and design.
• Commissioning one of the most significant new buildings in Arkansas and the country — the $43 million Anthony Timberlands Center for Design and Materials Innovation. Built by Nabholz Construction and completed in July 2025, this new mass timber applied research facility has already been recognized nationally and internationally through design awards including Project of the Year by The Architect's Newspaper in 2025. 
• Developing significant public education offerings focused on developing the Arkansas timber and wood economy, while bringing together an international cohort of architects, engineers, contractors, developers, public officials, educators and professionals from all aspects of the timber industry to discuss the rapidly expanding field of mass timber design and construction.
• Serving as chair of the Northwest Arkansas Design Excellence Program through the Walton Family Foundation and promoting the highest level of design in the development of public buildings and spaces in Arkansas' Benton and Washington counties.
• Working to address the significant issue of housing in Arkansas and leading an in-depth exploration and design of a mixed-income, mixed-use attainable housing plan. The result was the Housing Northwest Arkansas Initiative, a three-tiered project consisting of an advanced design studio for students, a regional symposium focused on the community and a national design competition for professionals focused on advancing the ideas of the studio and the discussions of the symposium into actual development.
• Envisioning and serving as commissioner for the United States Pavilion at the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale in Venice, Italy — the most significant architecture exhibition internationally. The Biennale achieved record attendance of more than 298,000 visitors, including groups from over 700 schools and universities globally. 

"More than any one project or endeavor, Peter has created a culture of excellence, a 'rising tide that raises all boats' here in our landlocked state," they wrote. "From his many roles — as dean, as chair of the Walton Family Foundation's Design Excellence Program, as lead Commissioner of the Biennale, as Honorary Consul for Finland, as author, as exhibition designer — he has steadfastly advanced the importance of the built environment, underscoring its importance and impact on communities, believing wholeheartedly in its ability to elevate expectations and impart dignity. In every way, Peter MacKeith is truly a Champion of Construction in Arkansas, and we are honored to write on his behalf. We can think of no one more worthy of this esteemed recognition than Peter MacKeith."

More About Dean Peter MacKeith

MacKeith serves as dean and professor of architecture at the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design at the U of A. Appointed in 2014, he is a nationally recognized design educator and administrator and has been recognized as a Distinguished Professor by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, a Senior Fellow of the Design Futures Council and a "design educator of the year" twice by Design Intelligence.

Internationally recognized as a leader in forest-centered culture, design and construction, MacKeith envisioned the recently completed Anthony Timberlands Center for Design and Materials Innovation, a new mass timber research center at the U of A. MacKeith also commissioned the United States Pavilion at the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale in Venice, Italy — the most significant architecture exhibition internationally.

Locally, MacKeith serves as chair of the advisory committee for the Northwest Arkansas Design Excellence Program, a regional initiative of the Walton Family Foundation that has sponsored community gathering spaces and public buildings across Northwest Arkansas. He received the AIA Arkansas Award of Merit in 2021 for his contributions to the state's architecture and education culture.

An accomplished author and editor, MacKeith is the author of 14 books, including Radical Practice: The Work of Marlon Blackwell Architects. He is a member of the editorial and management boards of Places Journal for architecture, landscape architecture and urbanism.

Working as a liaison between the architecture, art and design cultures of the United States, Finland and the Nordic region, he has written and lectured extensively on contemporary Nordic architecture. He is a member of the Finnish Cultural Institute's Advisory Board, a senior adviser to the Fulbright-Finland Foundation and a Knight, First Class, of the Order of the Lion of Finland.