Founders Award for Civic Leadership

A life-long commitment to improving livability through design.

Good design in the built environment has long been regarded as a critical element of livability. This principal is especially true of government buildings, which are key anchor institutions in thousands of communities across the country. The way in which they fit into a neighborhood’s aesthetic context greatly affects the public’s interaction with the building, the use of adjacent public space and the overall sense of livability in the surrounding neighborhood. Currently serving as Commissioner of Public Buildings for the General Services Administration (GSA), Bob Peck is in a unique position to promote livability and while his career has included many diverse roles, his belief in the power of excellent design for improved quality of life has served as a steady beacon guiding all of his activities.

Prior to his time with the GSA, Peck served as Chief of Staff to U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, author of “Guiding Principles for Federal Architecture,” the cornerstone of the GSA’s Design Excellence Program. Peck has also upheld architectural and development standards as associate counsel to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, while working for the National Endowment for the Arts, and as vice president for public affairs at the American Institute of Architects.

Peck’s first association with GSA began in 1995 when he filled the same position as Commissioner under the Clinton Administration. During his initial tenure with GSA, Peck instituted a number of innovative programs that raised the bar for federal building development, including the Urban Development/Good Neighbor Program and the Design Excellence Program. The former was created to meet federal real estate needs while supporting community development goals, such as constructing new facilities that fit into the local urban design context and managing properties to encourage public use and openness. The latter streamlined the process of hiring architects, established a peer review process for designers and engineers, and continues to stress creativity.

Before his most recent return to GSA as Commissioner of Public Buildings under President Obama, Peck served as president of the Greater Washington Board of Trade and the vice president of Jones Lang LaSalle. In his role with the Board of Trade, Peck expanded his focus from design and management to regional development, bringing fresh approaches to local transportation congestion and broadening the Board’s policy agenda to include heath care and higher education. Altogether, whether his focus was federal or local, public or private, Peck has brought with him an uncompromising standard for quality of design that has contributed to the livability of communities throughout the nation and the way citizens interact with the government that represents them.