photo by Helen Hammond

Judy Dixon started as an intern architect at Stubbs Muldrow Herrin Architects, Inc. Now, a principal with the firm, she balances her time so that she is able to raise her two children.

photo by Helen Hammond

When Judy Dixon was growing up in Long Island, she always liked artwork. As she went through high school, she found her strength in mathematics. Fresh out of Virginia Tech with a Bachelors in Architecture, Dixon came to Stubbs Muldrow Herrin Architects, Inc. as an intern architect in 1994.

Loving that architecture is "creativity within parameters," Dixon climbed the ranks and became vice-president of the firm in 2004.

Serving as project architect on buildings east of the Cooper including the Church of the Holy Cross, the SMHA office building, the East Cooper Montessori School and Mount Pleasant Academy, Dixon used her talents as a LEED accredited professional.

Dixon said, "I love talking to a client, hearing about their goals for a building and making that a reality." According to Dixon, there is nothing quite like walking into a finished product.

No matter the clients' budget, Dixon tries to encourage them to really think about what makes a difference to them, in terms of sustainable design.

"Sometimes it's a state of the art HVAC system and sometimes it is simply reducing the square footage of the building or choosing flooring with recycled content. There is never any "eco-snobbery" involved in the process, rather focusing on how we can create the best sustainable result with the given parameters. It's about "progress not perfection" and not letting "perfect be the enemy of good," she said.

When Dixon's duties as project architect/manager were redirected to marketing and business development due to the recession in 2008, she knew that it was a necessary challenge to navigate the economic downturn.

As she was training for the New York City marathon (which she completed this time last year), Dixon realized that the ultimate goals of finishing the marathon and surviving the recession were overwhelming without a solid plan of attack.

Dixon enjoys the people she works with and says about that SMHa team, "the level of talent, work ethic and great personalities make my job fun and rewarding."

She particularly enjoys "being rooted in the community, helping clients fulfill their architectural vision and hopefully making a positive contribution to the "built environment."

A mother of two children, Dixon said that she was thankful when her partners allowed her to reduce her schedule so that she could take and pick up her kids at school.

"To be able to craft a schedule where I can help design buildings and develop business during the day and then be there for my kids after school is not something I take for granted," said Dixon, who lives in the Old Villlage.

In addition to her work and family obligations, Dixon still finds time to give back to her community. She has volunteered with many local organizations such as the Charleston County Library, Charleston Animal Society, and Trident Literacy Association.

She also was invited to the Steering Committee for the Charleston Chamber of Commerce's Green Initiative and to serve in the Leadership Charleston Class of 2010.

She has participated in local public school by mentoring students, serving as "principal for a day" and participating in career days.

Dixon somehow manages to obtain the perfect balance between career and family.

And she cannot speak highly enough of her colleagues.

"Everyone is committed and love what we do,"she said. "I keep good company."