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Alumni Awards List

SHEL BARRY came to K-State from Superior, Nebraska, as a freshman student because of the high rankings of the College of Architecture, Planning and Design, the great campus and the "small town" feel of Manhattan.

He originally pursued an architecture degree but soon changed majors to interior architecture because he felt that discipline was more practical. Shel's professors were passionate about what they were doing which helped him develop his own passion for design.

During his time as a K-State student, Shel was a member of Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity and President of the Bisexual Gay and Lesbian Society. He received the Bachelor of Interior Architecture degree and a certificate in planning in 1996.

After college, Shel went to work as assistant general manager for Nobel Hospitality at the Holiday Inn in Columbia, Missouri. Shel states it was nice to have a job two days after graduation and wanted to develop his management skills. While the job was new and exciting, Shel missed being in design and after one year moved to Denver to work for RNL Design.

Shel joined the interior design group of RNL of Denver in 1997 where he is currently an associate. A skilled planner, coordinator and designer for large, complex spaces, Shel excels at projects for corporate, retail and government clients and has become project manager on a variety of projects. He also brings hands-on experience in construction and landscaping. In 1997, Shel also opened his own business designing and constructing residential decks, fences and interior remodels. That business is still running strong today.

In 2005, Shel received the Best Corporate Interiors award from the American Society of Interior Designers for his work on the 50,000 plus square foot Catholic Health Initiatives building in Englewood, Colorado. Among his numerous corporate interiors experiences are serving as the project coordinator/manager for the interior/exterior spaces of a Catholic Health Initiatives addition as well as a new facility in Denver being planned presently; as space planner and project coordinator for the Lockton Insurance corporate office relocations and expansions in Denver; and as project manager and client contact for the interior renovation of a warehouse for network technology office space for Epidemic Marketing in Denver.

Shel has government office interiors experience as the coordinator of construction documents for the remodeling of 110,000 square feet of office space for the U.S. Housing and Urban Development in Denver and as the project coordinator for the remodeling of the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies and the Colorado Department of Health. His retail experiences include project management for the Qwest Solutions Center stores in the upscale Cherry Creek Shopping District and nationwide. Space planning for multiple Dex Media facilities throughout a 14-state region on an on-call basis is currently in the works.

As an adjunct instructor at Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design, Shel teaches space planning. In the past, he has also participated in KSU CAPD mock interviews and invited prospective students to job shadow him at the firm. Shel and his partner, Kris, enjoy spending their free time traveling worldwide, snow and water skiing, renovating their second home, taking their two boxer dogs on outings and spending time with their families.

Shel sums up his K-State experience as follows: "I could not have chosen a better field or college to attend. The faculty and the program are top notch and have driven me and my passion to excel in the ever-changing field of architecture and design."