Our People

Barbara Heller started the firm of Heller & Associates in 1982. She has been responsible for the preparation of Project Manuals for a wide range of building types, which include commercial, residential, military, institutional, restoration, and retail projects.

Barbara served as the 2003 - 2005 Chair of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Documents Committee, and was 1999 Chair of the Specification and Building Technology PIA.

She occasionally writes about new building products for various architectural trade magazines and was author of the Building Products chapter of "Building Systems Integration Handbook" published in April 1986 by John Wiley & Sons. She graduated from the University of Illinois in 1974 and is registered in the District of Columbia. She was elevated to Fellow in the AIA in 2001.

Prior to joining Heller & Metzger in 1989, David Metzger spent nineteen years practicing or teaching architecture. He was an associate with Hellmuth Obata & Kassabaum and with Perkins & Will, and Director of Production for Swanke Hayden Connell in their Washington, DC office. His experience includes work on a wide range of building types. He has been a Senior Lecturer at Thames Polytechnic School of Architecture in London, and Assistant Professor at the Oklahoma State University School of Architecture.

David served as a contributing author to Architectural Graphic Standards, 7th Edition, and authored an article about the Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center in “Doors and Hardware,” July 1996. In 2002 – 2003, he served as Chair of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Masterspec Architectural Review Committee, and has served on this Committee since 1991.

David is registered in the State of Maryland and holds NCARB Certification. He is treasurer of Specifications Consultants in Independent Practice (SCIP). He received his B. Arch with Distinction from the University of Michigan in 1968, and an M.S. in Architectural Science from Cornell University in 1970. He was elevated to Fellow in the AIA in 2001 and Fellow in the CSI in 2006.

Doris King joined Heller & Associates in 1983 after working in the Washington, DC office of Daniel Mann Johnson and Mendenhall and the New York City office of I.M. Pei. She has assisted in the preparation of specifications for a wide range of commercial, governmental, and institutional projects. Doris graduated from the University of Maryland in 1978 and is a registered architect in the District of Columbia.

Prior to joining Heller and Metzger in 2004, Kathy Alberding spent twenty-four years in private practice primarily focusing on Federal and Institutional work. Most recently, Kathy was Senior Project Manager - Design Leader with Ellerbe Becket, where she was involved in large federal projects and higher education work. She managed project teams for the Washington DC offices of Shalom Baranes Associates and HOK, where she led teams for GSA’s Design Excellence projects as well as corporate and developer clients.

She received a GSA Design Excellence Honor Award in 1998 for the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center; and a GSA Design Excellence Citation Award for the Pittsburgh Courthouse and Post Office project in 2000. Kathy received her Bachelor of Architecture Degree in 1980 from the University of Arizona and is currently licensed in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Sara Stewart joined Heller & Metzger in 2004. She previously worked at the American Institute of Architects (AIA) as an editor/writer, where she covered topics ranging from practice management to the latest in hospital design. Sara holds an M.A. in art history with a specialization in twentieth century American architecture from Penn State University, and a B.A. in journalism from the University of Maryland.