Building From Within: A Health & Wellness Leadership Transition
At SMRT, leadership transitions begin years before the announcement, in the day-to-day work of a practice: the client relationships built over time, the clinical problems solved together, the expertise developed project by project.
That’s the context for the news we’re sharing today. Rebecca Casey has been named Director of Health & Wellness Practice, effective July 1. And while the title is new, the foundation she’s stepping onto is one she helped build.
Rebecca has spent nearly a decade at SMRT, working across the full continuum of healthcare design, including acute, ambulatory, and behavioral health care, as well as environments for aging. She brings more than 20 years of dedicated healthcare architecture experience to the role, grounded in clinical process and built on long-term client relationships. Her focus on how spaces support care delivery, for patients, staff, and the communities facilities serve, has shaped SMRT’s Health & Wellness work over the years.
“This practice has remarkable depth in our people, our client partnerships, and the range of work we do,” said Casey. “I’m honored to lead it, and I look forward to building on this legacy of thoughtful, purpose-driven design.”
Derek Veilleux, who led the Health & Wellness sector for more than a decade, is shifting focus to his role as Board Chair and firm-wide strategic priorities, while remaining a Senior Principal and continuing to support the practice and its clients. His legacy is a team grounded in clinical insight, long-term client relationships, and a clear sense of how this practice operates. Rebecca carries that forward with the same values and the same commitment to clients that have defined the practice under his leadership.
“A leader’s job is to develop the people around them,” said Veilleux. “Rebecca has the skills, the client trust, and the drive to take this practice where it needs to go. Handing her the lead is the right next step.”
This is what growth looks like at a firm like ours: people who have earned their expertise here and carry the firm’s values forward because they helped shape them. Rebecca is that kind of leader.
We’re proud of what the Health & Wellness Practice has become, and we’re looking forward to what it builds next.
