In the first of a Spectations three-part series, Andrew Elmer, HDR architecture sports and recreation director, sits down with Corey Jenkins, deputy athletics director and chief operating officer at the University of South Dakota, to discuss how athletic facilities can help athletic programs, student athletes and universities thrive. Corey shares how, as the university’s “front porch,” athletics can serve as a catalyst for campus visibility and growth while positioning institutions for success in a rapidly evolving college athletics landscape.

Spectations, part of our Speaking of Design podcast, speaks to the evolving landscape of sports and recreation and the spaces that bring them to life.

In the 16th episode of the “Listen, Mental Health Matters” podcast series, Brian Giebink, behavioral and mental health director at HDR, talks with Leah Kaiser, director of behavioral health for Hennepin County, and Adesola Oni, senior department administrator for Hennepin County Behavioral Health, about building a more equitable, accessible and responsive system of mental health care in Minnesota. Kaiser and Oni share how Hennepin County has spent the past decade using community engagement, data and national best practices to identify disparities and rethink where and how people receive support. Together, they explore how person-centered planning, early intervention, low-barrier access and stronger connections across schools, justice, emergency response and community services can help move behavioral healthcare upstream, meeting people where they are before needs escalate into crisis.

In the 15th episode of the “Listen, Mental Health Matters” podcast series, Brian Giebink, behavioral and mental health practice director, travels to Louisville, Kentucky, to talk with Katy Hopkins, Ph.D., medical director of Norton Children’s Behavioral Health, and Dr. Chris Peters, child and adolescent psychiatrist and sports psychiatrist at Norton Children’s, about building a more connected continuum of behavioral healthcare for children and families. Hopkins and Peters share how their careers led them to pediatric behavioral health and a common purpose: removing barriers to care. Together, they explore how integrating behavioral health into primary care, strengthening partnerships across the community and using data to identify gaps can expand access in a region where demand continues to outpace available services.