Founder, Managing Principal

Samantha Hill is the founder and managing principal of Develop With Skill and Design With Skill, full service development and architecture firms specializing in small to medium scale multifamily and mixed-use projects. She has modeled a unique practice where her companies both design and develop real estate projects, helping to control risk and liability, while creating more cohesive and desirable projects. Her work strives to revive the concept of ‘master-builder’ to create better livable environments.

In addition to architecture and development services, Samantha started Access With Skill , offering consulting services as a Certified Access Specialist (CASp). She believes architecture should be inclusive and accessible for all users and members of our community. She has consulted on large offices, commercial properties, education facilities, healthcare centers, and mixed-use projects to ensure federal, state, and local ADA/ disabled access compliance is included in design and construction.

Before devoting her work full time to her companies, Samantha worked at internationally acclaimed architecture firms, including Gehry Partners, Gensler, and Arquitectonica. She put her problem solving skills to the test on a variety of project types at various scales, including television studio master planning, high-rise multi-family residential, luxury hospitality, state-of-the-art museums, cultural centers, and single-family residential renovations. The majority of her experience lies in California. However, she has designed and built projects in Hawaii, New York, Pennsylvania, and Abu Dhabi.

Samantha graduated from Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Architecture in Pittsburgh, and attended the Architectural Association’s Visiting Student Program in London. Recently she completed eCornell’s Women’s Entrepreneurship Program. She is a licensed Architect in the States of California, Colorado, and Hawaii. She is the Chair of South Pasadena’s Design Review Board and volunteers as an advisor for the Department of Planning’s Professional Volunteer Program (PVP) in the City of Los Angeles. She is a member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI), as well a past member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), and Crew-Los Angeles. She is also certified as a Certified Access Specialist (CASp). Her Company is certified as a Women Business Enterprise (WBE), Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB), and a Local Business Enterprise (LBE) in the City of Los Angeles.