Corrales native Emily Allen named Dekker's first female CEO

Corrales native Emily Allen has taken the top job at Dekker, becoming the architecture and design firm’s first female chief executive and signaling a continuity-minded transition at one of New Mexico’s biggest private design companies. Allen, who once said she never expected to return to the state, now leads a firm with deep Albuquerque roots and a growing regional footprint.

Dekker said its executive leadership team unanimously selected Allen through a deliberate succession process after 22 years with the company. She started as an intern and later served as chief financial officer, building a career that placed her at the center of the firm’s expansion. Benjamin Gardner, who has been CEO since 2019, moved into the role of managing principal of Dekker’s Federal Government Studio.

The appointment matters beyond the corporate title. Dekker became a 100% employee-owned firm in 2024, and Allen’s promotion comes as the company works through a broader strategic transition. In practical terms, that points to leadership continuity for clients, staff and public-sector partners in New Mexico, where the firm’s work has long been tied to offices, schools, civic buildings and other projects that shape how communities grow.

Allen’s background also reflects the kind of financial discipline and local ties that can influence a firm’s project pipeline. She holds an MBA from the University of New Mexico and a bachelor’s degree in interior design from the Art Institute of Colorado. Dekker said that under her financial leadership, the firm expanded into new markets, delivered record project volume and introduced firmwide operational improvements. Allen also serves as a trustee of the Albuquerque Community Foundation.

Dekker describes itself as a full-service, multidisciplinary architecture and design firm with offices in Albuquerque, El Paso and Phoenix and more than 65 years of experience. Company materials say it traces its roots to 1959 and employs more than 200 staff across three states. A 2024 rebrand story said the firm had grown to more than two dozen principals and a staff of more than 200.

For Corrales and Sandoval County, Allen’s rise carries a hometown angle with business weight. A native New Mexican now leads a firm that has helped shape development in Albuquerque and across the state, and her appointment gives Dekker a new face at a moment when its employee-owned structure, project load and regional reach are all in motion.