Sean O’Donnell has dedicated more than thirty years to advancing the design of learning environments as a catalyst for educational equity, community resilience, and student success. His work—as an architect, researcher, advocate, and educator—is grounded in a clear belief: that schools, when thoughtfully designed, can help shape a more just and sustainable future. Through a combination of design excellence, research, and community engagement, he has emerged as a leading voice in education design.
As K–12 Practice Leader at Perkins Eastman for over 15 years, Sean has built a globally recognized practice with projects spanning five continents (Africa, Europe, Asia, North America, and South America.) His work integrates educational planning, high-performance design, and civic purpose, resulting in schools that serve as both learning environments and community anchors. Colleagues consistently describe him as an innovator whose refusal to accept “good enough” continues to elevate expectations for educational spaces.
Sean’s portfolio is defined by measurable performance outcomes. Under his leadership, John Lewis Elementary School in Washington, DC, became the first school in the world to achieve both LEED Platinum and WELL Platinum certification, while also reaching Net Zero Energy status. His work also includes two of the highestscoring LEED for Schools projects globally— Dunbar High School and Martin Luther King Jr. School—along with multiple Net Zero and Net Zero-ready schools. Beyond certifications, his projects prioritize how buildings function daily to support student engagement, health, and academic success.
Central to his impact is a commitment to evidence-based design. For more than a decade, Sean has led pre- and post-occupancy evaluations linking design decisions to improved outcomes. This work led to the co-founding of the Consortium for Design and Education Outcomes (CDEO) with Drexel University’s School of Education. The initiative, recognized with the Latrobe Prize from the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows, advances scalable, research-driven strategies for modernizing school infrastructure.
Through leadership, research, and service— including teaching at Drexel University’s Westphal College—Sean continues to shape both the profession and the future of education design.
