People

Sean Patrick Nohelty  AIA, LEED AP BD+C

Principal, Managing Director

Sean Patrick Nohelty is a Principal, Managing Director at David M. Schwarz Architects. As a practitioner, educator, and philanthropist, Sean is dedicated to making a difference through design, education, and stewardship. At the firm, he is focused on the contemporary practice of traditional architecture and urban design as a means to build a more sustainable future. Over his 25-year career, he has led the design of civic, cultural, healthcare, and hospitality projects, among others.

Born and raised outside Chicago, Sean moved to Washington, D.C. and joined the firm in 1997 after receiving his Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Notre Dame. He was elected to the firm’s Board of Directors in 2012 and elevated to Principal in 2013. From 2019-2022, Sean served as Professor of the Practice and Academic Director of External Relations at his beloved alma mater. He returned to architectural practice and the firm in 2023 and maintains a commitment to teaching on a regular basis.

Outside the studio, Sean is active in number of industry and community organizations, including the American Institute of Architects and the Institute for Classical Architecture and Art. He has served on the boards of the Washington Architectural Foundation; both the Indiana and Washington Chapters of the American Institute of Architects, including as AIA|DC President in 2014; the Notre Dame School of Architecture Advisory Council; and the Ngoma Center for Dance, among others.

Sean’s passions extend to the realms of college football (Go Irish!), family, and philanthropy. In 2015, Sean and his family founded the “Fighting For Fiona & Friends Fund” at the Boler-Parseghian Center for Rare and Neglected Diseases to support a new research initiative tackling the rare disease Nonketotic Hyperglycinemia (NKH) that afflicted his niece; in 2021, he helped establish the Architecture Student Opportunity Fund at Notre Dame to support under-resourced students with the costs of architectural education; and in 2024, he founded the “Lois E. Nichols and Lauretta M. Nohelty Memorial Endowment for Excellence” to recognize excellence in the craft of architectural hand-draftsmanship and promote its continued instruction as foundational to the education of the Architect.

Sean is a registered Architect in the District of Columbia, Texas, California, and Indiana and holds a LEED AP BD+C accreditation and NCARB certificate.