Kenda Salisbury, CPSM
Since 2004
Active
SMPS Seattle member
AEC marketing professional
Kenda leads strategic growth initiatives as Business Development Director for Degenkolb Engineers, a structural engineering firm founded in 1940 and headquartered in San Francisco, specializing in seismic design, structural rehabilitation, forensic engineering, and new construction across healthcare, higher education, advanced technology, and federal sectors. She is responsible for developing and implementing client development strategy across the Pacific Northwest region, mentoring technical professionals to strengthen client relationships and build sustainable business growth.
Her expertise spans comprehensive business development operations including strategic planning, market capture, proposal management, client relationship development, and team leadership. With over 25 years of AEC marketing and business development experience, Kenda has successfully established and led marketing functions across diverse firm types including structural engineering (Degenkolb Engineers, ESM Consulting Engineers), geotechnical and environmental services (Kleinfelder), cultural resource management (Historical Research Associates as Director of Marketing and Business Development for five years), and architecture (Carrier Johnson).
Previously serving on the Degenkolb Engineers Board of Directors (2023-2025), Kenda contributed strategic oversight to firm governance and long-term planning. Her progressive career advancement at Degenkolb demonstrates sustained impact, advancing from Business Development role (2014-2021) through Regional Business Development Director (2021-2025) to current firm-wide Business Development Director position.
Kenda demonstrates exceptional professional leadership through her SMPS Fellow designation (Class of 2019), joining an elite group demonstrating at least 15 years of marketing expertise and 10+ years of active SMPS involvement. As one of six SMPS Seattle chapter Fellows, she serves as a resource providing insight, mentorship, and programmatic leadership at chapter, regional, and national levels—advancing professional services marketing excellence throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond.
Her SMPS Seattle leadership includes service as chapter Past President (2009-2013), providing sustained strategic guidance across four years during a critical growth period for one of the Society’s largest and most dynamic chapters. Kenda’s chapter presidency demonstrated commitment to professional development programming, member engagement, and building the infrastructure that supports Seattle’s 300+ member chapter—recognized nationally for programming excellence and chapter awards.
As founding member of Building Women, an organization focused on education and growth of women in healthcare design and construction industries, Kenda champions diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives that create pathways for women’s advancement in technical fields. Her pioneering work establishing this organization demonstrates commitment to transforming industry culture and expanding opportunities for underrepresented professionals.
Kenda serves on the Standing Advisory Committee for Harborview Medical Center, acting as community advocate for the hospital’s design and construction projects. This civic engagement role connects her AEC expertise with public health infrastructure, ensuring community perspectives inform major healthcare facility development in Seattle’s safety-net hospital system.
Her thought leadership extends nationally through featured speaking and facilitation roles. As moderator for the Amplify A|E|C 2024 Business Development Symposium panel “The A/E/C-Suite: Developing a Trusted Relationship Between the C-Suite and BD,” Kenda led discussion with C-suite executives on building strategic partnerships that elevate business development as business-critical function. She facilitated Fellows Forum sessions at the 2024 SMPS Pacific Regional Conference, discussing emotional intelligence as marketers’ competitive advantage and strategies for securing leadership positions.
Serving as judge for the 2021 SMPS National Marketing Communication Awards (MCAs), Kenda evaluated national competition entries, providing expertise on excellence standards in professional services marketing. Her participation in SMPS Oregon’s “Rise & Grind: 10 Tips to Make Your MEA Award Submittal Shine” presentation shared practical insights from the judging perspective, helping marketing professionals craft more competitive award submissions.
The SMPS Seattle Fellows Scholarship, which Kenda helped establish alongside fellow Seattle Fellows, provides up to $3,200 in funding to send chapter members to the Amplify A|E|C national conference. This scholarship democratizes access to premier professional development, ensuring cost is not a barrier to career advancement—a legacy investment in the next generation of AEC marketing leaders.
Active member of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP) and Washington State Society for Healthcare Engineers (WSSHE), Kenda maintains cross-industry networks that inform business development strategy and provide diverse perspectives on market trends and client needs across commercial real estate and healthcare facility sectors.
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