Kristin Poldemann, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C, associate vice president – design and construction, The Ohio State University (Columbus, Ohio)
As the associate vice president of design and construction at The Ohio State University (Ohio State; Columbus, Ohio), Kristin Poldemann oversees a project portfolio of $4.6 billion on one of the nation’s largest college campuses. Leading a department of more than 50 professionals, Poldemann and her team manage an average of 1,500 active projects.
During the past year, she’s been instrumental in delivering one of the largest facilities projects in Ohio State’s history with the opening of the $1.9 billion University Hospital on The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center campus in Columbus.
Poldemann oversaw her team through the complex, yearlong activation process for the nearly 2 million-square-foot project. She worked with the extensive project team to ensure continuous executive oversight as construction was completed, regulatory approvals were achieved, and operational test runs occurred leading up to the facility’s early 2026 opening date.
Beginning in late 2022, Poldemann focused on strengthening how large healthcare projects are delivered through deeper collaboration with the A/E/C industry and internal teams by shifting their culture from transactional delivery to true project collaboration. Through her work, she championed the use of standardized project management platforms, improving transparency, communication, and accountability across large, multidisciplinary teams.
She’s also helped usher in a collaborative target value design (TVD) approach on projects to create early project alignment by bringing designers, builders, and owners together earlier and with clearer expectations. Her efforts led to reduced late-stage rework, improved cost certainty, and increased trust across teams.
Furthermore, she helped oversee a new Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Center, a historic renovation project that shows how reuse on academic medical campuses can be utilized to advance the education of the next generation of healthcare professionals.
Poldemann’s influence extends off campus as well. In 2025, she served on a leadership panel to foster career growth for women in the delivery of healthcare infrastructure. This past year, she joined the executive leadership team for the Central Ohio Hard Hats with Heart campaign, raising money and awareness to fight cardiovascular disease in the construction industry.
Through her leadership and dedication to driving clarity, Poldemann exemplifies how to create best-in-class collaboration as a key to success in complex healthcare project delivery.
Click here to read more about the 2026 HCD 10 winners.
