September 8, 2022
Chambers—a 123-year-old national planning, architecture, and design firm specializing in sustainable lifestyle design—is proud to announce that the University of Cincinnati has established the Robert A. Hickman Endowed Scholarship in celebration of his 50th work anniversary with the firm.
In June of 1967, Robert Hickman graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Cincinnati, College of Design, Architecture & Art with a Bachelor of Science in Design. “I attribute so much of my success in life to the education I received at UC,” says Hickman of his time there. He then went on to join the United States Air Force Officers’ Training School, reaching the rank of Captain before leaving active service in 1972.
Hickman joined Chambers in June of 1972 as an interior designer. Believing in the company philosophy of design excellence, he was named president in 1981, becoming the first individual to hold the position who was not a member of the Chambers family. In 2001, he became owner/CEO and eight years later, he assumed his current role as chairman of the board in 2009. Hickman’s leadership and influence have contributed to much of the firm’s growth into its current position as one of the nation’s most respected planning, architecture, and design firms. “Interior design today is creating environments that make people’s lives better,” he muses. “No longer a luxury, it is vital.”
To recognize this venerable career, Chambers’ president and CEO Rick Snellinger worked with The University of Cincinnati to establish the Robert A. Hickman Endowed Scholarship for the College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP). This scholarship will provide a deserving upper-class interior design student with a partial scholarship and give them the opportunity to be mentored by the team at Chambers, including Hickman himself, as part of a co-op program. “Bob has had such a profound impact on dozens of designers who have worked with him at Chambers over the last 50 years,” says Snellinger. “We couldn’t imagine a better way to honor him than through this program in connection with his alma mater.”
Hickman reflects on how the scholarship will give people a chance to advance their design careers when they might not have been able to do so otherwise. “My family and I are so honored, humbled, and proud to be a part of the educational life of UC design students in the future,” he says.
Never before and possibly never again will Chambers be so honored to have such a talented, kind and progressive individual to help lead the firm over the span of five decades. It truly is an occasion to celebrate.
About Chambers: Founded in 1899, Chambers is a full-service planning, architecture, design, and procurement firm with a specialization in private clubs and communities across the United States and abroad. Headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland with additional offices in Dallas, Minneapolis, Naples, and Washington, DC, Chambers takes a holistic and sustainable approach to enhancing lifestyles and experiences. Everything is connected—every detail matters.
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